Letters from Lida

Sunday, January 16. (1)

Dear Fanechka!

We receive <your letters> every Thursday and send <letters to you> back every Sunday. This week many <letters> of your letters came, and in addition Leo and Schimschel <?> came to show me your letters, also on Saturday I stopped by Dora to visit her and she told me that Olia (2) wrote about receiving a long letter from you in which you describe your life, how you manage to do your work, to care for yourself, to study, and, as we know, you like to read, and on the top of everything to write letters to everyone in particular. I am amazed and at the same time feel sorry for you that you work so hard. Let God give you strength. We all enjoy your letters very much. I read and reread your letters many times and imagine sharing my thoughts with you. I gave your letter to Moisha and he liked it very much, said that he found just one mistake and will write you about it. Taitika and Yidelesh stopped by today and said that Papa already wrote you a letter, only I don’t know if he will bring it to us to send to you or will send it himself, although I doubt the latter.

By the way, yesterday, when I was at Dora’s, Revecca <unclear> invited me after <we had> the dinner. Over there she let me read Beilla’s letter that she received few days ago. This letter was the very first after she came home from abroad. She wrote that Shapiro was requested to come back by telegram, because of the workers’ strike. She <came, unclear> 10 days later. <Unclear> businesses takes much more money and brings much less than before. Although she is writing that Shapiro sent them papers to enter America 5 weeks ago, they did not receive them yet. Revecca is waiting impatiently, she wants to see Bebkins <?> and everybody else. Dora, thank God, is feeling better, today <she> had a normal temperature and today or tomorrow will get out of bed. I am very happy, my dear girl, that you are content with your work and they <at work> are happy with you. God let you be that happy in the future. I would be interested what kind of wedding they have over there but don’t want to bother you. Nobody in Lida knows Kamenetsky that you wrote about. I asked papa to ask around, because we are interested ourselves that there was such a tobacco factory owner and nobody knows him. We know all the tobacco factories owners: Vilenchik, <unclear> Kantor, Rabinovich, Shpilkovsky, Dargion, and finally during the war <Note: World War I> there was another one who worked at Vilenchik’s, Voliansky by name, who got rich and went to Vilno where he and Greenshman’s son opened a tobacco factory. Also, for a short time, there was a small factory at Sonec’ yard opened by two brother-in-laws of the photographer Baron; one was Novoprussky from Lida, and the other was Volchoviansky, a brother-in-law from Grodno; but nobody knows anything about Kametsky’s tobacco. In short, ask him who his friends are, and I will tell you who he is. This is only a proverb, but if you are really interested ask him about his relatives and where he lived. Wednesday night the last wedding guest, the groom’s sister, left, and I felt free, although she spent most of the time at Chaya’s. This week <I> hope to start a dowry for Lisa(3). I got ½ pud <about 18 lbs> of the goose feathers, and gave them to be plucked, and now have to make covers for the blanket and linens. I should finish the small things and then get to the hard ones, although practically everybody does just an opposite: starts with the big work and then does the small things. But what can you do? This is our way. I was planning to write a letter to Beilla for a long time but could not find time, anyway, she also did not answer me the letter that I sent her a long time ago. Sima hasn’t felt well lately, after Shepa’s wedding she got seriously ill. But thank God, yesterday we got a letter from Annushka (groom’s sister), she writes that the crisis is over and she <Sima>, thank God, is getting better. However I am waiting for more detailed letter yet. Borinka, thank God, is a wonderful boy. Last week he was sick to his stomach, but this is probably because of teething. The children are upset with Sheina because she did not write to you but she is blaming Abram, she is angry at him because all this time he did not respond to all regards from his homeland (4). God be with him, you know how lazy he is, although he would not miss a letter from you without reading it. Gitel (5) got much older <weaker> and does not feel too great. Every day we set up 3 or 4 stoves and it is still chilly. One should already be to winter, but old age doesn’t let me forget about it. Well, it is enough for today, to the next time.

Be healthy and happy, my dear daughter, best wishes from your loving mother Revekka.

<Note: > Say hello to Vulf, (6) tell him that I am angry at him, he is such a <unclear>, even did not respond to my letter.

Fanechka, dear, mama wrote you a letter, Lisa also is writing a detailed letter <to you>, so I will send them in two envelopes and write to you myself in a few days. Tomorrow we will start the laundry, will be busy with it for couple of days, and when everything is done I will write you. My dear, you wrote that we should not forget you in our festivities, but believe me that not one glass of wine neither one bite we had without talking about you. Fania, I am still waiting for you all the time. I am trying to keep red wild strawberry preserve for you, also pickles, but that we could not resist and when Lisa came and we had guests we ate them all. Only lingberry left and even they are almost gone, so please hurry. I will write you a detailed letter <later>, I feel that am writing something wrong and it would be better to talk with you, but nothing can be done about it, not everything can be written in a letter. There is nothing new at home, we are preparing for the wedding, my head is spinning, all our hopes are with Shapiro but he does not think about us too much, so hopefully God won’t leave us. We will hope and wait. Be happy. With kisses, your Frida. If you remember, I was acquainted with one guy from <Eine…?>, Uru Rosovsky. He is now in Tel Aviv, maybe you know him by chance. You probably remember our correspondence <with him>. Your Frida.(7)

Be healthy, my dear. God let you all be healthy and happy. Gitel wants very much to get acquainted with X. Kiss you all, Loving Frida. (8)

(1) January 16 was a Saturday in 1926, 1932, and 1937. In March 1926 (letter 33), Olia has been in Palestine for 3 months. She returned that year; as in November she wrote Fanya a letter from Voronovo (letter 37). Dora had obviously made aliyyah when this letter was written, which makes the year 1937, as she didn't leave Lida until 1936. This is also consistent with sister Lisa's being married & having a child.
(2) Dora and Olia - in the Yad Vashem database is Mrs. Ola Polacheck, a nursery school teacher in Lida, daughter of Dvora and Isaac. Her maiden name isn't given.
(3) Lisa is one of Fanya’s sisters. She married Boris Shapiro. They and their two children perished in the Holocaust. The reference to a dowry isn't at all clear - it's seems hardly likely that there'd have been two Lisa/Boris combinations in the family!
(4) Abraham & Sheina are probably Fanya & Dora's brother & his wife, whose marriage is featured in earlier letters.
(5) Gitel who is getting weaker - not a grandmother, as Revekka's mother was named Frieda, and Grandmother Pupko died in 1922. Possibly a maternal aunt.
(6) Vulf is cousin Ze’ev – see the families page – who also made aliyyah
(7) Fanya's sister Frida
(8) Fanya’s paternal grandmother was named Frida, and the handwriting looks as if were written by a frail person, but would she have signed a letter to a granddaughter with only her name? X – removed name of Fanya’s child for privacy reasons. Gitel probably refers to the younger Frida's daughter, Frida Kaplan's greatgranddaughter..

Letters from Lida - 8