Document text
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Forms to be Filled out for Each Interview
FORM A
7;e4.
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Emanuel Versohleiser
ADDRESS 1419 Jesup Ave., New York City
DATE December 20, 1938
SUBJECT LETTER TO PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
1. Date and time c`' iitervie
2. Place of interview A story based on talks with Mr. Greifer,
of Spring Valley, Y. Y.
3. Name and address of informant
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms, each
bearing the proper heading and the number to which the material refers..)
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
STATE New York
NANT OF WORKER Rnarmel Verschleiser
ADDRESS 1419 Jesup Ave., New York City
DATE December 20, 1938
SUBJECT LETTER TO PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT
FOLKLOBE
NEW YORK
You are a write? You write for the newspapers? Why I ask?
Don't laugh at me. In my old age, Is too, beoame a writer. You are =Mpg.
Go ahead. Yeas I knows you haven't got much time. Pleases I will make it
short. I came to ask you about this. I wrote a letter to President Roosevelt.
I am a plain man, who worked hard all his life...All right, all right.
(taming to the point. I wanted to ask you, maybe you could put the letter in
the newspaper so the president should see its or maybe you can tell me to
whom to send it. Why I wrote in Hebrew/ I will tell you. We Jews, when
we want to say something important, something that shall say in a few words
what is deep and wises find it in the books of our sages, which are written
in the "Holy Language." Our King Soloman said: There's nothing new under
the sun. There were always rich and poor and our prophets Isaiah, cried
out against the rich who rob the widows and orphans already in the old times.
Now the President cries out against the big bankers, the capitalists, the
Rookefellers... This is what I wrote to President Roosevelt. You understand
Hebrew? No? You want no to translate it to you? I'll explain to you every
word... All right. All right. I'll leave the letter but you won't throw
it away. You will put it in the paper? Once I sent the columnist of your
paper a piece about Jewish farmers and I watched every day and never saw it
printed. Why farmers, you ask? Because that's what I am. A farmer. I mg
in NevrYork only for the winter, because the cold is not good for me. So
we take a roam in the Bronx, 1 and my wife. What do two old people need?
We have a good neighbor, he looks out for the house and the cow he milks
for himself and takes care of her. You know Jewish farmers male a living
from renting rooms and taking in boarders, not from farming.
Of course, before, when I was stronger I stayed all year on the
farm. I had a horse and buggy and took milk to the people in town. My
wife used to make very famous cheeses with "Kimmel" that she learned
to make on the other side... You can ask in Spring Valley ibr Greifer's
cheeses. If you need a nice room for the summer come to us. Was I
always a farmer? No. I had a little candy store on 10th Street and Ave. C
I made a good living. And maybe you think from the "penny..businesss? I
wouldn't have made enought to pay the rent. I made money by going to
auctions and buying up stock and selling to other candy stores. You
know every day some candy stores go broke, become bankrupt, so they sell
out their stock in auction. So I used to go every day and buy bankrupt
stock and then go around and sell it. I can't complain. I made out
all right. But it's hard work, you know, in a candy store. No eight
hours. You keep the store open till 12 at night. So my health broke
dawn. Sour stomach, gas, headaches... I went to one doctor, to another
doctor, but I got sicker and sicker. Then somebody gave me this advise:
Go to Dr. Lieber. You surely heard of Dr. Lieber? A wonderful man.
Doesn't give you any medicine at all. Nature, he says, is the best
doctor. That I mm standing here before you, it's thanks to him. I went
to Dr. Lieber. Be listened to me, examined me, and said to me: Listen
to me, Mr. Griefer. There's nothing the matter with you. You'll live
to a ripe old age. You have the right foundation. I'll make it clear
to you. I see that you are a smart man. A house, when it has a mod
foundation* can withstand all kinds of storms and bad weather. The roof
leaks* it blows thru the cracks* one can fix it. I will tell you what to
004 I will give you no medicines. They are good for rich people who
don't know haw to spend their money. Don't be stingy with water. Drink
as much as you can. Eat Black bread and vegetables. And if you can afford*
leave New York and live in the country. So I listened to him and I can't
complain. I any thank God* over seventy. So now you know all about me.
BST you writers like to know everything. You like to knos, what's going
on in one's soul. Not that I have anythine to hide. So you promise
me that you will print the letter? I am taking your word for it.
TEIE LITTER
To Our illustrious President:
Our Holy Books say: A poor man is like a dead man. You cane and
resurrected the poor man from the dead. You came said said: rNake up*
forgotten m. I will give you new life. I will give you a new deal.'
Like the prophet* Nathan* who said to King David: You have so many
sheep and yet you want to take the last sheep of the poor man; so you
said to the rich* to the Mall St. bankers: Leave the poor man his
last sheep. Let him also live. All the rich men hate you for that.
They know that you brought new hope to the poor plain man. They know
that never again will the old time* comeback. May I end respectfully
that your name* our illustrious Presidentowill live forever.*