Poor women, frequently Irish, known as Shabbos-goyas or fire-goyas, acted as stokers to the Ghetto at twopence a hearth

There have always been ways of getting around the problem of lighting fires. It was common in the Oriental world for Muslims to go around the houses kindling fires and doing little jobs for the Jews. Israel Zangwill gives us an insight into turn-of-the-century London in his 1892 novel, Children of the Ghetto, where he writes, ‘The Rabbis had modified the Biblical prohibition against lighting any fire whatever, and allowed it to be kindled by non-Jews. Poor women, frequently Irish, known as Shabbos-goyas or fire-goyas, acted as stokers to the Ghetto at twopence a hearth. No Jew ever touched a match or a candle, or burnt a piece of paper, or even opened a letter. The Goyah, which is literally “heathen female”, did everything required on the Sabbath.’ Zangwill tells that, when the reb’s fire sank and he could not give direct orders to the shiksa (non-Jewish woman) to replenish it, he would rub his hands and remark casually (in her hearing), ‘Ah, how cold it is!’

C. Roden, The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand and Vilna to the Present Day (1996), Kindle loc. 705