Kimberley, South Africa
Jewish Weddings In Kimberley
Volume 3: 1970
This is the third volume of the Kimberley Jewish wedding picture gallery, starting with a wedding in 1970.
Volume 1 starts with the Levinsohn /Gluckman wedding in 1914, sent in by their daughter Monica Harris in Sydney. Volume 1 goes up to Rina Cvi marrying Shim Maresky in 1952.
Volume 2 starts with the weddings of those born in the 1930s onwards. We hope to receive the wedding records from the Kimberley community, but, in the meantime we welcome pictures and stories of your wedding in Kimberley.
1970: Chonin / Sandberg
Leon Chonin, son of Edel and Geheli Chonin of Kimberley, married Barbara Sandberg of Johannesburg on 13 December 1970.
Barbara was a ballet teacher from Johannesburg (who was introduced to him by his close Kimberley friend Milton Jawno). They married The Oxford Shul, Johannesburg. Rabbi Bernard the then congregation spiritual leader officiated together with the famous Cantor Moshe Kraus. Pictures sent by Leon Chonin, Toronto. Posted January 2020
In this picture above we see left to right: Lipi Weinstein (groom’s grandpa), Edel Chonin, Geheli Chonin (Groom’s Parents), Leon Chonin, Barbara Sandberg Chonin, Ivan Sandberg, Elsie Sandberg (bride’s parents), Bertha Sandberg (bride's grandmother)
Back row: Milton Jawno (groom’s best friend, Kimberley), Sydney Loewenthal, Hugh Eiser (close friends of the groom), Geoffrey Mendelsohn (now married to Linda Sandberg)
Front row from left: Jennifer Chonin, Linda Sandberg (bride's sister), Leon Chonin, Barbara Sandberg Chonin, Seville Chonin (groom’s brother), Glynn Sandberg (Bride's cousin), Carol Mendelsohn (bride's cousin)
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1972 Brown / Berman
Cherille Brown of Kimberley married Morris Berman in the Kimberley Shul on 19 March 1972
June Berman (groom’s sister), Barney and Sybil Berman (groom’s parents)
Cherille and Morris Berman, Helen and Icky Brown, bride’s parents
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1972: Eleanor Finberg to Ronnie Kotkis
Eleanor Finberg, daughter of Dorothy and Mickey Finberg of Kimberley married Ronnie Kotkis in the Kimberley shul on 9 April 1972
Read the Finberg, Kotkis family story here https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/kimberley/Kotkis,_Eleanor.html
We are looking forward to receiving the names of all the people in the retinue of Eleanor – daughter of Dorothy and Mickey Finberg and Ronnie Kotkis
Eleanor and Ronnie Kotkis in 2018
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2019: Horwitz / Lieberman
Ida Horwitz of Kimberley married Zach Lieberman of Johannesburg in the Kimberley Shul on Sunday, 15 September 2019. Photo by Yosef Shisler. Posted January 2020
After a hiatus of nearly 30 years, a wonderful wedding took place in the Kimberley synagogue in September 2019. Ida Horwitz, daughter of the devoted Chairman of the Community, Barney and his wife Maude Horwitz married her long-time boyfriend Zach Leiberman.
Ida said: ‘I grew up in the Jewish community of Kimberley, and always dreamed of getting married in my own shul, surrounded by the people I know and love. It’s a magnificent shul that has a presence.’
Barney said. ‘All of us here had a taste of those wonderful former times when we shared our shul again last week with 160 others at my daughter's wedding. It is an amazing house of worship and even if there are only a few people at a service you go home feeling you have been in shul. My thanks to Rabbi Silberhaft for a magnificent marriage service in the Kimberley shul for my only daughter and favourite son-in -law. You brought life and vitality back to this wonderful and beautiful shul – the like of which has not been seen in fifty years. Kol Hakavod and may this be the beginning of something wonderful in our lives in far-away Kimberley. It was so special to have Yosef Shisler and Nachi there for the weekend. For nineteen years you have led our services over the High Holy days and in essence you long ago adopted Ida as a little sister and just your presence there gave her so much confidence.
Rabbi Silberhaft and the community had so much fun making Havdalah in the Kimberley Club under the amused gaze of Bridget Oppenheimer. Surely a first for her Room!
You can read about this wedding in Jewish Affairs here https://www.sajr.co.za/news-and-articles/2019/09/19/kimberley-shul-shines-in-first-wedding-in-almost-30-years?utm_
