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A Century Old Love Affair – in Yiddish!

6/19/2016

22 Comments

 
Picture
“Lovers under Lilies,” by Marc Chagall, 1925 (https://goo.gl/22koRJ, accessed 6-17-16).
I have to admit that much of the material that I encounter as a translator of Yiddish is of a somber and foreboding tone.  A great deal of what I read and translate is comprised of family letters, whether between two towns in Europe or two international sites, typically separated by a vast ocean.  Many of these handwritten texts are from the years leading up to the Holocaust, and it is understood that at least some of the individuals involved in the letter exchange did not survive the Second World War and the Holocaust.  As such, there is often a dark cloud overshadowing the work that I do – as valuable and important as I know it is – both for my clients and for me.

For this reason, I would like to highlight in the following blog, one particular noteworthy instance in which I was privy to a series of beautiful and memorable love letters – all written in a very readable Yiddish, approximately a century ago, beginning in 1918.  What’s more, the love affair that transpired over the course of this romantic exchange was set entirely in the New World of New York City.  This is the type of story, which I hope will have special appeal to all of my readers who have roots, or who presently reside, in NYC, and/or whose ancestors immigrated to this country in the early 20th Century. 


Indeed, it is so rare that I come across writing of this nature in my Yiddish repertoire, that although the following account of my translation work dates back several years – to 2009 – the experience of reading such romantic innocence has remained with me up until the present day.  Moreover, it prompted me to renew my contact with my former client, Anita Abrams.  It was she who hired me to translate the letters written by her grandfather, Harry Zapol (1896/1897-1963), to her grandmother, Zelda “Jennie” Chernin (1898/1899-1973).

​As Anita conveyed to me recently, she grew up quite close to her grandparents, as they lived together under one roof for many years, and because her mother, May (1920-2012) – their daughter – was an only child.  As such, she was able to offer the following biographical details about “Harry” and “Jennie,” which help provide historical context for the unfolding story of their courtship and Yiddish love letter correspondence.
Picture
Jennie Chernin (later, Zapol) and Harry Zapol on their wedding day, New York, January 3, 1920.
Jennie Chernin (originally, “Zelda”) was born in June 1898 or 1899 in Vitebsk, Russia, the city often associated today with the painter, Marc Chagall (1887-1985).  She immigrated to the United States in 1909, along with her parents and seven other siblings.  The family resided at 161 Madison Street in New York City’s Lower East Side neighborhood.  Harry Zapol, born in Minsk, Russia, in June 1896 or 1897, immigrated to the United States in 1912, where he already had a sister and an uncle.  He initially lived in a boarding house at 73 East 105th Street in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood.  His first job in America was as a clerk; later, he worked as a taxi driver. 
​
According to Anita, she believes her grandparents met sometime in 1916, having been introduced to one another by a “girl” (Harry’s own words in one of his letters to Jennie) who lived in the same boarding house as he did.  As Harry romantically pursued Jennie, he became jealous of her would-be “suitors” – other young men who would visit her at her parents’ home.  Fearful of his growing competition, Harry asked Jennie’s mother for permission to marry her daughter, and she agreed.  The two had a civil marriage on March 24, 1919, but did not have a religious Jewish wedding in a synagogue until nearly one year later, on January 3, 1920.  During the gap period of March 1919-January 1920, Jennie continued to live at home; she and Harry did not live together officially as man and wife until after they had had their religious marriage ceremony.  It goes without saying that this was a far more innocent and traditional era than our own.


