Many of us celebrated our Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in Vryburg. Below is a list of the celebrations held in the local synagogue that I have managed to map, though there are certainly a few missing.

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Religious Leadership and Preparation

During the years when Vryburg had a resident rabbi, preparations were overseen by the rabbi. After the town could no longer sustain a rabbinical post, the responsibility fell to Mr Chien and later to Esme Rauff, with the support of Victor Ressman. David Rauff recalls travelling with his mother, Esme, to Bloemhof to see Victor. As David explains: “He [Victor] was a Reverend and suitably qualified to oversee the Bar Mitzvah process. My mom could assist and prepare the Bar Mitzvah boys, but someone had to give the guidance and run the services. Otherwise, they would probably have had to have their Bar Mitzvahs out of town – for example in Kimberley.”

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A Community Comes Together

Bar and Bat Mitzvahs were major events on personal, family, and community levels—truly an occasion for an occasion. The Simon Lieberthal Hall was cleaned and refurbished, and local friends (Jewish and non-Jewish), business associates, Jews from surrounding country towns, and family members from the larger cities all came together for a wonderful weekend.

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Food, Hospitality, and Celebration

Good food was always central. Meals were either catered at home or held in a local hotel—most often the Grand Hotel. Many families chose to cater at home, while a Stellelander article Maurice Joffe’s Bar Mitzvah captures the flavour of these celebrations.

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In later years, although Boytjie Rohloff remained the caterer, receptions were often held at private homes. On the farm, we even erected a marquee tent in the garden. I remember Boytjie’s attention to detail—he even oiled the fruit to make it shine. 

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Joe Joffe, describing my Bar Mitzvah and that of Boytjie, wrote: “I cannot single out the best hotel in Johannesburg or Cape Town who could supersede the catering of that day—nobody, impossible. I have never seen such luxury foods presented. There was no shortage of refreshments either—plenty of everything.”

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Memories—Fond, Funny, and Painful

We all have distinct and vivid memories of our celebrations. Here are few. 

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Joe Davidovitz, who had been sent to Herber House, recalls his Bar Mitzvah as the worst day of his life. Contrary to his parents’ assumptions, Joe had done no preparation and found himself alone on the bimah—embarrassed and exposed by his lack of readiness.

 

Henry Wald remembers Rabbi Slonim as the longest-serving rabbi. For reasons he cannot recall, Rabbi Slonim later left, and a Rabbi Bak(?) came to teach Salvyn and Henry their portions. Henry adds: “I recall that as a rite of passage into adulthood, Joe Davidovitz and, I believe, Arthur Getz guided both Salvyn and me to smoke our first cigarettes—cough, cough, splutter, splutter, choke, choke. We were now ‘manne’.”

 

Gertrude Wald (now Gita Franco) recalls that, much to her mother’s distress, her brothers were quite petite. To ensure they could reach the bimah, boxes were placed on the bimah floor.

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Mervyn Lieberthal remembers being the eldest grandchild on his mother’s side. His grandparents travelled from Oudtshoorn to Vryburg—a distance of about 1,100 kilometres—by taxi. His grandfather never drove a car. That was quite a schlep.

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Mike Cohen fondly recalls Rabbi Kay remarking at his Bar Mitzvah dinner that Mike’s pet Border Collie, Rex, attended shul and cheder more often than Mike did.

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Shelley Skudowitz recounts that her celebration was catered at home: “I remember fetching Shaina (Jacobson) from the train station, laden with food you couldn’t get in Vryburg—like boxes of smoked snoek and other fish. I remember my mother, Shaina, my grandmother Dolly, and their friends cooking and baking for days.”

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My own memory is of Reverend Copperman from Kimberley blessing me after I completed my reading. I am not quite sure how he and I got through it.

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The End of an Era

The last Bar Mitzvah celebrated in Vryburg was Wayne Sussman’s. It was also the last time there was a minyan in the shul.

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Vryburg Bar and Bat Mitzvah's

Celebrations held in the local synagogue (as far as I have been able to determine):

• Joe Davidovitz (1945)

• Henry and Salvyn Wald (1945)

• Philip Cohen (?)

• Gerald Cohen (?)

• Arthur Getz (1946)

• Isaac Sussman (1949) 

• Derek Rosenberg (1950)

• Woolfie Sussman (1950)

• Reginald Paul Jacobson &  Leonard Joel Jacobson (1952)

• Winston Rosenberg (1952) 

• Meish Arenson (1953)

• Cliff Rosenberg (8 May 1954)

• Phil Toube, 25 September 1954

• Bram Katz (March 1955)

• Stanley Toube (May 1956)

• Mickey Katz (June 1956)

• Henry Joffe (1956)

• Frank Rohloff (1957)

• Selwyn Leibowitz (1957)

• Mervyn Lieberthal (May 1958) 

• Mike Cohen (June/ July 1958)

• Graham Brodovcky (March 1959)

• Leslie Toube (October 1959)

• Issy Lieberthal (1961) 

• Shelley and Louise Muskat (20 September 1964).

• Merle Joffe  (1964)

• Maxie Goldberg (1965)

• Samuel Katz (January 1966)

• Jacques Muskat (August/ September 1967)

• Maurice Joffe (1967)

• Wynne and Hugh Lieberthal (February 1968)

• David Rauff, 11 September 1971

• Steven Scheckter (1973)

• Howard Rauff (December 1975)

• Richard Rauff, 16 December 1978

• Gary Sussman, 28 May 1982

• Brett Sussman 13 June 1983

• Justin Rohloff (1985)

• Wayne Sussman, 20 June 1993

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