Letters from Lida

Translated by Lena Gorina-Black

Lida, December 13

Dear Olia!

Finally I got a chance to write a letter to you. I hope that you are not angry with me for not writing you a lot, take into consideration that I am very busy. Before I did not want to write because you would be worrying, but now I can write. For few days I had to work on the poles <electrical or telegraph>, but now there is not much work left. It is mostly finished. Oh, damn it, I got time to write you and now I cannot get myself together to concentrate. I was going to write you a long letter, to tell about everything in all details, to respond to all your questions, and here I hear Papa’s voice: “Meilach!” (Everybody is asleep, I am sitting in the dining room and writing.) I go to his bedroom. He tells me that he had a wild dream. “I saw in my dream my Papa, Mama, brother Meiser.” I, sure, am trying to calm him down, telling him “There is nothing new about these type of dreams.” But you understand how badly this dream could affect an old person. And you could imagine how badly I feel after that. And how could I continue the letter after that? That is how it is, Olenka, it is hard to live, excuse me, Olenka that you have to wait one more day. Tomorrow I will finish <the letter> definitely.

December 14.

We will continue. I will read your latest letters and will respond to everything in order. First, I will start from the earlier letter with 3 cigarettes in it. In this letter you asked me to write about the money that Papa received. I will tell you truthfully <unclear> I did not want so much to write about it but if you are asking me I, sure, will write my opinion. I was thinking that after Papa received that money, either Mama would move to Warsaw or I will rent an apartment here and will ask you to come here – in any case something changes. Besides, I was thinking that you already told your opinion to your family. So what is good about his money if Papa stays in Warsaw and Mama is giving lessons all day? See what I am doing now? Could I say that I have a right to intrude? But about you let’s talk some more. First, about Froebel’s classes <Froebel is an educator, particularly famous for his invention of the kindergarten education, see more at http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9035478/Friedrich-Froebel> in Warsaw. I heard that in Jerusalem there are very good Froebel’s classes. Why you don’t want to go there? Please write me a reason <for your not attending the Froebel classes in Jerusalem>. I am very interested in it. Mademoiselle Kamenetsaya does not live in Lida anymore, they left a long time ago, so I could find this out <apparently something that Olia was asking about> from her.

In the same thick letter you were writing me your plans for the future. I am very sorry, Olenka, but I feel very uneasy about your plans. I am very compassionate about it, when one feels bad about life and does not have much to do, one may create a new plan every hour. At one place in your letter I got really angry. It was where you were writing that you plan to stay in Palestine for about 1½ years to save some money and then you would leave somewhere to study. Tell me yourself, is it not funny? You write yourself that the times now are very bad, that it is hard to find even a small job. I think it is all nonsense, if you decided to leave it does not make any difference for how long you are going to stay in Palestine, for a year or 11 months. Why do you have to stay there senselessly and torture yourself? Then you wrote me about conservatory. This is a completely different story. Why would not you get in? Who told you that only geniuses get in there? I am sure that they will accept you. Besides I think that <your> Mama would be very happy and would be happy to send you money. If you think that she will say that you have to come first to Lida to study some more and get well, you always could respond that you absolutely are not going to come until she gets a separate apartment. Recently, for example, she told me that if you would be in Lida now, she would give you and Robert those 2 rooms where that woman Golubo lived (she left to Karap.<?>) And besides I think that here you would be able to save some money for yourself. I am talking about the kindergarten. Kaleko closed up hers because it did not make any money, she had only 8 children and she could not make it. But you, you are the different story, you would have the best success. I think that <unclear> would transfer to your kindergarten. In any case, you understand about it much better than I do. Just think about it carefully. Remember only one thing. You have to know that I am not asking you about it, but just letting you know my opinion.

Now, let’s go further. In every letter you are writing that you have no money. This is not good at all. When I read about it I am very angry with your Mama. But on the other hand, who could blame her? It is so hard to send money from here. She just could not send it via Kaplan because you still did not receive that 30 dollars. I could not understand myself what is going on. Kaplan has known for long time that the money was already received.<Apparently, Olia’s mother gave money to Kaplan’s relative expecting him in Palestine to give the same amount of money to Olia, which he did not do yet>. Soon I have to get paid at the factory for the electrical <?> work. 4 dollars I have to pay for the boots. About I dollar I owe. And I think I will get 7 dollars. 1 dollar I will leave for myself, and 1 dollar will send to you on the first occasion. Only you don’t worry, I expect one more electrical work.

Notes: It is doubtful that Meilach and Olia are bother and sister although Meilach calls his parents as well as Olia’s parents Papa and Mama. From the language stand point it is possible that this is a different “set” of parents. Olia’s father lives in Warsaw, and Olia’s mother is a music teacher, and Meilach works at the factory doing electrical and other work. He also helps sometimes at the local theater with electrical and sound effects. Olia is most likely a kindergarten teacher and also plays music. Robert is Olia’s brother. In one of the Revekka’s letters (letter 22) there was a note about Olia and Meilach who live in Lida.

Olia was in Palestine only briefly, and had returned by late 1926 (letter 37). This letter is probably from 1926.

Letters from Lida - 28