Inbar Goldner

My dissertation traces the development of the clothing industry among Jewish immigrants and their children in Eretz Israel and London during the interwar period, through a comparative examination of each industry. The main focus of the research is the production methods used in each of these industries. The methods used in these countries were based on historical methods that Jews employed in the production of clothing across Europe. The aim of the research was to find out how clothing production within a clustered Jewish community contributed to the development of their Jewish collective history and identity.

This is my second academic project devoted to the research of clothing with a focus on cross-generation connections, traditions and identity within the Jewish diaspora. As a third-generation Israeli whose grandparents immigrated to Israel, I am questioning my own identity and the traditions I live by.  This subject, from my point of view, brings awareness of the importance of the Jewish contribution to the development of the clothing industry. This was a contribution which crossed many generations, locations and the transmission of the knowledge between nations and continents within a small community.

The methodology analyses the differences based on a geographical and cultural comparison,  through the different primary sources. The textile and clothing industry in Eretz Israel highlights three textile, hosiery and clothing factories which were found in Israel, namely: Lodzia, Manor and Ata. Each of these factories had an important contribution to the development of the industry. In London, the East End’s Jewish owned workshops explore specifically, the women’s outerwear ready-made production from the workers' experience. Finally, the study compares the two countries’ industries through core subjects such as the development of the local trade, language and production methods, which correlated with theories of diasporic memory and knowledge transmission.