LAST month it was reported that the Kremlin is attempting to close down Russia's Jewish Agency, a Zionist organisation that helps Jews emigrate to Israel.
Some believe this is to try to stem the 'brain drain' caused by mass emigration of Russian Jews since the start of the Ukraine War.
History has a habit of repeating itself. In 1881, 17-year-old Philip Leopold saw a dark future in his native Ukraine and came to England and put down roots in Leeds.
With his knowledge of Russian flax and linen he worked in the 'rag' trade using mankind's oldest woven fabric, the basis of the famous Jewish tailoring houses.
Two of his closest friends were fellow Jewish immigrant Michael Marks and his partner Tom Spencer.
His story is fascinating and takes the reader of Geraldine Connon's book The Russian Tailor of Belfast through the history not only of Philip's family and the history of the Jewish community in Belfast but also a social history of the city.
Geraldine's great grandfather came from Leeds to Belfast 1920. He and his wife Rose, also a Russian Jew, settled and grew an important business and a family of influence.
His tailoring enterprise thrived, especially during war years when his company gained the order for military uniforms and in the days when it was a crime to have too many pockets in a suit and making trousers with a turn up was frowned upon.
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY
The community was one of great influence in Belfast. In 1914 Otto Jaffa was the largest exporter of linen. He held many civic offices including German Consul in Belfast and was the city's first Lord Mayor.
Sadly anti-German feeling - although not anti-Semitism - drove him from his home on Belfast's Antrim Road to London, never to return.
There are many lasting tributes to the Jaffa family's influence on Belfast, including the bright yellow Jaffe Fountain, now located in Victoria Square, which Otto commissioned in honour of his father Daniel Joseph Jaffe who died in 1874.
During the 1920s, P. Leopold and Son had a lucrative government contract to make prison and military garments, so they were well placed to take advantage of a surge in demand at the beginning of the Second World War.
Geraldine has uncovered a story full of drama, In 1940 life was good but in September of that year Philip's son Sonny received an urgent call to a meeting in London where he was privy to top secret military intelligence that would lead to a drastic uprooting of the company's workshop.
"The ultimatum was: 'Get out of Belfast or lose the contract - Belfast is going to be bombed.'''
So, months before the 1941 Belfast Blitz, this highly classified Downing Street information led to their Donegall Street workshop being boarded up and relocated to Dromore, Co Down.
Two disused mills became dispersal factories working 24-hour shifts seven days a week manufacturing British army uniforms.
When Geraldine started her own successful deign business in the early 80s after the wedding of Charles and Diana when interested in fashion design exploded, she had little idea of how she was following in her great grandfather's footsteps.
Since then she has taken haute couture design and tailoring to a new level.
DURING THE FIRST LOCKDOWN
In 2020 the fashion designer found herself with more time on her hands and when her mother Beryl became ill she came to live with her daughter; the two, who had always shared a close bond, had time together and their reminiscences became intriguing.
"Mum started telling me all these stories about her family and I realised that if I didn't record them they'd be lost for ever," says Geraldine.
The two worked closely to record a remarkable history not only of the family but of the years of strife, political unrest and everyday life in the city.
When it was finished, Geraldine read the complete book to her mother in one night just before she passed away in March this year.
THEY HAD ACHIEVED SOMETHING IMPORTANT
She approached a number of publishers. One phoned immediately, saying they receive more than 2,000 manuscripts each year and agree to publish 100 at most.
"I asked when they would make up their minds whether or not they would take The Russian Tailor, to be told, 'This phone call is it.'
"When the centenary of Belfast was announced articles were written from the point of view of the city, I decided to write about the people who want to live and work together peacefully.
"I felt writing about a family would make it easier to understand and with the lockdown years I was free to concentrate on gathering the history and tracing my family roots."
The weekend before last, during the burial of Dr Leslie Leopold, the Belfast patriarch of the family, Geraldine met many of her relatives who had travelled to honour this figurehead in the Jewish community. The Russian Tailor will be a revelation to many of them.
WHAT SURPRISED GERALDINE MOST IN HER RESEARCH?
"That my mum had kept it all to herself for all those years," she explains.
"When she came to live with me she was 89 and she brought with her boxes and bags full of letters and cards.
"It took a month to sort though this wonderful treasure trove, and it was a joy to sit with her and listen to her memories.
"Then it was my responsibility to take it from there - 46,000 words typed with one finger."
The book is a delight to read, and features short chapters, the author's own poems and a library of historic photographs.
"It's not an emotional book but it is a book written from the heart," says Geraldine.
Even though it is available on Amazon, The Russian Tailor has not yet had a local launch. When it does, it will be a red letter day.
:: The Russian Tailor of Belfast by Geraldine Connon and Beryl Connon is published by Clink Street, £12.99.
