 While there, he created a series of illustrations for the Yiddish poetry cycle "Grief" written by David Hofstein, who was another teacher at the Malakhovka shelter.After spending the years between 1921 and 1922 living in primitive conditions, he decided to go back to France so that he could develop his art in a more comfortable country.Numerous other artists, writers, and musicians were also planning to relocate to the West.