From The Wedding by Joseph Levine Chapter 17

From the Wedding
by Joseph Levine

Chapter 17

An angel disguised as a person -- sent me straight to Yaffa's house, a Grodner and a friend.


A Jewish man passed. Usually one cannot detect who is Jewish because everyone dresses alike. But this man noticed that I was looking around so he understood that I was a stranger. He approached me and asked in a proper Yiddish, "who are you looking for?" I answered, "A tailor." He laughed and said, "Don't be a greenhorn. First you look for
an apartment and then you search for a tailor." I asked him where I could find an apartment. He sent me down three blocks to the corner of Clausen Street. Continue straight until number 15. You'll see a sign with the name, "Yaffa". Proceed to the second floor and you'll find an apartment.

I thanked the man profusely and thanked G-d for sending me this angel disguised as a man who asked me who I was looking for. This reminded me of the story of Joseph in the Bible. He was sent by his father, Jacob, to find his brothers who were tending the flocks. He met a man who gave him directions. According to tradition, this was really an
angel disguised as a man. The angel had asked Joseph where he was going. Joseph had answered, "I'm searching for my brothers." The angel told him to go to Dosan. Similarly
this man had directed me to Yaffa's house.

Later I began to understand the unbelievable good fortune I had had. I found out that in Berlin there were very many rooming houses and restaurants, but I had been sent directly
to Mr. Yaffa. He happened to be a Grodner and a friend of my father's as I later found out. The man definitely was not aware of this but Divine providence was on my side.

I arrived at number 15 and proceeded to the second floor. As soon as I entered, I was approached by a tall, bewigged, handsome woman. She had an intelligent, happy face. She thought her husband sent me here from the bus station. I told her that I did not know her husband, that I had arrived much earlier that day and had wandered around searching for a rooming house. Then I had met a man who asked me where I was going. She asked me where are you from and I told her Grodna.

She then asked me if I knew Avremel Jaffa. I answered yes, I knew him and that he had died. She was shocked and asked me not to tell her husband because he was her husband's brother. When her husband arrived home and began talking we realized that we were close friends. I told him how my father had drowned and the people in Amdur wanted to give me over to the draft so it was better for me to run to Berlin and let them search for me.

I slept over and the following morning he placed an ad for me in the paper saying "tailor available." The ad was answered by a tailor and I went to him. The work that he
gave me was familiar to me. He gave me coats to enlarge. The tailor also had an empty room so I slept there. Within the first week, Mr. Jaffa came to me and told me that a man
had come from Frankfurt looking to hire and train a worker. I can stay with him as long as I want. He will support me and train me. He accepted me immediately and we left. I
never saw Mr. Jaffa again.

When I had come to Mr. Jaffa's house, he had asked me for a loan. I had given him a loan of 5 rubles. I thought that I would get the money back, but since he sent me off, the 5 rubles remained behind. "Let him enjoy."

The tailor and I went to the bus stop. He bought tickets. It took several hours until we arrived in Frankfurt. He brought me to his store where the completed work was. His wife was a native German, a pretty woman, the mother of two children. She was the salesman.

She prepared a meal for us and we went to their home. He gave me a room in which to sleep. He prepared work for me and we both worked in their home. His wife and two children stayed in the showroom during the day. Her mother would relieve the wife for a while during the day to go home to prepare food. Then she would return to the showroom until evening.

When Shabbos was over and work was again permitted, he would travel to the surrounding cities to sell at fairs. I remained in the house and cut pants and jackets. I would sew them on the machine.

Once, when he took me along to the fair, I helped him sell to some Poles. I sold them pants and jackets made of cheap material. My boss was pleased with me. Shabbos and
Yontov we did not work. I would take long walks and go to the port and watch ships coming and going. I also frequented the nice parks and visited the other nice synagogues. So past the time and several years went by.

I did not see a future. I thought of becoming a German citizen but that meant serving in the German Army which I did not want to do. But to travel to America one needs a lot of money. This was the last year in which I could be drafted into the army which meant that I would not be able to enter Russia ever again.

I remembered my loving Mother who was crying her poor old eyes out not knowing where her only son is and my six sisters who miss their only brother not knowing if they will ever see him again.

When I came to Frankfurt, I wrote several times that I was in Germany and working. Where I was headed I still did not know. Maybe in time I would go to America. When my mother received the letter and took it to be read by Reb Ellinke and Sara, she cried and bemoaned why she ever let me leave to Germany. Because I would never be able to return to Russia -- especially if I would not serve in the army. Staying in Germany was not what I wanted.

I packed my bags and bid farewell to the tailor. He was not pleased that I was leaving, but what could I do. I had to go to the army. I went to the train station.