Kimberley, South Africa

News #11

Kimberley Ex-Pats Newsletter # 11 September 2017

Dear Ex-Pats and those with an interest in the Kimberley Jewish community.

September 2017

We are entering the 6th year of Newsletters and it’s 3 years since we started creating the Kimberley Jewish Community website. Thanks to your contributions, we have documented 40 families (some sadly with eulogies by Barney or their families) but others with interesting stories of their time in Kimberley. Stella Clingman (Kroll) has written about GHS under ‘Slimy’ Southern, Leon Chonin about his grandparents, Hannah and Lipi Weinstein. We have documented some of the pioneers who not only made Kimberley world-famous, but created a sustainable mining industry and transformed the country. 

Youth activity in the 50s and 60s

And Leon Chonin, financial analyst in Toronto, writes about his time running Habonim from 1961 to 1963.  As there was no formal training in Kimberley for Madrichim, Leon was inspired by the charismatic Rabbi, Ben Isaacson who was ordained in Bloemfontein in 1962. Isaacson, a maverick Rabbi, gave Leon a firm grounding in Jewish culture and Zionism. (Isaacson later became spiritual leader in Bulawayo.)

This picture, that Leon sent, is of a Habonim meeting in Kimberley taken around 1958. He says, ‘Some of the young boys who regularly attended are in the picture: Jock Awerbuck, Stanley Eberlin, and could be Leonard Hammar; the girls in front were the Garsh sisters Gill and Brenda? The name of the madrich escapes me.’  If you can identify yourself, or anyone else, please let me and Leon know. 

This is right around my teenage years and it was great to have been involved with these activities which gave us a real sense of Jewish identity and forged great friendships amongst the ‘crowd. We really had a viable ‘crowd’ in those days when there were about 190 Jewish families in Kimberley.  Between those dates, in 1955 and 1956 Habonim began in Kimberley and I myself was involved. In 1955, I was the Shtilim Madricha for the girls. My team leaders were Delia Brown and Jose Shapiro. (Norma Levinsohn took the boys troop).  We both went to Machaneh in Leaches Bay at the end of 1955 with some of the children. I would be so pleased to hear if any of you have memories of those times. I can’t remember much about it myself – but actually, I have come across the teenage diaries that I wrote at the time, and will scrutinise these to fill in the details of this period for next time, maybe with juicy tit-bits – of who fancied whom, etc.

If you participated an any of this – then please write me your memories and send any photos you can dig up so we can fill in a more complete picture. We have posted Leslie and Leon’s articles on the website under ‘community’ – then ‘youth activities’ click here: http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Youth.html

Both Leon’s and Leslie’s family history is recorded on our families’ pages and Leslie writes some interesting bio details of his post-school, Zionist, Marxist and Anti-Apartheid activities and of the books he has written.

Lyndale Flats

Aah! Lyndale flats. It’s not just the diggers memorial that is captivating in the picture above, but the building behind that, which eventually housed a number of Jewish families, including my own. When my parents decided to downsize, they spent many happy years on the 4th floor of Lyndale Flats, with Hannah and Jack Frank above and several other Jewish families spread around. It was bright and airy with a lovely view of – the fire station.

The Civic centre was certainly spacious and well laid out – but I can’t help thinking about the Malay Camp that occupied that space before and was flattened – and Mookerys that sweet shop where KHS boys used to buy clandestine fags and we used to buy those black round sweets that when you sucked them, they revealed different rainbow colours. (I can’t bring myself to mention the name by which we knew them in those days!)

Guest Houses

It seems that some of the big houses that our parents or grandparent lived in, or near, have now become ‘Guest Houses’.

7 Lodge Road, where my Aunty Hilda and Uncle Nate Hendler lived, became a luxury guest house for a while. Not sure if it still is. (It was originally built as Ernest Oppenheimer’s family home where Harry was born). Wilfred Orr’s house, 44 Carrington Road, next door across Dalham Road to our house, turned its servant’s quarters in the back yard into a B&B. We stayed there once – not very pleasant. Now it looks like that house itself has become a guest house called ‘Villa Palma’!  It certainly did have some magnificent palm trees in the intriguing forest-like, shady garden, which also had peacocks prowling in it. We never saw them – but heard them alright screeching at night.

