SA-SIG-Newsletter June 2005
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S. A. SIG http://www.jewishgen.org/SAfrica/ Editor: Bubbles Segall [email protected] Southern African Jewish Genealogy Special Interest Group Newsletter Vol. 7, Issue 1 September 2006 In this Issue President’s Message – Saul Issroff 2 Editorial – Bubbles Segall 3 Southern African Special Interest Group (SA-SIG) Meetings at NY2006 – Saul Issroff and Roy Ogus 5 SA-SIG Treasurer’s Report, July 2005–June 2006 – Mike Getz 7 Live Like A Jew – Rabbi Liebenberg 7 The Sanders Story: A Family Saga (Part 1) – Derrick Lewis 9 The Role of the Jewish Community in Springs Development – Jean McKechnie 13 The Lost And Found Family Update – Abel Levitt 14 Arcadians Step Back In Time – Debra Matjeles 16 The Story of the Book – David Sandler 17 Books: New Dictionary Of South African Place Names 17 South African Small Country Communities Project, Volume 5 18 Corrections 19 © 2006 SA-SIG. All articles are copyright and are not to be copied or reprinted without the permission of the author. The contents of the articles contain the opinions of the authors and do not reflect those of the Editor, or of the members of the SA-SIG Board. The Editor has the right to accept or reject any material submitted, or edit as might be appropriate. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The Southern Africa Jewish Genealogy In September I attended the inaugural symposium of the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy in Special Interest Group (SA-SIG) Jerusalem. Prof. Milton Shain and I represented the The purpose and goal of the Southern Africa Special Isaac and Jessie Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies Interest Group (SA-SIG) is to bring together Jewish and Research at the University of Cape Town, genealogy researchers with a common interest in Southern where we already have a genealogy and migration Africa and to provide a forum for a free exchange of ideas, research tips and information of interest to those section that can be seen at: researching Jewish family history in the communities of http://chrysalis.its.uct.ac.za/CGI/ South Africa, Lesotho (Basutoland), Botswana (Bechuanaland), Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia), Zambia CGI_ROOTWEB.EXE. (Northern Rhodesia), Swaziland, Mozambique, Kenya, and the former Belgian Congo. The International Institute for Jewish Genealogy and Paul Jacobi Centre is housed in the Jewish The SIG has been producing a quarterly Newsletter since National and University Library at Givat Ram, 2000 in which is included articles on personalities in the Southern African Jewish community, religious Jerusalem. congregations, communities – past and present and general news about the lives our Southern African families led. After riveting the attentions of thousands of Jews throughout the world over the past two decades, Further information on how to subscribe to the Newsletter Jewish genealogy and family history has reached a can be found at: level of maturity that makes it ripe to take its place http://www.jewishgen.org/SAfrica/newsletter/index.htm in the academic world. To that end, the new If you would like to contribute articles to the Newsletter, Institute has two main aims – to engage in Jewish accounts should include descriptions of families of the genealogical research and teaching at the university community, aspects of local Jewish life, its institutions and level, and to make Jewish Genealogy a recognized particular character. Jewish involvement in the community academic discipline within the realm of Jewish at large, its history, business life and development could be featured as well. Studies. Articles for printing in the Newsletter should be sent to The Institute is the only one of its kind in the Jewish Bubbles Segall, Editor, at [email protected] world. It plans to conduct research on an General enquiries about the Newsletter can be sent either interdisciplinary basis and also in a collaborative to Bubbles or to Mike Getz at [email protected] way with organizations engaged in aspects of Jewish genealogy. It will put a premium on The SA-SIG maintains a set of Web Pages that can be found at: http://www.jewishgen.org/safrica innovative programmes and projects of practical benefit to individual family historians. SA-SIG Board Its establishment is the result of efforts over the last President Saul Issroff two years of an international Founding Committee Vice-President Roy Ogus headed by Dr. Sallyann Sack, Ph.D., of Washington, Treasurer & Vice-President Emeritus Mike Getz DC. Dr. Neville Yosef Lamdan, D. Phil., of Newsletter Jerusalem is the Director of the Institute. The Editor Bubbles Segall telephone number at the National Library is +972- Layout Roy Ogus (0)2-658-6967. Their email address is Australian Coordinators Herbert Epstein, Selma Jackson [email protected] and their homepage is located at Canadian Coordinator Ed Goldberg www.IIJG.org. Israel Coordinators Rose Lerer Cohen, Beryl Baleson The Inaugural Symposium South African Coordinators Stan Hart (Durban), Colin Plen (Cape Town) The Inaugural Symposium was held jointly by