Iconic kosher butcher to feature in Liverpool museum’s Jewish heritage exhibit

The Museum of Liverpool is set to open a major new exhibit profiling the city’s Jewish heritage, with the life-size reconstruction of an iconic kosher butchers taking centre stage.

The new display will feature roller-skating Victorians, gruesome murders and forgotten zoological gardens, but it is the painstaking two-year reconstruction of Galkoff’s Jewish butcher’s shop, resplendent in 1930s emerald green tiles, that has captured the imagination.

Piecing together the iconic façade, complete with original gold Art Deco embellishments and Hebrew signage, researchers trawled the archives looking into the Galkoff’s family, which led curators as far as Poland and New York.

The exhibit, which will open in two weeks’ time, features photographs, objects and personal memories, with the display highlighting the story of Liverpool’s Jewish community as well as its long history of migration. Lawrence Galkoff, great-grandson of proprietor Percy Galkoff, will be there for the opening.

“Galkoff’s and the Secret Life of Pembroke Place has been a hugely rewarding project to work on,” said museum director Janet Dugdale. “With National Lottery support, and the help of enthusiastic volunteers, we have been able to develop research with the existing local community in and around Pembroke Place, giving this display a strong sense of place and authenticity.”

She added: “The stunning tiled façade of Galkoff’s butcher’s shop is a significant addition to the Museum’s collection. The careful research into the Galkoff family and the Liverpool Jewish community enriches the display and forms a powerful legacy.”

Nathan Lee of the Heritage Lottery Fund, which provided a grant, said the project “will serve as a unique reminder of a bygone way of life for the city’s Jewish community in the city”.

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