Kimberley now has guest houses called ‘Cecil John Rhodes’ and ‘Barney Barnato’ and even ‘Jameson’; but I’m not sure what relationship they have with the named ones. This Guest House (pictured below) at no 6 Carrington Road, with the green corrugated iron roof, looks to me like Abe and Lily Pollen’s house? Is that so? It’s now called Kimberley Country House and is highly rated on TripAdvisor – 17th out of 70 Kimberley B&Bs!

There is an extensive gallery of pictures for Kimberley Country House. The pictures show the really tasteful and beautiful furniture and appointments in each room.  Well done somebody! http://www.roomsforafrica.com/establishment.do?id=19021 Was this the Pollen’s house or whose do you think?  Perhaps someone in Kimberley can tell us more.

Marrick Safari Lodge

‘The host Trevor and his staff are all really friendly and make your stay a real pleasure. They can fix pretty much everything from visit to adjacent Mokala NP to city tour to night-drives or day-drives on their own land. If you’re not into action and want to take it easy, the lodge is perfect for some relaxing time as well. Why not spend a day with their family group of Meerkats who live close by? An extra plus for excellent food also! Even if it´s possible to do self-catering here I can recommend their kitchen. A gem in Kimberley.’

Well done Trevor and family and good luck.

Memorial tablet in the foyer of the shul

I have found the answer to my question about this memorial. I actually found it already on our website in Cyril Haberfeld’s very interesting history of the first 100 years of our community (1873 – 1973). He says that the memorial tablet in the foyer of the shul lists 114 members of the Jewish faith who fell in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902. It was presented to the shul by Mr S Mendelsohn, ‘in loving and filial memory of his father Rev. M Mendelsohn and also his daughter Ruby, who was drowned in the Drummond Castle, which sank in 1896. You can read Cyril Haberfeld’s fascinating 100-year history of the community on the community page here: http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Community.html . (I still wonder if that includes Jewish people fighting on both the British and the Boer side?  Who can tell me I wonder? Sir David Harris, a prominent Jewish citizen of the city, commanded the Kimberley Town Guard during the siege of 1899-1900 and Alfred Beit funded the kit and horses for the Imperial Light Horse as well as the Imperial Yeomanry. (I have just read in the latest Jewish Renaissance quarterly www.jewishrenaissance.org.uk that at Willesden cemetery in London, there is a memorial to 300 British Jewish men who fell in the Boer War.)

News from the Community in Kimberley

As I was putting this Newsletter together we received the very sad news of the death of one of Kimberley’s remaining ‘Awesome Foursome’ – Arnold Rauff. This is a huge blow to the community, as Arnold had shouldered so much of the work with Barney Horwitz and David Allen and Trevor Datnow in keeping the buildings and services and the remaining elderly community members going. I circulated a special Newsletter no 10, for Arnold and you can see what Arni wrote to me about the ‘4-some’ in my first Newsletter – now on the website here: http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/News_1.html   We all, I am sure, send condolences to the community and to members of his family. 

On a happier note Barney wrote ‘Confirmed with Nachi Ash tonight the team is coming to Kimberley for Rosh Hashanah (21through 23 September including Shabbos) and for Yom Kippur (30th September). So, if you need a spot for the High Holy days, I've got front row seats for you all and no one will go home without having had an Aliyah. That's a promise!’

In May this year, there was a very happy occasion – and great excitement about celebrating a Barmitzvah!  What, I hear you say – where are the children? Well it was actually a second Barmitzvah for David Allen. Barney Horwitz, Chair of the community writes:

Barney gave his ‘Thanks to David and Shirley, Arnold Rauff, Barry Katz, Trevor Datnow (the minyan saver), Gary Allen , Reb Matzner and Rebbetzin Anita, my wife Maud, our helpers Freddy, Joice and Rebecca (the greatest decorator of herring in Central South Africa lovingly trained by my late Aunt Monica), Izzy Salkinder for breaking away from a reunion to cement our minyan and each and every one of you ladies and gents who made it possible to re-ignite the flame of yiddishkeit in this part of the world, even if it was only for a weekend. Mazaltov to David on reading the Maftir like a scholar. Quote of the day - " On my last Barmitzvah I left the bima and kissed my mother. Oh well she's not here so I had better kiss my wife." What a statement of affection and they have been married for 59 years. Wonderful!’

