Springs, South Africa

a housekeeper so that Gustav and Johnny could come at night to get a meal where she worked. They really battled at first. I think they became reasonably affluent as they started off with ‘Savings Bazaar’ a sort of General Dealership on the corner of Third Street and First Avenue and Gustav continued with that, even once Ilse started ‘Paradise Fashions’. ‘This shop had very distinctive, up-market ladies clothing. My mother bought my entire wardrobe for varsity from Ilse, a lovely treat for me - and I still have a red linen jacket from those days when I was 17. It is now a sleeveless jerkin and is single breasted instead of double breasted – ah how the body does change! I was a slight girl. Have trimmed it now in red Thai silk and decorated it with wonderful buttons from my mother’s trousseau in 1936.

 

Paradise Fashions, was on the corner of Third Street and Second Avenue opposite John Orr’s. ‘The other two corners there were Barclays Bank and Shenker’s Haberdashery Store. Before Ilse Blank died in Cincinnati, my mother and I went there for a family wedding and managed to see Ilse and Johnny and his wife Margot, a doctor whom he married in South Africa. I think she was also of a German family. When the Blanks moved to Selcourt, they sold their house to Elkin Simpson’s parents. Remember the Simpson dairy and ice cream parlour near the market? Big treat to have an ice cream there and I was at the Convent for early schooling, so that happened quite often. Does anyone know how to contact Elkin?   I think he was living in Cape Town at one stage.

 

Barbara also thinks fondly of Richard and Bella Lustig – ‘They had a curtain shop called “Elizabeth’s”.  They both lived out their lives in Springs, as did their only son Steven, who passed away a few years ago.’ Lynette: ‘Ah yes, the curtain shop! My mother used to tell a story of going into the new premises opposite their old shop in Fourth Street one day and while she was looking around a voice came from the back of the shop: “What are you looking at Mrs Epstein, you know you never buy anything!”  Bella Lustig certainly had a good eye for excellent furnishing fabrics. Steven was at the last Springs reunion in Johannesburg, with his wife Hazel – but sadly he was already ill with cancer, and died soon after.’

 

Barbara mentions Hans and Gertie Stern – ‘he was an engineer and died quite young’.

Lynette says: ‘We knew them well. They lived in Selection Park and he had a ventilation engineering works in Nuffield. Gertie’s sister Ellie was married to one of my mother’s brothers, Bob, before the war. But they divorced when he returned from prisoner-of-war camp in Italy as she had found another man!  Hans hired an office in my father Hyman Epstein’s building, Balfour House. It was directly opposite Hyman’s door so they saw each other often. They used to visit us. They had one son, Martin, but he too died young at about 33. Hans was godfather (sandek) to Martin Loewenstein who sent me the picture below. The Loewensteins were also of the German Jewish community. They lived at 9 Webber Street, Strubenvale, opposite our Epstein cousins. 

 

Barbara remembers Willie Jacobs who worked at B Owen Jones pharmacy. She says, ‘There was another crowd of German Jews, but I don’t know much about them. Joyce Lefebre whom I think still lives in Springs with her husband Benji Hirshowitz would know.’ Lynette remembers that Joyce was in her Matric class and will try to contact her.

 

Re the Reform Shul: Barbara says: ‘The “machers” when I joined in the early 1950’s were Dr Tollie (Naphtali) Fram, Ken Stoloff, Lu and Dot Sher, Walter Dannheiser.  Not too many German Jews amongst those. (Walter was from Germany).’

 

Barbara concludes: ‘Thank you so much Lynette for making this marathon effort to bring us all together. It has brought back so many memories.’

 

Barbara Rosenberg, London, October 2017.