Malmesbury, 2 February, 1903

To my dear and precious wife, Taube Kretzmar, and to my dear children, sons David and Noah, and daughters Leah and Freda, may they live and grow up in wealth and comfort, amen.

My dear wife, last week I received no letter from you – apparently because you have not written. I am sorry about it. You should see to it that you write every week and then I will get your letter every week. When I get no reply, I am very upset. I hope you will arrange to write in time. I can inform you that I am in good health TG, and I hope that my letter should find you in the same condition.

I can also inform you that shortly you will receive a personal gerus from me through Mendel Jacobson, who is the son of the Schochet of Papile. He left last week from Cape Town in order to go home. May God grant him luck so that he should not have to return to South Africa again, as is usual with many others. He has made a little money, over two thousand roubles (about £200). If God grants success, one can easily make a living on this, and he made all this money in only eleven months. Before that he had a very hard time. It is such a country that when God wishes it can come in minutes, so I hope He will look after us, too, and also redeem us from all our troubles in the galut. We have endured enough. It seems that better days are due to arrive. Further, I have no news.

Sales are normal, and I hope they will improve. I buy up even more produce and everything is well. You will soon find out about it. I’m expecting your photographs, even if it is only of yourself, because it is difficult to get one together with them. I close my writing. Keep well and happy, don’t worry. There is a time for everything. I hope that God will improve our position, amen. I greet and kiss you heartily, from me, your faithful husband, Tuvye Kretzmar

I heartily greet my dear parents, my honoured father, Yehuda Leib Kretzmar, and my chaste and modest mother, Beile, my scholarly brother, Yaacov Kretzmar, and my sisters, Hinda and Chana, may they all live well. I greet you very heartily and I wish you all the best of luck, as is the wish of your son, Tuvye Kretzmar

I cordially greet my dear mother-in-law, the chaste and modest Neche, my brother-in-law, Moishe Schochet, and my sister-in-law, Chana Reza, I also greet heartily my brother-in-law and brother who have arrived. I wish them mazeltov, and I wish this will be the end of all their troubles and they should now live happily, free from galut and poverty, and may it go well with them. From me, Your son in-law, brother-in-law, brother, Tuvye Kretzmar