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The Traveling Veil
Karen Schultz Tarnopol
Special to the Jewish News
D
aniel Kops was the eldest of nine siblings and the
first to leave Stuttgart, Germany, for America in
1881. Penniless and unable to speak English, he
settled in New York City and got a job at a corset manu-
facturer. In 1894, he and his younger brother started their
own corset business, Nemo Corset Company.
In 1910, when Kops' daughter Helen got engaged to
Leonard Klauber, Daniel went back to Germany to purchase a
special gift for her — lace for her veil.
"I'm sure he never dreamed that what began as a lovely
gift for his daughter would become an incredible gift for all
of the women in proceeding generations, connecting us all
spiritually as well as physically," said Ellie Slovis, great-niece
of Helen Kops.
As of today, 27 brides have worn the veil while getting
married, from Helen Kops in 1910 to Angela Marie Arnold,
great-great-niece of Helen by marriage in 2009. Of the 27
women, 24 were family and three were friends of the family.
Each of the brides felt very blessed to have the opportunity to
wear the veil on her special day. "Getting the veil was just as
exciting for us as getting the gown," Slovis said.
Julie Cahalin of Plymouth, Mass., great-great niece of
Helen, who married in 1999, said, "It was pretty incredible
knowing that the veil that I wore for such a special occasion
came over on a ship from Germany. I was the 25th bride
to wear it, and the veil is 90 years old. I was thrilled to be
included in something so magical!"
Doris Finkel of New York City, great-niece of Helen, said,
"Wearing the veil connected me with the many brides in our
family. In continuing the tradition, I felt strongly linked to
the past generations of women and supported by their cour-
age and love."
According to Slovis, each bride wore the veil just a little bit
differently, although the veil was never altered. The off-white
veil "has a few small holes in it and it has aged over time, but
JN CONTENTS
it has many more
weddings in its
future."
Three of Helen's
great-nieces and
three of her great-
great-nieces also
shared the same
dress. Each of the
great-great-nieces
altered the dress
to fit her personal
style.
The fam-
Angie Arnold Abend of Boston was
ily keeps a book
the last woman to wear the veil.
with a list of all
the women who
wore the dress, their relationship to Helen and the year that
they married, along with a wedding photo. The book serves
to keep the memory alive of all the women that came before
them and the great tradition that the family has kept.
"I created the veil book with my mom, Ellie, for my sister
Lisa's wedding to create that special touch," explained Lisa
Slovis Mandel of San Diego, a great-great-niece of Helen.
"The story is such a deep part of our family's history. I was
excited to also get to wear the veil at my wedding and be a
part of our story," Mandel added.
Debbie Berger of West Bloomfield, a great-great-niece of
Helen, said, "I grew up knowing about the veil and eagerly
anticipated wearing it." Her daughter, Samantha Berger, 12,
a great-great-great-niece of Helen, anticipates wearing the
bridal veil, too.
On the last page of the book is a note that reads, "To future
brides who will wear this veil: Please keep this book with the
veil and add your name to the list of brides. This veil repre-
sents the beautiful threads that connect us from generation
to generation."
❑
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Around Town
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