Malmesbury, 15 October, 1901

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

My dearest wife, I have received your letter of Erev Rosh Hashanah. I am very glad to hear that you are all well and I thank God for it, and I hope that in future He will also grant us good health and prosperity in everything. On my side, I can tell you that I am TG in good health and spirits. May God grant that my letter should find you and the children in the best of health. And further, I have no news to write.

It is not the time for it. It is very strict. They read every letter with great attention, and so the less one writes the better [i]. And the truth is there is nothing much to write about. Business is very quiet, may God have mercy, the bitter war oppresses everybody, from the greatest to the smallest, so everybody is praying for better days. I hope that God will improve things and that things will liven up for everybody including us. And so I close my writing, keep well and happy and in good spirits, As is the only wish of your ever faithful husband, Tuvye Kretzmar

Notes:

[i] The British implemented well planned censorship with offices in Pretoria and Durban and later throughout much of the Cape colony.