Kimberley, South Africa
Jewish Weddings In Kimberley
Volume 1: 1911 - 1952
The very first Jewish wedding took place even before there was a synagogue in Kimberley. David Harris was married to Rosa Gabriel of Pomerania (Prussia) in November 1873. (The first wood and iron structure was only built in 1875). David and his cousin Barney Barnato, both from London, had trekked to Kimberley on foot and started digging and dealing in diamonds in 1871. Both did extremely well! You can read about them on the ‘Pioneers’ page.
David had met Rosa on board ship on a return journey from England in 1872 and they married the following year. They chose to continue to live in Kimberley (when many wealthy contemporaries built palaces on Park Lane in London). David’s love of the country, of his Jewish heritage, and in particular of Kimberley and its people, was shared by his wife Rosa who became as widely known in the town as her husband, beloved for her ‘charming courteous personality, entirely free from affectation’ and her tireless efforts for charitable causes with ‘her ever active desire to be of some assistance to the poor and the distressed’.
The first wedding in the ‘new’ Memorial Road Synagogue (built on land donated by the De Beers Company) was on 11 January 1903 when Aaron Rauff married Selina Satisofsky. (Aaron was probably related to the Rauffs who are still living in Kimberley in 2016!)
Here below is Volume 1 of our Picture Gallery of weddings of Kimberley folk; mostly solemnised in the iconic Kimberley Memorial Road Synagogue. They are listed in date order from the oldest at the top to the most recent at the bottom. See who you can spot in the retinue – and dig up your picture and send it to us. (And please fill in the contact form on the site for the ‘families’ page)
Kimberley Jewish Wedding Picture Gallery
1911: Sussman / Dorman
Tilly Sussman of Kimberley married Barney Dorman (they went to live in Hout Bay) in the Kimberley shul on 10 December 1911.
Picture sent by the grandson of Tilly’s brother Philip Sussman, Philip Mayers, who now lives in Melbourne Australia. (posted April 2020)
Retinue: Back row: Isaac Sussman (Tilly’s brother) Bertha Dorman (bridegroom’s sister) Sam Sussman (Tilly’s cousin) Barney and Tilly (groom and bride) Max Barnett, Kollen Sussman (Tilly’s brother) father of Sussman, Cecil and Natalie (nee Kroll) Solly Diamond (friend form Kimberley – see Diamond Family) Seated: Grooms parents Simon and Sarah Dorman, Augusta Sussman, wife of Tilly’s oldest brother Philip, On the floor are the flower girls Philip and Augusta’s daughters Doris and Alice.
Philip was the pioneer and father figure of the family in South Africa bringing out all his brothers and one of his sisters and several cousins and nephews. He would like to have brought out his whole family but alas, his mother Chaya and so also father Hirsh, would not leave Taverig. Philip started them all off in farming and business in Kimberley and then expanded into Northern Rhodesia and the Transvaal in association with Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, supplying the infrastructure for Anglo-American mining endeavours. (see the Sussman Philip and Augusta story).
1914: Levinsohn / Gluckman
Rose Levinsohn to David Gluckman - 1914
Picture courtesy of their daughter Monica Harris (nee Gluckman) of Australia. Posted April 2016
Retinue: On the left Amalia Kahn (had a boarding house in Muizenberg in Holland Road bequeathed all the furniture to her mother who then went to Muizenberg and ran a kosher boarding house. Monica was born grew up in Kimberley and left at age 10 for Muizenberg. Click Monica (Harris nee Gluckman) see and hear her talk about who is in this picture
Monica writes: What was so special was that my mother Rose had both her parents AND her grandparents present at her wedding as well as her mother’s 2 sisters and their husbands. They had all emigrated to South Africa from Latvia, via America. They came from a town called Tukums in the Courland area. Her father had also brought out his sister from Latvia. The bride’s siblings, Lilly, Louis and Harold Levinsohn lived in Kimberley – the boys becoming pharmacists in Kimberley and Beaconsfield.
******
1916: Weinberg / Levin
Philip Levin of Tafelberg (Sharga Fievel ben Josef) married Pauline Weinbaum of Kimberley on 16 August 1916, in the Kimberley Synagogue
Pauline was the eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs B Weinbaum, of Kimberley. Philip was 40 years old. (Photo taken at the Middlebrook Studios — Kimberley, was handed down by Philips’ sister Fanny Levin and kindly sent by Philip and Fanny’s great-nephew Paul Robinson of Southampton, New York)
******
1921: Jawno / Barnett
Freda Jawno of Kimberley to Laz Barnett of Kimberley 1921
Picture courtesy of their daughter Ruth Sheer (née Barnett) London. Posted January 2020.
