Johannesburg, South Africa

Rosettenville

THE ROSETTENVILLE SHUL THE SILBERMAN CONNECTION

TO THE SHUL
LA ROCHELLE IN THE 1920-40S

MAY 2008

COMPILED BY DAVID SANDLER
EMAIL sedsand@ca.com.au
ADDRESS: 41 BEBICH DRIVE, WANNEROO WA 6065, AUSTRALIA.

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THE ROSETTENVILLE SHUL photos from Rael Cynkin

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The SILBERMAN FAMILY connection to the ROSETTENVILLE SHUL compiled by David Sandler The SILBERMAN FAMILY

The Silberman Family arrived in SA at the time of the Boer War and the parents (my great grandparents) were Chaim and Miriam. They would have passed away in the 1920s and the yortzeit memorial plaque in the shul includes Chaim’s name.

There were two Silberman sons Israel and Solly and the four Silberman daughters, Gertie, Anne, Esther and Lena married into the Sandler, Saiet, Soskolne and Schlapo(bersky) families.

Gertie, Israel, Miriam, Esther, Annie and Lena (or Solly). Photo taken in Wilkomir Lithuania Notes: This may indicate that Lena was not born in SA. Lena is wearing earrings.

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Note from Rene Appel (Saiet) and Sybil Goldberger (Ostroff)

In the group photo from left to right are Gertie, Israel, Miriam, Esther, Anne and Solly.
Until the age of 3 years (first haircut) boys would be dressed like girls. Alternatively because of the recruitment of the Jewish boys into the Army they kept them looking like girls.
Lena was not born yet and was born in South Africa. All the other children were born in Russia.
Esther was the eldest then Anne then Gertie. (Israel born in 1885 was the oldest sibling)

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This next picture is Miriam and Lena in front dressed like a flower girls for a wedding and the old couple are we believe the Rebbetzin and Rabbi of the Rosettenville shul.

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I understand Chaim Silberman was the Gabba of the shul and sat in the seat of honour.

My grandfather Zalman Sandler and Gertie (Silberman) lived in JHB road and down the road was his older sister Feiga Klevansky. Zalman went to shul regularly as did all the family. (Below Dr Benny Krengel mentions that Zalman Sandler was the first chairman of the shul before WW1.)

Many of theSilberman family were members of The Ladies Auxilary of the Rosettenville Shul

The Ladies Auxilary of the Rosettenville Shul: Standing: Gertie Sandler (Silberman), Anne Saiet (Silberman), Mrs Sklaar,Mildred Saiet (Friedman)(Benny Saiet’s wife), Mrs Sacks, ?, ?
Sitting: Doris Rabinowitz (Saiet) (Anne Saiet’s daughter), Mrs Nossel, Rabbi's wife Mrs Kaplan,
Dr Phil Sacks wife and Feiga Klevansky (Zalman Sandler’s sister).

I understand that Mac Alter Rabinowitz who married Dorris Saiet (daughter of Anne Saiet) ran the shul for many years until he left SA in 1982 and settled with his family in Totonto...

Also we have a current connection family connection with the Rosettenville Shul. I understand that is Rael Cynkin is the current religious leader of the Shul. Gillian his Mom was a Silberman (grand daughter of Solly Silberman one of the six Silberman siblings).

DR BENNY KRENGEL (current President of the Shul) adds

I was born in the South in 1933. My parents were married in what was then the new synagogue. We probably met at some time as youngsters, but I have no recollections of your family, the Silbermans. The Saiet family were all very well known to me, especially Willie and Mac Rabinowitz, Doris's husband. I cannot get over the magnificent pictures that you have sent me. The people looked as if they had just lived yesterday. You must have a marvellous colour mixer to have produced such wonderful colour photos. I worked with Frances Sack, the daughter of Dr Sack, and she checked the ladies auxiliary picture. In the top row, the third person is not Mrs Sklaar, but Mrs Goodgall. Her daughter used to

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live in Mondeor, but sadly, as with most people, we have lost contact. The last person in the upper column where you put a query was Mrs Nottes. With regard to the lower row, the fourth person from the left, is not Phil Sack's wife, but Mrs Sophie Sacks. She lived in the street behind the shul, and I remember once going with my friend Norman Nossel to her home, to fetch his mother, Rosie Nossel. They had spent the night playing cards.

