When you call in a little barefoot street Arab and ask him to poke the fire, he looks at you as if you must be an imbecile not to be able to do it yourself.

And then you can't always get hold of one." The Sabbath fire was one of the great difficulties of the Ghetto.

The Rabbis had modified the Biblical prohibition against having any fire whatever, and allowed it to be kindled by non-Jews.

Poor women, frequently Irish, and known as _Shabbos-goyahs_ or _fire-goyahs_, 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.