The Holocaust and Wales: General Paper and Box Manufacturing Company at Treforest Trading Estate

Description

In this collection of resources, the students will learn about the Treforest Trading Estate, near Pontypridd, which was set up as part of the Special Areas Act of 1934. The Act was created to help parts of Britain with high unemployment, and it offered support to businesses to set up in these areas. When the Nazis began seizing Jewish businesses in Germany in the years after 1933, many Jewish refugees fled here to establish their businesses with help from this scheme.

By May 1940, 55 businesses started by Jewish refugees were running at Treforest. They provided jobs for around 1,800 local people.

In this lesson, students will learn about the experiences of the Schoenmann family, who ran a cigarette paper and box factory at Treforest. Their business was deemed “vital to the war effort” as cigarettes were classed as “essential to keeping up morale both in the forces, and at home”.

This is session 2 of 2 on the topic of Treforest Trading Estate.

Image above: The wall plaque for the General Paper & Box Manufacturing Company in Treforest Trading Estate, 1941. Image: Jewish History Association of South Wales/Cymdeithas Hanes Iddewig De Cymru (JHASW/CHIDC). Image courtesy of George Schoenmann.

This resource was produced as part of the 'Côf a lithr, llythyrau a geidw: creating Holocaust resources for Welsh schools' partnership project between Centre for the Movement of People (CMOP), Aberystwyth University, and Jewish History Association of South Wales/Cymdeithas Hanes Iddewig De Cymru (JHASW/CHIDC). The project is kindly supported by the Association of Jewish Refugees, Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Jewish Historical Society of England and Garfield Weston Foundation.

Key Stage 3

Art and design, History, Literacy skills

Learning Activity Pack

This resource provides learning activities for your students using our website. It is one of two on the topic of Treforest Trading Estate. Here is a link to the other resource in this series:

The Holocaust and Wales: Aero Zipp Fasteners at Treforest Trading Estate

See the Quick Links below for content to accompany this resource.