Picture
Jennie Chernin (later, Zapol) on her wedding day, New York, January 3, 1920.
​Anita and I both agreed that one of her grandfather’s letters, in particular, seemed to express his depth of feeling, love, and ardor for her grandmother.  This is the correspondence that we assigned the “#3,” as there were several multi-page letters from which to choose.  Frankly, I found all of them to be emotionally moving, but due to space constraints, I am unable to showcase their entirety in this blog.  In lieu of that, allow me to present here some English translation excerpts from Harry Zapol’s Yiddish love letter “#3” to his future wife, Jennie.  [Please note, that this may in fact, be two letters in one, as based on the multiple closing greetings, indicated below.]  A few pages of the original letter are also included here for the sake of authenticity and as a source of reference for those of you who read Yiddish.  
Picture
Picture
Handwritten Yiddish letter “#3,” pp. 1-2 (and corresponding envelope), of Harry Zapol to Jennie Chernin, New York, October 22, 1918.
October 22, 1918

Dear and Beloved Jennie,

Today is my first day of work and I will tell you the truth – that I don’t feel too bad.  I came in in the morning and everyone turned and looked at me gleefully.  Naturally, I rejoiced together with all of them, but at the same time, I was thinking to myself that they – [complete] strangers to each other – mere acquaintances, were rejoicing.  And so I considered how you, my dear, rejoiced, with the thought that your beloved feels well.  Yes, darling, it is very good to have a lover, but imagine how good it is to have the thought in mind that one is loved by the same person who loves you…

Hoping that this letter will find you in good humor and that you will read it with joy, I remain your lover.  I am sending you kisses XXX, but don’t get them from the letter carrier….

Good night, my dear  

And finally, the time came… when I had the honor to meet the person for whom I had so long and impatiently waited – for the happy hour – to meet.  Oh, how happy I was then!  I will never forget that evening.  I was sitting there beside you, and I myself couldn’t believe it.  But unfortunately, the evening passed too quickly and didn’t even leave me with enough time to gaze at you – how badly I wanted to gaze at you…  For my heart told me that after this evening I would not see you [again] for a long time, and that I must record what I had experienced…

Sometimes you would raise me up very very high, and afterward, you would cast me down very very low.  Sometimes you made me the happiest man, and then suddenly, you would upset me to the point that I didn’t know in which world I was living.  And last summer, this very thing came to pass quite often, when I had an appointment to go with you to Richmond Hill [i.e., a neighborhood in Queens, NY], and you agreed to this.  Then, I was the happiest man on earth…

And so, there are just a few more questions left and I shall finish my letter.  One question always comes to mind: “Does Jennie love me?”  Please, Jennie…  Try to find out if Jennie loves Harry!  I will therefore pay very well with…  And one more thing – if you love me – I would like to know, in what form would you like this love [expressed] – at home or openly?  I will be happy with whatever you agree to, because your request will be holy and dear unto me.  And I will fulfill it exactly [as you desire].  And so, I will conclude my writing here, wishing you a good night.

From me, yours, XXX
Harry

​
Picture
Harry and Jennie (née Chernin) Zapol, Catskill Mountains, New York, 1930s.
In light of Harry’s thoughtful and amorous words, I asked Anita whether she felt that her grandparents had had a good marriage, to which she replied in writing with the following:
​
“I feel they had a good marriage.  I really never heard them argue.  They had nice friends and went out and always had a lot of company.  They were always a `team.’  My grandmother … always taught me that `love and respect go hand in hand.’ …  I feel extremely blessed that I had them in my life and had the experience of being totally embraced by them.  When they passed away, to say I was heartbroken is an understatement.  They will always be a part of my heart.  They are always with me.  His [i.e., Anita’s grandfather, Harry] love for her totally overwhelmed me.  When I went to visit their graves several years ago, instead of each grave having a bed of yews over it (as it was when they were planted), the plants had come together as one, just as my grandparents had been in life.”
Picture
Harry, May, and Jennie (née Chernin) Zapol, Upstate New York or New Jersey, early 1940s.
I can scarcely add to Anita’s own eloquent tribute to her grandparents and the deep affection and adoration they had for one another in this lifetime – and beyond.  Suffice it to say that I was thoroughly charmed and captivated by reading the nearly 100-year-old Yiddish love letters of Harry Zapol to the “apple of his eye,” Jennie Chernin.  Furthermore, I hope that in the future, I will continue to see more of this type of Yiddish reading material, as it serves as a reminder to us today, of the timelessness of the human spirit and the tenderness of the human soul.

