Letters from Gelvan n the 1970s, when Geraldine Adelman Powers' father was living with her, she found a green tallit bag filled with letters that were written in Yiddish. When she asked about them, her father, Morris Adelman was reluctant to share their history. He promised he would, but it never happened. He told her that these 21 letters were written by his father, David Peretz Andiman, from his shtetl in Gelvan, Lithuania. Powers was eager to have the letters translated. She wanted to know more about her family history and knew there were answers that had been tenderly preserved in these letters, which were written between 1909 and 1925. In 1973, one month after her father passed away, Powers had the letters translated into English and found that they revealed a family history about life in Gelvan, a history of poverty, pain, devotion and those left behind. I "Once the letters had been translated, I realized why my dad would not, could not, emotionally share them with me," Powers told us. "The contents of the letters revealed a secret and hidden family history," Powers added. "When the secret was revealed, our family's outlook on the past changed." The letters graphically express many hardships, and especially the lack of food. People were starving to death. The letters emphasize keeping the Shabbos and getting married. And they end with a shocking murder. Early on, Powers shared the letters with Leatrice Rabinsky, who often used them for teaching purposes, and who repeatedly told Powers, "This is a book, Gerry. It's a book." Powers recently published the book with Windjammer Adventure Publishing under the title "Letters from Gelvan.” The book can be purchased on Amazon.com or by calling Aurora, Inc. at 330.995.3228. The original Yiddish letters are archived as MS.4828, at Western Reserve Historical Society. "My dad asked me to bury the letters with him, but I did not honor his request," Powers said. "I had to tell the story, so I wrote the book and I am at peace now." Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland The next meeting of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Cleveland will be held Wednesday, July 1, starting at 7:30 p.m., in the Miller boardroom at Menorah Park, 27100 Cedar Rd., Beachwood. July's program features local author Gerry Powers Volper, who will discuss her recently published book "Letters from Gelvan." The program is free and open to the public. Board members will be available at 7 p.m. to respond to questions and research issues. For further information, contact Stewart Hoicowitz at 440.473.5364. June 2015 n Beachwood Buzz 51