Samuel Behar was the older brother of Ron Behar and 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. He met his future wife, Eva (née Herskovits, born 1925), a Romanian Holocaust survivor four years his junior, while still completing his service. Samuel defied the British military’s anti-fraternization laws and eventually secured permission to marry Herskovits, who had survived both Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. After their wedding in 1946, he secured employment at the Perez Ltd. carpet shop at 199 Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, opposite Harrod’s. Samuel’s wife Eva recalled in 2018: “He was earning well and he got terrific commission because, don’t forget, each carpet was worth quite a bit of money.” The couple prospered, although Eva suffered from the physical and mental repercussions of her experiences, including a nervous breakdown in 1949.
In 1952, Samuel became the manager of a tapestry shop a few doors down on Brompton Road. The following year, as he felt he was losing his hearing, Sammy 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. Behar cleaned large Persian carpets by hand and hung them up to dry in the basement. When their 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 and worked every day until he died. 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, Sammy labored for “hours on end” for five shilling, while labor and materials cost them 15 shillings. But Sammy 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, Sammy 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, Sammy 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 Sammy 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 Sammy 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, Sammy 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] Samuel 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 Sammy 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).