If you have any family letters or other materials that you would like translated, please feel free to contact me at:
rivka@rivkasyiddish.com.
22 Comments
Esther link
6/19/2016 12:48:36 pm

Hi Rivka:

Once again, I must compliment you on your absolutely fascinating blog!

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/19/2016 07:21:47 pm

Hi Esther,

Thanks so much for your lovely remarks! I genuinely appreciate your taking the time to read and to comment on my blogs.

Please feel free to share this and my other blogs with family and friends!

Best wishes,
Rivka

Reply
Jody Berman
6/19/2016 12:50:58 pm

Hi Rivka,

I just read the love letters on your blog. How heartwarming and wonderful.

It called to mind this website: http://www.lettersofnote.com

Not sure if you have seen it?

Lots of love,
Jody

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/19/2016 07:56:39 pm

Hi Jody,

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and comment on my latest blog! I thought it was a sweet and memorable story, myself, which is obviously why I decided to write about it, even though I encountered these letters several years ago (as I mentioned in my blog).

I appreciate your sharing that website info. with me, which I was not aware of, before. I found that there is a Facebook group with that name and posted my blog there. I always appreciate learning about new venues that are appropriate for my blog. Social media is a wonderful thing when used properly!

Warmly (and missing you),
Rivka

Reply
Peter
6/19/2016 12:52:13 pm

A wonderful story of courtship the old fashion way in the days before the phones, cars and of course, the internet. This gives a bit of insight of dating 100 years ago.

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/19/2016 02:12:01 pm

Thank you very much, Peter, for your nice remarks! I'm glad you enjoyed reading my blog. Indeed, this account provides us with a little "trip down memory lane" with regard to the way courtship was carried out in this country "once upon a time."

At the same time, though, I think there are some timeless and universal elements that come into play in this account, as I conveyed in my blog. Regardless of the internet, etc., human emotion, love, and ardor continue to remain constant over time and space.

Kind regards,
Rivka

Reply
Brenda Ajzenkopf link
6/19/2016 02:57:35 pm

Hello Rivka,

This is a wonderful tribute to your Yiddish heritage. The love letters are such treasures and I'm glad to have the opportunity of reading them in English. I speak Yiddish but cannot read.

Also, we saw the Holocaust Survivor Band last year while there during the winter months. They played with passion and my husband and I, as children of Survivors, had tears in our eyes throughout their hour performance.

My late mother, also wrote in Yiddish in the Zawiercie Yizkor book, and have asked a kind gentleman in our Jewish Public Library to kindly translate it for me.

This is our history and our legacy and thanks to people like you, they can be preserved and read by many people, especially those who are not Jewish. They too can learn about our heritage and how the Jews of Europe lived pre-WWII and post WWII.

Thank you.

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/19/2016 07:17:32 pm

Hi Brenda,

Thanks so much for your tremendously positive reception to my work! You always have such nice things to contribute!

I'm glad that I can provide this service to you and to so many other people out there.

How wonderful that you and your husband had a chance to hear the Holocaust Survivor Band, which I wrote about in my April blog:

http://www.rivkasyiddish.com/blog/archives/04-2016

I would like to give those Holocaust survivor gentlemen and their band all the publicity possible, as I sincerely believe in them and their mission.

Warm regards,
Rivka

Reply
Annette Halpern
6/19/2016 07:13:36 pm

Dear Rivka,

I love your website and now that I've retired, I'm going to have the time to read it fully. Thank you so much for what you are doing to preserve the Yiddish legacy.

Best wishes,
Annette Halpern
Ventura, Calfornia

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/19/2016 08:06:07 pm

Dear Annette,

Thank you so much for reaching out to me! I hope that you will enjoy this latest blog, as I hope you have enjoyed all of my previous blogs.

I appreciate your taking the time to acknowledge the value of what I do. It means a great deal to me!

Please feel free to share this blog and my other blogs with your friends and relatives.

With much gratitude,
Rivka

Reply
Diane Baxter
6/19/2016 08:18:20 pm

What a wonderful story! May their memory be a blessing.

