Woolf Goldwater - the early leader:

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. The Goldwater's are listed as hotel proprietors and had six children. Their eldest daughter, Matilda, was married to David Smollan, who owned the Grand Hotel min Vryburg. This explains why Woolf Goldwater got to Vryburg. Goldwater probably also provided spiritual leadership and his appointment suggests that the community was formalized before 1912. Years later, Harry Goldwater, the son of Woolf brother of Mathilda Smollan (married to David), served as a GP in Vryburg.

 

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). Irwin (1890-1970) was the son of Samuel and Doretta Hartogs. This ceremony probably speaks volumes for the level of observance practiced by the German Jews, who were prominent in the economic and social life at the time. The Sonnenberg wealth was astounding 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 Litvaks - the Smollans / Woolf Goldwater, the Mazaik gang (Lax and Freidman) and the Talsen born 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, a storekeeper, 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 Jewish National Fund (JNF). The article also mentions Woolf and Sam Friedman (from Mazaik) and Simon Lieberthal. ​

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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 German Jews and Lithuanians, notably Abe Lax and 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 possibly 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 (from Bloemhof). 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. 

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. Lina passed away 12 March 1906.  We have established that Lazarus Solomon (Lithuanian) reached Lowlands (Brussels siding) as early as 1913. He was preceded by Elias Norman Helfer, who reached South Africa on 12 March 1910, aboard the Dover Castle. Helfer, hailed from Zidikae (Zhidik in Yiddish), Lithuania and settled he near Geluk on the road to Kuruman. His naturalization application was made in Vryburg the same year he arrived. We are also aware of the presence of the brothers, Woolf Freidman and Michael Friedman from Mazaik in Lithuania. From the Government Gazette of 1 June 1916 we know that a Meltzer was in partnership with the Friedmans. They had a store in Vryburg and in Takoon. In a 1916 notice Anney Garnett found, promoting the Vryburg Fresh Meat Supply Company there is reference to a S. Meltzer. I believe this was Solomon Meltzer, from Mir, Minsk who married to Hode Rakovski. My submission is based on the fact that, Samuel Abelheim was a witness for his last will and testament.​ Abelheim married Rose Smollan. Solomon Meltzer sold this business to Max Lowitz later sold it to M. Hurwitz. Months later, M. Hurwitz sold to C. Bruhns. I think that this was Michael Hurwitz. Cyril Hurwitz, founder of Bull Brand was born in Mafikeng. Max Lowitz (Mordechai, son of Tuvia) was a speculator and farmer, living on a farm called Kareebult (located near Kameel). He may well have come to Vryburg as a Hotelier, as we know from the research of Graham Brodovcky on Jewish hoteliers that the International belong to a company called Lowitz and Radowsky. In 1918 Max (who I think was Latvian) married Sophie Maneschewitz of Grahamstown.

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In 1916 a 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. Abe Lax (Leibowitz) was in partnership with Abbie Lewis (Levius) at Madibogo. As already noted, Lax reached Vryburg sometime before 1910. 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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Maximillian Isaac Cohen- brother of Jacob (Jack) Cohen - arrived in Vryburg as early as 1919 with his brother Harris Bernard Cohen. They were involved in the Savoy Hotel (later the International). The family came from nearby Bloemhof. 

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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 list of additional names is supplemented by a list of Jewish soldiers serving in the Union forces World War One.

• Mrs. S. Abelheim. 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.

• A. Katz, of whom we know nothing but is listed in the Jewish Life listing. 

• 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. I think that this is Solomon Meltzer referred to above. 

• S. Hurwitz – of who we know little.

 

Curiously, Simon Lieberthal and the Talsen Friedmans were not listed. This may suggest they were not yet economically established.

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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 Regiment. 

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

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The list also includes an M. Friedman from Mafikeng. I suspect that this may be Michael Friedman - brother of Woolf and Sam Friedman. ​

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