the USA Coordinators Roy Ogus, Ann Rabinowitz International Institute for Jewish Genealogy and Membership Mike Getz Paul Jacobi Centre and The Centre for Migration Webmaster Roger Harris and Genealogy Isaac and Jessie Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies and Research. The topic was Jewish Genealogy: Research and Teaching Priorities and SA-SIG Newsletter, Vol. 7, Issue 1, September 2006 Page 2 the symposium was held at Beit Belgia, Givat Ram EDITORIAL Campus, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, from 10 – 12 September 2006. Note: The availability of the September 2006 SA- SIG Newsletter has been delayed due to unforeseen The opening session was given by Neville Lamdan circumstances. We hope to revert to the normal on The Challenge before Us. Other sessions publication schedule with the next issue (December included: 2006). • Gary Mokotoff – Jewish Genealogical Research th The 26 International Association of Jewish to Date: An Assessment of Research Priorities. Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Conference on • Hadassah Assouline – Archival Priorities: Jewish Genealogy was held recently in New York Ashkenazi Archives City. A few of our Board Members attended. Roy • Jean-Claude Kuperminc – Sephardic Archives Ogus and Saul Issroff have provided a report on the • Jeff Malka – Research Priorities in the proceedings at the conference. Ashkenazi and Sephardic Realms • Ladislau Gyemant – Sephardic Realm and It is that time of the year again when our treasurer, Ashkenazi Realm Mike Getz provides a Financial Report. His report • Rabbinic Genealogy was covered by Rabbis covering July 2005 to June 2006 is included in this Meir Vunder and Shlomo Englard Newsletter for your information. • Onomastics – Aaron Demsky, Alexander Beider. Subscriptions for the Newsletter are now due. See • Interdisciplinary Aspects, Migration Studies the end of this Newsletter for details. was chaired by Sergio DellaPergola In a Claremont Shul publication, Good Shabbos • An excellent talk was given by Gur Alroey – Claremont, Rabbi Liebenberg wrote about Rabbi Jewish Genealogy and Migration Silberhaft, whose name should be familiar to many • I chaired a session on Genetics/Medical Aspects of you as he has been mentioned on numerous of Jewish Genealogy by Karl Skorecki occasions in this Newsletter. • Israel Bartal spoke on Jewish Genealogy: A Partner with History and the Social Sciences. Rabbi Silberhaft, known as the Itinerant Country • Danny Wagner – Unfamiliar Territory: Jewish Community Rabbi, the Travelling Rabbi and the Genealogy and the Exact Sciences Roaming Rabbi travels extensively throughout the • Teaching Jewish Genealogy at the University continent of Africa to countries south of the Sahara Level was chaired by Chanan Rapaport as well as the islands of Mauritius and Madagascar. • Thomas Jones gave an outstanding talk on He heads the Country Communities Department of Curriculum and Professional Development the South African Jewish Board of Deputies and is followed by the spiritual leader of communities which once • Yoav Yair – on Teaching Tools and maintained a thriving, vibrant and active Jewish Technologies Development way of life. Now, these same communities accommodate few or in many cases no Jewish The closing talk was given by Steve Morse on families – many having moved to cities or migrated Information Technology (IT) and Jewish Genealogy. to other countries. Rabbi Silberhaft travels regularly This was followed by a general debate and parallel to these places to conduct religious services for the working groups to formulate operative few remaining families and to oversee the recommendations on research and teaching maintenance of cemeteries. priorities. Rabbi Silberhaft is also the spiritual leader of the The real challenge is the next stage, how to roll this African Jewish Congress which is affiliated with the out worldwide, maintain standards, and progress the World Jewish Congress – an organisation founded research and education. by the South African Board of Deputies in 1992 to look after the interests of the small and far-flung Saul Issroff Jewish communities of sub-Sahara Africa. His London commitment and dedication to those families living [email protected] SA-SIG Newsletter, Vol. 7, Issue 1, September 2006 Page 3 in small towns and farms in Southern Africa with story is too long for our Newsletter so I have chosen little or no contact with other Jews is commended. relevant pieces which will be featured over a few issues. David Sandler who now lives in Perth in West Australia, has edited a book about the Arcadia Eric Horwitz who has a substantial collection of old Jewish Orphanage in Johannesburg where he lived newspaper clippings, sent me a few articles about between 1956 and 1969 – from the age of 3 to the Springs recently, four of which were written by Jean age of 17. Arcadia – known as the Arc to all its McKechnie who was a journalist with The Springs children, was started by the South African Jewish and Brakpan Advertiser for many years. One of her Orphanage (SAJO) and cared for over three articles is featured in this Newsletter.