Woolf Golwater:

The Jewish Life in the Country Communities Study (Volume II), by SA Friends of Beit Hatfutsot chapter on Vryburg claims that Woolf Goldwater - then President of the Community - taught Hebrew to the children between 1912-1914. Woolf applied for citizenship on 29 August 1899, after having been in the Colony for five years at the age of 42. He hailed from Szagarren or Zagare (Kovna) in Lithuania and is listed as a general dealer living in Uitenhage. Woolf was a stalwart of the Uitenhage community and served as its President and spearheaded the construction of the local synagogue - between 1907 to 1911 (Addleson, p. 311). Woolf's wife Dora (nee Harmel) passed away in Uitenhage in April 1916 and it appears they had left Vryburg by then. They are listed as hotel proprietors and had six children. Their eldest daughter, Matilda, was married to David Smollan, who owned the Grand Hotel. This explains why Woolf Goldwater got to Vryburg. Goldwater probably also provided spiritual leadership and his appointment provides evidence that the community was formalized before 1912. In 1914, Rabbi Lieberman, was appointed as the town’s first rabbi. He served the community until 1926. The appointment of a rabbi points to the existence of a substantial community by then. When Irwin Aubrey Hartogs (from Cape Town) married Hettie Sonnenberg on 14 July 1915 in Vryburg, the wedding certificate suggests ceremony was officiated by the local magistrate and not Rabbi Lieberman Hetty was the daughter of Theodore Sonnenberg (mayor of Vryburg) and Bertha (nee Bing) and Irwin (1890-1970) was the son of Samuel and Doretta Hartogs. This ceremony speaks volumes for the level of observance practiced by the German Jews who were prominent in the economic and social life of the town and district. Economically, the Sonnennberb's were the possibly the most economically significant family - owning farms and Solomons Stores. The wealth was astoundinmg even by national levels. A 1911 (25 August) article in the Northern News found by Anney Garnett tells how Max Sonnenberg drove the 112 kilometres to Geluk in three hours.  He was one of the earliest people in Vryburg to own a car.

 

Jewish collective identity was driven the the Litvaks - the Smollans / Woolf Goldwater and the Lieberthals and Friedmans. 

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In 1919 a Zionist Society was established. According to the Jewish Life in the Country Communities Study (Volume II), by SA Friends of Beit Hatfutsot it was headed by an H. Abrahamson (presumably Harry). Harry Abramson was the father of the infant Segoite buried in the local Jewish cemetery. He seems to have been from Latvia and died in 1933 at the age of 68. His partner was Samuel Solomon Kaplan. Son of Moses and Fannie who were from Ponevezh (Panevezys in Lithuanian). Samuel Kaplan was on the school board. The two set up shop in 1919 and went under in 1922 - then leaving Vryburg. Harry Abrahamson seems to have passed over the Zionist baton to Woolf Goldwater by 1920. This we glean from two Zionist Record reports we came across. One in 1921 reports on an activity in 1921 at the Grand Hotel - owned by the Smollan family. According to this article, Woolf was the President of the local Zionist Society. From a later report we see that Woolf was still the leader in 1925. According to the article a Mr. Shein came to Vryburg and Taungs for the  JNF. The article also mentions Woolf and Sam Friedman and Simon Lieberthal. 

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Subsequently, Harry Goldwater, the son of Woolf brother of Mathilda Smollan (married to David), served as a GP in Vryburg.

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The Lieberthal-Friedman family alight:

The arrival of the Friedman-Lieberthal clan in 1911 marked a turning point for communal life. Simon was preceded in Vryburg by his nephews and brother's-in-law, Sam and Lolly Friedman. Simon Lieberthal was married to Lea Friedman - the sister of Ester, Lolly and Sam. She was Simon's niece. As it was not legal for family to marry, Lea and Simon went to Mozambique to get married.

 

The Freidman-Lieberthal nucleus drew others to Vryburg. If the Smollan's were the social, economic and Jewish core of the community in the previous decade, the coming decades would belong to the Talsen Jews. In effect, they were a clan.  There were still many German Jews and Lithuanians, notably the Friedman brothers from Mazaik, but the pendulum swung towards Courland and Talsen. 