*****
1925: Frank / Melunsky
Ray Frank of Kimberley to Sam Melunsky of Kimberley 1925 Picture courtesy of their son Bernard Melunsky of London. Posted April 2016
******
1929 Blumenthal / Toube
Violet Blumenthal of Kimberley married Abraham (Abe) Toube of Douglas, Northern Cape, and then Kimberley, in the Kimberley shul in 1929
Photographs sent by their son Trevor in London, September 2019
Here is a picture of Violet and Abe in the 1970s. They both worked at Central Jewellers, their iconic jewellery and gift ware shop on the prime corner of Pan Road and Jones Street. Abe died in 1980. After that Violet moved to Cape Town, She died in 1989. Read their full stories here Trevor P Toube
******
1932 Bergman / Friedman
Kate Bergman (daughter of David and Dika Bergman, niece of Jacob Bergman) of
Kimberley to Joseph J Friedman in the Kimberley Shul on 11 December 1932.
(picture sent by their son Raymond in Toronto, May 2020. (Kate's father
David had sadly died - a victim of the 1918 flu epidemic. See the Bergman
story here Bergman,
https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Auerbach.html
******
1935: Bergman / Kretzmar
Beryl Bergman of Kimberley to Noel Kretzmar of Kimberley (previously Malmesbury) February 17, 1935: Picture courtesy of their daughter Geraldine Auerbach of London. Posted April 2016
Retinue: Standing at the back from the left are Noel’s youngest sister Ashne, his youngest brother Julius,
Beryl’s youngest sister Eileen, Noel and Beryl, Noel’s brother Arnold and Beryl’s sister Hannah.
Seated are Nappy Frank (Noel’s sister Freda’s husband) with the bride’s mother Amalie Bergman, then Freda Frank seated next to the bride’s father Jacob Bergman.
Geraldine writes: This wedding took place on 17 February 1935, when my father who had been a doctor in Kimberley for ten years married his beautiful bride Beryl Bergman (who was only 14 years old when she first met him soon after his arrival!). She was the second of four daughters of Jacob and Amalie Bergman of Kimberley. Freda and Nappy Frank ‘gave Noel away’ as both his parents, Tuvior and Taube Kretzmar, had already sadly passed away. The bouquets, were rather large in those days, and the ladies’ hats certainly worn at a very rakish angle. No sign of any Top Hats, but a very elegant picture indeed nevertheless.
******
1937 Lincow / Hotz
1937 Hilda Lincow of Kimberley to Charlie Hotz of Kimberley
Son Marshal Hotz (a Dentist still practicing, living in Herzlia Israel) who sent this picture, writes in Jan 2018: My father had a men’s outfitting shop, Longwares, on the market square for years until we left for Cape Town. My parents, Charlie and Hilda subsequently went to live in Israel in Herzlia and lived at Beth Protea until they both passed away. My sisters Rochelle (Shelley aka Rocky) is a Psychiatrist, lives in Newton Mass USA, and Pamela Hotz (Buchman) lives in George.
******
1939: Bergman / Frank
Hannah Bergman of Kimberley to Jack Frank of Kimberley, 10 December 1939.
Pictures courtesy of their daughters Alma Steinberg of Johannesburg and Brenda Danilowitz of Connecticut.
Posted April 2016
Alma writes: This was already after the declaration of war and Jack was signing up so it was a smallish wedding with the reception at the bridal home in Milner Street.
******
1940: Goldberg / Haas
Gertie Goldberg of Kimberley married Ivor (Idel) Haas, in the Kimberley shul on 10 March 1940
Ivor had arrived in Kimberley from Libau as a watchmaker and jeweller.
Picture sent by their son Selwyn, Jersey, July 2020
The couple left Kimberley for Cape Town 1945 and were joined by Gertie’s parents, Solomon and Deborah Goldberg, who retired to Sea Point in 1946.
See their family story here Haas, Gertie, Ivor & Family
******
1940 Maresky / Brown
Wedding Brown Helen and Ikky 18 August 1940
Helen Maresky of Kimberley married Harold (Ikky or Icky) Brown in the Kimberley synagogue on 18 December 1940.
Pictures send by their eldest daughter Delia Benn, Baltimore June 2020
******
1941: Busansky / Goldberg
Dr Abraham Goldberg of Kimberley married ‘Bussie’ Busansky on 8 June 1941.
Photo sent by his nephew Selwyn Haas, Jersey, May 2020.
