FURNITURE BOOK: Stephen Waldenberg researching on his laptop

STEPHEN Waldenberg has started researching a book on Jewish furniture businesses.

His grandfather, Sam Waldenberg, was a wood turner and arrived in Leeds in 1895 with a bag full of wood chisels.

Within a year, along with his brothers Philip and Berel and later Max, established Waldenberg Brothers in Templar Street.

The business expanded on to New York Road in 1933 where the company remained until 1961.

Sam died before Stephen was born, but he remembers going into the factory as a child.

"I would wander around looking over the machines and used to play in the piles of cushions," Stephen, of Leeds, said.

"It was a huge building and the new showroom was opened by the Lord Mayor of Leeds.

"Members of the family joined the business, but eventually my father, Nat, who was the eldest son of Sam and was running the business after he died, closed it down."

Stephen's uncle, Morris Walden, entered the retail side after the Second World War.

"Waldens Sleep Shops became a household name for beds until the turn of this century," said Stephen.

"There were more than a dozen Jewish-owned furniture manufacturing and upholstery companies in Leeds up until around the 1970s when the trade seemed to disintegrate.

"You could walk down North Street and practically in every street there was a small upholstery shop."

Stephen is looking for information from Jewish Telegraph readers with a connection to the furniture trade, either as a family owner or as an employee.

He is hoping to use photos of premises, workers in the work-place or documents.

Anyone with information should contact Stephen on 0113 2267497 or steve@cpsairedale.co.uk

Labour support

Jonathan Kirsch, of the Israel Administrator General's Office in Jerusalem, looks after property defined by law as 'abandoned'.

He is trying to locate Ezra Weinstein and/or members of his family.

Ezra was born in the 1930s, to Ben and Bluma (Billy) Weinstein.

He married Hilary and had two children - Ben and Ian.

The family lived in Wigan during the 1950s and 60s before moving elsewhere in Lancashire.

At some point they changed their surname from Weinstein to Wein (or Wine, Wayne).

Ezra was active in the Labour party.

Telephone 009722 5311645 or email jonk@justice.gov.il