Family1 5november

OWSIANICK FAMILY ± 1938

Back Row left to right: Sylvia Rosalin. Oupa. Granny. Ethel (Effie)
Front Row: Joyce Beryl.

• Sylvia married Morris Kaufman and they had two sons, Cyril and Basil.
Morris died in 2004 and Sylvia died in 2011.

• Effie married Hyman Schauder in 1945 and they had a son, Donald
Elkin and a daughter, Valerie Rose.
Hyman died in 1994 and Effie lives in Cape Town.

• Joy married Arthur Lewin and they had one daughter, Estelle Ann.
Joy died in 2010 and Arthur died in 2016.

CYRIL & BASIL DON & VAL ESTELLE

KLERKSDORP 1953

Birthdays:

Cyril – 14th May 1942
Basil – 7th July 1945
Don – 16th November 1946
Norma – 31 January 1948
Sharon – 25th October 1948
Cherryl – 2nd March 1949
Raymond – 4th September 1949
Brian – 8th December 1949
Val – 22nd June 1950
Estelle – 13th October 1951

Yarzheits:

Oupa: 6th June 1946 - ‫ז׳ ְּב ִסי ָון תש״ו‬
Granny: 27th March 1981 - ‫כ״א ַּב ֲא ָדר ב׳ תשמ״א‬

Hyman: 2nd August 1994 - ‫כ״ה ְּב ָאב תשנ״ד‬
Morris: 6th January 2004 - ‫י״ב ְּב ֵט ֵבת תשס״ד‬

Joy: 27th August 2010 - ‫י״ז ֶּב ֱאלּול תש״ע‬
Sylvia: 13th April 2011 - ‫ט׳ ְּב ִני ָסן תשע״א‬
Arthur: 28th July 2016 - ‫כ״ב ְּב ַּתּמּוז תשע״ו‬
Effie (Ethel): 11th July 2017 - ‫י״ח ְּב ַּתּמּוז תשע״ז‬

Wedding Anniversaries:

Cyril & Norma: 22nd December 1968
Basil & Sharon: 30th March 1970

Don & Cherryl: 14th December 1969
Brian & Estelle: 5th April 1973

Raymond & Val: 16th December 1973

Klerksdorp: Mom and Dad

My Great Grandfather, Chaim Chaikel Boner, was one of the founders
of the Jewish Community of Klerksdorp.

My Oupa, Isidore Owsianick, continued in the footsteps of his father-in-law
Chaim Boner.

Dad continued the tradition.

I have often thought of how and why Dad ever found himself in Klerksdorp.

Morris Louis Kaufman was born in 1908 in Maitland, Cape Town.

He matriculated from SACS (South African College School) Boys High School in
1925

He studied at Cape Town University for a BA in Basic medical sciences and
Latin and then left for England to Liverpool University where he qualified as a

Doctor in 1931 and he earned a specialist degree in Surgery,
FRCS at the University of Edinburgh in 1934.

Before sailing to
England - 1928

Manchester 1930

Liverpool 1931 - Graduation

After practicing medicine for a short while in England, he returned to South
Africa and the first job opportunity that presented was a locum in
Johannesburg.
Dad did not have a car so before leaving for Johannesburg he went to visit his
older brother Isaac who lived and worked in Vanrhynsdorp , a small town in
the North Western Cape.
Isaac worked for the Bobba’s brothers, Max and Hyman Joffe who owned a
garage and motor car dealership in that town – the same two men who had
sponsored and helped Zeida to leave Lithuania to work in Cape Town and had
also loaned money to Dad to cover his university and graduation fees for his
medical studies at Liverpool University.
Max and Hyman Joffe were always there to help Zeida and his family and on
this occasion they helped Dad by lending him the money to buy his first motor
car.

While in Vanrhynsdorp Dad had to take out a drivers licence and he often used
to tell us the story how his brother Isaac gave him a crash course and that when
he presented himself for the test he forgot how to start the motor and the Traffic
Inspector showed him and then when he started to drive he put the gear into
reverse – anyway to cut a long story short he got his licence (he was never the
world’s best driver – definitely not Stirling Moss) but there he was with his car
and he drove back to Cape Town and then on to his locum job in Johannesburg.

