Jacob (Jack) and Fanny (nee Manoim) Cohen owned the Grand Hotel for two years (1927-1929), along with their brother-in-law and sister-in-law Jacob (Jack) Perel and Esther Manoim. After selling his share of the hotel, Jack worked as a book keeper at several local businesses belonging to Jewish families. Later, Jack and Fanny moved to Wepener. Here he owned a local hotel. Both passed away in 1976 and are buried in the local cemetery. The couple had two sons, Philip (Shraga ben Jaacob) and Gerald (Zelig ben Jacob) and were an integral part of the Jewish community. Gerald had his own boereorkes. 

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Jacob (Jaacov ben Moshe) Cohen was the fourth of four sons born to Moses Michael Cohen (son of Chaim Shalom) and Sarah Rebecca Kaplan. Jack's Hebrew name was Jaacob ben Moshe. Moses Michael was  born in Courland in a town called Schonberg, close to the modern Lithuanian border. Its Latvian name was Skaistkalne.  Moses died in 1933 at the age of 69 in Kimberley, where he was hospitalized. In his death certificate he is listed a retired merchant. His wife Sarah Rebecca (nee Kaplan) died in 1934 and is buried in Bloemhof. The couple were married in Pokroi (Pakruojis) in Lithuania. Sarah Rebecca (Sarie) is listed as having been born in Pokroi. She was the daughter of Abe Kaplan and 71 when she died.

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Fanny Manoim was the daughter of Philip and Rachel Manoim. The couple had ten children. Her sister, Esther married Jack Perel. 

 

At the time of marriage, in 1929, Jack was living in Zeerust and Fanny in Johannesburg. They probably moved to Vryburg after their marriage. Moses and Rachel had four sons, Maximillian Isaac (Max), Harris Bernard, Solomon Joseph and Jacob.

 

Graham Brodovcky's note on Vryburg's Jewish hoteliers chronicles that the International Hotel was owned by a Moses Cohen from 1919 to 1929. From the archives we know that Maximillian Isaac Cohen. took over the Savoy Hotel and its liquor license from Harry Radomsky in 1919. In 1920 Harris Bernard Cohen took over the license held by his brother Maximillian Isaac Cohen and held that license till 1924. In that year the license was transferred to David Samuel Cohen. From his marriage certificate we see that in 1933 Maximillian Isaac Cohen was still managing a local bottle store. He married a Goldinger from Hazenpoth (Aizpute), also from Courland.

 

David Samuel Cohen (1891-1961) and Harris Bernard Cohen were not related. The former was from Warsaw and the son of Nissel and Rose Cohen. It seems that David Samuel Cohen was in partnership with a Morris Friedman. His Vryburg connection may well have been to Solomon Stores as his sister Millie married a Schneier. The family owned Solomon's Stores at that time.

 

Finally, the eldest son, Max, seems to have farmed in the district till 1955 - though had scant connection with the community. It was probably he who encouraged Jack to come to Vryburg.