While in training in Johannesburg Abe dated a young girl, Bussie Busansky. On learning in May of 1941 that he was shortly to be shipped out to North Africa he asked her to marry him. The wedding took place on 8 June 1941, through the indulgence of Abe’s commanding officer. He had placed Abe at the head of the African troops who were to be shipped out a month after the Regiment. This afforded the young couple the time not only for the marriage but for a brief honeymoon on the Vaal Dam. Abe tells the story that the religious wedding ceremony took place a day before the civil licence would be issued for some bureaucratic reason, and so Rivka, Bussie’s mother insisted the couple spend the night apart. Read about Abe Goldberg’s war service in the story of ‘Kimberley Jews and World War II’ (soon to be on the website)
******
1943 Moross / Germon
Minnie Moross of Kimberley (daughter of Rev Joseph Zvi Moross, Shochet of Kimberley) married Airman, Jack Zelik Germon in the Kimberley Synagogue on 21 November 1943.
Picture sent by their daughter Shirley Olfsanger, Israel, who says that her father was stationed at the time at 21 Airfield, Alexandersfontein, just outside Kimberley. You can read the family story here
https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Moross.html
******
1945: Goldberg / Lief
Issie Goldberg of Kimberley married Florence Lief in Pretoria on 12 November 1945
In this picture, sent by his son, we see Issie in his Army uniform with many members of the Lief family. On the extreme right, are Issie’s father, Solomon Goldberg of Kimberley, and to his left, his daughter Gertie Goldberg, (Issie’s sister) see Goldberg, Solomon, Taube & Family posted September 2020
******
1946 Bergman / Sandler
Eileen Bergman of Kimberley to Archie Sandler of Vryheid probably 1946 Picture of bride and groom courtesy of their son Jonty Sandler of Johannesburg. Posted April 2016
******
1947 Horwitz / Joseph
Pamela Horwitz of Kimberley to Philip Joseph of Johannesburg 28 September 1947 Picture of bride and groom courtesy of their son Jonathan Joseph of London. Posted 2013
Picture of flower girl courtesy of Gillian Karstaedt. Posted April 2016
Retinue: Walking in through the synagogue gates are flower girl Gillian Karstaedt and the bride.
Gillian writes: I remember my mother bringing me to Kimberley on a train but not much else. I was privileged to be present at the couple’s 50th, 60th and 65th wedding anniversary parties in London where they lived.
******
1947: Gershowitz / Hammerschlag
Joan Gershowitz of Kimberley to Dennis Hammerschlag of Springs 14 November 1947
Picture courtesy of their son Jeff of London. Posted 2015
******
1947 Lurie/Jacobson Wedding
Solly and Julie (Lurie) married in Kimberley Synagogue on 15 March 1947
Picture courtesy of their daughter Linda Ragless of Cape Town. Posted April 2018
Retinue: Back row
Hymie Shles, Philip Freedberg, Sybbi Jones (nee Allen), Israel (Solly) Jacobson Bridegroom,
Julie Lurie (Bride) Harry Jacobson grooms brother, Ester Benjamin (later Strano) and Bennie Sariff.
Front row
Riesa Jacobson, Barbara Dave (grooms niece), Flower girl, Hannah Lurie (later Keartland), bride’s sister another, Flower girl, Natalie Kroll (later Sussman) bride’s good friend, Maid of Honour, and Lorraine Brown, Brides cousin
My parents/mother had five daughters Ralene, Carol, Linda, Dianne (deceased) and Adele.
10 grandchildren and 9 greatgrandchildren.
******
1949: Kroll / Sussman
Natalie (nee Kroll) and Cecil Sussman were married in the Memorial Road Shul on 12 March 1949.
Cecil and Natalie write in spring 2017: ‘We are living in Sea Point, having just celebrated our 68th wedding anniversary. We left Kimberley in 1973, as all our children were students at U C T. Now, in common with most South Africans, our children & grandchildren are scattered all over the world. We have nine great-grandchildren. We are extremely fortunate to be living in the same block as our daughter Laura and her husband Michael.
In March 2019 Natalie and Cecil celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with their family from Melbourne and Cape Town. Sadly their daughter Sandy in Johannesburg, died suddenly a few weeks before the anniversary and so the celebrations were bitter sweet for the family.
See our family story and about when Cecil was Mayor of Kimberley, under Families/‘Sussman, Cecil and Natalie’
*****
1952 Cvi / Maresky
Rina Cvi of Kimberley to Shimon Judah Maresky 22 June 1952 Picture courtesy of bride’s sister Anna (Cvi) who says possibly Rabbi Rev? Abrahamson officiated.
In this picture Cherille and Delia Brown are the flower girls left and right, and Rina's sister Anna is the bridesmaid on the right.
