24 November 2022

Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 18 February 1913

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 correspondence, 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, please scroll to the bottom.
 
Most of the correspondence saved by Morris Lederman was on postcards from his father. A few were letters. This letter and the letter sent to Morris on 28 November 1912 were sent in closed envelopes - the content hidden from prying Russian government eyes. The content as expected, therefore, was a bit more personal than what was seen in the postcards.
 
We do not have the original envelope for this letter. We have been lucky, however, in that Levi Yitzkhak identified the date on which he wrote to his son. By our calendar, the letter was written on Tuesday, 18 February (Gregorian calendar). The equivalent Russian date in the Julian calendar was 5 February. While he did not provide a year on the letter, we know that it had to have been 1913 because those dates fell on a Tuesday in that year.
 
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.] 

Tuesday, February 5 Russian, February 18 English
 
My dear and beloved son Mr. Moshe Shalom Mordekhai, should live.
 
My dear son, we received all your cards _____ [torn] received a letter from Zanvel - received all my letters from home.[1]
 
Every time you write about wanting to visit Michel'n.[2] And you write that you can't go because you are lacking the money. And so, it's baffling to me. I don't understand what is going on. The entire time you wrote that you earn $10-12-13 a week. You used to ask to which address you should send the money. At a later time, you bought  a watch for $75. And now it's actually the opposite. On the contrary, I see in all your letters that you barely get by in life...

And about conscription, my child, what are you planning? Well, my beloved son, from the 300 _____ [fine?] I am not even discussing.[3] But it is very bad for me. My opinion about the conscription. I am writing my opinion that you should come home, meaning you should come home and serve. 
 
I can't seem to convince _____ to serve. You think it's a small thing to serve, serve ... _____[torn] we hear about the wars that happened _____[torn], also talking about a war here in Russia, Austria, Germany, etc...And they say that the soldiers are currently having a very hard time serving. Everything is very strict this year. They say that because they are preparing for a big war, they are very strict right now about serving. Bottom line, I am really unnerved about all of this. I don't rest, I don't sleep, just keep on thinking what we can do? What do we do? It is very bad, and very bad?

Moshe'le, you most likely are reading the papers there. Here we gather that the papers there are more accurate than our papers. Because here they write as usual, the _____ is hidden, so that the people should not be afraid. 
 
My dear son, we can't even discuss mother, should live. Not a moment, a second passes that she isn't thinking about it. 
 
Bottom line, my dear son, write to me about this, about your opinion. 
 
I am sending you Faiga's letter.[4] I don't have any news to write about myself. My business isn't too great, but thank God for our health. God should help we should hear the same from you and God should help we should see each other in health and nakhas. 
 
Your father who wants you to have good luck and it should be good, for your happiness and wealth. ________

I don't have anything to write about Zanvel'n. Everything is as usual. He himself wrote to you.

Notes:
1. Zanvel or Zeidel was Moshe's/Morris' older brother.
2. I have not yet determined this person's identity or where he lived in the United States.
3. If a young man called up for Russian military service did not appear (regardless of the fact that he had left the Russia), his family were fined 300 rubles - a huge sum. Gur Alroey, in his article "Out of the shtetl. In the Footsteps of Eastern European Jewish Emigrants to America, 1900-1914," estimated that it would have cost a Russian adult about 215 rubles to get to the United States - $107 in 1908 money; about $2860 in 2021. Leidschrift 22:2 (April 2007); http://easteurotopo.org/articles/alroey/ . 
4. Faiga Grinfeld was Moshe's sister who lived with her husband and children in Baranovka.
 

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"Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 28 December 1912"
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23 October 2022

Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 28 December 1912

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 correspondence, 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, please scroll to the bottom.
 


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.] 

Postmarked:

Baranovka, 29 December 1912

Addressed to: 

Mr. Morris Liderman
92 Blossm St.
Lynn Mass
America  
 

[side 1]

Friday, Parashas Bo
December 28, 1912 [Russian (Julian calendar) date] [1]
 
My dear and beloved son Mr. Moshe - Shalom - Mordekhai, should live.
 
It is Friday 2 pm. I am home for Shabbos. Thank God everyone in our home is healthy and whole. 
 
Zavel was here this week for two days. He came on Tuesday and left yesterday, Thursday. There is no news with him. He is a _____ and that's it. Of course he would _____ already be _____ at least [sutchold?] - he told me that he wrote a letter to you. Most likely you received it already. What did he write to you about his opinions? 
 
