From The Anschluss To The Arcades: The Evolution Of A Family Store

This book is about the evolution of a family store in Cardiff, South Wales, which was started by a Jewish refugee family that had escaped persecution in Nazi Europe. It encompasses themes of persecution and escape, of survival and re-birth, of being part of a community of refugees and a food community in Cardiff for three-quarters of a century. It starts off sombrely, with the history of the family's persecution and attempts to flee Nazi Europe but also includes uplifting and warm descriptions of family life, as well as the founding and evolution of the family store.

The family story illuminates wider historical events during the period and addresses issues that remain highly relevant today. It provides a glimpse into what it was like to be a newly-arrived Jewish immigrant in the UK in the 1930s, the tumultuous times they experienced, and the challenges of integration.

Recording Holocaust survivors' stories is vital for preserving cultural identity, passing down knowledge across generations, and ensuring that people's experiences are documented and remembered so that nothing like this can ever happen again. This book achieves this in a unique way: by exploring the story of the family store: its origins, heritage, culture, the people involved, and its role in the refugee community and the broader business community in South Wales.

At its heart, this is the story of three generations of men and their family business, whose lives were entwined with the most seismic events of the 20th century.