Manufacturer: Maddock – England
User: RMS Queen Mary – Kosher Service – Cunard Steamship Company
Date of plate: 1966

Certificate of Authentication

RMS Queen Mary permanently moored at Long Beach, California

Photograph of the Jewish synagogue or "Scroll Room"

Dinner Menu from 1936

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Notes: From Wikipedia: "The RMS Queen Mary is a retired British ocean liner that sailed primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard-White Star Line. Queen Mary, along with RMS Queen Elizabeth, were built as part of Cunard's planned two-ship weekly express service between Southampton, Cherbourg and New York.

"The Queen Mary carried approximately 2000 passengers and 1000 crew on each of its voyages from 1936 to 1939, and again from 1947 to its retirement in 1967. During World War II, the Queen Mary served as a troop ship, in which as many as 16,638 people sailed to Europe on a single voyage.

"Among facilities available onboard Queen Mary, the liner featured two indoor swimming pools, beauty salons, libraries and children's nurseries for all three classes, a music studio and lecture hall, telephone connectivity to anywhere in the world, outdoor paddle tennis courts and dog kennels. The largest room onboard was the cabin class (first class) main dining room (grand salon), spanning three stories in height and anchored by wide columns. The ship had many air-conditioned public rooms onboard. The cabin-class swimming pool facility spanned over two decks in height. This was the first ocean liner to be equipped with her own Jewish prayer room – part of a policy to show that British shipping lines avoided the antisemitism evident in Nazi Germany."

From a Dec. 24,1999, article by Donald H. Harrison, he states: "for many years prior to the construction of the Queen Mary kosher food had been made available for Jewish passengers. And it has been suggested that providing a synagogue trimmed with wood from Palestine was 'just the next logical step' in a competition to attract well-to-do Jewish passengers. However, the prayer room, known as the Scroll Room, was only 12 feet by 15 feet and along with the kosher kitchen was located in the third-class area of the ship."

Again, from Wikipedia: "After several years of decreased profits for Cunard Line, Queen Mary was officially retired from service in 1967. She left Southampton for the last time on 31 October 1967 and sailed to the port of Long Beach, California, United States, where she was permanently moored. The City of Long Beach bought the ship to serve as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum and a hotel. The city contracted out management of the ship to various third-party firms over the years. It took back operational control in 2021 when the operator filed for bankruptcy, and it was found that extensive repairs were needed to keep the ship from sinking.

"The Queen Mary ceased operations in May 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened for limited tours on 15 December 2022."

Ivory body vitrified china plate with a dark gray pin strip along the outer rim. Near the inner rim there are two yellow/gold pinstripes above a light grey band that is at the very edge of the inner rim. The topmark in the center of the well is dark gray and contains the word "Milk" along with Hebrew lettering.

Sources:
Wikipedia
Jewish Sightseeing.com – Article by Donald H. Harrison 12/24/1999

Contributors:
Plate photos: Sherri Harris
Author: Ed Phillips