Dear Dorechka!
Did not write you last week because I was busy in the store
<lavka> (1). Last I week I sat there every day until 9 pm, it was a little tiresome but, thank God, it’s over
now. Sales weren’t bad at all but, I would say, much slower than last year. I
am surprised that you wrote that it is cold over there (2). Imagine, we even
did not need to get warm over the pot <probably a pot with a hot coal used
in the winter>, and there’s been no <heavy> snow. We had snow twice
but it melted soon. So far we haven’t felt winter at all. Sure, at home we keep stoves
heated and it is rather warm. In the newspapers they wrote that still there
will be frost but so far, thank God, half of the winter already passed. We are
so busy now that there isn’t even time to think about anything. I am mostly
interested in your future. I am very sorry that Fania is still busy with her
court <cases?>, this creates
problems for you. Only now I came to conclusion that it would be good if you
could acquire some house. The latter
depends if you would be able to manage it yourself, and secondly, how much
money it would require. Maybe, we will be able to help you with this. Frida
went with Gitel for a walk and promised to come in time so we would not be late
with the letter, but it looks like I won’t be able to wait and will send the
letter by myself. Gitel still remembers you (3). We got a letter from Lisa, and
she <Gitel> was asking what was in it, so we told her that Lisa invites
her to visit her in Grodno, but she said, “No, I want to see Dora.” Lisa’s is due soon, she is in the 9th
month <of pregnancy> and we wish that all would be safe and over already. M<ichel>.Sanin asked me a few times to find out about Boyarsky,
his wife’s nephew, and I forgot about it every time. Ask Fania about it, she should know him, she
met him once in Meran. Michel wants to know what is he <Boyarsky> doing
and how is his life. Papa, thank God, is better and comes to the store
<lavka> for a little while. The Polish Holidays have not finished yet but
Russians already are going to start at January 6. (4) I wish you in the New Year all the best,
everything that loving your mother Revecca could wish you.
(1) A lavka was like a convenience store today.
(2) It appears Dora had made aliyyah when this letter was
written.
(3) Frida married Meilach Trotzky and had a daughter Gitel.
She is probably meant, not sister Gitel.
(4) “Polish holidays” refers to Christmas celebrated
Dec. 25, while the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated “later” because it used
the Julian calendar
Letters from Lida - 14