Educational Resources

This Digital Resource Library was created by the Jewish Museum London learning team. The Library brings together objects, video and audio that relate to the Jewish experience in Wales from collections across the country and is specifically designed for teachers and students.

Photograph (Object)

Copyright/attribution: Jewish History Association of South Wales

Object held at Cynon Valley Museum, Digital Image & Research copyright Jewish Historical Association of South Wales.

What do you see?

We can see a shop front window. We can see the name Morris Jacobs and Sons. Look closely, what do you see?

What do we know?

This is a photograph of Morris Jacobs & Sons shop in Cardiff Street, Aberdare. Morris Jacobs was born in Russia in 1855. He eventually migrated to Wales, became a British citizen and opened his first business in 1874 in Mountain Ash. He opened his second shop in Aberdare in 1884. The shop address was 14 Cardiff Street, Aberdare. Morris Jacobs was a pawnbroker, outfitter and jeweller, but later the Aberdare shop began to sell clothing. The shop sold men’s clothes, miner’s work clothes, and eventually boys and girls school clothes.

Morris died in 1925, but the shop continued to exist into the 1980s. This was the longest running Jewish owned shop in Aberdare.

What do you wonder?

We might wonder what the process was for Morris to become a British citizen? We might wonder why Morris decided to adapt his business to sell clothing? What do you wonder?

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to be a citizen of a country?

What are some of the reasons Morris might have decided to leave Russia and migrate to Wales?