A handwritten letter on a single postcard printed, top left, with the sender's name: "LEON PERL". The first part of the letter to the son is written by the father, and the second by the mother.
The letter was written the day after the end of Jewish Hanukkah (17–25 December in 1938) – on the Boxing Day. From a note in Leon Perl's letter: "We are spending the holidays" – it can be inferred that the reference is, since the wording is in the present tense, made to Christian holidays (the holidays are still going on; in the part by the mother, the past form is used, but in a different context – summary). Therefore, the family celebrated Christian holidays, perhaps combining them with Jewish holidays – probably in a secularised manner (card games). Without a doubt, the letter testifies to the strong assimilation of the Perl family.
Content (spelling and punctuation have been partly updated):
26/XII 1938
My Dear! On this momentous occasion, which will mark your birthday in three days' time, I send you my very best regards and best wishes that the next year of your life will bring your plans to fruition, of which I know little. And not wishing my remembering your birthday to be merely platonic, I communicate that tomorrow I am remitting you 250 zlotys, of which 50 zlotys as a special birthday donation for the purchase of some needed piece of clothing, and 50 zlotys for next month's honorarium. As you know, we still only have permission to transfer money for January, so I want to run it down so that you have some reserve until we get new permission. We spend the holidays at home, and they are spiced up by card game nights, which my mother enjoys participating in. The mood here, as you can easily imagine, is not great. The Christmas gift we got was a parliamentary question [this is, the question signed by the head of the OZN parliamentary group, General Stanisław Skwarczyński, and 116 other MPs, "W sprawie środków zmierzających do podjęcia i przeprowadzenia masowej emigracji żydowskiej w celu radykalnego zmniejszenia ilości Żydów w Polsce" [On measures to undertake and implement mass Jewish emigration in order to radically reduce the number of Jews in Poland], dated 21.12.1938; for more on the question, see, e.g. Kurier Polski (the “Polish Courier”) of 22.12.1938, No. 351, https://crispa.uw.edu.pl/object/files/32261/display/PDF], announced in Mr Wenda's radio speech [Zygmunt Wenda, an MP from the Camp of National Unity (Polish: Obóz Zjednoczenia Narodowego, OZN or Ozon], and, moreover, in the Ozon posters proclaiming that 4 million Jews live at the expense of Poles, hardly encouraged cheerfulness and optimism. Ha, tough luck, ha! Your last article about Schacht [i.e. Hjalmar Schacht, president of the Reichsbank; the article was titled “Wizyta p. Schachta” (“A visit by Mr Schacht”) in Nasz Przegląd (the “Our Review”) of 24.12.1938, No. 359, p. 10, signed: T.P., see https://polona.pl/item-view/c8909736-6f68-4f3c-9218-bcb5833c744a?page=9] was good. It is a pity that, if my memory serves me right, only 2 of your articles have appeared in N.P. ["Nasz Przegląd"] this month. Have you made contact with Lviv's [“]Chwila[”] (the “Moment”). It's a rich newspaper. You might also want to check with [editor Maciej] Drybiński about contributing to ["]Bank["] [a Warsaw monthly "devoted to banking and financial issues"]. To make a living in Paris and meet your needs (your clothes also need to be replaced or changed from time to time, etc.), you must aim to expand your earning capacity. Speaking of the subject for an article: why won't you write an article pointing out that various kinds of economic undertakings in totalitarian states (motorways, Carbonia [Carbonia, a town in Sardinia, a coal and lignite mining centre], Lilorie[?], etc.) are actually nothing unusual, that such things are done elsewhere, also in Poland (Gdynia, Cop [Central Industrial District], Rożnów [meaning the construction, started in the mid-1930s, of a retention reservoir on the Dunajec River – Rożnowski Reservoir], etc.). But while Italy and Germany make frenzied publicity for their regime, elsewhere, it is done without extensive publicity as something that usually stems from the natural course of development. It is an interesting topic that would provide enough material for a larger piece, in my opinion. What's up with the passport? [sentence underlined]. You've been asked about this three times already, and you skirt the issue, which is undoubtedly important, by staying silent. I think efforts to renew the privileged passport should be made in Warsaw. Look into this and make the necessary arrangements in advance. Back in the day, I also applied for a passport renewal for Staś [we do not know who he is referring to] in Warsaw at the Ministry of the Interior. I paid the amount due to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the consulate expenses. That'll be all from me so Mother has some space. Happy birthday to you again, and I am sending you my love.
Leon
Dear Tadziulek! I send you warm hugs and wish you that all your dreams come true on your birthday. Did you get the fruitcake, chocolate and sausage? If not, we will complain because there was, as you probably know, a terrible mess with the trains. The holidays passed by overeating and playing cards, yesterday at Stran[?]'s, today at Mitek[?]'s, tomorrow as a cobbler's holiday [probably a reference to the term "cobbler's Monday", a day after a lavish celebration, spent off work due to the indisposition of someone who'd been "drinking like a cobbler" (drinking heavily)] at Best[?]'s. Perlicz [i.e. Leon Perl?] was supposed to go to Worochta [Vorokhta, a spa town, now in Ukraine], but the trip did not take place. The frost has eased with us; I keep thinking about how you're faring place – write to me whether the frost has passed. Maybe you should buy some clothes, e.g. trousers, pants and drawers (underdrawers). You need to refresh your wardrobe a bit. If Staszka rings, tell her you haven't got anything for her. Warm kisses and best wishes.
[annotation by Leon Perl in the left margin:] Did you see Mr G? G. He stayed on as a member of the management board of [...]. Apparently, he's doing great business there, exporting horses from Poland. It wouldn't hurt to keep in touch with him.
