Rabbi Yeshoua Kemelman was born in Jerusalem in 1919. His family came from Lithuania. Rabbi Kemelman married Zehava Bornstein in Israel in 1947. She was born in Austrwowitz and raised in Warsaw Poland. She later lived in Bnei Brak. He graduated from the Eitz Chayim (Tree of Life) Yeshiva in Jerusalem, under the then leadership of Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer and Rabbi Kook. He then studied at Yeshivat Chevron and Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav. He was a highly diligent student and graduated with 9 Semichot. After his graduation from the Yeshiva he served as Secretary of the Mizrachi Organization and director of Mifal Hatorah (Central Torah Foundation for the Yeshivot of the Holy Land) in Haifa. Rabbi Kemelman was sent to South Africa by Rabbi Berlin (Bar Ilan University is named after him) to bring Jews back to yiddishkeit. 

 

He was equally a great scholar in secular studies. In South Africa he read his BA and MA through UNISA. He later obtained a Doctorate in Literature (D. Litt) from Yeshiva New York University and Columbia University. He also read a PhD in philosophy at the University of Cape Town (UCT). 

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In 1949 they moved to South Africa. Rabbi Kemelman first served the Vryburg community and then Potchefstroom. After his Potchefstroom posting, he completed his PHD in the USA and then returned to South Africa to serve as the East London Rabbi. He then moved to Johannesburg and served as the Principal Rabbi of the Synagogues Youth Organization of the Federation of Synagogues of South Africa. From South Africa he migrated to Sydney Australia and served as the Rabbi of Sydney Central Synagogue and later as the Head of the Beth Din of Australia and New Zealand. After leaving the Rabbinate he became a highly successful property developer. This in parallel to serving as head of the Sydney Beth Din. 

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Rabbi Kemmelman was instrumental in building the local mikva in Vryburg. This  of the local Jewish kids served as a pool for so many. Blessed with a great singing voice he established a popular choir.

 

In his memoir, Seymour Hoffman noted:

 

I became very close to Rabbi Kemelman and his wife Zahava whom I delivered of a beautiful baby girl called Israela. The Rabbi, who came from Jerusalem was an intellectual and had a magnificent singing voice. Our closeness was the source of a great feeling of "belonging". We had a small "Shul" and I tried to participate on "Erev Shabbat" and at social events. The lectures held at "Shul" were on subjects of interest to us as Jews.

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In addition to his academic pursuits, Rabbi Kemelman studied music at the Jerusalem Institute of Music for seven years prior to his departure to South Africa and composed music. He still plays his grand piano. Rabbi Kemelman is also the author of numerous books, articles and monographs on Jewish law and life, including  - "Diaspora is Jewry's Graveyard."

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In 1990 this remarkable Rabbi, scholar and musician made Aliyah to Jerusalem. They had three children, Yisraela (born in Vryburg), Smadar and Yehuda. In 2020 he passed away.