It has been well documented that Zeida's family name at birth was Kropman
and that sometime the name changed to Kaufman.
I have no idea how or why and can only guess that it had something to do with
the way it was written on his South African immigration papers.

However, what is important here is that the family name of
Zeida’s relatives in Klerksdorp, was Kropman.

Klerksdorp was then a small town (it is now a large city) about 160 kilometers
south- west of Johannesburg, so before Dad left Cape Town, Zeida told him that
he had family in Klerksdorp and suggested that Dad stop over and visit.
Dad drove to Johannesburg and after he had completed the locum, he began his
return journey to begin another locum job in Cape Town and he decided that on
the way he would stop over in Klerksdorp to meet the Kropman family.

When he met the Kropman’s, they told him that there was only one Jewish
doctor in Klerksdorp and they suggested that another Jewish doctor would be
most welcome. This was in 1936.
Dad took their advice and returned to Klerksdorp where he opened his medical
practice which he conducted for 41 years until he and Mom made Aliyah in
1977.
He became very involved with the Jewish community, he met Oupa who was
President of the Shul and through his contact with Oupa and Granny he met
their daughter, Sylvia.

In the meantime Dad’s medical practice was doing very well and he was able to
make plans to repay his debts to his Uncles.

This picture shows the details of all loans to Dad from when he travelled to
England to study medicine in 1929 and then the cost of the purchase of his first
motor car from the Joffe Brothers.
The car cost Two hundred pounds Sterling, insurance one pound, eight shillings
and sixpence and new tyres
The total debt on 31st December 1936 was Four hundred and ninety five pounds,
eleven shillings and nine pence which included interest that he paid for the loan.
In 1936 the British Pound was worth approximately five US Dollars so that the
debt was the equivalent of about two thousand five hundred US dollars which in
1936 was considered a large sum of money.

On the 13th April 1939 Dad made the final payment to square off the loan and
below is the cheque for Two hundred and nineteen pounds and nineteen shillings
made out to Joffe Bros.

After he sent the cheque he must have contacted Bobba and Zeida to tell them
this news and when I was looking through Dad’s papers I discovered some
letters written in Yiddish and they were in an envelope with the heading:

I gave these letters to a certified translator to decipher and translate from
Yiddish to English.

This letter is written by Bobba – 17 April 1939 (Dad writes the date)

Yiddish Letter to Moshe Leib English translation Letter to

17th April 1939 (Bobba) Moshe Leib 17th April 1939

,‫ לעבען זאל‬,‫ליבענדער קינד משה לייב‬ Beloved child Moshe Leib, may he
‫דיין וועלקאם בריף האבען מיר‬ live,
Your welcome letter was received by
‫ערהאלטן אונד דיא ערסטע ֿפרייט איז‬ us and the first joy is that we hear
‫ אונד‬,‫אז מען הערט ֿפון דיר געזונד‬ you are healthy, and further my
beloved child, I am not able to
‫ קען איך דיר‬,‫ווייטער מיין ליבער קינד‬ express my joy and the joy of all of
‫ניסט אויש שפרעכען מיינע ֿפרייט אונד‬ us that you wrote us that you paid off
‫אונזער אלעמענס פריידע אז דיא האסט‬ the debt to your uncle. Thank G-d, I
say for that, and I hope that G-d will
‫אונז געשריבען דאס דיא האסט‬ certainly help you since with your
‫ אדאנק‬.‫באצאלט דעם כייף דעם אנקלש‬ own ten fingers you earned the
money and paid the debt. – it brings
‫ אונד איך‬,‫ זאג איך דער פאר‬,‫גאטט‬ me enough frustration that you had to
‫האף אז דיר וועט גאטט געוויש העלפן‬ pay this on your own. But G-d alone
knows that there was no other way to
‫אז דיא האסט מיט דיינע אייגע צען‬ help you. Now I hope that very soon
– .‫פינגערען ֿפערדינט אונד באצאלט‬ you will earn back this money. And I
‫גענוג ֿפערדריסט עס מיר אז דיא האסט‬ can imagine how wonderful you
,‫ אבער גאטט‬.‫עס אליין געדארֿפט צאלן‬ must feel now that you have paid off
‫ווייסט נור אז מיר האבען זיך אנדערש‬ the debt.
‫ יעטצט האֿפע‬,‫ניסט געקענט העלֿפען‬ I can tell you that as wonderful as
‫איך אז דיא וועסט אין גיכען דיין געלט‬ you feel, that is how great my joy is
‫ אונד איך שטעל זיך‬.‫ציא ריק אפמאכען‬ as well. More about our home, there
‫ֿפאר וויא גוט דיא מוסט ֿפילען אז דיא‬ is nothing to write about. It is now
very quiet in the house since
.‫האסט בעצאלט דיין כייף‬ everyone has gone away. We should
‫איך קען דיר זאגען אזוי גוט וויא דיא‬ only hear good news one from the
,‫ֿפילסט זיך אזוי איז מיין שימכע גרויס‬ other. Be well my child as your
‫ווייטער ֿפאן דער היים איז גארנישט‬ loving mother wishes you,
‫ עס איז יעטצט זייער‬.‫וואס ציא שרייבן‬
.‫שטיל אין הויז אלעמעש אוועק ֿפארן‬
‫זאל מען נור הערן גיטעס איינער ֿפאן‬
‫ ֿפער בלייב מיין קינד געזונט‬.‫אנדערן‬
‫וויא דיר ווינטשט דיין ליבע מוטטער‬

