Kimberley, South Africa
Kimberley ExPats Newsletter no 18
Women’s organisations and Wholesalers
Dear Friends
For the last few weeks on end we have been experiencing in London, what I can only describe as Kimberley weather! Hot dry days, clear blue skies and the temperature well into the 30 degrees C. Today is cooler – and already I miss the sunshine!
Women’s Organisations
I have received many wonderful pictures and newspaper clippings from Delia Benn (nee Brown) regarding the activities of our mothers, Hellen Brown and Beryl Kretzmar and others, as Chairs and active on the committees of the Union of Jewish Women in Kimberley. There are also, pictures of Delia Benn herself (see below) and June Haberfeld of the younger generation when they took over the lead roles. Myra Goldenbaum, now the Chair of the whole South African kaboodle, not just Kimberley or Cape Town branches has promised pictures too. These clippings show the amazing scope of their activities devoted to welfare, education and culture for all in Kimberley from their soup kitchens to Israel celebrations and music festivals.
It seems that the next subject that should go up on the website is the women’s organisations and the wonderful women who made things happen and did so much good in Kimberley through the Union of Jewish Women and the Zionist League.
I am organising the pictures I’ve got into date order, and also typing up the history of Kimberley UJW, started in 1939, that my mother compiled that seems to go up to 1963! I wonder who can fill in the rest of the history? Any anecdotes or memories of events will be welcome. Tell us something about your own experience with UJW.
Here is one picture that Delia came across. I can’t quite remember who all the women are and wonder why they were photographed so formally. If you can identify them, please let me know who they are, when the picture might have been taken and what you think they might have been doing.
Making Your Family Page
Delia asks how one goes about making a family page for the Website. It’s very easy. You start by answering the questions at the end of this Newsletter (or on the website under ‘contact’). That places your family in context and time. Your family space will then be created on the website and will be searchable under ‘Families’. (Delia’s is already there under ‘Benn’.) After that, you can write anything you like about yourself and your family. You can send pictures of your family throughout the generations. You can have as much or as little space as you like, to add whatever you want. You can add the address of your Facebook page. But the key thing is to start it right away and send it to me in small batches. You don’t have to wait until you have the ‘whole book’, as it were. Please send the questionnaire first so we can create your page and after that a few paragraphs and photographs or a chapter at a time. Also, don’t forget to send your wedding pictures for the wedding gallery.
Letters
Milton Jawno who with wife Beulah and two daughters went to Israel in 1979, wrote after Newsletter no 17:
Hello Geraldine
Once again you have excelled yourself in this outstanding newsletter no. 17.
I would like to strongly suggest that all our ex-Kimberlites who are interested to research the origins of our pioneering families should read the book Shtetl: The history of a small town and an extinguished world, by Eva Hoffman. This masterful work deals with the history of the Jews of Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia over the past thousand years and provides a direct link and understanding of the Jews of Kimberley, their origins and history prior to coming to South Africa.
To which Leon Chonin replied: Hi Geraldine,
After reading the book Shtetl by Eva Hoffman, recommended by Milton I was so impressed and inspired by this literary work that I decided to write a tribute to my father whose family history in Utyan, Lithuania closely resembled some of the content described in this book. I have titled "From a Shtetl in Lithuania to the Diamond City in South Africa".
(We have posted this on the Website and you will be able to find it with Leon’s other stories by searching the website for the ‘Families’ pages https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Families.html then look for ‘Chonin, Leon’)
Wholesalers in Kimberley
I am also looking for images and texts to post an article on the website about the people who ran the wholesale businesses in Kimberley. I found the great article about Harry Brown and Raphael Awerbuck that I sent you in Newsletter no 17 (which is already on the website here: https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/News.html.) Now Delia has sent this picture of the front of the business. I’m sure there is more information about the founders and families who created and ran the other wholesale businesses. I am interested also in their wives, brothers and sisters and children. (See A David and Co). I’m looking forward to receiving any snippets of information you may have. For instance, who was S Apter? What about his beautiful daughters. Here is what I have so far.
S APTER and Co (Pty) Ltd
General wholesalers groceries etc.
Apter senior, and his sons Mendel and Alec, employing Leslie Aarons as their traveller.
AWERBUCK AND BROWN & Co (Pty) Ltd General wholesalers, including groceries etc (established 1932 after a partnership in fisheries from 1907) (I will include the article about the founders as sent in Newsletter no 17)
BENJAMIN BROS
Owners Solomon Benjamin, Japie Benjamin, who were later joined by Solomon’s sons Basil and Philip. Wholesalers in soft goods.
E BENJAMIN & CO
Egiel Benjamin and Freda Benjamin (I imagine Egiel broke away from his brothers, when he married Freda, who was well versed in accounting and business admin.)
They were joined by their son Bernard. Wholesalers in softs.
A DAVID & CO
General wholesalers.
Abraham Moses David is presumably the one who started the business and is named in ‘A David and Co’. According to his tombstone in the Pioneers’ cemetery, he died in Kimberley in July 1929 aged just 58. He had married Esther Dixon (formerly Duksh). In the 30s and 40s his sons Louis and Bennie David, and sons in law Angie (Louis) Jacobson and Monty Dave were active in the business and they employed several travellers, amongst them, Dave Price and grandson Solly Jacobson (Angie’s son). Bennie David was also a traveller.
