Alan R. Ludmer, U.S.A.

part 4.1: Story begins

The Fuchs Story Begins

Rachel Fuchs (1854-1927)

Our story begins with my great grandparents, Rachel (Musikant) (1854-1927) and Samuel Efriom (? - 1886) Fuksas.  Samuel was a poor dairy farmer in Shadeve.  Research indicates that Samuel may have moved to Shadeve from another local shtetl,  It was common for men to move to their new wives homes or towns.  Samuel and Rachel had 6 children, 5 sons, Saul, David, Label, Lazar, and Israel and 1 daughter, Sarah.  Samuel died in 1886 shortly after the birth of the last child, my grandmother Sarah.  The family barely survived by farming and selling dairy and produce in the local market. Some of the children worked for local town merchants. The boys received a traditional Jewish education conducted by traveling teachers who came to the Fuksas home.

In the 1890s and early 1900s global changes created an opportunity for the Jews of Eastern Europe. The Russian Empire was experiencing major political and social upheavals which would culminate in a failed revolution and a disastrous war with Japan.  Poverty, endemic anti-Semitism, and fear of lengthy conscription in the Russian Army caused the two older brothers, Saul and David, to immigrate to South Africa which was experiencing enormous economic growth due to a gold rush (1886).  At this time, the British Empire was in the process of colonizing South Africa.  They encouraged a modest Jewish emigration to develop a merchant class and to obtain government administrators and clerks.  The British saw the Lithuanian Jews as controllable, loyal, and valuable in assisting them to rule South Africa.