‫ציללע‬

Tsilla

The letter below is written by Zeida

Yiddish Letter to Moshe Leib English translation Letter to Moshe
17th April 1939 Leib 17th April 1939

,‫ אונדזער ליבער קינד משה לייב‬Our beloved child Moshe Leib,
‫ און‬,‫ דיין ליבען בריף האבען מיר ערהאלטן‬We received your loving letter, and

‫ איך קען דיר שרייבן דאס מיר האבען‬I can write you that we have great
‫ פילע פארגניגן געהאט פאן דעם וואס דיא‬pleasure upon hearing that you

‫ זאגער אונז‬.‫ האסט אבגעצאלט דיין חוב‬have paid off your debt. It
‫ האט פארדראסען דאס דיא האסט‬bothered us that

‫ ווייל דיא‬.‫חוב‬-‫ געדארפט זיין א ַב ַעל‬you were a debtor because the
‫ איבעריגע קינדער האבען דען חוב ניט‬other children did not have this

‫ געהאט פאר שקולפיס נור דיר איז‬debt for
.‫ אויסגעקומין ציא זיין‬school, it only occurred with you.

.‫ אבער אז עס איז שוין באצאלט איז גוט‬But it has already been paid which
‫ דאס‬.‫ און דיא מוסט זיך פיהלען ֿפריילעכער‬is good.

‫ הייסט מיט אייגענע כוחות זיך‬So you must be feeling happier.
‫ און ג' זאל געבען דיא‬.‫ ארויפגעארבייט‬That means you worked your way

.‫ זאלסט אנדערע געלט אפמאכען‬up on your own with your own
‫ פאן דער היים איז ניטא פיל וואס ציא‬effort.
‫ מיר זיינען ג' ציא דאנקען‬. ‫ שרייבען‬And may G-d grant that you
.‫ געזונד און אלעס גייט זיך איר ארדער‬should
‫ בענע ארבייט שווערלעך א בישל אבער ער‬earn more money.

.‫ איז צופרידען פאן זיך‬From home, there is not much to
‫ פערבלייב געזונד און לעבע זיך גליקליך‬write about. We are thank G-d

‫ וויא עס ווינשען דיר דיינע עלטערן‬healthy and everything is in order.
‫ קאופמאן‬.‫ איי ז‬Bennie works a bit hard but he is

pleased with himself.

Be well and live happily

As your parents wish you

A..Z Kaufman

Mom and Dad were engaged in August 1940 and below is a letter from Zeida to
Dad – written in Yiddish describing his and Bobba’s reaction to the news that

Dad was to be engaged to Mom.

Maitland

4th August 1940

Our beloved child Moshe Leib…..may you live in good health

First of all I want to share with you that we all find ourselves thank God in good

health and we hope that this letter will find you in the best of health

And now dear child you can understand that your surprise would have been even

greater but Rachel did not want to spoil the surprise so it is twofold.