I am intrigued by the picture of the Rabbi that you sent me. I have no idea who he was. He must have been the first Rabbi of the La Rochelle community. As a suggestion, but I have no proof for it, there used to be a family who lived in main road Rosettenville by the name of the Lewis's (Dr Lewis). someone did mention that his wife's father was a Rabbi, but this evidence is very scanty. Unfortunately the daughter, Eileen Lipkin, died young. she was a famous artist in South Africa, and I am not sure is her brother, a dentist is still alive. They were both redheads.

I have no pictorial history of the community in La Rochelle, and pictures of the committee are from 1940, with the arrival of Rev Kaplan. Your history has given me a greater insight of the La Rochelle community, where my knowledge is very scanty. I do remember walking down Johannesburg Road and seeing Jewish shops, cobblers, but you wonderful letter brings to life this important community. Your family is mentioned on a placard in the shul, and gives the dates they died.

You would be rather shocked to walk down Johannesburg road today. The population is indigenous. Many of the houses are intact and cared for. We intend celebrating the 100th year of the community in July this year. We are very much still alive. We have shabbat services and some high holiday services. If any of you or your family are in the vicinity, please feel welcome to visit us.

Ben and Felicia Krengel

Later Dr Benny Krengel writes;

Ben and Felicia Krengel

It is the first time that I realized that Zalman Sandler was the first chairman of our community. He must have been the one before Brymberg, who has a plaque dedicated to him in the shul. Mr Brymberg served in the 1914-1918 war and was a captain. He was a very tall dignified man. His son Elli was responsible for the building committe fund, and they built a lovely hall next to the shull . It has since been sold to a church. The Chevra Kadisha plaque dedicated to the members of the shul who have passed on, just mention the yorzeit dates and unfortunately not the year that they died. I also remember the Ostroff family and Sandy. If you are in contact with him, please send him my regards. What happened to his sister? Mac was an important person during the high festivals, as he developed a large mobile file which displayed the numbers of the Adler machzor that we used at the time. He also had a good sense of humour.

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We will show this letter to Rael. He will be surprised, although his mother has mentioned that she came from a family who had lived in Rosettenville. We will show Rael the women's committee picture. We are holding the centenary celebrations on 22 June and your pictures that you sent us will be on display.

Thank you again for your input which is very exciting. We are very busy at the moment attending to leaks in the shul roof. Keep in contact. Regards, Ben and Felicia

GILLIAN CYNKIN (Rael’s mother) writes;

It is amazing how small the world is and how everybody seems to be connected. I certainly will pass your mail on to Rael and I’m sure he will do the necessary.

He actually stays with Dr Benny Krengel every shabbes. As a matter of interest Neville and I also spent a shabbes in Rosettenville 3 weeks ago where we were made so welcome by Dr Benny and his wife Felecia.

This year is the shul’s 100th anniversary and a celebratory party is being organized.

The Current 2008 Rosettenville Shul Congregation

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LA ROCHELLE in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s compiled by David Sandler

La Rochelle, one of the Southern Suburbs of Johannesburg, is situated about five kilometers south of Johannesburg just south of Wemmerpan Dam which was a tailings dam for the nearby mines. The area was dotted with mine dumps of fine yellow sand and to reach Johannesburg City Centre one traveled along a road that first ran passed the race course, then passed the Wemmerpan park and dam and then was flanked on both sides by mine dumps.

In the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s there were many Jewish people living in the area which was then considered to be a middle class area. In later years most Jews migrated from La Rochelle to the more affluent northern suburbs of Johannesburg and the area became run down.

The local Shul was the Southern Suburbs Hebrew Congregation in Rosettenville, and the children went to Rosettenville Primary School, where Aunty Anne (Silberman) and David Saiet lived, and then on to high school Forrest High at Forrest Hill where the Pessa (Sandler) and Louis Behr lived. All the children attended Chadar after school.

THE SILBERMAN’S information from Rene Appel (born 1921) written by David Sandler 12th October 2007 Phone 00112711 616 4445

While Rene and her family (mother Anne Silberman who married David Saiet) lived in Rosettenville her grandparents (Miriam and Chaim Leib (Liba) Silberman) and Gertie’s family (Gertie Silberman married Zalman Sandler and their six children) lived in La Rochelle.

The Grandparents (Miriam and Chaim Leib (Liba) Silberman) lived in La Rochelle as there they could have a smallholding as Miriam kept a cow. The Grandparents lived a large house with verandah, garden and fruit trees and they also kept chickens. From the cow they always had fresh milk and dairy products (cream and cheese). Miriam cooked well and in the kitchen was a half wall on which copper pots stood and there was always the smell of spices especially ginger.

