Article - Israeli Nostalgia Professions

We are all familiar with the warm and fuzzy sensation called 'nostalgia' when memories of distant past come to life.  For many years, nostalgia was considered a sort of mental weakness. Yet, comprehensive studies conducted over the past decade have proven that nostalgic feelings actually bring about tranquility and unequivocally increase the sense of personal happiness. As we delve into nostalgia, our brains invoke images; our mouths sense long-forgotten tastes, and our noses smell odors of years gone by.

The stamps in this lovely series of “Bygone professions, who are no more” serve as “memory mediums" we hold on tightly and yearn for…

The Milkman

The milkman used to come to the front door carrying a large pail of milk. He would then use a one-liter-jag to measure the milk poured into any container provided by the homemaker.

In turn, she would rush to store the milk in the icebox to prevent it from spoiling.

Once milk became available in glass bottles, the milkman carried a tin apparatus holding 6 to 8 bottles. He then left full bottles of milk on the doorstep, according to the number of empty ones waiting for him to collect.

The Iceman

Before the electric refrigerator became a common household appliance, foods that had to be kept cold were stored in an icebox – an insulated crate, cooled down by blocks of ice.

The iceman would have come to the neighborhood on his horse-drawn wagon and was immediately surrounded by homemakers.

He would open the door of the large crate carried by the wagon, emitting cold vapors into the air; pulled out a block of ice, and chipped away half or third block using his ice-pick, as per the buyer's request.

The Street Photographer

Photographers stood on bustling street corners and took pictures of customers who needed their portraits taken ("headshot"). They seated their subjects on wooden folding stools, with a black or white cloth hanging behind them, serving as a backdrop.

The photographer then went under a black cape dropping from a boxlike camera, set upon a tripod, and took the shot. He would then finish developing the photos for the waiting customer in a matter of minutes.

David Sela

Chairman of The Israeli Heritage Promoting Committee

& Editor of the Nostalgia website: www.nostal.co.il