But in this case you should know that she wanted us to receive the news directly

from you.
Our dear child – I cannot describe to you our happiness I wish I could but I cannot.

This can only be described as the happiness of parents and our happiness is a

double one.

First, we were happy that we heard about this from you and second of all, we

understood from your letter that you have found the partner whom we hope will be

your partner in your life which is the greatest joy for a human being to find his
partner and when you find it – God alone has said
‫ לא טוב לאדם לבדו‬- - It is not good for man to be alone – that means that even when

man is in paradise he must be with his partner.

And we thank you very much for granting us the respect of a mother and a father

that you did not go and talk with Mr and Mrs Owsianick before you had our

consent. It would not have disturbed me even if you would have done it the other

way but if you already did it like this then it is very fine and gentle from your side.

And now my dear child I can give you our blessing and our congratulations and

our only request it that you should both have a long and happy life.

We hope that she will be a good child and as devoted as our own children because

we know that because you selected her she must be a good child and that she will be
good to you – this is our only wish and we hope that you will both be very happy

and lucky.

That is all our beloved child that I write to you today and please convey to Mr and

Mrs Owsianick from us and I hope they will also be as content and happy as we are

but I believe they know you already a bit and that is enough for them.

And when you will speak with them and everything will be decided please convey to

them in our name our mazal tov, congratulations and also to the one you have

chosen.

Live happily and we wish you all good days

A Kaufman

Dad was a pivotal factor around which the Jewish Community in Klerksdorp
revolved.
At one time or another he was either Honorary Secretary or President or
Chairman of the Hebrew Congregation and a very active member of the Shul
who, in the absence of a permanent Rabbi, was more often than not called upon
to conduct services on Friday evenings and read from the Torah on Shabbat
mornings.

This gold pocket watch
was presented to Dad by
the Klerksdorp Hebrew
Congregation in
appreciation for services
rendered as Honorary
Secretary

The engraving reads:

Presented to
Dr. M. Kaufman
by members of the

Klerksdorp
Hebrew Congregation
for services rendered

as Hon. Secretary
15 . 8 . 43

Dad was a most respected medical practitioner in the area and an active member
of all Jewish Committees and in addition served for many years as the honorary
treasurer of the Klerksdorp Golf Club as well as being a founder member of the
Klerksdorp Rotary Club.



Sylvia Rosalin Kaufman (Owsianick) – Mom - was born
in Hartebeesfontein (near Klerksdorp) on 12 September 1918.

She went to junior school at the Klerksdorp Convent (where Granny had gone to
school) and High school at Barnato Park Girls High School in Johannesburg.
After school she decided to become a pharmacist so she did her apprenticeship at
Sammel and Walker Pharmacy in Klerksdorp and then began studying at the
Johannesburg Technical College where she completed the preliminary exam in
1940.

Granny and Mom shopping in Johannesburg Mom at Muizenberg Beach

At this time she was already engaged to be married so she decided to discontinue
her studies.

Annie Mom Oupa Granny Effie Annie Raie Mom
Joy

Klerksdorp Raiway Station: The Cape Town Family comes to Klerksdorp
for the wedding -- June 1941

Mom and Dad were married in the Klerksdorp Shul on 22nd June 1941.

GRANNY BOBBA

OUPA ZEIDA

Mr. Borer Oupa Dad Isaac Zeida Charlie Isaac & Annie Boner (Granny's brother & Sister-
in-law and Nathan Owsianick (Oupa's brother)

Bridesmaids: Joy Raie Effie

NEWSPAPER CUTTING DESCRIBING
MOM & DAD’S WEDDING

I was born on 14th May1942 Basil was born on 7th July 1945

Mom was very active in WIZO and other communal committees but above all,

she was the most wonderful Mother.
Her kindness and patience, her support and advice, her encouragement and
guidance, knew no limit.

She was always ready to help anyone and everyone and never allowed herself to
be in the spotlight – she was the most unassuming person

and the true Woman of Valor ……… ‫אשת חיל‬

Her children rise up, and call her blessed; ‫ָקמּו ָבנֶי ָה ַויְ ַא ְשרּו ָה ַב ְע ָלּה ַויְ ַה ְל ָלּה‬
Her husband also, and he praises her:

My childhood and my school days were happy days, filled with excitement,
discovery and surrounded by loving family and the best of friends.