Miriam was a gracious woman and wore long black skirts and not only was she a great cook but she also knitted. Rene who is 86 remembers that when she was still very young (about 4) that Miriam was killed by an African who hit her on the temple with a stone. (This means Miriam died ~ 1925)

Rene remembers they were all a very close knit family and every Sunday her mother’s sisters Esther, Gertie and Lena would come over to her house (Annie’s). At Passover they would hold the first Seder at home and then the second night was at Lena in Roodepoort.

The grandparents were very ‘frum’ and therefore there are very few pictures of them. Her Grandfather, Liba, was an elder of the Rosettenville shul and sat in the front in the seat of honour. He was a small man and had ginger hair and his grandson Woolf (who lives in Israel) looks very much like him. After Miriam was killed he went to live with Gertie and Rene says he died when she was about 10 years old. (~1930)

All the Siberman sisters Esther, Annie, Gertie and Lena were good cooks. Esther the eldest sister was good looking and a bit taller than the other girls and she lived in Doornfontein after she had married Soskolne (Sos). She used to come visiting every Sunday.

Israel Silberman (Annie’s brother) married Rebecca Pokroy (his first wife) and they had six children and one was Rubin (Rueby). After the first wife died the 6 children were farmed out to the family and the oldest and youngest, Phillip and Sandy lived a while with Rene until Israel remarried.

Gertie was a very nice woman and she was house proud with her home always spotless. Zalman her husband was a cattle prospector and he was away from home during the week going from farm to farm to buy cattle. He would come home on weekends and would bring home fruit and vegetables and even sheep from the farms he had visited. Zalman also kept a few cows and had a dairy and gave them milk cream and cheese. Dubi (Gertie and Zalman’s son) was very friendly with Doris, Rene’s older sister. After school they all always went to Hebrew School. Uncle Solly Silberman married Lill an English girl and they came to their house once or twice a week. They lived in Kensington and she was very house proud and knitted and sewed beautifully. They had 5 children; Max, Irene, Morris, Phillis (who lived in Vereeniging) and Isadore.

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Lena Silberman married Jack Shlaperbersky who was the one time mayor of Roodepoort. They had one daughter Miriam who married into the Myerson family and had two sons Jack and Julian.
She would now be in her late 70s and lives in a hotel.

Rene says she had about 200 people at her wedding and she married Max Appel (who was a friend of Ludi Heinemann, Sarah’s husband) and that she has been a widow since the 1960s. Her son Fred Appel lives in Zimbabwe and he may have some of Rene’s wedding photos.

Gertie and Lena (photo taken~1920) Israel and Solly Silberman (~1920)

THE SILBERMAN’S by Sybil (Ostroff) Goldberger (Born 1955)

Our great grandparents Miriam and Chaim Leib (Liba) Silberman who lived in Riga arrived in South Africa at the time of the Boer war in 1898 with a five children, Esther, Anne, Gertie, Israel and Solly. Later Lena was born in South Africa. From years back they worked with furniture so in South Africa they did the same. The Silberman sons carried on the business line into the third generation. I don't know about today, but until 1987 Irwin Silberman still had a furniture factory.

Our great grandparents Miriam and Liba Silberman came from Riga. They were buried in the Brixton cemetery which later closed because it was full. (I tried to get more information about it, but have been unsuccessful)

Miriam died a violent death. Lena's husband Jack was a mechanic who had opened a business in Roodepoort, later known as Station Garage which the son-in-law Dave ran and still runs today with his son Julian. Liba went to work with Jack. They had staff who lived on the premises in La Rochelle. Miriam went to Lena to help her pack to move. Later on she went home and saw soap all over the kitchen floor. She asked the worker what had happened. He was drunk and took a stone and threw it at her, hitting her on the temple. She immediately collapsed and died. He then took the body to his room and hid it under the carpet. Later the police found it and arrested him.

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THE SANDLER’S Rae (Rachel) Levert (Sandler) living in Israel (born 1922) remembers David Sandler May 2007

The local Shul was the Southern Suburbs Hebrew Congregation in Rosettenville, and the children went to Rosettenville Primary School, where Aunty Anne (Silberman) and David Saiet lived, and then on to high school Forrest High at Forrest Hill where the Pessa (Sandler) and Louis Behr lived. All the children attended Chedar after school.

Gertie Silberman 19 and Zalman Sandler 39 married in 1916.

