The Vryburg district was large, including Pudimoe, Stella, Taung, Kuruman, and Pokwane. Kuruman and nearby settlements played an important—and often overlooked—role in Jewish rural life. 

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The Jewish Life in the South African Country Communities study lists only 18 Jewish family names in Kuruman. However, records from government gazettes, naturalization papers, burial registers, newspapers, and Zionist publications show that many more Jewish settlers lived and traded in Kuruman and the surrounding district.

Early Jewish settlers included Levy (1867), Moses Abromowitz (1857-1923), the Falcke family (1899), and Joseph Mankowitz. One of the most well-known figures was Daniel Abt, a German Jewish hotelier from Vryburg who settled in Kuruman around 1910 and is buried there. In 1915 he took over the Grand Hotel. Another important figure was Hermann Hammerschlag, a lawyer active in Kuruman from at least 1916 to 1932. He was from Vryburg Hammerschlag family and worked under his cousin, Joseph Herbert Khan, who practiced locally until 1937.

 

Also included are the hoteliers Jaennot Weinberg, who served as mayor and Kevi (Kivy) Levin. Both lived in Vryburg as well. Kevi's brother, Louis (1878-1932) is listed as living in Kuruman during his World War One Service. The Levin family were from Lithuania Troškūnai (Trashkun) - between Utena and Panevezys and settled in Kimberley. His father Solomon was also a hotelier in Kimberley. A 1928 Zionist Record Rosh Hashanah Greetings saw messages from Herman Greenberg, who later moved to Vryburg, and an I. Gold as well as Ellis Kanushefsky (1900-1967). Ellis was the brother of Sonia who married Morrie Kaplan. The local doctor Dr. Morris Cohen (whose family hailed from Upington) also paid for greetings in the Zionist Record. 

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Kuruman’s Jewish cemetery did not have a designated Jewish section, but known burials include Israel Hyman Lipman and Daniel Abt. Israel Hyam Lipman, a general dealer who died in 1917. Born in Leeds, Hyam operated stores in Tsinen (near Hotazel) and Gamopedi.

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Traders

Many Jewish traders active in remote settlements such as Barton, Rooiwal, Wonderwerk, Mamaghodi, Takoon, Sutton, Kathu, Shishen, Gamopedi, Tsinen, and Olifantshoek are not documented in formal studies but are listed in government and commercial records. These include:

• Jacob Friedberg (1881-1921), from Hasenpoth (Aizpute), Latvia, lived in the Kuruman district from 1901 to 1904 before moving to Barkly West. He reached the Cape in 1901 and filed his Naturalization papers 1908. He lived in Searle in the Kuruman District from January 1901 to 1904. He then moved to Longlands in the Barclay West District. Renowned writer Sarah Gertrude Millin grew up at Longlands.

• Jacob Isaac Blumberg, from Talsen, Courland, traded in Kuruman’s Kaap Ward from a young age.

• Brothers Harry and Robert Lipman - no relation to Israel Hyman Lipman. The brothers owned stores at Rooiwal and Sutton which is near present day Olifantshoek/ Kathu. From the Government Gazettes we learn that the brothers reached the district, as early as 1910. From Gazette notices, we glean that the property called Sutton was in the Gamagara Valley – present day Kathu. Harry married Margaretha Ansbruch in Port Elizabeth in 1918. He is listed as living in Kuruman at the time of his wedding. By 1919 Harry was living in Steytlerville. From his death certificate we learn that Harry Lipman was from Zagre in Lithuania. His parents were Edle and Chana Schlaporbersky. Robert Lipman - who married Basschie Bleeden - passed away in Kroonstad in 1956.

• Harry Lipman also had a trading business with Simon Perkin (1887-1937) in Kuruman around 1921. Simon whose family were from Zagare, married Ida Firsker in 1907 in Port Elizabeth. According to his granddaughters, Miranda Beckenstein (nee Kark), Simon ran a hotel and was deputy mayor of Kuruman. From there they moved to Port Elizabeth.

• We know quite allot about brothers Samuel Nathan Geber (1887-1925), Hirsch or Harry Sax Geber (1883-1938) and Jacob Geber. From Harry Sax Geber’s last will – drawn up in Kuruman in 1918 - we glean that his brother Jacob lived in Kuruman and his brother Samuel Nathan lived in Barton – in the Kuruman district. He was buried in the Kimberley Jewish Cemetery. Harry Sax and Jacob bought a general dealership in Olifantshoek in 1916. The surname seems to have originally been Shakinovsky and the family from Kovno in Lithuania. Oliefantshoek had another Geber, Isaac Geber. He applied for naturalization in 1924 from Olifantshoek and in 1915 he was listed as making a donation to Zionist causes and as listed in the Vryburg contributions to Jewish causes. The last will of Harry Sax Geber mentions the following siblings: Hirsch Lipman, Meyer, Isaac, Getrude and Rachel. Isaac Geber and Samuel Nathan Geber share the same fathers name in Hebrew (son of Zeev). 

• Harry Arkin (1881-1945) and Harry Glass (son of Israel) - both hailed from Klikol, Lithuania sold their store to Samuel Nathan Geber

• In 1916 Charles Wulf Edelstein (1880-1946) and Abraham Salmonson, bought a store at Batlaros, Lower Kuruman Native Reserve. Salmonson was from Libau (Liepāja), Latvia, was residing near Windsorton (Klipdam) at the time of his marriage in 1913. He married Sarah Zasman. The Edelstein family were from Piltene/ Ventspils, Latvia

• Henry Philip Sussman (Hirsch Faival) applied for naturalization in 1923 from Dingle a farm in the Kuruman district. Later, Henry moved to Zambia and died a bachelor in 1949 Ndola, Copperbelt, Zambia. 

• Isaac Rauff - from Taungs and later Vryburg. 

• Samuel Rosenstein (1880-1945) had a store in Mamaghodi in 1915. Samuel later moved to the Warrenton District where he had a general dealership. He married out to Maude Mary Anne Pike. 

• Benjamin Israelson bought Samuel Rosentstein’s store when he left Kuruman.

• Solomon Weingarten who married Alma Bertha Clara Otto was probably a German Jew. 

• Louis Gerber - covered under Vryburg.   

 

Hotel Deaths

• Fanny Weinberg (nee Abrahamson) died in 1939 in the Grand Hotel in Kuruman aged 81. She was the mother of John (Jaennot) Weinberg. Fanny (Faige Bayla) was buried in Kimberley.

• Isiah Jerimiah Kaplan (1917-1964) committed suicide in his hotel room in Kuruman. He was a psychologist. He was married to Anna Catherina Brits and the son of Solomon Kaplan. From his headstone, we see that he was a Cohen and the son of Tzvi.

• Finally, in 1927 a divorcee, Leah Rosen (nee Greenstone) passed away was living at the Savoy Hotel. She was buried in Kimberley Cemetery. ​​​​​