Object numberM2010/097:006
DescriptionButtons from the donor’s grandfather Jacob Schaffer’s coat, possible dating back to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, c 1870s. Kept by the donor, Rose Rev: "I don't have anything else from him."
Rose Rev (nee Schaffer), was born 26 March 1935, in Helwan, Egypt, to Hungarian parents, Alexander and Margaret Schaffer.
Her father, subjected to anti-semitism in Hungary, had left in 1924, aged 24, for Palestine. Finding Tel Aviv unsuitable, he returned to Alexandria and found a job as a diesel engineer with Portland Cement Company, which supplied bricks all over Egypt. In 1928, he brought his father, Jacob, two sisters and a brother to Egypt.
“When he was 29 and it was time for him to get married, there was only Sephardi girls in Egypt, so my father’s father wrote to a cousin in Hungary, looking for a nice girl for him, a ‘shiddach’ (match). There was a widow who had two daughters; photographs were exchanged. Jacob travelled to Hungary and brought his cousin’s daughter, Margaret, to Helwan. She arrived on a Sunday in 1931, and they were married on the Wednesday. Alexander and Margaret’s son, Paul, was born in 1932 and Rose was born three years later.
Rose attended kindergarten run by Italian nuns, then attended school at St Joseph, finishing school in 1948, aged 13. She learnt French and Arabic. Despite the large Jewish community in Egypt (more than 80,000 Jews in 1947) there was no Jewish school.
Egypt was home to Jews of Sephardic origin, Arabic speaking Jews of old Egyptian ancestry, Ashkenazi Jews, and the Karaites, a sect established in 8th Century, recognizing the Tanach and rejecting the oral tradition. Life for Egyptian Jews was quite comfortable; Jews had positions in government circles and industry; many families could afford to keep servants. Margaret had been raised in an ultra-orthodox home, so Rose and her brother attended synagogue every Shabbat and Cheder, where she learnt Hebrew.
During the war years, Alexander’s position in the cement company guaranteed the family some privileges, including free medical services. During the mid-1940s tensions rose between Arabs and Jews in Egypt due to the conflict in Palestine. Anti-semitism reached its peak in November 1945, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, when synagogues, Jewish shops and institutions were destroyed and demonstrations were held against the Jews.
Following the establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, Egyptian Jews had their possessions and properties confiscated and thousands were arrested. Alexander lost his job following the enactment of a new law in 1947, stating that the majority of people in the workplace had to be of Egyptian decent. Many fled. Rose’s family applied for visas, but it wasn’t easy, as they did not possess Egyptian citizenship and were living as stateless refugees. Alexander’s brother who had immigrated to Australia in 1949, sent landing permits. The family caught a train from Helwan to Port Said, then boarded the ‘Assimana’ on 5 January 1951, with one suitcase and 50 English Pounds. Conditions on board were shocking, with diseases spreading, scarce food and rough seas. Alexander boiled wine for the family to drink and it killed off some of the diseases. Only stopping in Aden, Yemen on a six-week journey, the ship finally docked in Fremantle in February 1951. From Perth, they caught a train to Melbourne, then to Sydney and finally to Brisbane.
They immediately affiliated themselves with the Jewish community. Rose could not speak English, but taught herself by reading comic books. Alexander’s credentials were not recognized; he worked as a labourer. Margaret worked in a factory and Rose worked as a dressmaker. Rose was involved in the Jewish youth group and participated in Maccabi swimming, gymnastics and basketball. In 1956, she moved to Melbourne, working in a bridal factory, but moved back to Brisbane, then back to Melbourne, where she worked for 2 years. She returned to Brisbane, when her father became ill, opening her own bridal wear salon in her home. After her father passed away, Rose moved to Sydney in 1969, working as a dressmaker for Stephen and Freda Glass, who owned a Bridal wear salon.
She was introduced to Ervin Rev, known as Bandi, born 8 July 1922 in Budapest. He had survived Theresienstadt, and had escaped Hungary, arriving in Sydney in 1951. Following the divorce from his first wife, he married Rose on 18 January 1970. Bandi worked as a taxi driver, while Rose continued as a dressmaker. Their son, Benny, was born in 1971.
Rose’s aunt, Esther Marcus (nee Goldsman), and maternal grandmother, Golda Goldsman were murdered in Auschwitz. The artefacts in the Museum’s collection, (embroidered tea towels and ‘champignon’) are all that remains of them.
