Reuben was 7 years old when he arrived in the UK from Russian Ukraine. He left school around age 9, and first began working in carpentry before becoming a tailor.

From Reuben's son, Malcolm: "He said his employer told him he could not teach him as he was a natural though fractions defeated him.
For the rest of his life he was a ladies tailor but we were very poor.
Everything went into our schooling and getting my sister married and all his sons went to university. In all this one must not forget my Mother. She juggled the dire finances and with Father made our clothes except shoes. She had a shorthand typist job in the Royal Liver
Building, Liverpool but was forced to leave because she got married.
She was earning more than Father and always regretted the ruling."