My parents taught my brother Basil and me the basic principles of “love and
respect your fellow man”.
Religion was a very important part of our upbringing and the Jewish State of
Israel was very often a subject of discussion.
Basil and I were encouraged at every opportunity to take an active part in
Jewish Youth movements and from an early age we spent our summer vacations
at Habonim Camps.

Habonim Camp, 1956
Leaches Bay. East London

Kitchen Duty---- with Barney Sher and Arnold Endlin

My parents were always active members of the school committees, they attended
school sporting events and were always there to help and support in every
possible way.

There were two events that highlighted my school days and each in their own
way very unique.

The first concerned my bar mitzvah:

Klerksdorp was and had been without a Rabbi for some years and it was time
for my bar- mitzvah, so Dad was my teacher. He taught me how to lay Tefillin
and because I had to read the portion of the Torah he actually wrote by hand the
exact copy what it would look like.
Below is a part of what he wrote in his own hand using a turkey quill:

My birthday was on May 14th and the portion of the Torah was ‫ במדבר‬and in
1955 that was supposed to be on Saturday 21st May.
At the time Zeida was 77 years old and had great difficulty in walking and also
out of respect to Zeida, Dad did not want to have the guests driving to Shul and
then after the service to drive to the Reception at the Communal Hall, which was
a few miles from the Shul and from our home.
Also, in that year the public holiday of Ascension Day fell on Thursday 19th May
so Dad decided that we should have the bar mitzvah on that Thursday which
anyway was a day that a portion of the Torah was to be read in Shul and this
would solve all the problems.
Dad wrote to Rabbi Louis Rabinowitz, Chief Rabbi of South Africa at that time,
to ask for his blessing and below is the reply that he received from the Chief
Rabbi.

The service took place on Thursday 19 May and was conducted by Reverend
Rudy (the same man who appears in the photograph of the Klerksdorp Hebrew
Congregation 1938, sitting between Oupa and Great grandfather Chaim Chaikel
Boner.
Rabbi Dr Abt - a friend of Dad’s, made the sermon.

During the first week of January 1959, the beginning of my matriculation year, I
received a letter from Mr. Tommy Stevens, the Head Master of the Milner High
School, informing me that I had been elected, together with nine other boys and
10 girls, to be prefects for that year.
I was to present myself at the school a few days before the beginning of the
school year and we would all be told what our tasks would be as prefects.
When we arrived at the meeting we were handed a sheet of paper with all twenty
names of the boys and girls and we were asked to vote for Head prefects and
Deputy Head prefects. All twenty prefects voted for both boy and girl head
prefects.
To my utter surprise, the vote was counted and I was elected by my fellow school
mates to be Head Boy.
This was unique in that it was the first time in the history of Milner High that a
Jewish boy was voted in as Head Boy and it was also the first time in the history
of Klerksdorp Schools in general.
Below is a picture of the twenty prefects and I am sitting alongside the Principal
on my right and the Vice Principal, Mrs. Du Plessis (Latin teacher) on my left.
I was the only Jewish boy in my class and there were two Jewish girls.

Aside from my being Head Prefect at Milner High School, Klerksdorp, in 1959,
my cousin Sheila Gilinsky (Kaufman) was appointed Head Girl at Herzlia High
School in Cape Town in 1967 and then my cousin Estelle Doctor (Lewin) was
appointed Head Girl at King David High School in Johannesburg in 1968.

I would imagine that as a family this is quite a unique set of events.

I matriculated from the Milner High School in 1959 and studied Dentistry at
Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg from 1960 -1966.

I had been drafted into the South African Army for nine months of service and
so after qualifying in June 1966 I began basic training and I completed nine
months of active military service in the South African Defence Force in April
1967.

CAPE TOWN: 1967 – 1968

The basic training program in the army finished at the end of August 1966 and
I was posted to the Military Hospital in Wynberg, Cape Town.
During the week, I had accommodation at the military barracks, and on the
weekends, I stayed with Auntie Annie and Uncle Isaac in Highlands Estate at
the foot of Table Mountain.

These were carefree days and as I had spent my whole life in Klerksdorp and
Johannesburg, I now had the opportunity to get to know the Cape Town part of
our family.