 

Ester Friedman, married Jack M (Jack) Silbert in Kimberley on 19 February 1926. Jack was already in Vryburg as early as 1920. Lolly Friedman married the sister of David and Joseph (Spider) Blumberg. Her name was Leah and she was originally married to Maurice David Toube, who according to Phil Toube, “travelled with my grandfather and grandmother (Simon and Leah) to South Africa." Maurice David Toube passed away in 1946. The Blumberg's were in turn related to the Immerman family by marriage. The death certificate of Abraham Blumberg, who passed away in 1932 and was the brother of Leah, David and Joseph states that their father, Moses Blumberg married Betty Immerman in Talsi. Leah, David and Joseph Blumberg came to Vryburg. Joseph (Spider) married Lilly Edelstein, the daughter of Louis Edelstein from Warrenton. Based on an interview that Maurice Immerman conducted with Eve Horwitz in 1982, the Immermans were also related to the Friedman family. "We went to Middleburg, we went there because we had relations over there the Lieberthals. My mother had a half-brother, step-brother, by the name of [Leib / Lewin] Friedman and his daughter [Lea] had married her uncle, [Simon] Lieberthal."

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Oupa Lewin or Leib Friedman, father of Ester, Leah, Sam and Lolly joined his children in Vryburg. Leib's wife, Helene Friedman, who was also originally a Lieberthal. She was probably Simon's brother. Helene passed away after Ester was born. Later, the Toubes and Mendelows - through marriage to Lieberthal's - became part of the Vryburg community. The Toubes, in turn, were also related to the Immerman's. Shifra Sophie Toube was an  Immerman. Sophie's brother Leopold is buried in Vryburg and he and his family lived there. Abram Aron Immerman married Lena Blumberg. The Immermans we also related to the Friedberg family - one of whom is buried in Vryburg. The Lowitz and the Radowsky families arrived in 1918, to run a hotel, which was sold in 1919 to a Moses Cohen. According to Phil Toube and Mervyn Lieberthal, the Lowitz family are also related to the Lieberthal family.

 

Other Jews at the time:

Another Courlander with a Vyburg connection. was Leopold Brenner. He applied for Naturalization in 1910 from Pudimoe. He was living at Upper Gong Gong near Barkley West, when he passed away in 1930. The continued Jewish presence at Pudimoe is remarkable. 

 

From the membership of the Local Free Mason Lodge we can also place the following Jews in town in these years: Samuel Bing (1912), the brother of Martha Bing (Sonnenberg), Jacob Trass (1914) and Solomon Reidman (1919). Solomon Reidman was the son of Elkan and Lena Reidman and they both hailed from Courland. Elkan applied for citizenship from Middelburg in the Cape in 1903 after being in the Cape for seven years. He was listed as a general dealer. Lina passed away 12 March 1906.  

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A Zionist Record article dated 6 September 1915, provides a fascinating insight into additional families who were in Vryburg those years. This is supplemented by a list of Jewish soldiers serving in the Union forcies World War One.

• Mrs. S. Abelheim. I presume this was Rose Smollan, who married Samuel Abelheim. Rose was the daughter of Leah and Solomon Smollan),

• Fannie Victoria Fisher. She was, it seems, the daughter of Adolph Marks Fisher and Rosa Fisher (nee Hart). The family were Hungarian Jews from Miskolc (Mischkolz in Yiddish). Her Vryburg connection is not clear. 

•  A Zarif – probably Abraham Zeiref. His daughter Rebecca was married to Morris Liberman (died 1947), who was the then Rabbi.

• R. Rosenberg, of whom we know nothing,

• A. Hirschon – presumably Adolph who died in Bethlehem and was a speculator.

• G. Green - of whom we know nothing. 

• S. Meltze. From Government Gazette of 1 June 1916 we know that a  Meltzer was partner of a Freidman (I presume, Michael brother of Woolf and Michael) from Lithuania. They had a store in Vryburg and in Takoon and traded as Meltzer & Friedman in Takoon and Meltzer & Company in Vryburg. Stan Ravinsky and Raymond Ravinsky have intimated that the Meltzer family were somehow related to the Friedman/ Lubavitch family. In a 1916 notice Anney Garnett found, promoting the Vryburg Fresh Meat Supply Company we learn that the property was opposite the Vryburg Hotel (the latter day International). Curiously the adverts states, "In case rumours to the contrary may have been circulated, we beg to state that we are Naturalized British Subjects of Russian Parentage." In plain speak to local anti Semites - we are loyal subjects. I submit that we are talking about Solomon Meltzer, he was from Minsk (Minsk District) and married to Hode Rakovski. My submission is based on the fact that, Samuel Abelheim was a witness for his last will and testament.​ Samuel Abelheim married a Smollan. 

