Eva Behar, née Herskovits (b. 1925)
Eva Behar was one of seven children born to Ghizella and Alexander Herskovits in Sighet, Transylvania, a Romanian town with a population of around 30,000. About three quarters of the population were “very Orthodox Jews.” Her own family, many of whom were murdered in the Holocaust, was both poor and very Orthodox. Eva survived both Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. In 1946, just after her liberation from the latter concentration camp, she married Samuel Behar (1920-2010), an officer in the British Air Force. Samuel was the son of Jacob Behar and Allegra, née Benardout, a couple associated with the Anglo-Persian Carpet Company.[1] Samuel served in the British Air Force during World War II and after their marriage in 1946 worked at the Perez Ltd. carpet shop in London. The couple prospered, although Eva suffered from the physical and mental repercussions of her experiences, including a nervous breakdown in 1949.
In 1952, Eva’s husband became the manager of a tapestry shop near Perez Ltd. The following year, as he felt he was losing his hearing, Samuel launched his own company, S. Behar Carpet Cleaners, which specialized in cleaning and restoration and was located in a basement in the Shepherd Bush neighborhood. When the couple’s children, born in 1949 and 1952, had both reached school age, Eva joined Samuel in the shop seven days a week. He eventually lost all hearing. Eva maintained a “little black book” where she noted all the work accomplished in order to see “what was viable.” She noted that at the start of his business, Samuel labored for “hours on end” for five shilling, while labor and materials cost them 15 shillings. But Samuel would not allow Eva to change the prices. Eventually, they saved £1,200 for a deposit on a “lovely mock Tudor house in a cul-de-sac in Ealing.” They moved there in July 1960.
As the business continued to grow, Samuel and Eva relocated it to Kensal Road (then Brewery Road) and “finally to a beautiful factory in Islington, which we were able to rent in 1972.” They received work “from all over the West End” and the number of employees grew to seven or eight. Eventually, they received the Queen Mother’s Royal Warrant. Their work involved cleaning and repairing the rugs and tapestries in the throne room of St. James’s Palace. In the early 1950s, Samuel was tasked with cleaning the throne room, which included a small needlework Queen Anne chair. Soon after, Samuel and Eva were invited to a Christmas Party at St. James’s Palace and the Queen Mother greeted them. She asked Eva: “Why are you here my dear?,” and Samuel replied: “Your Aubusson, Ma’am.” She apologized and explained that her corgi dogs had chewed the Aubusson to pieces. The carpet, a huge piece from France, had been a gift from her husband for their engagement. On later occasions, after the death of her husband, Eva was invited to royal gatherings commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day.
When Samuel became ill in 1976 and had an open-heart bypass surgery, their son Robert helped in the factory to keep the business running. Robert later launched his own company, BeharProfex, which specialized in rug care and, secondarily, the sale of Oriental rugs and carpets.[2] After his second open-heart surgery in the 1990s, Samuel became incapacitated and never returned to the factory again, instead taking up painting. Eva, too, retired to take care of her husband at the age of 80 years. Samuel passed away on February 1, 2010 at the age of 89 after a 63-year marriage.[3] Eva Behar’s life story demonstrates how the Oriental carpet trade was passed down to the next generation of Sephardi Jews, as well as to Ashkenazi Jews who married into the family.
[1] Samuel Behar was also known as Samuel Behar. His father Jacob was also known as Jack Behar and Jaques Behar.
[2] https://www.beharprofex.com/ (accessed January 12, 2026).
[3] Eva Behar, My Story (London: The Association of Jewish Refugees, 2018).