 Aunty Annie and Uncle Isaac and Simmy.
 Uncle Charlie - I used to play a lot of golf with him.
 Uncle Toby and Sheila.
 Uncle Mike, Aunty Sonny, Gita and Saville.
 Aunty Raie, Uncle Nat and Zilla-Jane.
 Uncle Benny and Aunty Bess.
 Cousin Isaac and Yvonne Karpas and their children Louis and Lily-Esta.

I also had the opportunity to meet and have some very interesting discussions
with Uncle Hyman Joffe who had been so good to the Kaufman family and to
Dad in particular.
He was a lovely man and lived with his son and daughter-in-law, Phissie and
Ada Joffe on the 3rd floor of an apartment building in London Road, Sea Point.

Later that year I discovered that David and Fanny Fleishman and their
daughter Norma lived in an apartment in the very same building just one floor
above.

I was posted to the Navy Dental Clinic in Simonstown in October 1966 and this
is where I remained for the duration of my military service.
As this posting was very close to beautiful golf course at Clovelly Country Club
in Fishoek and as Dad’s older brother, Charlie was a member at that golf club,
I decided to take out membership and this was the beginning of my serious
golfing endeavors.

Dad’s brother Toby (my cousin Sheila’s father) was a dentist and he was
partners with Solly Sank, and between them they had two dental practices,
one in Wynberg and the other in Sea Point.
Towards the end of 1966, Toby became very ill with lung cancer and his
partner asked me if I would help in the day to day running of the two
dental surgeries.
I agreed and after I had finished daily work in the army I worked in Wynberg
and on Fridays and Saturdays I was in Sea Point.
Sadly, Toby passed away in February 1967.
I completed my army service in April 1967 and as I had planned to travel to
England for an unlimited period of time, I arranged to meet with Solly to
tell him about my plans.
Solly told me that he no longer wished to be part of a joint dental practice and
was happy to work in Wynberg and he gave me first option to buy the branch
practice in Sea Point.
This was a huge opportunity for me so I decided to cut the trip short and told
Solly that I would return to Cape Town in November and then I would buy the
practice in Sea Point.
I worked in London for two months (July/ August) and then travelled through
Europe to Amsterdam, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Milan, Florence, Venice and
Rome.

Amsterdam - September 1967

The final stop on this tour before returning to South Africa was to visit Israel.

Harold and Edie had settled in Petach Tikvah and they invited me to stay with
them in their apartment and to share a room with their little boy Ilan who was
then 4 yrs. old. Ronen was still a baby.
This was soon after the Six Day War so I toured all the new territories
including the Golan Heights and the West Bank and I spent Rosh Hashanah in
Petach Tikvah and Yom Kippur in Jerusalem at the Wailing Wall.
On one of the days, I reciprocated their hospitality and took them for a day trip
by air to Eilat.

On my return to Cape Town at the end of November
1967, I began with arrangements to buy the dental
practice in Sea Point and it was in the period of the next
30 days that I met Norma Fleishman and it was the

beginning of a new era for both of us.

It all began when some friends of mine from Dental School arrived in Cape
Town for the summer vacation and they had arranged a barbeque picnic in
Simonstown at Boulders Beach.
On that particular day, there was a big golf competition at Clovelly and I had
arranged to play but I wanted to see them so I decided that on the way I would
pass by the beach to say hello.
My very good friend David Maltz and his girlfriend Brenda Saidman were at
the beach and Brenda had brought along her friend Norma Fleishman.
I met Norma and I was suitably impressed (in fact I was bowled over) and after
we had spoken for a short while I asked for her telephone number and if I could
call and arrange to meet.
She gave me her telephone number and that very same evening we met and
went to a friend’s party.

A few days later I met two very special people:

David and Fanny Fleishman (Javen)

What follows is the story of these two people who were so very
dear to me and whose memory will be with me forever.



YANKEL DAVID FLEISHMAN – Pa

Jankel David Fleishman – ‫–יעקב דוד ב"ר אהרון דוב‬- was born to Aharon Dov and
Nehama Dvora, in Dvinsk (Daugavpils), Latvia in 1896.

DAVID was the only son and there were three sisters, Mira, Ida and Rosa.