The Sandler Family house stood at 233 Johannesburg Road on the corner of 2nd Street in La Rochelle Johannesburg. Johannesburg Road ran north directly into a large park on the south side of Wemmer Pan Dam while if you went west on 2nd Street for only a block you came to the main road going into Johannesburg and across the road was a long ditch and a corrugated zinc fence around the race track .

Itzke, Dubi, Mike, Rae and Sarah

Rae Sarah and Rosie in front

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All the six Sandler children, Isaac (Issie), Mike (Meyer Lippa), Dubi (Robert), Rae (Rachel), Sarah and Rosie of Zalman Sandler and Gertie (Siberman) grew up in the house. The house had three bedrooms, an inside toilet (originally outside) and had a very large pantry which was the norm for those day. The pantry ran along the side of the house and was only build on some time after the house was completed. There was a piano in the large lounge and a sunny bay window with a huge fern growing in a brass pot which stood on a wooden stand.

One block down on Johannesburg Road lived Aunty Feiga (Sandler) Zalman’s older sister 1877-1965, who had married Meyer Klevansky in Lithuania in 2006 and they had an only daughter Sylvia 1910-2003. Meyer Klevansky had a butcher’s shop in Pan Road which was two roads down from Johannesburg Road and ran parallel to it.

Rachel, the oldest of the three Sandler girls, remembers visiting her Grandmother (Miriam Silberman) who lived in the area around the corner of 2nd Street and Pan Road. She remembers going there as a little girl and seeing a few old houses and a cow wandering around and a large hedge. Also there was a back yard but no servants. Rachel remembers that her Grandmother, Miriam Silberman, was hit on the head with a stone by an intruder and died.

Zalman her father, was partners with Katzeff in a dairy and they had a few dairy cows in the back yard and also stables. Later the stables were pulled down and the adjoining house was built. This house was rented out to the Weinbergs with their children Sonia Doreen and David. Sonia was very good friends with Rachel and Sarah and married Dubi the Sandler’s third son.

Zalman was an excellent buyer who worked for Rand Cold Storage and had a stable at 1st Street and a cart and horses to go to the abbatoirs each day. Later he went out on his own and owned a butchery with Bloombergs. Zalman’s great friend was ???? and they used to go together to the Palle De Dans. He was a wealthy man and used to lend Zalman money.

Zalman was friendly and kind and always even tempered and a role model. Sometimes he threw a handful of pennies and ha’pennies for the children to run and pick up. Rae loved confyt, preserved water melon peel and once she ‘borrowed’ a half-crown from her parents and Dubi told their parents. While the family was not short of money they did not have luxuries. It was not easy to get new shoes or a new coat and they always owed the butchers and the grocers.

Gertie used to stay up late talking to Aunty Anne and Rae would sit up with them to listen and sometimes would be late for school. Zalman used to make tea for Gertie who was a late riser.

The children would sit on the stairs close to the pavement where all their friends used to come and congregate. They had an old fashioned velvet mat on which they sat on the lawn but this was stolen when left out overnight. When they were in their mid teens they put on records and danced in the house.

Rae remembered the following people who lived in the area;

Nates Groceries supplied all the Jewish families with groceries on tick (credit.), the Millers were grocers in Pan Road and the School was at the bottom of 2nd Street, Blochs were the grocers on 7th Street, and Grovers were the grocers on 4th Street. The Lemmers lived across the road and had a Tailor Shop and next door was a shoemaker The children played tennis at Louis and Sam Rambach in 4th Street.

Spilkin own the Chemist and Michaelsohn worked for Spilkins the Chemist
Wies owned the Hotel and the Sack’s family owned a Wholesale Butchery in Regent Street.

Some family addresses:

Silberman Mrs L 4 Reservoir Street Rosettenville 1924 1925
David and Anne (Silberman) Saiet 15, Seventh Street, La Rochelle and 175 Albert Street La Rochelle Zalman and Gertie (Silberman) Sandler 233 Johannesburg Rd La Rochelle
Jack and Lena (Silberman) Schlapo, Roodepoort
Louis and Pauline (Sandler) Behr Evan Street Forest Hill and 100 High Street Turfontein
Israel and Esther (Silberman) Soskalne 94 Staib Street Doornfontein and 31 Seventeenth Street Orange Grove (and Rand Cold Storage )
Mike and Lily (Slabe) Soskalne 31 Upper Meyer Street Doornfontein, 8 Eighth Street Lower Houghton and
14 Doorn Street Observatory(c/o Abattoirs Newtown) 1945

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THE SANDLER’S Sarah Heinemann (Sandler) (Born 1924) remembers written by David Sandler Sept/ Oct 2007

Sarah remembers visiting her grandfather (Chaim Leib (Liba) Silberman), a little man with ginger hair and ginger beard and he lived across the road from the primary school in Rosettenville. He used to like certain sweets and each week would catch a tram to town to buy the sweets. On one occasion he brought home the wrong sweets. He was always very nice and they always left with something nice to eat.