Rose Rev (nee Schaffer), was born 26 March 1935, in Helwan, Egypt, to Hungarian parents, Alexander and Margaret Schaffer.
Her father, subjected to anti-semitism in Hungary, had left in 1924, aged 24, for Palestine. Finding Tel Aviv unsuitable, he returned to Alexandria and found a job as a diesel engineer with Portland Cement Company, which supplied bricks all over Egypt. In 1928, he brought his father, Jacob, two sisters and a brother to Egypt.
“When he was 29 and it was time for him to get married, there was only Sephardi girls in Egypt, so my father’s father wrote to a cousin in Hungary, looking for a nice girl for him, a ‘shiddach’ (match). There was a widow who had two daughters; photographs were exchanged. Jacob travelled to Hungary and brought his cousin’s daughter, Margaret, to Helwan. She arrived on a Sunday in 1931, and they were married on the Wednesday. Alexander and Margaret’s son, Paul, was born in 1932 and Rose was born three years later.
Rose attended kindergarten run by Italian nuns, then attended school at St Joseph, finishing school in 1948, aged 13. She learnt French and Arabic. Despite the large Jewish community in Egypt (more than 80,000 Jews in 1947) there was no Jewish school.
Egypt was home to Jews of Sephardic origin, Arabic speaking Jews of old Egyptian ancestry, Ashkenazi Jews, and the Karaites, a sect established in 8th Century, recognizing the Tanach and rejecting the oral tradition. Life for Egyptian Jews was quite comfortable; Jews had positions in government circles and industry; many families could afford to keep servants. Margaret had been raised in an ultra-orthodox home, so Rose and her brother attended synagogue every Shabbat and Cheder, where she learnt Hebrew.
During the war years, Alexander’s position in the cement company guaranteed the family some privileges, including free medical services. During the mid-1940s tensions rose between Arabs and Jews in Egypt due to the conflict in Palestine. Anti-semitism reached its peak in November 1945, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, when synagogues, Jewish shops and institutions were destroyed and demonstrations were held against the Jews.
Following the establishment of the State of Israel on 14 May 1948, Egyptian Jews had their possessions and properties confiscated and thousands were arrested. Alexander lost his job following the enactment of a new law in 1947, stating that the majority of people in the workplace had to be of Egyptian decent. Many fled. Rose’s family applied for visas, but it wasn’t easy, as they did not possess Egyptian citizenship and were living as stateless refugees. Alexander’s brother who had immigrated to Australia in 1949, sent landing permits. The family caught a train from Helwan to Port Said, then boarded the ‘Assimana’ on 5 January 1951, with one suitcase and 50 English Pounds. Conditions on board were shocking, with diseases spreading, scarce food and rough seas. Alexander boiled wine for the family to drink and it killed off some of the diseases. Only stopping in Aden, Yemen on a six-week journey, the ship finally docked in Fremantle in February 1951. From Perth, they caught a train to Melbourne, then to Sydney and finally to Brisbane.
They immediately affiliated themselves with the Jewish community. Rose could not speak English, but taught herself by reading comic books. Alexander’s credentials were not recognized; he worked as a labourer. Margaret worked in a factory and Rose worked as a dressmaker. Rose was involved in the Jewish youth group and participated in Maccabi swimming, gymnastics and basketball. In 1956, she moved to Melbourne, working in a bridal factory, but moved back to Brisbane, then back to Melbourne, where she worked for 2 years. She returned to Brisbane, when her father became ill, opening her own bridal wear salon in her home. After her father passed away, Rose moved to Sydney in 1969, working as a dressmaker for Stephen and Freda Glass, who owned a Bridal wear salon.
She was introduced to Ervin Rev, known as Bandi, born 8 July 1922 in Budapest. He had survived Theresienstadt, and had escaped Hungary, arriving in Sydney in 1951. Following the divorce from his first wife, he married Rose on 18 January 1970. Bandi worked as a taxi driver, while Rose continued as a dressmaker. Their son, Benny, was born in 1971.
Rose’s aunt, Esther Marcus (nee Goldsman), and maternal grandmother, Golda Goldsman were murdered in Auschwitz. The artefacts in the Museum’s collection, (embroidered tea towels and ‘champignon’) are all that remains of them.
Subjectmigration, Australian Jewish history
Object namebuttons
Materialhorn
Dimensions
- diameter: 35.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Mrs Rose Rev