[To Abraham and Gerty Jaeger, Spring 1939?]

Dear darling Brother and dear Sister-in-law:

 I lived for a few months with the hope that I might be able to see you in person, my dear ones, alas that dream has been taken away from me.

 Yes, the years run by, one lives in the hopes of a better future which, however, unfortunately seems unable to appear.

 I turned 44 years old on 19^th April of this year, and have thus far had not a single good day, each time it’s something different.  How happy are the people who have luck in that area—although I know that in America life doesn’t shine on everyone; still, at least they aren’t gripped by constant terror. The situation with the truck-permit gets worse from day to day completely, businesses are frozen, it’s a crisis, no one has any business, everything is tense. God grant that Hitler should be torn to bits! Then we’d finally breath again, after all we’ve been through.

 The truck has been ready for 3 weeks already and we don’t have the remainder of the money [necessary] to get it, and besides, because of this crisis it’s not very necessary to us at this point, we content ourselves with only one truck since the [illiegible] has forced us to wait till June 20^th to get the new truck.

 I’m very isolated here and dear Ester has untrustworthy siblings, I have nothing to do with them whatsoever, imagine that they didn’t want to help Lorka [[Sam and Ester’s oldest daughter, Lea Jäger, nicknamed Lorka, born 21 May 1920. Ester’s brother, Bruno Schneelicht, ran a photography studio in Stryj, the next town over from Bolechów, and Sam had hoped that Lorka would go work for Bruno to learn how to be a photographer.]]

Not that I have to tell you, my dear ones, what even strangers say, which is that I have the best and most distinguished children in Bolechów; what good does it do me? Darling Frydka [[Fryda (nicknamed Frydka) Jäger, the second daughter of Sam and Ester, born 12 October 1922.]] has finished high school, it cost me a fortune and where is one supposed to find a job for her? Darling Ruchatz [[Rachel Jäger, nickname Ruchatz, Sam and Ester’s third daughter, dates unknown.]] finished level 7 [of high school?] with distinction, I spent $25 for her [lessons?] and now she’s been learning to be a dressmaker for the past year.

 Dear brother and dear darling Jeanette, you should know that you saved my life with that $80, otherwise my life would have been nothing but misery and shame. God forbid.

 Should the time of crisis not end immediately it will be impossible to endure things. If it were only possible for dear Sam to manage to get an affidavit as protection for dear Lorka, things would be a little easier.

 For me it’s a misfortune actually that people in Bolechów take me for a rich man (as I pay very huge taxes), and anyone who needs anything comes to Samuel Jäger. I have a lot of influence here and I’d had preferential treatment everywhere, and I have to present myself well everywhere. Indeed I spend time with the better class of people, I’ve been everywhere in town as an honored guest, and I’m continually travelling. I no longer run the butcher store, it wasn’t worth it--?!!

 Now that you’ve had from a little description of my life, I want to know how things are going for you, particularly health-wise. Write me more often, it’s like giving me a new life and I won’t feel so alone.

 Dear Ester will write you a postcript of her own. I hug and kiss you with all my heart and and wish for you longingly,

 From your

   Sam

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