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.

Fabric Pieces (Object)

Copyright/attribution: Jewish Museum London

What do you see?

We can see fabric pieces with red and green embroidery. We can see that the pattern is the same on all pieces of fabric. Look closely, what do you see?

What do we know?

These four embroidered fabric pieces are from the wedding shirt of Solomon Pollecoff. Simon married Esther Lyons in Liverpool in 1896. The fabric is in the style of Eastern European folk art. There are square panels embroidered with red and black thread and stitched together.

The laws of Shatnez come from the Torah and are one of the 613 Commandments or Mitzvot. These laws prohibit the sewing of wool and linen together in one single garment. These laws are laid out in the Books of Leciticus and Deuteronomy.

Solomon Pollecoff emigrated from Russia around 1894-5. He met and married his wife in Liverpool, and from there went to Holyhead, North Wales. Pollecoff learnt Welsh and set up a business as a merchant. He eventually moved to Caernarvon where he ran a large department store.

What do we wonder?

We might wonder why Simon decided to migrate to Wales? We might wonder what his wedding was like? What do you wonder?

Discussion Questions

What are some elements of a traditional Jewish wedding?

Why did Jewish people migrate to Wales in the late 19th/early 20th century?