(going) The Extra Yad: October 2022

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).