• S. Hurwitz – presumably Solomon. We have reference to a general dealer and butcher Solomon Hurwitz abandoning his business in 1946. He was at the time living in Buffelsdrift, District Potgietersrust. From the Government Gazettes we have announcement in 1916 (28 December)  and 1917 (11 June) wherein Max Lowitz sells the Vryburg Fresh Meat Supply to an M. Hurwitz. The business was a butchery and a greengrocer. The business was on Erf. 120, Market Street. Months later, M. Hurwitz sold to C. Bruhns. And months before this transaction Meltzer sold it to Lowitz. The churn is dizzying. Meltzer to Lowitz, Lowitz to Hurwitz 

 

The list of local lads serving in the South African Défense Forces includes:

• Fritz Sonnenberg,

• B. Senderowitz - Taung

• S. Solomon - Pudimoe. Simon Solomon, son of the Lazarus and Annie Solomon. 

• Freedman. We know nothing about him. 

• E. Loewenthal. We know nothing about him. 

• Ludwig Hammerschlag, listed as living in De Hen and serving in the Kalahari Horse

• I.B. Solomon - I think this was Israel Solomon, son of the Lazarus and Annie Solomon from Pudiome. 

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The list of Jews who served in World War one and a Zionist Record notice form 1915 give greater clarity on the Jews who were residing in Vryburg at the time. In highlighting the Jews fighting  for the Empire in the Great War, the Jewish establishment no doubt sought to empower the community with a resource to prove the loyalty of South African Jews to King George. But they also provide a fascinating map of Jewish presence in the Colony.

 

The list also includes an M. Friedman from Mafikeng. I suspect that this may be Michael Friedman - brother of Woolf and Sam Friedman (related to the Walds, Poliaks and Abe Lax), as we know he parted ways with his brothers and moved to Mafikeng before migrating to Stellenbosch.​ Brothers Michael and Woolf Friedman were active from as early as 1911. Michael Friedman was in partnership with a Melzer (presumably Solomon) in running a store at Takoon in the district. In 1916 that store was sold to Isaac Rauff and Louis Gerber (a German Jew). The two traded under Rauff and Gerber until Louis died in Vryburg in 1934.  The Friedman;s who were from North Lithuania also inspired a relative Abe Lax (Lubavitch) and and his partner Abbie Lewis (Leviuas) to journey to the Vryburg district, some time before December 1917. Based on a file (DEPOT KAB, SOURCE 1/VBG, TYPE LEER, VOLUME_NO17/8) in the Cape Town Archives  file they were running the store and Madibogo or Maribogo. They were listed as traders and speculators. I presume they took over the store from the Sonnenberg family. 

From the Government Gazette we learn that a H Hodes – bought a store from Anthony Diab in 1916. The store was Gibeon in the Vryburg District.  We  know nothing about H. Hodes at this stage. Curiously, Anney Garnett found an announcement concerning the birth of a son to a Mr. and Mrs. P. Slevin in July 1918 in the Northern News. Slevin is a Jewish name and a Benjamin Slevin (born) 1917 was buried in West Park Cemetery on 7 September 1963.

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There are also legal cases involving a Harry Meyersohn in 1915, who was an insurance agent from Johannesburg and Ephraim Gluckman in 1920. The Gluckman's are a well known Courland family and some of them hailed from Tukum's. My grandfather's uncle Aaron who was the first to move to South Africa and sponsored the travel of my great grand-father and his four children married a Lena Gluckman. From court cases involving the Ephraim Gluckman, we learn that he ran Solomon Stores and Company on behalf of Schneier and London. His sister Nadia and brother-law, Joseph Berman were also in town these years. Sarah (Cuddles) Lewis in involved in a in case in 1924. Based on the National Archives, we know that Elias Helfer filed for immigration papers in 1910.

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Maximillian Isaac Cohen- the brother of Jacob (Jack) Cohen - who was later the owner of the Grand Hotel -in partnership with his brother-in-law Jack Perel and later a book keeper arrived in Vryburg as early as 1919 with his brother Harris Bernard. They were involved in the Savoy Hotel (later the International). The family came form nearby Bloemhof. He seems to have spent all his life in Vryburg with no real links to the community I am aware of. Anney Garnett found a notice from 1955 pertaining to his estate and form what we glean he seems to have farmed in the district. 

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