Harry Joffe was the son of Meyer Joffe (son of Kasreel) and Batya (Kotzin) Joffe. His Hebrew name was Tzvi ben Meir. The Joffe family were from Pandelys (Ponidel in Yiddish) - a village near Rokiskis. The couple had seven children: Sarah, Kasreel, Yoseph (Joe), Chaya, Herschel (Harry), Shlomit and Shimon. They settled in Panevezys (Ponevezh). Herschel (Harry) was born 28 August 1911 in Plunjan (Plunge in Yiddish). With the onset of World War One, the family were made refugees. They fled to Ponidel where they stayed with family (Sacks) and the then moved to Vitebesk (today Belarus). After the war the family returned to Panevezys and rebuilt their lives. Economic hardship saw the two eldest sons Kasreel and Joe leave for South Africa and they sent money to help the family. Harry emigrated to South Africa in 1928, aged seventeen. His brother Kasreel had migrated to South Africa in 1925. Their sister Sera (Sarah) later emigrated to South Africa joining the three brothers.

 

After staying with family in Cape Town for a few weeks, his brothers sent for him. Harry initially worked on the Lichtenburg diggings - first at Grasfontein (between Lichtenbeurg and Mafikeg) and then Hendrikskraal. At Grasfontein he interned with Joe Datnow and his partner Menash Lurie - who were in business with Kasreel. At Grasfontein he met Ephraim Hechter, who would later hire him and take him to Vryburg. After leaving the Lichtenburg diggings, Harry was in Joburg for two months and then worked for Ephraim in a store in Ventersdorp (Goedgedacht), Grasfontein again and then Lydenberg. It was here that here he met Annie Galgut, his wife to be. He was set to move to Barberton when Ephraim called him to Vryburg to manage S. Solomon and Company. In March 1933 Annie and Harry reached Vryburg.

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Annie was from Vilnus and also born in 1911. She was the daughter of Heinrich Galgut (born in Luokė (Luknik in Yiddish to Israel and Gana) and Feige Roche (nee Romm). Annie was the youngest of four children. The other three were Herman, Lebe and Finia. Heinrich died in 1937 and was a resident of Lydenberg. Feige Roche died in Vryburg in 1952 and she was buried in Brixton cemetery. 

 

Harry was later joined by his brother Joe in Vryburg. Harry began his career in Vryburg with Solomons Stores and then became a co-owner of Die Boere Helpmekaar. with Mr. Gollop. He next founded Vryburg Wholesalers with Max Cohen and then created Bechuanaland Malt and Milling, a JSE top 100 company. Harry and Annie lived in Vryburg till 1957, when they moved to Cape Town. They had two children, Myra and Henry.