Jewish Heritage Centre

10/11/2026

Registration filling up quickly - Don't miss a fabulous and fun evening of trivia, food, and raffles.

10/11/2026

10/02/2026

ARTEFACT OF THE WEEK!

This now alien-looking object was once a staple in most homes in the early-to-mid 20th century.

Clothes or laundry sprinklers came in a huge variety of shapes and materials. In the 1920s sprinkler bottles were ceramic, often in the form of figures. Homemade sprinklers could also be made, as sprinkler heads were sold with a cork attached so that any bottle, such as a glass Coca-Cola bottle, could be used as a laundry sprinkler.

This laundry sprinkler is made of rubber with an aluminum sprinkler head and would have originally stood upright. It was made by the Sun Rubber Company based in Barberton, Ohio, USA. The Sun Rubber Co. originally began as toy-makers, specializing in hot water bottles for dolls. By the 1950s they had become the largest producer of rubber dolls in the world, but as we can see from this object, they expanded their production to other household items.

Before the common use of the steam iron and electric clothes dryers, laundry sprinklers were used to sprinkle water on laundry that had been dried on the line, in order to aid in the process of ironing the wrinkles away. If the ironing was not going to be done immediately, the laundry would have been rolled into balls, after having been dampened with the sprinkler, and then stored in the refrigerator until there was time for ironing.

This artefact was donated by Roz Usiskin in 1999.

Stop by our Trivia Night event on October 22nd to learn more about the artefact in our collection!

10/02/2026

There is still time to register for Trivia Night!

We are now offering a student discount! Gather your friends and register a team!

Additional $9 discount for Hillel Students! Contact Lindsay Kerr for details! [email protected] (204)293-5585

09/28/2026

Our archivist, Ava Garfinkel is interviewed by the CJN's Ellin Bessner.

On June 9, a massive rainstorm flooded the basement of Winnipeg’s A...

06/08/2026

Happy Pride from everyone at the Jewish Heritage Centre of Western Canada!