#ceremonial garments

Dedication of Anshe Sphard Congregation’s new building at 4 North Broadway, June 30, 1937.  Soloman Faiman, a member of the Building Committee, is standing fourth from the right. Museum purchase. JMM 1987.137.1

In 1957, Rabbi Samuel Rosenblatt of Beth Tfiloh, Baltimore, wrote Mr. Faiman a recommendation letter. Gift of Frieda Faiman Eisenberg. JMM 1995.19.1

"May 28, 1957. To Whom it May Concern, This is to certify that Mr. Solomon Faiman, the vice-president of the Vaad Hakashruth (Orthodox Jewish Council) of Baltimore, who resides at 1159 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, Maryland, has been known by me for the past twenty years as a strict observer of the Jewish Sabbath and as a person of the highest integrity, sincerely interested in the maintenance of Jewish traditions and the rebuilding of Israel on the foundations of the Jewish religion. I recommend him unreservedly for his character and his loyalty to his hereditary faith for which he has been a veritable tower of strength. Please believe me to be, sincerely yours, Samuel Rosenblatt." letterhead: Dr. Samuel Rosenblatt, Rabbi of the Beth Tfiloh Congregation, Baltimore, Maryland

A tallit gadol, worn over the shoulders during morning prayers, is typically made of wool, as this one is. Mr. Faiman’s tallit features a worn, faded atarah (collar) and a brocade strip down the center. Nearly every section shows mends and repairs, often inexpertly done – perhaps by Mr. Faiman himself – and these, along with the overall wear and fading, attests to its importance; it may even have been his original tallit, dating back to his Bar Mitzvah in Russia.  Despite its condition, the shawl is still kosher.

For many years Solomon Faiman and his wife Ida ran a used clothing store on East Lombard Street. This photo shows Mr. Faiman, wearing a kippah, standing in his shop, late 1970s. Gift of Elinor B. Cahn. JMM 1985.31.7