David Fleishman spent his youth in Dvinsk and during the Russian
Revolution the family moved to Libau as this was the hometown of David’s
father, Aharon Dov.
After WW I, David, at the age of about 24, left Libau and made his way to
Berlin, Germany.
At that time, Berlin was thought to be the place where young people could make
a good living and he found a job working for a company that imported luxury
goods such as coffee, chocolates and cigars.
Not too long after his arrival in Berlin he began to feel the threat of anti-
Semitism and so he decided to return to Libau and register for a
“Preparation course” to make “Aliyah” to Palestine. (Eretz Yisrael)
Those were the years of the third Aliyah and the document below shows the
“Bestatung” (Confirmation) of his completion of the ‫ הכשרה‬signed on 10th
February 1925.

David Fleishman (circed in red) at
the railway station in Memel,
together with the
group of
"Chaluzim",
on their way to Eretz Yisrael.
10 February 1925

FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN IN LIBAU BEFORE LEAVING FOR PALESTINE
THIS PHOTO SHOWS DAVID WITH HIS SISTER, MIRA, AND FRIENDS..

David Fleishman had arranged for his oldest sister Mira to travel to Palestine

with him and they arrived sometime in February/March 1925 and on arrival he

immediately signed up with the;
General Federation of Hebrew Workers in Eretz Israel –
‫היסתדרות הכללית של עובדים העברים בא"י‬



Translation:
To the Office of Labour - Rehovot -- for member Fleishman. I ask you please to send member
Fleishman to work in Rishon Lezion as soon as possible and without any delay - there is work for four or
five days. I thank you.... Banai Segal

David Fleishman's Histadrut Membership Booklet

During the few years that David Fleishman lived in Israel, he was able to be part
of and witness many new and exciting events.
He and his friends walked by foot all the way from Rishon Lezion to Jerusalem
to be present on the day of the opening of The Hebrew University in April 1925.

The Tomb of Avshalom The Tomb of Haziz Family

He helped to build roads in the town of Herzlia and one of his jobs was to act as
a night watchman in an orange grove in Rishon Lezio

David and his sister Mira Tel Aviv beach - 1925

A group tiyul to the Yarkon River - Sukkot 1927

On the 1st October 1926, David Fleishman was vaccinated for Typhoid fever.
Below is the vaccination certificate.

Soon after this he contracted Malaria, he was very ill and felt very unsure of the
future in Palestine so he wrote to his cousin Annie Tocker (Stoller) in Cape
Town and described his situation.
Annie Tocker replied to his letter and suggested that he should consider moving
to South Africa where perhaps he would find an easier life.
David Fleishman took Annie’s advice and when he recovered he bought a train
ticket from Tel Aviv to Port Said and then a ticket on a steamship which took
him to Cape Town via the Suez Canal and down the East coast of Africa where
he stopped over in Lourenco Marques and Durban..
Below is a photo taken in Lourenco Marques, Mozambique and shown in the
photo are the ship’s crew and some of the local population.
The name Lourenco Mar is written in David Fleishman’s handwriting.

The steamship arrived in Cape Town sometime in 1927
Devils Peak in the background

With travel companions at Cape Town docks.

David Fleishman’s sisters: Mira, Rosa and Ida

From the time that David Fleishman left Libau in 1925 and all through his
travels to Palestine and South Africa, he was in constant contact with his family
in Libau and also a cousin, Annie Stoller who had travelled to South Africa and
married a man in Cape Town by the name of Abe Tocker.
David’s two sisters, Ida and Rosa had remained in Libau and Rosa had married.
The third sister, travelled with David to Palestine.
David Fleishman met a man by the name of Aaron Flaxman and they became
very friendly and he introduced him to his sister Mira.
Mira and Aaron Flaxman married and soon after left Palestine and went to live
in Strasbourg, France.
Aaron was an Industrial chemist and Mira had also studied chemistry at
university in Germany.
So they set up a Chemical business in Strasbourg and soon after a daughter was
born and they named her Stella.
Below is a photo taken of Stella with her grandfather Aharon Dov Fleishman
(David Fleishman’s father).
This photo was taken in 1936 in Strasbourg and this was about one year before
Aharon Dov passed away on 8th February 1937.

