Wonce Upon a Time
in Vryburg
Welcome to the website honoring the small but lively Jewish community that once lived and thrived in the Vryburg district, Northern Cape, South Africa, during the mid to late 20th century.
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Some Jewish families lived in the town and district for decades, while others only stayed a few years or even months. Now, everyone has left, with the last family, the Jocums, departing in 2021. Many have left the country. All that remains of Jewish Vryburg is the cemetery—where some of us have family buried—and the Simon Lieberthal Guild Hall, which now functions as a youth center for the nearby Dutch Reformed Church. We all hold vivid memories and images that serve as a tribute to a vibrant community that once thrived. These include cheder lessons, Jewish holidays, shul services, communal events, and Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Recollections of family, friendship, and childhood inspired this website in 2021.
A second website with family albums has also been created.
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Please share memories and pictures to Gary Sussman, son of one of the last resident families in Vryburg.
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 S Solomon and Company Advert, 1906This advert which mocks the President of the ZAR (Transvaal), Paul Kruger, reflects the mood after the Boer War. It also gives a sense as to how English Vryburg was at the time it was run. Solomon and Company was the largest business in Vryburg. |  1932 Rosh Hashana GreetingsThe Northern News |
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