Letters from Lida - 78

<The letter below is most likely written to Olia from Lida to Warsaw and was attached to Olia’s letter to Fanya in Palestine.>

May 24 of the current year

Lida

Dear Olia!

Honestly, there is nothing to write about but somehow I will feel uncomfortable not to write you when Yidel is going <to Palestine>. Everything is as it was, Olia. We all, thank God, are healthy. Your Mama’s health is not bad. Robert (1) studies. Sonia made a coat and a beautiful hat for herself. Your Mama told me all this, otherwise I would not know anything. Genia <?> already visited us a few times, but I am not going to go there yet. Kalman (2) has bad news. Nothing good came from Lisa’s (3) engagement.  There were only scandals and unpleasantness. The policeman went to Grodno and also came back with nothing. Now I even feel about stopping by their house. Abram (4) visited us already, and brought his baby. His boy is very-very good. Abram is not doing so well. Everything is the same with Poliacheck (5). Shmuel-Yudel travels a lot. Mania looks very bad. Yome <?> is sending her to a dacha. Most likely Mania and I will go to Bastuni. Chamka will go with us too. Meishl walks around on the streets. I would write you more but they are waiting for their turn. Be healthy. I wish you to be successful. With kisses, your Taibochka.

Heartfelt regards to uncle Josef and to the aunt with her family. Regards from us all.

I am using this occasion to send you heartfelt regards in Taiba’s letter. I heard that you are having exams. I wish you a success with all my soul. All the best. Good bye until our meeting in Lida. With kisses, Ira.

Olechka, although you do not deserve <my letter>, it is all right, God be with you. <meaning that I will write you anyway. In Russian it is customary to use expressions with the mention of God, such as “God be with you” or “thank God.” >.  Taibochka wrote you all the details. Most likely, I am leaving Lida for couple of months. How do you like it? Can you imagine that it had to come to this? Be healthy and all the best to you. I wish you a success with your exams. With kisses, Your Mania.

<This letter was written by Olia while she was in Warsaw attending classes>

Warsaw, May 27, 1927

Dear Fanechka!

