(Abrasha) (1913) and Clara (1914). In 1918 the Smorgons moved to Bolshov Tokmak to escape the violence of the Russian Revolution of 1917. There, Norman and his youngest brother, Isak, established a tannery. Their brothers, Abram and Moisey, worked in the meat trade supplying cattle for the Red Army. When pressure from the White Army forced Norman and Isak to close, the four brothers opened a small flour mill. Due to the continuing violence and anti-Semitism of the Russian Civil War, the Smorgon family then moved to Mariupol. Here, Norman and his brothers re-established their flour mill. During this time, Tzippa, Norman’s wife, suffered ongoing health conditions of bleeding ulcers and paralysis. She moved to stay with her mother in Cherna (Chernivitsi), Melitopol. Vladimir Lenin’s death in 1924 and the rise of Joseph Stalin prompted Norman to immigrate to Australia, following his relatives Ruvin and Bertha. In 1925, Norman divorced Tzippa and married the family’s governess, Vera Naumovna Feldman, so that she could obtain a travel permit too. The Smorgon family travelled from Mariupol to Marseilles where they boarded a converted French cattle ship taking passengers to Australia.The Smorgons arrived in Melbourne, Australia in 1927 and settled in the suburb of Carlton. Sources of wealth Kosher butcheries In 1927, Norman Smorgon opened a kosher butcher shop in Melbourne on 366 Lygon Street, Carlton. Carlton was the centre of a Yiddish community that was growing with influxes of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. For this Jewish community of up to 15 000 people, there were only 2 butcher shops in Melbourne supplying kosher meat. Norman recognised the high demand for kosher meat and went into business with his brothers, Abram and Moses. The shop was successful and prompted the brothers to open more butcher shops over the years. Wholesale meat In 1934, Victor Smorgon began a wholesale meat business, Vic Smorgon and Co., which acted as a wholesaling arm for his father and uncle’s butcheries. Norman Smorgon then decided to go into business with his sons, Victor and Eric. Together they established a new wholesale meat business, Norman Smorgon and Sons, separate from the butcheries. This broke the partnership between Norman, Adam and Moses Smorgon. Adam and Moses were left with two butcheries in Richmond. Meat exporting The business, Norman Smorgon and Sons, began exporting meat to England using the export license of the London firm, Mickie and White. In 1939,