(Talking of Pakroy and early aliya to Eretz Yisrael, the first group of followers of the Vilna Gaon who went on aliya, in 1810, was led by Rabbi Mendel Shklover and by Rabbi Haim ben Tuvia Katz, a rabbi who had served in Pakroy and was often referred to as "the Pakroyer", though he was not a Pakroyer himself. This group settled in Safed, and Reb Haim (he died in 1813) and his group are buried in an area set aside for them at the Shafar'am Cemetery. According to the Safed Kolel records they were the first ten followers of the Vilna Gaon to come on aliya).
Israel (Srol) Atlas‘s Lithuanian passport photograph
From the Lithuanian passport of Israel Srol Atlas (Passport N. 11393) issued in Kovno we see that at the British Consulate in Kovno he obtained an entry visa to South Africa (No. B6715) and a transit visa to Latvia. The itinerary was Shavel to Mazeik, a town on the border of Lithuania and Latvia, which they reached on 17th December, they proceeded to the seaport Liepajas (Libau) in Latvia where they embarked on 19th December, and arrived in London via the Kiel Canal on 23rd December.
They landed in Cape Town on 11th January 1926 on the Arundel Castle. Golda Morgenstern travelled on a Lithuanian passport, No. 11317 issued on 19.11.1925. Two-year-old Minde was included in this passport. Moshe Baruch Morgenstern was stateless and travelled on a Safe Conduct (Sauf-conduit) document No. 572 issued in Kovno on 9.9.1925. (It is interesting that the Lithuanian passports did not specify whether the bearer was a Jew or not. For instance, Israel Atlas’ nationality is registered as “Lithuanian” compared with the Czarist passports where the religion was recorded; in the Soviet passports there was no religion of course but nationality was registered – Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish, etc).
Moshe Baruch Morgenstern became a naturalized South African citizen, as Moses Morgenstern, in May 1931, Certificate of Naturalisation No. 12391. Presumably this included Golda Morgenstern and Minde. On his Arrival Form in Cape Town Moshe Baruch Morgenstern stated that for support he had LStg.79.- and an affidavit. (a written sworn statement of fact)
Until 1941 Mum and Pup sent special kosher parcels for Pesach (probably via Yachna Grodzinsky in Vilna) and then later after WW2 parcels of clothing for their own use, and cloth for sale the proceeds of which could help them buy food in those very difficult times. Even sending parcels of clothing was not a simple matter: there was an instance when the family in Leningrad did not have enough money to pay the customs and the parcel was returned; the USSR Consul in Cape Town would not allow us to pay the customs in advance and even scolded Pup for sending help to Russia as he said they lacked for nothing there – this in 1947! The isolation from our family in the USSR came to an end in 1989 with the fall of the Soviet Union, and it is a pity that it came so late and Mum and Pup did not have the pleasure of meeting Lonya and Ina, the children of Pup's brother Aaron.
Alte and Moshe Baruch Morgenstern had six daughters:
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Minde, born 16.5.1923
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Sarah, born 14.4.1928, died in Israel 11.8.1994.
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Miriam, born 13.5.1930
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Leah, born 4.7.31
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Rachel, born 13.2.1933
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Chana, born 27.10.34.
Minde was born in Pakroy, the other daughters in Cape Town.