Factory, 1920's
Factory, 1920'sINN: CC

Is the picture opposite and on the main page a Lodz factory? That's what the caption on the back suggested (Cigarbox Collection, Keren Hayesod, circa 1925)

Some of the pictures in the "Cigarbox Collection" have captions written on the back. They're written in pencil in German, and some are badly faded.  But it's possible to read "factory, Lodz" on the back on the picture to the right.

The collection contains one picture from Lebanon and another from Damascus, but why would there be a photo from Poland in the middle of the the pictures from the Land of Israel?

Research revealed that the factory was in Palestine, and the workers were Jewish refugees from Lodz. The textile factory was named "Lodzia" and was located in Holon.  The picture above was taken in the "Red House," so named because of the red brick used in its construction.

The factory was the subject for a series of photographs taken in 1939 by the American Colony Photographic Department archived in the U.S. Library of Congress.

The entrance to the factory (Library of
Congress, 1939)

Finishing socks and stockings (Library of Congress)

Stocking "cotton" room (Library of Congress)

Ironing stockings (Library of Congress)

Lodzia texiles merged with the Gibor Sabrina firm and still produces undergarments which it sells through a chain of stores.  Most manufacturing, however, is done in a subsidiary in Romania or by subcontractors in China, India, Jordan and Turkey. Annual sales surpass $60 million.

View more historical pictures and essays at www.israeldailypicture.com