Sarah remembers her Aunt Lena and Uncle Jack and their daughter Miriam with auburn hair and also remembers Aunty Feiga did not get on with Bobba. Aunty Feiga was always gentle and kind and Sarah learnt her Yiddish from her as she never spoke English. Bobba was very reserved and quiet and that it was difficult to get near her and she was very closed. Bobba was very tidy. In later years she realised that they were never a close family.

Sarah remembers walking with her father Zalman every Sunday morning to visit his sister who lived not too far away in Forrest Hill. They used to have horrible tea with boiled milk. Zalman was very casual and quite and liked to sit and read the American Jewish Newspapers (written in Yiddish). He was bald and had a boep and liked to eat soup bones and herring. Zalman used to go with a Mr Rosenthal to buy cattle and many times brought home liver to eat.

Zalman used to go regularly to the Shul which was about 10 minutes walk away and Sarah only used to go to shul on the Yomtovim and they would sit outside to meet the boys. Sarah also remembers when they were younger having a very big Pessach Seder.

The Ladies Auxilary of the Rosettenville Shul: Standing: Gertie Sandler (Silberman), Anne Saiet (Silberman), Mrs Sklaar,Mildred Saiet (Friedman)(Benny’s wife), Mrs Sacks, ?, ?
Sitting: Doris Rabinowitz (Saiet) (Anne Saiet’s daughter), Mrs Nossel, Rabbi's wife Mrs Kaplan, Dr Phil Sacks wife and Feiga Klevansky (Zalman Sandler’s sister).

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OUR AUNTY FEIGA Feiga Klevansky (Zalman Sandler’s sister).

Remembered by Rae (Sandler) Levert

Feiga married a butcher Meyer Klevansky and lived a block down the road from my Grandparents on Johannesburg Road in La Rochelle. Meyer Klevansky had a butcher’s shop in Pan Road which was two roads down from Johannesburg Road and ran parallel to it.

Rae Sandler (Levert) as a young girl remembers going to Meyer’s butchery and seeing the animal carcases in the dingy miserable shop. Meyer was very impatient and would give the children each a slice of polony then shoo them away. Rae remembers getting worms and she thinks it came from the polony.

I understand from Sonia that Feiga was not very welcome by her sister-in-law, Gertie, in the Sandler house and Rae’s recollections below explain why.

Rae remember that Feiga was very beautiful and was always very nice and sweet to her and that Feiga always stuck up for her. Feiga had the reputation of always sticking her nose into other peoples business, but this Rae said she may have picked up from her Mom Gertie.

Feiga’s husband Meyer died many years before her and Zalman her brother used to help her and support her. Often Feiga would come visit and would be given eggs and milk and other groceries and money by Zalman and Gertie was put out as times were tough and Gertie had to look after her own six children.

Rae remember Aunty Feiga used to walk all the way to Forrest Field to visit her sister Pessah (who married Behr). (They had four or five boys; Ruby (Jhb), Max (Canada), Les (Dry cleaner in Jhb.) and Morrie (Living in Bloemfontein and married to Ettie)) Also Aunty Feiga used to walk all the way to Jules Street Malvern to visit.

Feiga in her younger days

Old Aunty Feiga

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Remembered by David Sandler

I remember my old Aunty Feiga and her only daughter Sylvia very well. She spoke only Yiddish and her daughter Sylvia translated. I never met her husband who must have died some time before her.

I remember as a very young child visiting my Aunty Feiga who lived down the road from my grandparents. I always wanted to have a taste of the figs she had growing in her back yard and for many years I thought she was called Feiga as that was the Yiddish word for figs.

Feiga was always very pleased to see Jenny, Brian and I and we would always visit her when visiting our grandparents. She would always give us something nice to eat and when the figs were in season they would always pick a few ripe ones for us.

On one occasion I fell and skinned my knee. Feiga took me to the outside toilet and I was made to wee into a small saucer and then she proceeded to clean the skinned knee with my own urine

Residents of La Rochelle 1925

Article submitted by David Solly Sandler sedsand@ca.com.au 41 Bebich Drive, Wanneroo, Australia WA 6065

Copied from the SA Jewish Orphanage 1925 Bulletin

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