Greetings my dear and dedicated friends…
In the course of our correspondence and acquaintance, you have also for me become like dear members of the family…I received your letter of July 14. Thank you, enormous thanks to you for such a good and warm letter, for your attention and care, and everything was received.
May the Almighty grant that all of you be strong and healthy, that you should all live long lives, fortunate [mazeldike] years, that mazel should come to all of you straight through the window, that there should be well-being luck and successes to you in everything, that peace would be established on earth, that there would be a peaceful sky above our heads, Omen!
Forgive me for the delay in replying; I must explain that the reason is that on July 30, the 5th of the month of Av, it was 4 years since the death of my husband. I went to the holy place, to talk and to cry the names of my dear parents, the name of my husband, and the name of my father-in-law. I asked them to protect all of us from difficulties and from illness, and to wait a long time for us. I recited many prayers. May they have an easy time in paradise and may the earth rest lightly on them.
In my previous letter I wrote to you that we had strong rains, and there were storms and winds. The grass grew very high in the cemetery and I began to cut it down. After the rains then the weather became hot. I worked hard, became very tired, and the sweat was pouring in streams. And thanks to God, I did all that I had to do. I no longer have the same strength and health. I went home late.
My friends call me daily and ask about my health and how I am feeling. While I was at the cemetery, they called me at home and no one answered the phone, so they worried and called the neighbors and asked them to ask me to call them when I came home. One acquaintance came to look for me at home. The neighbor told me of my friends’ request and I called them. Thanks to good people for their concern. After a few days I felt better again. On the 3rd of August, it was the 9th of Av, it was Tisha Bov, a day of mourning, a day of fasting. On that day I laid knobl [garlic] on the graves of the dead. The holy skhisoves tell us that they want to know of our bitterness. I laid garlic [for] my holy skhisoves at many graves. I fasted the entire day. I ate late in the evening. In August it has become cooler, and it is easier to breath. Magnetic storms are worrisome.
God grant that all of you and all of us stay alive and well, stay on our feet, in a good frame of mind, and that we receive good news from relatives and dear ones. At the Jewish community I requested that kaddish be said for my husband, may he be a good petitioner on behalf of all of you and for all of us.
The 26th of Av will be my father’s yahrzeit, it will be already 15 years since he left us. May the Almighty grant health and strength that I will be able to go to the holy place and observe the yahrzeit. After the month of Av it will be Elul. In Elul people go to the holy place in Velednik to the holy Tzaddik. May I be healthy and strong that I may be able to go to Velednik and petition the Almighty for all of you and all of us a healthy, a full-of-life, a fortunate, a mazeldikn, an auspicious year, that we be far from the brigands and terrorists, that the Jews would prevail over Hezbollah and Hamas … allevai!
My dear friends, may God grant, that all your good wishes be fulfilled, and that you receive only good news, and that peace be established on earth, Omen! Be alive and well…May the Almighty and the holy Tzaddik protect all of you and help you in everything: successes in business, and all human blessings. Thank you enormously for everything, my dear friends! With best wishes to you and love from Raisa Borisovna. I embrace and kiss you firmly.