![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Lyon Lives!
Oct. 25th, 2005 03:37 pmAt the turn of the 20th Century in Montreal, my grandmother, aged 10, moved to Montreal with her family from Belarus. Apparently, some crafty church people had figured out there were a lot of new little heathens in town to proselatise so they started making up programs and activities to entice the youngsters - donuts and Jesus or some such.
Enter Mrs. Lyon Cohen, wife of philanthropist Mr. Lyon Cohen (hell of a coincidence that) who created the Jewish Endeavour Sewing School to give little Jewish girls something to do that didn't involve renouncing their faith. My grandmother was one of the children in that group and, on completion of the year, received the following book in recognition of her efforts:
Inscribed inside was the following:
"From Mrs. Lyon Cohen / Jewish Endeavour Sewing School / to Rebecca Belensmann for button-hole-work / March 22nd, 1909"
My mother showed me the book this weekend and, if you want a sweet topper for the story, she told me that Lyon and Mrs. Lyon were Leonard Cohen's grandparents.
Enter Mrs. Lyon Cohen, wife of philanthropist Mr. Lyon Cohen (hell of a coincidence that) who created the Jewish Endeavour Sewing School to give little Jewish girls something to do that didn't involve renouncing their faith. My grandmother was one of the children in that group and, on completion of the year, received the following book in recognition of her efforts:
Inscribed inside was the following:
"From Mrs. Lyon Cohen / Jewish Endeavour Sewing School / to Rebecca Belensmann for button-hole-work / March 22nd, 1909"
My mother showed me the book this weekend and, if you want a sweet topper for the story, she told me that Lyon and Mrs. Lyon were Leonard Cohen's grandparents.