Louis David was born about 1900. Louis had three siblings – all involved on one way or another in the business. His brother Bennie was born about two years later in 1902. Bennie married Sadie Lincow of Kimberley (sister of Hilda Lincow who married Charlie Hotz). Bennie and Sadie had 3 children Gerald b c1940 Eric b c1942 Roger b c1946 lived in Kimberley.
They also employed their brothers in law: Monty Dave of Kimberley who married their sister Rebecca (Becky) – they had two children Alan Dave b c1936 and Barbara Dave b c1939 lived in Kimberley. Barbara died in 2017 – see her entry under ‘Grigson’). Their other sister Dora David married Louis (Known as Angie Jacobson. Their children were Harry Jacobson who married Naomi Wolman and their son Israel (Solly) Jacobson b1922 who married Julie Lurie of Kimberley (see more on Jacobson, Solly and Julie on the family pages)
Louis married Connie Bennett (full name, Annette Marion Bennett) sister of crime-writer, Bennie Bennett. Louis and Connie had two sons: Bobby David (Evan Robert) b c1928 who married the beautiful Lorraine Hendler, (daughter of Alec and Chrissie Hendler of Jhb) in about 1955. (They lived in Kimberley where Lorraine was well known for her roles acting in plays at the Kimberley Theatre. They had 4 boys Anthony b c1956 Ricky b c1958 Neil b c1960 Christopher b c1964. Bobby worked for his father in A David and Co
The second son Aubrey Marcus David, b c1933. Became an architect, married ballet dancer Muriel Jones. They went to live on the Costa Del Sol. Aubrey David was one of the pioneers building the first exquisite tourist homes in Malaga.
Louis and Connie lived out their days in Kimberley and were buried in the Kimberley Cemetery.
L ISAACSON & CO
Wholesalers in soft goods.
Louis Isaacson who started the business, died in 1931 aged 66 years. It was situated in Siege Building, Bean Street, corner De Beers Road and Roderick and Brook motors Abe Pollen bought L. Isaacson from the founder. Later he was in partnership with the Haberfeld brothers Gus and Cyril. Pollen and wife Lily lived at 8 Carrington Road. Active in the shul benevolent society. Keen bowler. Their traveller was Bill Lurie (the son in law of Harry Brown Senior) who often travelled as far as Bechuanaland.
KLEIN BROS
Wholesalers in gifts, crockery and cutlery etc.
Harry, Mike and Philip, began the Diamond Fields Bazaar business in the iconic building with clock tower, that stood on the corner of ‘Pan Road and Jones Street (and is now at the Big Hole Museum). Harry Klein went off on active service during the war years while Philip minded shop. In later years they formed Klein Brothers wholesale merchants and their sister Ray Dubowitz owned the Diamond Fields Bazaar.
SUSSMAN BROS Premier Meat Supply
Brothers Philip, Guttel, Kollen and George
Wholesalers in the meat industry and manufacturer of meat products. They had a kosher counter in operation for many decades.
Kollen’s son Cecil who joined the firm in 1946 wrote in January 2018: I Thought you might find the origin of the Sussman Bros interesting. The company was formed in early 1900, by Philip, who emigrated from Taverig, Lithuania. Having come from a background of dairy farming, it was natural for him to turn to what he knew best - farming. Years later he was joined by several other brothers, Guttel, Kollen, Isaac (who became a diamond buyer) and George. The farming venture was so successful that they acquired several farms in the Kimberley district, where they farmed with cattle and sheep. They also established Kimberley Ranching Co and Premier Meat Supply. Kollen was regarded by his peers as an expert judge on the weight of livestock. He was seldom out by even a kilo or two. In 1935 Philip left to pursue other interests, among which was horse racing. Incidentally one of his horses, Sun Tor, won a Durban July. In 1966, I, Cecil took over the management and running of the farming enterprises, which I continued doing until I left Kimberley in 1973, to make a new home for my family, who were at university in Cape Town. I commuted from Cape Town to Kimberley, until 1978, when I finally sold all the farms. Incidentally one of the farms "Platfontein" was sold and later bought by the South African Govt. to resettle the Khoi San, who were loyal to SA, by using their tracking skills in the war with Angola.
You can see more about Cecil’s family history on his family page on the website, where you can also see pictures of the rock engravings and read about Cecil’s time as Mayor of Kimberley https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Sussman_Cecil.html
To start your own family page on the web –
fill in this Questionnaire below
and return it to me at: geraldine.auerbach@gmail.com
Personal
Name
Maiden Name (if applicable)
year born
Siblings: year born, what they do and where they live now
3 words that exemplify what it was like growing up in Kimberley
Date left Kimberley
Age when left
Reason for leaving and where went
Scholastic achievements, degrees qualifications and where they are from
Where live now
Occupation
Marital status
Place and date of wedding
Name of partner
Place partner born
What partner did/does
Email address
Children
How many children
Names, year they were born where they live and what they do
Parents
Father: Name; year of Birth; where born; when he came to Kimberley; his occupation; when he died; at what age; and where buried
Mother: Name; year of Birth; where born; when she came to Kimberley; her occupation; when he died; at what age; and where buried
Grandparents
Maternal grandparents Names; years of birth, Where they came from (and if they lived in Kimberley – what years) What they did, when they died, at what age and where buried
Paternal grandparents Names; years of birth, Where they came from (and if they lived in Kimberley – what years) What they did when they died at what age and where buried
Send your family pictures
Your family stories will follow here:
Geraldine Auerbach MBE
T: 020 8907 1905 M: 07971 818 262