The Repair Shop viewers were left sobbing as expert cobbler Dean Westmoreland repaired a pair of shoes which were over 80 years old on the BBC show. Nechama Freibach brought the shoes to Jay Blades and the team along with her daughter Shia.
Nechama, 83, told the heartbreaking story of her parents who fled Eastern Europe in the 1930s on The Repair Shop.
Nechama’s shoes had a long history
Nechama told Jay Blades that she had the shoes since she was just one year old, which were given to her parents in Tel Aviv. She explained: “They were from Poland. They came before World War Two.
“They were Jewish and they wanted a better future. My parents came separately and they met in Tel Aviv. They married in Tel Aviv and I was born in Tel Aviv.”
Me and my parents we were the family – the only family.
Nechama explained that the rest of her family was sadly lost in the Holocaust: “So all the rest of the family stayed in Poland and unfortunately died in the Holocaust. “Not only my grandparents but many uncles and aunts.” She continued: “Me and my parents, we were the family – the only family.” Nechama explained that the shoes were the “only tangible object” she had from her parents.
She explained that she had a tough life where her parents didn’t earn much, so she had to make the shoes last. Her parents would cut the front of the shoes so her toes could grow out.
Nechama wanted the shoes to be passed down and wanted them to be in a better condition to last longer.
She wanted them to look quite close to what they looked like the last day that she wore them.
Nechama sobbed once the shoes were repaired
Cobbler Dean Westmoreland restored the shoes to what they were like when Nechama last wore them.
He said: “It has been quite humbling working on these shoes. It’s been an honour to be involved and preserve these for Nechama and Shia.”
Nechama began to cry as soon as she saw the shoes – and viewers were crying alongside her! Jay and Dean provided a display box for Nechama to keep the shoes in good condition for future generations. She described them as “small shoes, big history”.
The Repair Shop on BBC: Viewers were left sobbing as the shoes were repaired
Viewers were heartbroken by Nechama’s story and the shoes. One viewer wrote: “That story of the shoes was totally amazing and brought a lump to the throat.”
A second person said: “Every time I watch The Repair Shop I am blown away by the skill of the restorers! But the little shoes with cut-out toe holes have broken me tonight.”
Another viewer added: “A beautiful story about the child’s shoes with a survivor of WW2 Poland. Even more so as the cobbler was thinking of his own family as he presented them to the elderly owner.”
A fourth fan said: “Great selection of items and their ‘life’ stories. The child’s shoes were particularly poignant!”
Read more: The Repair Shop viewers left ‘bawling’ over guest’s heartbreaking revelation about parents
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