Family Object
These decorative ornaments sit atop the two wooden dowels that hold and roll the Torah.
In Vancouver, early twentieth century Jewish immigrants, who arrived from Russia, Romania, Poland, and Germany may not have been able to speak English, but they shared the Yiddish language. Developed in the late Middle Ages as a mix of Hebrew, German and Slavic languages, Yiddish was the common language of Eastern European Jews. In Strathcona, it was the language spoken in Jewish homes and in the sermons at the Synagogue.
Used by David Matlin; apprenticed under his father Simon, who was a master tailor from Liverpool, England. The family immigrated to Winnipeg in 1907, when David was seventeen, he became a ladies' coat and dress designer, working in clothing factories in Winnipeg and Vancouver for over 50 years. He moved to Vancouver in 1952 and spent the last 35 years of his life there. This sewing machine was used in David Matlin's home.
Hebrew inscription reads "present given for the blessing of Meir Son of Leiser Wolf from Society Cheschvank, Wednesday, March 8, 1650." The plate was brought to Vancouver from Vienna, Austria, in 1938, by Mrs. F. Bloch-Bauer.
A special menorah with eight lights (plus an additional one that lights the others) is used during the holiday of Hannukah. Hanukiahs come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. The hand, also called a hamsa, is a typical Sephardic decorative symbol, meaning protection from the evil eye. This hanukiah is lit using oil and wicks.
Founded in 1935 by Isadore Flader, the Vancouver Umbrella Manufacturing Co. brought its umbrella manufacturing parts from Austria at the time.
Tie owned and worn by Murray Goldman, owner of Goldman and Son store, Vancouver, BC. Murray Goldman was born in Poland and raised in Montreal, Quebec, until he entered the armed forces in the Second World War. He was stationed in British Columbia and moved to Vancouver after he left the service. Goldman's entertaining marketing ploys, such as cutting his tie in half in a television ad promoting a half-price sale, contributed to his success as a menswear retailer and fashion leader.
This silver-plated pewter teapot belonged to Maria Davies, wife of Judah Phillip Davies. In 1863, the Davies family arrived in Victoria from San Francisco and soon achieved success selling paintings, musical instruments, household objects, and jewellry, as well as land lots and homes, in the auction house J.P. Davies and Co. Judah Davies helped others as a founding member of Victoria's Odd Fellows and Masons. He gave the keynote address when the Masons laid one of the cornerstones of Temple Emanu-El in 1863.
Used by the Farber family (Eva and Jack, daughter Corinne) in their home in Nanaimo when members of the armed forces came to the
Max and Mandel Dodek immigrated from Poland to Canada in the mid-1920s and moved to Vancouver in the mid-1930s. They established