There is no news here, except for the fact that there is a great crisis here in Russia. The war, the Balkans is causing us.[2]
 
Aside from that, our brethren in Russia have it very bad. Every day new decrees, one after another. They are torturing us sadly without mercy. And we are awaiting some war in Russia. What are the American papers writing about it? [3]
 
Moshe-le, what's news at your end? We are all sad over you. We already see the success that you have made over there. We understand from your letters that you do not have a penny and that in general there is no point in you being there. And so, my son, my son, write something about the full truth. What's going on with you?
 
[side 2]
 
I thought that I will know the honest truth from you at all times, because I believe in you, that you are an honest man. And so my son, write to me something about the truth and you opinion on the "Prizov."
 
From me, your father that worries about you.
_____ _____
 
Mother, should live, Faiga, Shakhna and the children, Sarah are greeting you warmly and very friendly. 

Notes:

1. The post card was written on 28 December 1912 and postmarked the following day. 28 December was equivalent to 2 Shevet 5673 in the Jewish calendar and 10 January 1913 in the Gregorian calendar (in use then, as now, in the United States). In the Torah reading Parashas Bo, the last three plagues impact the Egyptians: locusts, darkness and, finally, death of the first-born. The Israelites leave Egypt and receive the commandment to observe Passover. See, "Parashat Bo: Summary," MyJewishLearning.com (https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/parashat-bo/ : accessed 23 October 2022).

2. This is likely referring to the first of two Balkan Wars. In October 1912, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Serbia attacked the Ottoman Empire with the goal of ousting them from Europe. The Treaty of London in May 1913, ended the fighting and most of the Ottoman Empire's rule in Europe. Russia supported the anti-Ottoman combatants because it sought access to the Mediterranean via the Black Sea. See, "Balkan Wars," Wikipedia.com (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balkan_Wars : accessed 23 October 2022).

3. While specific decrees by the Czar were not covered often by newspapers in the USA, the Boston Globe did publish an article, "Discontent in Russia," on 12 May 1912 (Newspapers.com : accessed 23 October 2022).

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04 September 2022

Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 2 December 1912

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 correspondence, 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, please scroll to the bottom.
 
Like the last post, this correspondence, as well, was a letter for which we do not have the original envelope. The letter was written on 2 December 1912 (Julian/Russian calendar) which was equivalent to 15 December 1912 on the Gregorian calendar, then (and now) in use in much of the world. So, this letter was written by Levi Yitzkhak four days after the one posted previously.
 
 
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. The underlined words in this letter are as written by Levi Yitzkhak.] 

 
[side 1]

 

Monday, Parshas Vayechi, 2/15 1912 Zhary forest [1] 

 

My beloved and dear son who sweetens my soul, Mr. Moshe Shalom Mordekhai should live.

 

I am writing this letter in the forest. It is Sunday evening, Parshas Vayechi, December 2 English December 15. Today the people traveled from the kantur [?] to Baranovka.[2] I gather that they will most likely bring back a letter or card for me, from you.

 

But right now, I am only writing a response to your earlier letter from 19 November English that you wrote. It arrived to me last week Sunday already. This is a calculation of 8 December English. Meaning, that from when you wrote it, until now is about 18-19 days.

 

You write in the letter that you met with Baruch Zharlitzer's [son].[3] You write about your happiness when you saw him and that he really did give you a truly warm greeting. Mother, indeed, told me that the entire time before he left, she asked him, told him that she should greet you and to give over. I, myself, did not see him before he left, as I was not home. Bottom line, my son, when we read something in you letters about your happiness, we feel a lot of pleasure. 

 

It's been a few times that you have written something that you will _____ _____ [travel to?]. But you don't  write why and when. What is this? What is this? You wrote to him and you still haven't received a response from him. All your words are obscure, you don't write details.

 

Can you believe how many times I have asked you in the letters that you should write something of "importance/purpose" - I say purpose - but by the way, I am of the opinion that a person, a human being don't know what purpose is. There is The One Who Created and runs the world, He does things with a purpose and that's what lasts forever. But my dear son, even so, a person can't always keep his hands in the pocket. A person must do and God will help. So my dear son, write something important. What are you thinking? What are you saying about the future. I want to know your opinion. 

 

From Zavel'n, the story is as follows: from the start, I understand that things were hard.[4] That's what I saw in his letters every time he wrote to us. He constantly complained that it was hard for him.

