30 December 2021

Virtually "Back to the Old Country": Planned SLIG Course Now Will Be Available Via One's Home Computer

 
A few months ago, I posted here about a week-long Jewish genealogy course that Janette Silverman, Lara Diamond, Marian Smith and I would be teaching between January 9th and 14th, 2022 at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy (SLIG): “Back to the Old Country: Genealogy of Ashkenazic Jews of Galicia and the Russian Empire.” A few weeks ago, after evaluating the current COVID situation, SLIG decided to go virtual.

Now, one can take "Back to the Old Country" from one's home computer. No additional costs due to airline fights or hotel rooms. The course is geared to advanced beginner and intermediate genealogists who have conducted some research and are familiar with standard research procedures.

Ours is one of 11 virtual courses offered this coming January. To see a description of the Jewish genealogy course and the others, go to https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=627. There are still some seats available.

General information abour SLIG 2022 may be viewed at https://slig.ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=524.

Log in or create an account and register at: https://sligregistration.ugagenealogy.org/

18 December 2021

Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 19 March 1912

I am afraid I misread the date on this one when I was sorting them chronologically for posting in this blog. My last post was a postcard from April 1912. This one is from a few weeks earlier in March 1912. I should have posted it before the previous post.

This post continues translation of letters and postcards in Yiddish (and, sometimes, Hebrew and a little bit of Russian) sent to Morris Lederman, who immigrated to the United States in 1910. Most of the postcards, such as this one, were sent by Morris' father Levi Yitzkhak. For further background, see the first post in this series.

For links to other posts in this series, scroll to the bottom.
 

Translation is an art. Any comments or clarifications by Yiddish and/or Hebrew speakers/translators are welcome. Despite the best efforts by a talented translator, there are always places where the handwriting is challenging or the meaning confusing.


 

 


Company name printed on address side [side 2] of the card: 

контора  Office

Жарской Лесной Дачи и Лесопильн Завода Zharskoy Forest Dacha and Sawmill

Addressed to:

America
 
Mr. M. Lederman
Lynn, Mass.
108 Blossm Street [Blossom Street]

Translation

Translation by Esther Chanie Dushinsky

[Notes in blue as well as those at the end of the post are mine. For ease of reading, I have added paragraph breaks in the translation.]

[side 1]

Zhary forest, which is close to Polonnoe, 20 verst, close to Baranovka, 16 verst [1]

 

Tuesday, Vayikra, 6/19 March 1912 [2] 

 

My dear and beloved son Mr. Moshe - Shalom - Mordekhai, should live. My dear and beloved son, I knew _____ _____ that holding back the fruits of my pen, it's because _____ but the honest truth is that I am not guilty. You know, my child, that I am here at a new job and there is a lot of work, from sun up, until evening. I am very busy and at night I have to write down the details of my job. So, since I came here, now that the way is clear, as it is spring, I am a bit more free. Not entirely, but at least I can take a break and write a card to you.

 

I don't have news to write. Thank God we are alive and in peace and may God help that we should hear from you in peace and tranquility, and calmness.

 

Zavil came home already.[3] Most likely they wrote to you about it from home. _____ my luck, I had to send him 15 once, and then 20 a second time. But I am thinking about bringing him here to me, in Zhary, in the forest as a bookkeeper. I happen to have an opportunity to give him a job here in the winter. But I wasn't sure whether he had a job there.But don't tell him this secret. He only wrote to me about his luck in the last while. That's when I sent him 20 and wrote to him that he should come. But now it's before Pesakh and the ways are very bad and the work here hasn't lessened, he sits at home meanwhile, in Annopol.

 

Moshe'le, most likely they wrote to you from home that the house sold for a decent amount and the Polish Rav bought it. And they had to give him the home, so they moved to the house of Gershon Vidro.[4]

 

[sideways]

The job is of course more pleasant than _____ in _____. And I get paid more. I will receive 40 a month, _____ _____. 


[side 2]

I plan to move after Pesakh to Baranovka.

 

My son, you asked me in the letter _____ that you wanted to send, and I didn't send it to you, because I thought that mother, should live, will write to you. And now, I also don't know _____ the mail. Meaning, to Polonnoe, or Baranovka, or Annopol for Pesakh. I will be home for Pesakh, and we will discuss it and write to you. Bless and wish us, my child, that whatever we will do should be with blessed luck and we should be well and strong. We should hear from you, and you should hear from us. I am wishing you and blessing you, my child, from the depths of my heart. Blessing you, your father that loves you _____ _____. 

 

Notes:

1. Levi Yitzkhak kindly told his son,Morris, where the Zhary forest, in which he was working, was located. A verst was a measure of length in the Russian Empire. It was equivalent to .66 miles or 1.1 kilometers. So, the forest was about 13.2 miles (22 kms) from Polonnoe and 10.6 miles (17.6 kms) from Baranovka. While Levi Yitzkhak did not specify the directions from the two communities, I noticed that there is a placed identified as Zhary on a current map (below). It seems to be in about the correct location. So, the forest must have been east of Baranovka and NNE of Polonnoe.

 

 

2. Levi Yitzkhak wrote both the Julian and Gregorian calendar dates here (6/19 March). He wrote the postcard on March 6 in the Julian/Russian calendar and March 19 in the Gregorian calendar already adopted in the United States and much of the world.  

