Letters from Lida

Translated by Lena Gorina-Black

Dorechka, my dear!

I am writing to you just a little, because I am very tired. Gitel has been on my hands for almost a week, she is very sick, she got a bad cold <unclear> last Thursday invited <unclear> and she had a high fever, and on Friday she got a shot to prevent pneumonia. Couple times we applied cups < traditional Chinese and Russian treatment of a cold or pneumonia by applying a glass cups against the patient's skin. The cup is heated inside with a burning piece of cotton wiped in alcohol, and then is pressed against the skin. As the air cools in the cup, a vacuum forms that pulls up on the skin, stimulating the acupressure effect. More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cupping>. Yesterday she got another shot. The fever stayed between 37.8^o and 39.2^o < 100 F and 102.6 F>. Today, thank God, the fever is gone, she feels better but does not take any food or drink, even tea, we have to beg her <to eat or drink>. You can imagine how crazy I was, and even now I cannot leave her for a second, she is getting upset and cranky. Gitel is not letting me write now, she keeps

saying, “ You are writing to Aunt Dora, write her that I love her and kiss her.” What is going on with Fanechka, is her court case over? What good is going on? What’s in our newspapers - is a pure horror (1). I am collecting them and will send them to you. Why the government<s> don’t do anything about it? Why is the whole world silent about it? We have very bad feeling about it. Excuse me that I don’t write you more but I have no time, I have to <unclear> and go to the doctor ask about Gitel, so I am afraid to be late to the post office, so our letter to you won’t be delayed. Kiss you with love. Best regards from everybody. Loving Frida.

We just measured her temperature, and thank God, it is normal.

Elia thinks that she has a bronchial asthma.

III

Lisa writes that she is not going to come for Shavul<Cheviot?>, but I still think she may come because previously the wedding was planned to be in Grodno, and now they decided to have it in Lida next Sunday in their apartment. Most likely it will be a very beautiful <wedding> and with a dinner. Fivochka already went back home from visiting Shavul and I doubt that she would come again. She wanted very much that <unclear> with Tania, but <unclear>, they asked me but I would never do <unclear> . There is not so much new in Lida now. Dara Rogranskaya married a guy from shtetl, they took him <to work > in the store. Tania Jejemskaya got engaged to a guy from Grodno, very rich guy. Sonia Lurie thank God, got well and already goes to the city. She rented a dacha in Minojto (2). Frida Kovenskaya (3) rented a room in Novoselno (4). Aunt Chaia and Rivochka (5) are going to Chechonek (6), so far she lives <unclear> but it is not going to be the case when Uida (7) gets married, I doubt they will get along. Adasia (8) lives in Mexico, the letters from her are very good, her life is wonderful. Dorechka, dear, how do you feel? Is Fanechka healthy? Have you made any friends? You probably could not leave for a long time yet… May God let everything calm down and get peaceful. We are impatiently waiting for the end of this court case, may God make it good for you. Kiss you lovingly, Frida.

May 31, 1936

31 Oct. 1936 [This letter was written in Yiddish & translated thanks to Reuven Poupko’s contacts]. (9)

My dear ones,

We received your letter. I thank you very much. It’s already two weeks that I haven’t written to you. I just didn’t have the time, and today I also have no time, but I just feel compelled to write. We are busy with the wedding for Yudel, and at the store it’s pre-holiday season for the Polish and Russians. Also, before all this we have to arrange the merchandise. I have gotten myself a temporary job. Shimshon argues with the partners. He has his opinion and they have theirs. The bookkeeper and I have to keep the records. In general everything is, thank G-d, in order. There is plenty of work to be done. How are you? Are they watching your orchard? Is it being watched at night? By whom? We would like to be with you already and we would like to see how it looks. We are waiting impatiently for the verdict of October 3. Tell Dora to write how it’s working out for you and how she is in general, with everything. You asked about the wood. We didn’t finish inquiring about it since it was work time. This month I hope to get it done. Be well. I wish you all the best.

Elimeilech (10)

I will write again, as I always say I will.

(1) "Horror": Pilsudsky had opposed antisemitism, and his personal charisma was able to reduce overt incidents. However, he died in 1935, and there was no comparable national figure to replace him. In Europe, nationalism has often been attended by antisemitism, and Poland was no exception. The fact that about 85% of Jews did not consider Polish their first language was a problem for Polish nationalists. In May 1936 an antisemitic incident in Glowno, which the police attempted to stop by arresting an instigator, developed into a riot as a crowd gathered at the jail to try to free him. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Poland#Interwar_period_1918.E2.80.9339; scroll down to "Growing Antisemitism". The Wolfkowicz letters from Lodz reflect this increasingly hostile atmosphere as well.
(2)Minojto is Minoyty, a town 6.4 miles southsoutheast of Lida.
(3) Dora and Fanya’s Uncle Shimshon had a daughter Frida who married Kawenski [as transliterated in the Yad Vashem database]. This is probably that cousin.
(4) Novoselno must be another country town or spa.
(5) Chaia is Dora and Fanya’s aunt, married to their Uncle Shimshon. They had a son Natan, whose wife was Rivka. So Chaia is going to a dacha with her daughter-in-law.
(6) Chechonek is probably Ciechocinek, a spa town in Poland, which has a Wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciechocinek
(7) Uida is probably Yudel, Shimshon and Chaia’s younger son.
(8) Adassa Darshon, another of Dora and Fanya’s cousins. Chaim Abba was her father.
(9) The date was translated October by the Yiddish translator, but that would mean that the previous letters must have been sitting around for several months. As other letters show, Chaim Abba and his wife moved to Mexico in autumn 1936, and there is no mention of this move in this letter. The May date is more likely. See letter 23, in which Chaia’s return from Ciechocinek is mentioned in July 1936.
(10) Fanya and Dora’s brother-in-law, husband of their sister Frida. He got a job in their Uncle Shimshon’s store. [He who argues with his partners].

Letters from Lida - 27