 

[side 2]

 

And by the way, Gedalya Eisenberg was here. From the start. The Gabbai is the son, Shmuel Eisenberg's [i.e., Shmuel Eisenberg's son].[5] He is currently the main manager [?]. Meaning, in Polin and ____ [forkshne or porkshne or similar] he is the organizer - he told me in the beginning that he isn't too impressed with Zavel'n.[6] Meaning, it would, he said, it would be very good if I would write to Zavel'n that he should be more devoted in the shop - you can understand that from what he said, I was already not calm. That's when I sent mother, should live, to be there. I have written about this to you. This still happened in the summer.

 

But now I was at Chona Eisenberg, and Gedalya was also home.[7] But happens to be he went down to the street then. I spoke about this again. From what Chona said, I understand they are happy with him now. He got used to the shop already. They said that it isn't surprising that a new person takes time to get used to the shop. A few minutes later, Gedalya arrived home and he said the same thing as Chona said.

 

But from Zavel himself, I did not have any letters about this topic. There were no letters home either. I told G. with wonder - how is it that Zavel doesn't  come home this entire time? You think one would want to travel from such a shop? He told me - you should write the address. So I'm writing here. But I think it's better that you write him at our address and we send it to him. This is the address:

 

[in Russian:] 

Bumazhnovo Polyanskovo Frabrika [plant/factory]

To: Mr. Zeidel Liderman

station [railroad station] Krivin, Volinskava Gubernia [8]

 

Greetings to R'David _____ [Wallach?] in my name. Greet Yisrael Pesis [?], everyone we know, all my acquaintances should be sent regards.[9] We ask that if it's possible to do a favor, you should not forget about us. 

 

Greet Baruch Zharizher [?]'s boy in my name.

 

Your father that worries about you and is awaiting to see you with much nakhas.


Notes:

1. "2/15" was not February 15, but Levi Yitzkhak's way of recognizing the same day as designated on the two calendars: 2 December 1912 (Julian) and 15 December 1912 (Gregorian).

The Torah reading for Vayechi is Genesis 47:28 - 50:26. 

For information on the location of the Zhary forest, see note 1 in this earlier post. Levi Yitzkhak had been working for a private timber company in the Zhary forest.

2. The exact meaning of the transcribed word "kantur" is not clear. I think the word may actually have been "canton" - a small administrative division. This would make some sense as the Zhary forest was not close to any large communities. So, some people from the local area (or, perhaps, his company) traveled to Baranovka (where Levi Yitzkhak's family was living).

3. I have been unable to locate anyone with that surname or something similar. There are several issues. 

  1. There is no indication of Baruch's son's first name. And we do not know where he might have been living in the USA. Morris/Moshe was in Lynn, Massachusetts, at this time.

  2. The last name is transcribed with two different spellings in this letter (here and several paragraphs down): Zharlitzer and Zharizher. These renderings could be spelled several ways in Russian (including staring with letters that sound like Zh, Ch, Shch, and Ts). I have checked JewishGen's FamilyFinder and have located no researchers seeking similar surnames. 

  3. It is not clear from which community Zharlitzer lived in Ukraine. It could have been Annopol where Morris lived with his parents before he emigrated. Or, it could have been Baranovka where Morris' parents moved. I tried to located a similar name with the first name Borukh in 1906 and 1907 Voters Lists for Ostrog District (for Annopol) and Novograd Volinskiy district (for Baranovka). I found no similar listings. 

  4. I search for similar surnames in the Ellis Island manifest database using the Gold Form search box on SteveMorse.org. Similar searches of other immigration databases on Ancestry.com (specifying Jewish collections) were fruitless.

4. Zavel and Zeidel and names for the same person, Moshe's older brother.

5. A gabbai is the synagogue official who is in charge of finances - a treasurer or administrator.

6. So far, we have not been able to determine the meaning of the word forkshne or porkshne.

7. I have looked for Chona and Gedalya Eisenberg (Aizenberg) in Annopol, Baranovka and Polonne and have not found them in Voter's lists from 1906 and 1907.

8. Krivin appears to have been a rural area (just a train station) about halfway between Ostrog and Slavuta.

Thanks to Oleksiy Khrystuch and Nina Vinakovsky who responded to my post on the FaceBook page Genealogical Translations and helped decipher the Cyrillic handwriting.

9. I have not located people with these surnames in Lynn, MA, in the 1910 and 1920 census or the 1912 and 1913 Lynn city directories.

 

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"Letters from Levi Yitzkhak Lederman, 2 December 1912" 
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