Even after he arrived in Cape Town, David Fleishman never gave up on his
efforts to try and arrange for all three of his sisters to leave Europe and escape
the threat of Nazism.

Ida:

With Ida he was successful and she travelled from Libau to Cape Town in the
mid 1930’s.

Rosa:

He was not able to save Rosa who had married and had a daughter – Nechama
Dvora.
Rosa and Nechama Dvora perished in the Holocaust and the last that David ever
heard from Rosa was the photo below taken in Libau in October 1938 and which
Rosa sent to him in South Africa.

Rosa writes on the back of the photo in the most beautiful Hebrew script
“For the memory of my dearest brother David – Nechama is two years old.

‫לזיכרון לאחי היקר דוד – נחמה בת שנתיים‬
1938 ‫ליבוי אוקטובר‬

Mira:

Mira and Aaron Flaxman had settled in Strasbourg where they had opened a
business in Industrial Chemistry but they too felt the beginnings of Nazism and
so David Fleishman put even more effort into getting them to South Africa.
Both Mira and Aaron were fluent in Hebrew so David eventually and after much
effort and through the help of Zionist and Hebrew Associations, managed to
arrange for them to travel to Cape Town where he had arranged a Hebrew
teaching job for them with the Maitland Hebrew Congregation.

A NEW LIFE IN CAPE TOWN:

The “KADIMAH” Association of Cape Town.

David Fleishman became a member of the above association on 26thMay 1927.

According to the membership card shown below he was a founder member as

well as a member of the committee.

He joined the group for Hebrew speakers as well as the group for sports

activities.

It is interesting to read what is written in Hebrew on that card

‫ ישראל – עמך‬-:‫זכר‬ Remember :--Israel is your Nation

‫שפתך‬---‫עברית‬ Hebrew : - Your language

‫וארץ ישראל –ארצך‬ Eretz Yisrael – Your Country

Below is a photograph taken in 1931 and which shows the members of the
Kadimah Association of Cape Town.
David Fleishman is standing on the very left of the back row and seated in the
front row and one from the right side is a lady by the name of Miss A. Potash.
Annie Potash would eventually marry Isaac Kaufman, Dad’s oldest brother, and
they would have three children – my cousins Harold, Phillip and Simmy.

In the pre WWII years it was very difficult for families to immigrate to South
Africa but the process was easier if the head of the family could show that he had
a profession and that he could show documents to prove that had arranged for
employment.
David Fleishman knew that Aaron spoke fluent Hebrew as they had all been
together in Israel so he managed to find a job for Aaron as a Hebrew teacher at
the Talmud Torah in Maitland, Cape Town.
In 1936/7 the Flaxman family, Aaron, Mira and Stella, left Strasbourg to take up
the new job of teaching Hebrew in Cape Town.

Below is a photograph which shows the Cheder Group of the Maitland Talmud Torah in

1941.
In the second row and seated on the left is Stella Flaxman – Norma’s cousin born in

Strasbourg. In the same row in the center is Rev. Kaufman (Zeida) and sitting on his left is
Aaron Flaxman (Pa's brother-in-law and Norma's uncle).
What this photo tells me is that Zeida and Pa knew each other long before Mom and Dad were
married.

Some photographs of first years in Cape Town

Pa's cousins Louis and Anne Stoller , Annie and Abe Tocker
Louis Stoller was the "Cohen"at Aaron's Pidyan Haben

Pa's sister IDA Aaron Flaxman & Pa - Adderley Street Cape Town

MUIZENBERG BEACH - 1941
Mira Pa Aaron

Ida unknown Stella

David Fleishman settled in Salt River, Cape Town and applied for citizenship of
The Union of South Africa which was granted on 19th October 1934.

He was then 38 years old.

In 1947 David Fleishman and Fanny Javen were married at the Garden’s Shul in
Cape Town.

Back row: Isaac Karabus, Becky Karabus Lily Klein

Front row: Mira Flaxman, Aaron Flaxman, Pa, Ma, Stella Flaxman

Their daughter Norma Deborah (‫ )נחמה דבורה‬was born on 31st January 1948.

Norma's 2nd birthday present from Uncle Aaron, Aunty Mira and cousin Stella