(Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange)
TURKUMAN (Page 1) (Author Steve Tillotson, April 2010 with Update July 2015 courtesy Lyall Payne)  Juliette de Bairacli-Levy November 11th, 1912 - May 28th, 2009 1. SOME BIO/FAMILY HISTORY courtesy of Lyall Payne I don't know if people know quite why he was named Nissim's Laurel? Juliette' de Bairacl-Levy's brother was killed in WW2 (in Greece) in 1941. He signed up as Neville - but he was really Nissim. It was a family name (their father was Joseph Nissim Levy and her grandfather - who owned a chain of stores - was also Nissim. Her father and grandfather were all born in what was (until about 1930) Smyrnia - part of Ancient Greece - and today is Izmir, Turkey. Either name - today it is a most beautiful place. Juliette's Dad was the first and most significant benefactor of a chap called Charles Spencelayh. An artist, he was fully commissioned for many years - and given paid lodgings in Manchester (where Juliette's father and grandfather) had merchant stores. (Yes it's true - Juliette - well :" She's a Lass from Lancashire" (you will need to Utube old Music Hall songs (I think the Australian Florrie Forde had the biggest hit with that) !! Anyway - Juliette as we know was an interesting person - and a marvel - her mother (Rosie Cohen) was born in Alexandria, Egypt and her Dad as I say - in Izmir, Turkey (Smyrnia, Greece). You can buy painintgs by Spencelayh online (including some of Julietts family) - if you have several thousand $US dollars to spare!! Juliette's family went through some amazing stuff (her 73 year old uncle and his wife gassed at Auschwitz for example). Juliette married in 1953 and her son and daughter Rafiq and Luz do not continue the Nissim name - nor the de Bairacli - which Juliette was not born with nor married into - but that's another story for another time - (her younger brother (Leon)'s family do continue it incidentally. But Nissim's Laurel - I believe was named as a special tribute to her brother - killed in WW2 - on 31 May 1941 (in Greece) at the age of just 24 years and memorialised to this day as 'Neville' Joseph Levy on the Athens memorial Gate (part of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission legacy. "Nissim's Laurel" is significant on a greater plane than perhaps many of us have known. Lyall Payne July 2015 ***UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2019 Copied below are some additional notes and photographs posted on FB by Lyall Payne in September 2019 Here's a little more on the family - that I wrote in response to the question 'Why was Sunny Shay's dog named Turkuman Nissim's Laurel? Juliette de Bairacl-Levy's brother was killed in WW2 (in Greece) in 1941. He signed up as Neville - but he was really Nissim. It was a family name (their father was Joseph Nissim Levy and her grandfather - who owned a chain of stores - was also Nissim. Her father and grandfather were both born in what was (until about 1930) Smyrnia - part of Ancient Greece - and today is Izmir, Turkey. Juliette's father was the first and most significant benefactor of a man named Charles Spencelayh. An artist, Spencelayh was fully commissioned for many years - and given paid lodgings in Manchester (where Juliette's father and grandfather) had merchant stores. (Yes it's true - Juliette – is a "A Lass from Lancashire". Juliette as we know was an interesting person - and a marvel - her mother (Rosie Cohen) was born in Alexandria, Egypt and her father - in Izmir, Turkey (Smyrnia, Greece). Spencelayh paintings can be found for sale online (including some of Juliette’s family) - if you have several thousand $US dollars to spare! Juliette's family went through some amazing times (her 73 year old uncle and his wife died as prisoners in Auschwitz for example). Juliette married in 1953 and her son and daughter Rafiq and Luz do not continue the Nissim name - nor the de Bairacli - which Juliette was not born with nor married into (but selected from her grandfather’s use of the name). Her younger brother (Leon)'s family do continue it incidentally. Nissim's Laurel - I believe was named as a special tribute to her brother - killed in WW2 - on 31 May 1941 (in Greece) at the age of just 24 years and is memorialised to this day as 'Neville' Joseph Levy on the Athens Memorial Gate (part of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission legacy. "Nissim's Laurel" is significant on a greater plane than perhaps many of us have known. Lyall Payne shared a post.September 17 at 1:34 PM ·Thought a few might like to again see these pics relating to Juliette Baracli Levy's family.
2. A TRIBUTE TO JULIETTE by J. Ignacio Vidorreta Sumava's Afghans, Spain "How many memories about Juliette. Such an intelligenct LADY. She could get the name of Lady of Flowers and Plants. I don't think anybody could know more about as she did. She stayed here with us for very long time and a few times. Juliette wanted to repose here with her dogs Flute and my Dolphin (a beautiful gift from her) and loved to take walks everyday with them out of house. She liked to take very long for the walks with them as dogs liked smelling every herb and Juliette was very patient and relaxed. She said such a walk for a dog was the same than a newspaper for a person. Curious! I remember at Cynthia's (Ed: Cynthia Boissevain, Branwen Afghan Hounds) home she was invited for long time very often. It was lovely seeing both women together. Completely different both them but always such a good friends. Cynthia loved Juliette's rose marmalade with almonds and I did too. Delicious! It's impossible forgetting Juliette's smell of lots of varieties of plants and flowers all mixtured. It stayed at her room here for long when she left home. A true parfum. We still use some of her NR products like Birth Aid tablets and Tree Bark Gruel powder. They helped us so much in our breeding. Before with our Afghans and now with our Persian cats and Griffies. So how could be possible to forget her? We are really lucky to have met the most adorable hippie gipsy woman over the world. Small woman but great heart. Juliette sure found out another paradise of flowers and plants over the rainbow and is now with all her Turkuman Afghans. They "children" finally recovered her Goddess forever!" J. Ignacio Vidorreta Sumava's Afghans April 2010 Juliette at Crufts 2002. Photo John Hope (England) k9photography@btinternet.com)
The caption that goes with Jon's great photograph is as follows - "A rare visitor to Crufts this year was Juliette De Bairacli Levy of the famous Turkuman Kennels, seen here watching open dog as Gamer and Polo did battle. She watched a number of afghan classes and looked at a number of other breeds during her time in the UK.". Thank you Jon for sharing this wonderful photograph Trapper of Grandeur, a Ch Triumph of Grandeur son  Roger Rechler and Michael Canalizo with Ch Shahkira of Grandeur, Ch Shahhphire of Grandeur and Ch Shahrp of Grandeur  Photo copyright Ignacio Vidorreta, Sumava Afghan Hounds, Spain  THE SIGNIFIGANCE/IMPACT OF TURKUMAN Afghans carrying the Turkuman prefix are behind the foundations of the following kennels
Several of the above Kennels are themselves dominant and/or influential contributors to our pedgree history. It is thus self apparent that Turkuman is very important to the development of the breed, especially in the UK where WWII seriously curtailed breeding, but the Turkumans were able to breed in that period. The signifigance of Turkuman upon USA bloodlines is also enormous due to the proliferation of Grandeur bloodlines throughout USA pedigrees
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