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Windows in Time
A Summer's Journey to Europe and
the Middle East
Taken by S.L. Nathanson and his Family
By Merle Kastner, Montreal, Canada
A BRIEF FAMILY HISTORY
In 1901, Samuel Lyon
Nathanson,
his wife Basha (nee Mendelssohn) and their children left their
home in Piatra Neamt. Romania and immigrated to Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.
At some point after their arrival, S.L. left his wife and their five children
(Anna Ruth, Rebecca, Moe, Henry and Sydney) and traveled by
horse and buggy to Montreal in order to set up his grocery business.
He quickly obtained a
liquor license
with the help of Dow and Eker ("American Grain Distillers", later
changed to "Sampson Distillers, Inc.") This
provided him with the most lucrative part of his business. Having been
in the liquor business in Piatra Neamt, he had a first-hand knowledge
of the business.
His first store was
called "S.L. Nathanson & Sons", and was located on St. Lawrence
Blvd., on the northwest corner of St. Cuthbert. Later, he opened
another on Ontario Street, on the northeast corner of St. Lawrence,
and another one on de Montigny Street, now de Maisonneuve. However,
when the liquor law was revised by the Quebec government in 1918, S.L.
recycled himself into the real estate business.
After his arrival in
Montreal, he quickly established himself as an important and
contributing member of the Montreal Jewish Community. He was
prominent in philanthropic work among Montreal Jewry and was a member
of many Jewish philanthropic organizations. "S.L.", as he was called,
was one of the founders of B'Nai Brith in Canada, among other
important organizations, and was interested in the merchandising of
Kosher wine, of which business he was one of the pioneers in Montreal.
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An advertisement in
The Canadian Jewish Times reads as follows:
PALESTINE
PRODUCTS - for Passover:
Palestine
Wines and Cognacs are known the world over for their beneficial
qualities, and I take much pleasure to announce that I have secured
the sole Canadian agency of the INDEPENDENT WINE GROWERS in the colony
"PETACH TIKWAH", and will sell their products at the following low
prices":-(abridged) "Sweet Wines: Sherry, Port, Allcante, Tokay, Malaga
(at prices ranging from $.85/bottle to $14.00/dozen bottles!); White
Wine: Sauterne, $.65/bottle, $7.00/dozen; Claret Wine: Medoc at $.70/bottle,
$7.50/dozen; Cognacs: Fine Old - $1.25/bottle, $$13.50/dozen; Very Old
- $1.50/bottle, $16.50/dozen.
I have
also a full line of Hungarian, Russian, and Californian Brandies and
Wines, such as: Hungarian Shlivovitz, California Grape Brandy,
Vishnick (Cherry Brandy), Peach Brandy and Apricot Brandy (Ed. Note:
prices were then quoted at from $.95 - $1.10/bottle, etc.); Lipsky's
or Yaffa's Russian Spirits, from 60% Sykes 120 proof, at $1.00, to
90% Sykes 160 proof, at $1.40.
NOTE: The
above goods are sold by the best dealers in Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa,
Quebec, Calgary, Fort William, and Vancouver.
S.L.
NATHANSON, Main Store: 1072 St. Lawrence Boulevard.
Branches: 18 Ontario St. East, 21 Demontigny
West, Montreal, Que.
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THE GRAND TOUR
In 1913, S.L. decided to make an important, summer-long voyage with his
wife and second
son Henry, my grandfather, to Europe and the Middle East, sailing on the S.S. Royal Edward on June
17, 1913.
Henry was a prolific
photographer, as witnessed by the number of photos that he took, not
only during this summer-long trip, but all through the years. Always
ahead of his time, he was delighted with any new invention.
The
Nathansons landed in Bristol Harbour, England and then traveled by train
(at forty miles per hour!) to London. There they met up with (or
traveled by ship with) Mr. & Mrs. Blumer and Mr. & Mrs. Zelicovitch,
who were presumably also from Montreal.
They
continued on to Paris, Versailles, and Marseilles, France. From there, they
went to Alexandria, Cairo and Port Said, Egypt. One photograph shows
the three Nathansons in front the Sphinx with a Dr. Black (possibly
another Montrealer). Following their visit to Egypt, they
travelled to Beyrouth, Syria (according to the
boundaries of the time), and then entered Palestine, first going to Metullah (the
first Jewish colony in northern Palestine),
Rosh Pinah, Saffed, Tiberias, Haifa, Jaffa, Tel Aviv and Petach Tikvah.
From there
they went to Rishon Le Zion and Jerusalem.
Next, they travelled to the Isle of Samos, the Dardanelles, and
then Constantinople (Istanbul). Then they travelled to Piatra Neamt in Romania, where they
had once lived and where Henry was born. There they visited numerous
relatives who were still living there. The last stop on their
whirlwind tour was Vienna, Austria.
It is not
clear as to whether the order listed above of the places visited is
entirely accurate, or merely the order of placement of the original
photographs in the album, although most of it follows a certain logic.
In the 1920s and 30s,
Henry became one of several small, private builders of residential
buildings. He quickly became known for his
honesty and integrity and excellence of his works.
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