I just received your letter of May 12^th. I am very grateful to you for it. See, I am so absentminded now that I don’t know what and about what I am writing. I don’t write you often. You know, Fanechka, I just have nothing to write about. I cannot to write a little because I know perfectly how upsetting it is to receive a short letter. What should I start with? Really don’t know. Well, I will write you about  Airb<?>. She is such a liar, such a horrible “flagiere” <Yiddish?>. that I cannot even imagine how a girl can lie this way. She told me that she works at her father’s, get paid for that and pays  her parents rent and living expenses. She is busy all day at her father’s. Later I learned that this is all lies. I introduced her to my girlfriend at classes and she said to my friend that she attends agricultural classes. To another girlfriend she said that she is learning German because she knows French fluently. The truth is that she lives at home, does not work at her father’s, does not study and does nothing at all. Boys do not respect her at all. They laugh at her. Bolek is in love with her but he absolutely does not respect her. I think she loves him too, but she is a terrible fool and makes a fool of herself when she’s with him. Anyway, they have a very scary and foolish relationship. When I was there, he asked her when he could see her. She was saying that this time she is busy, that time she is busy. It was disgusting to listen until finally she agreed to meet him. Anyway, let’s not talk about them. I think that at the end something will come out of this for them. Boleck is graduating as an engineer. She is not going to receive any certificate and she is not going to Palestine at all, although she likes to talk about her exchange of letters with the guys from Palestine, and one of them is from Tel Aviv. She is very beautiful, “pani na vidanie” <(a girl who is ready to get married, Polish>, that is how they treat her at home <?> and she is very spoiled <?>. Here is something for you about them. Last week Raia visited me here. Fanechka, she is the same, a good, nice girl, and is very beautiful. The same Raia, only gained a little weight and also,  she and I don’t have a lot to talk about. She gave me her photo and asked me very much to give you her regards. She loves you very much. She receives letters from Mosia. From what she says, he does not write her anything special. Twice he  sent home 5 dollars from Palestine. He is leaving Palestine for Paris. Raia was studying with a photographer for a half a year. She came here to study roentgenology, but the doctors advised her not to do that, so she is now entering midwifery classes.  She has to study for a year. They accept everybody with graduation papers from 4^th grade. Etka Svailach graduated from similar classes in Vilno and works now in at the Jewish hospital in Lida. She is doing very well. Raia left and promised to write me. Sokolvsky lost his mind because of her. He was in a mad house in Warsaw. Because of him, during the winter she had <few times> to come to Warsaw, to the mad house. Now he is well and lives in Kovel, but it is very unpleasant for her, and that is why she wants to leave <for Warswa?>. That’s all about her.  Now about Lida. I received various letters from Lida.  Elka does not have a fiancée yet. Rachele maybe will get somebody but it goes very slowly. Nachama is taking the exam for matriculation <from gymnasium?>. I know nothing about Kraite <?> and it is unlikely that I will learn anything about him. I got an enormous parcel from America. Pesia’s Archik is heavily courting Bronia Zeriger, and Gerit (I am writing you this in the greatest secrecy, nobody in the family knows) was approached by the matchmaker. This is also is very vague yet. Everything is the same with the Poliachek family. Vtra <?> had a second baby boy, but you know everything about her already. Mania looks horrible. Meischl and Morducha <Polish?> radio They sell and install. So far the business is not going so great. But we shall put our hopes on God. Dluskin is renting out a movie theater “Nervano.” Meischl and Yudel Maslovaty want to rent it. There are many who want to do the same, and Benia is among them. I don’t know how all this will end up. I have to tell you not so pleasant news about your family. <Polish, seems like “Only do not worry”>. Three weeks ago I received a letter from Mama where she wrote the following: After Passover, Lisa’s fiancée came <meaning from some other place> to your house and informed them that he has another bride. Can you imagine what a jerk! Mama wrote that in your family everybody is upset. After some time I got a letter from Meischl, where he writes that Lisa’s fiancée came to visit her. He declared <to her> that he has another fiancée. So there was a terrible commotion in your house. Fortunately, his brother-in-law Tarkovsky came, your family gave him money and Meishl wrote that everything is normal again, but both groom and bride are terrible idiots. I was immeasurably happy by this finale, because this story is taking its toll on my health. Recently I got a letter from Robert where he writes that the family negotiated with the groom for a whole week and the deal was broken off. I don’t know anything for sure and therefore definitely will go to Lida and then will write you in details and thoroughly. Lisa received 200 dollars from America. Anyway, it does not matter how will it go now, and we have to say <Yiddish good riddance?>, because honestly, this groom is not a prize.. And you have to know that Yudel and Frida were very friendly lately. They drunk for “brudershaft” and were on a first name basis (6).  Yudel often stopped by your house to visit Frida and Lisa. Yudel and Frida were the same people who were telling me since my arriving from Palestine that if the groom behaved this way, he should be kicked out of the house, and there should be no talking to him. If he could do such a thing, it is good that we learned about his character now when Lisa is not connected with him yet. But it happened that a few days after this scandal, the groom came again, kissed Lisa, and your family was greeting him wonderfully. And then he left <for good>. Anyway, I am sending you a letter from Taibochka, which Yudel brought few days ago. Only don’t you get upset because Taibocka writes very tragically. As far as your family is concerned, the deal is over, and everybody got over it already. Most importantly, Lisa is not very concerned with it. I will tell you that at Passover Lisa secretly told me that she did not really want to marry him, but because her parents wanted it, she could not do anything about it. She even cried because she does not like him. And now, what Yudel said about Lisa not caring about breaking up the deal, I explain by her being very happy about it. Yudel is saying that she is a beautiful girl (she got real pretty now) and that there will be many other guys who will want to marry her and this is a real truth.  The only person who is very upset is your Papa. My Mama also took an active part in all this. She went to your family to get the groom engaged. This is everything about your family. Yudel and Meishl bought a few train cars of potatoes and Yudel sells them here. Besides, Yudel, Meishl, Maslovaty, and Benia rented a movie theater from Druskin and bought all the equipment. They did not want to take Benia into the company, but he tricked his way in. I will write about myself that I will be still here during the Holidays, which I am not particularly happy about. I did well on the preliminary tests in each subject. Most importantly, two tests in writing were good. In  psychology writing test the topic was <Polish, seems like comparison of the Froebel and Montessori methods”> . I and Dorka Brauberuv… <unclear> did the best in the class. In the Polish writing exam the topic was: <Polish> and I did well too. Now, after the Holidays on June 8^th there will be oral exams in Polish and psychology. I am very much afraid I’ll spoil everything. But nothing can be done about it. We will see. Papa leaves for Lida today. I am staying for 10 more days. I don’t  feel  too well. Cannot think straight at all. You can judge from my handwriting, I even misspelled some words. It started to be terribly hot here and I absolutely have no air to breath. I can imagine what would happen if I would be in Palestine. The whole winter I worked a lot, feverishly, and under a great stress. Imagine, after every test I got hives on my back and after a few days they disappeared. The same during the exams. I imagine what is going to happen during the oral exams. I would love to have some rest, and to go to a dacha, at least for 2 weeks. Do you know that after Palestine I did not have any rest at all? But it is unlikely that I will be able to afford it. My eyes hurt a lot lately, especially the left one. I see everything as in fog. I wish that everything would be over already. I am so tired of it. I wish I would able to see you and talk with you. When is it going to happen, Fanechka? “Big” Olia is thinking of going to Palestine now. If she will go I don’t know.  You know that in life everything is changing, as fast it comes, it goes just as fast. Write me definitely. I will respond to you from home. Be healthy, kiss you with love. Olia

Write me.

(1) Robert Zajczyk, Olia’s brother. A Page of Testimony at Yad Vashem records his murder in the Holocaust.
(2) Kalman Pupko, father of Fanya Pupko, Holocaust victim
(3) Lisa Pupko, Kalman’s daughter, Fanya’s sister, Holocaust victim
(4) Abram Pupko, married to Shayna Mirsky 1925, Fanya’s brother. He and his family were murdered in the Holocaust
(5) The Polacheks. Meishel (Moshe) Polachek persuaded Olia to come back from Palestine. They eventually married. Ola Polachek nee Zajczyk, a nursery school teacher, was murdered in the Holocaust. Meishel does not appear in the Yad Vashem database.
(6) Russian/European custom to drink for “brudershaft” means to establish a brotherhood friendship and to call each other by a form of the word “you” used only by close friends and some members of the family. This must have been at least daring, if not scandalous, in a world in which parents still arranged marriages. The Russian custom involved drinking glasses of wine through linked arms (as is done in the US at weddings), and a kiss on the lips.