You can see their lovely 1958 wedding picture in the wedding gallery on the website http://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Weddings.html . They haven’t changed a bit – still smiling!  If you have a wedding picture you wold like to share - or any other pictures, comments, stories or information connected with your family or others in Kimberley send it to geraldine.auerbach@gmail.com. Don’t forget to fill in your family details on the ‘contact’ page and submit them. Many thanks to those that have already done so.  And do drop me an email just to say you have read the Newsletter. 

Search and research

People have contacted us about their family tree and wanted to know about or tell us about their family members who spent time in Kimberley. If you want to comment or can help to point them in the right direction – please contact them (and copy me please)

Louis Kaplan and his wife Gertie of Kimberley.

Carin Danon writes to us:

I live in Melbourne and am busy compiling my family tree. My great grandfather’s brother Louis Kaplan and his wife Gertie lived in Kimberley. I am attaching a picture of their wedding photo. Louis is buried in Green Street Cemetery. He passed away in 1951. I know Louis was born in Tavrig (Taurage) Lithuania.It says on his grave that he had a son and daughter. I think the son was called Mervyn. I would love to be in touch with their grandchildren or great grandchildren to see if I could complete the piece of the puzzle. I was wondering, is there any way to advertise or mention this in your newsletter i.e. seeking relatives of Louis and Gertie Kaplan.  I would also love to subscribe to your Kimberley newsletter?

Thanks so much. Most appreciated!,

Regards Carin Danon c@dorond.com 0423 255 642

Theo Klewansky, who was born in Kimberley, and is a cousin of Trevor Toube, has written some interesting history of his family – part of the Blumenthal descendants. His mother was Lily Blumenthal (Klewansky) sister of Violet (Toube) both daughters of Max Blumenthal and Bertha Sacks (see the Toube family tree for more on them and their honeymoon at Alexandersfontein.) He says: ‘My father, Mr. Jack (Yechiel) Klewansky, took S’micha in May 1962, when he went to Bat Yam in Israel, and met with Rabbi Pesach Kokkis. He returned after 6 weeks, with the title Rabbi. I understand it was formality, since my father had an enormous depth of learning, accumulated from his early studies in Yeshiva in his Shtet’l in Radvilishik, Lithuania. He was a very modest man and I remember him telling me, with a shy smile that, at the age of 9 or 10, he set himself the task of committing all 150 Psalms (Tehillim) to memory in a month, which he did! (More of his family history will soon be on the website on the family pages under ‘Klewansky’.   

Jane Beth Cantor wrote on the Kimberley community Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/groups/284879511607854/ Kimberley is very close to my heart. My grandfather was Aaron Senderovitz and he settled in Taung. He married my gran, his second wife and Kimberley is where my mom and siblings were born and raised. My mom went to Kimberley convent. My grandfather died in 1928 and is buried in Kimberley along with other members of my family. Aaron was a very learned man and ran all the Shul services. I knew Arnie Rauff as he was somehow connected to my family through Odes and Mofsowitz families. If anyone knew my family I would be happy to hear from you (via the Facebook site)

Making a donation to the shul this New Year

I know that many of you have already made a donation in honour of Arnold Rauff. However, if you are still thinking of sending a donation to the Kimberley Community this year – maybe in honour of your family, this will be most welcome. You should please pay directly into the Shul Bank Account, the details of which are below: Please confirm to Barney Horwitz ahorwitz@lantic.net and tell him which names you would like him to mention in shul.

The bank details of the Congregation are as follows:

Bank:                    Standard Bank

Branch:                   Kimberley

Branch Code:             050002 

Swift Code:               SBZAZAJJ            

Account Name:          Griqualand West Hebrew Congregation

Account Number:      04-005-444-6

I look forward to hearing from you and about your family story.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year.

Geraldine

Geraldine Auerbach MBE

Geraldine.auerbach@gmail.com

Tel 020 8907 1905  mobile: 07971 818 262