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/20/2016 05:05:34 pm

Thank you very much, Diane, for your receptive and thoughtful remarks. I'm sure this means a lot to Anita Abrams, the granddaughter of Harry and Jennie Zapol and the steward of their love letters.

With all good wishes,
Rivka

Reply
Anita Abrams
6/20/2016 06:50:14 am

Dear Rivka:

Thank you for writing that wonderful story about my grandparents. There were about 10 letters in total; each of them more wonderful to read than the next.

The love and respect they had for each other was boundless.

They were my best friends, best advocates and champions for me. I am so thankful for the experience of having them in my life.

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/20/2016 05:24:22 pm

Dear Anita,

Thank you for your lovely words and fond memories of your grandparents.

It was a true pleasure revisiting those love letters that you sent me in 2009, and writing this blog about your grandparents, "Harry and Jennie."

You are most fortunate to have had these fine people -- "Mentshn" -- as role models in your life.

I hope that in its own small way, the recent discussion and correspondence we have had about your grandparent has helped you revisit the time in your life when your grandparents were both alive and present in your everyday life.

Thank you for sharing this story with me. I hope I have done it -- and your grandparents -- justice.

With much appreciation,
Rivka

Reply
Jen
6/21/2016 07:16:57 am

I just had to email you to let you know how I thoroughly enjoy your "Forays in Yiddish". Your stories and experiences are so interesting and captivating. I really enjoy reading them. Thank you.

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
6/21/2016 12:59:45 pm

Hi Jen,

Thank you very much for your very warm and receptive words! I am glad that my blogs have "spoken" to you in some way.

I, likewise, enjoy writing these articles and featuring vignettes about some of the many interesting experiences I have had over the years as a professional translator and researcher.

I hope to be able to continue to bring more of these accounts to you, my other blog subscribers, and to the broader public.

As such, I invite you to please share this and my other archived blogs with your friends and relatives. Word-of-mouth can be a very powerful and positive tool!

With all good wishes,
Rivka

Reply
Ann Drillich
8/8/2016 04:36:23 pm

Rivka, a fascinating story of your family and beautifully told. Thank you for sharing

Reply
Rivka Schiller
8/8/2016 07:05:08 pm

Thank you very much, Ann, for your lovely comments.

However, I can't take credit for the story, as it pertains to my former client, Anita Abrams. It was her grandparents -- "Harry and Jennie" -- who were caught up in this nearly century old love affair.

Kind regards,
Rivka

Reply
Peter Kubicek
9/11/2016 08:43:49 am

Dear Rivka ,

I always enjoy your blog. I must tell you, though, that when I grew up in the Slovak town of Trenčin, I never heard a word of Yiddish. The first time I heard Yiddish spoken is when I was a prisoner in a German concentration camp. There I learned some Yiddish, as as well as some Polish and some Russian.

So now you can see what what an educational experience the Nazi concentration camps were!

Peter Kubicek
Author of "Memories of Evil -- Recalling a W.W II Childhood"

Reply
Rivka Schiller link
9/11/2016 10:19:37 am

Dear Peter,

Thank you very much for your kind words re: my blogs. I always appreciate hearing and learning from my readers.

I have definitely encountered many other cases of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, like you, who did not know Yiddish prior to WWII, but who received their Yiddish education once in the concentration camps. Language barriers must have been a huge barrier to survival (along with all the other hardships), so it makes sense that you would have acquired at least a rudimentary knowledge of Yiddish and some other languages, as well.

Incidentally, did you ever encounter any Yiddish theater being performed either before the war, during the war, or in its immediate aftermath, while still in Europe? I am most interested in learning more about that.

With much appreciation,
Rivka

Reply
Matt link
7/14/2017 04:53:53 am

Well I'm literally amazed by a quantity and quality of content at your blog thank you for your work

Reply
Rivka Schiller
7/14/2017 12:58:49 pm

Thank you very much, Matt, for your kind remarks. You're welcome, and I greatly appreciate your taking the time to read my blog.

Best wishes,
Rivka

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