 

Vayikra is the 24th weekly Torah portion read in the yearly Jewish cycle. It is in the first book of Leviticus 1:1-5:26.

 

3. Zavil (or Zanvel), Moshe's brother, had been trying to get work in Ekaterinaslav (today called Dnipro).


4. I have been transliterating and indexing several district Duma voters lists published in the Volinskiy Gubernskiy Vedomosti (a local newspaper) in 1906 and 1907. The 1906 Duma voters list for the Ostrog district included Gershko Vidra (entry 324), a homeowner in Annopol. I do not know if Gershon/Gershko was a relative.

 

I have not found Levi Yitzkhak Liderman in this same 1906 Duma list that includes homeowners from Annopol.

Posts in this Series

28 November 2021

Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 14 April 1912

UPDATE: I misread the date of one letter in this series and posted this 14 April 1912 postcard before the 19 March 1912 postcard. So, go the my post for the 19 March 1912 card first here: https://extrayad.blogspot.com/2021/12/letters-from-levi-yitzkhak-lederman-19.html . Then, come back to this one.

This post continues translation of letters and postcards in Yiddish (and, sometimes, Hebrew and a little bit of Russian) sent to Morris Lederman, who immigrated to the United States in 1910. Most of the postcards, such as this one, were sent by Morris' father Levi Yitzkhak. For further background, see the first post in this series.

For links to other posts in this series, scroll to the bottom.
 

Translation is an art. Any comments or clarifications by Yiddish and/or Hebrew speakers/translators are welcome. Despite the best efforts by a talented translator, there are always places where the handwriting is challenging or the meaning confusing.

 



Company name printed on address side [side 2] of the card: 

контора  Office

Жарской Лесной Дачи и Лесопильн Завода Zharskoy Forest Dacha and Sawmill

Addressed to:

America
 
Mr. M. Lederman
108 Blossm Street [Blossom Street]
Lynn, Mass.
U.S. of America 

Postmarked: 
14 April 1912 (Russian/Julian date), Baranovka

Translation

Translation by Esther Chanie Dushinsky

[Notes in blue as well as those at the end of the post are mine. For ease of reading, I have added paragraph breaks in the translation.]

[side 1]

April the 13/26 1912 [April 13 was Julian (Russian) calendar date. April 26 was the date in the Gregorian calendar - the one in use then (and now) in the United States.]

My dear and beloved son, who is as beloved to me as my own soul, Mr. Moshe - Shalom - Mordekhai, should live. Thank you that you sent us the letter. You simply revived us all.

I can't begin to describe the pain and aggravation that we experienced because we didn't hear from you the entire time. The Pesakh that we had, your mother, should live, sadly didn't eat or drink, and that's how the entire Yom Tov was.[1]

We only received your letter the next week on Monday. I wasn't home anymore at that point, and mother sent it to me.[2]

You write in the letter that you want to know why I don't write to you. You are of course my child, true. But believe me that it is also unpleasant for me, but simply I am very busy here in the forest [?]. I simply don't have time. But God forbid it isn't for any other reason. I have nothing against you, my child. God should help us that we should see each other and see much nakhus from you.

Zavil is home now, most likely mother wrote to you.[3] God needs to have a bit of mercy on him already and show him a sign, a situation. 

To start, we haven't moved yet to Baranovka. The hindrance is that we can't get a wagon. The way is very bad now, mud. Faiga already rented an apartment in Baranovka for us. Nu, over the summer. There is a neighbor in the shtiblakh who will only continue after Succos.[4]

Moshe'le, you wrote about sending money. You asked where to send it to. We will be moving to Baranovka, so you can send it to my address in Baranovka.

[side 2]

I am asking that you write to me about what's going on with you, every detail, only the truth. How much money do you have, and other details that are important. Write about your thoughts on everything. 

Moshe'le, send us the address of uncle Yakov.[5] We don't have his address and that's why we haven't written to him in a long while. 

Most importantly, Moshe'le, what is indeed the story as to why you haven't written in such a long time? Why? What's going on that you, Moshe'le, should not write often? The entire town of Annopol went crazy in Bais Midrash, at the market, very single person did not ask more than whether your letter arrived.[6] Day after day. 

Your father that loves you and worries about you. 

Notes

1. Pesakh = Passover. Yom Tov = Jewish holiday

2. Morris' mother (Levi Yitzkhak's wife) and daughter were still living in Annopol. It is not entirely clear where Levi Yitzkhak had been working (i.e., I have not determined where Zharskoy forest was), but he appears to have been living near Baranovka - where is daughter Feiga lived with her family.

3. Zavil or, more correctly, Zanvel, was Morris' older brother. He had been in Ekaterinislav (today Dnipro) working and trying to find work at a living wage.

4. A shtiblakh is a small room set aside for prayer. In this case, it is hard to know whether Levi Yitzkhak literally meant there was a shtiblakh as part of the house or that there was a very small room rented by a third party. In 1912 (the Hebrew year 5673), Succos (aka Sukkot) was 25 September to 2 October.

5. Jacob Simberg (Morris' maternal uncle) lived in New York City and Morris lived with him and his family for much of the time he was in Manhattan.

6. Bais Midrash a hall for the study of Torah, distinct from a synagogue. 

Posts in this Series