Royal Foil – A Duel With The Duke!

21 years ago!

Read the hilarious, well written  and full story further below.

 

The Invitation

The Protocol

ROYAL FOIL

As you may already know, my brother Neil won the Beazley Medal 1999 which is awarded to the top student in Western Australia. Among his many honours was a chance to meet the Queen on her recent visit to WA.

We received the special VIP badges and all the pertinent regal details for the correct protocol in the mail and excitedly waited for the evening where we would stand with other important guests to see the Queen. Neil was only allowed to bring one guest to the event so I was the lucky one, Mum and Dad opting to watch their sons venture into the royal sphere. The only problem was that the event was on Shabbat, so we decided to walk the three hours back from Government House in the city to our house in the ‘burbs.

So on Friday night Mum and Dad took a million photos as we dressed in the best suits we could muster together: unfortunately the best was unmatching jackets and pants. So an hour before Shabbat came in we were dropped off at Government house and waited with another 600 people to be escorted to the gardens. Needless to say, our first hitch came at the entrance to Government House where we were the only pair questioned by the guards as to whether we were meant to be there. Producing the little invitations proudly, they hesitantly let us in. One point that must be noted is that both Neil and I have eye-brow rings: a feature that will play a more significant role later in this little yarn.

We walked into the gardens and they had set up a huge marquis with a dais and three aisles marked out by large gold ropes. We assumed that the aisles were for the royal party, while the areas behind the ropes were reserved for the privileged plebs: us! But as we got to the entrance to the marquis, we noticed that unlike the majority of other guests, our name badges had a little gold star in the corner. Before we knew it we had been escorted into the aisle area and were being briefed on royal protocol. It was then that we realised that we were among the ‘honoured’ list of guests! What that meant was that we would get a personal introduction to the Duke of Edinburgh as he and the Queen walked down the aisle to the dais.

Ok… so this is what happened. After waiting for 45 minutes for the Queen to arrive we were becoming more and more anxious and excited. We stood there dead-straight at attention for quite some time, practising the correct manner of addressing the Duke: Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness (again and again under our breaths).

Finally the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh arrived, accompanied by the Premier of WA Mr Richard Court and his wife Mrs Court. After a rendition of G-d Save the Queen and a few speeches, the Queen and Duke were asked to meet the honoured guests: the Queen was meant to walk down one side of the aisle while the Duke was meant to walk down the other side. Evidently no one had briefed the Queen about what she was meant to do, because before we knew it she was walking down the wrong side and the wrong way down the aisle.

Now Neil and I had been positioned at the very end of the line so that we would meet the Duke of Edinburgh last, but the Queen was now approaching us first – obviously believing that we were the most important people at the ceremony: Neil and I were the most honoured guests!

So as she walked down towards us, I quickly reminded Neil that she was Your Majesty and NOT Your Royal Highness! Unfortunately, however, while the Queen believed we were the most important people, our Premier Mr Court had no idea who in the world we were! He was only equipped with the list of names on the opposite side of the aisle and was totally unprepared to explain to the Queen who we were. So when she finally reached us and stood just a foot in front of me waiting to be introduced to the most important Western Australian, the Premier just stood there, pale-faced and in a panic.

So here we are. The tiny 4 foot high Queen with 1 foot of blue hair, the confused and anxious Premier, and the two oversized Jewish boys with big colourful kippot, eye-brow rings and unmatching suits. The Queen waited. We waited. The Premier looked down at our name badges at RABINOWITZ and deciding not to dare attempt pronouncing it, he waited too. So Neil and I did the only thing we thought appropriate. Simultaneously we attempted a little bow. The Queen looked at us and nodding at first, she freaked out. Obviously feeling a bit intimidated, she ran off to meet some people of less unordinary appearance on the other side of the group..

Anyway, if you thought that the Rabinowitz boys had stopped at just intimidating the Queen, be prepared.

The Duke arrives a few minutes later (approaching from the correct direction), accompanied by Mrs Court who has all the names of the people he’s meeting in front of her.  Upon reaching Neil, Mrs Court introduces him as the Beazley medallist. Now as you already know, the correct manner of addressing the Queen is Your Majesty and the Duke is Your Royal Highness. So as Neil is introduced he throws out his hand to the Duke and shaking it he says:

“ It’s an honour to meet you, Your Majesty”

Quickly I stick out my hand and say:

“Your Royal Highness”

hopefully just muffling the insult that Neil had just inflicted on the man. So already we had started with him on a bad note.

Anyway, the Duke didn’t seem to notice that Neil had just insulted him so he continued to ask Neil who he was… that is, what school did he come from. So Neil replies:

“Carmel School, it’s a PRIVATE Jewish DAYSCHOOL”

Now in England, to cut a very long explanation of the school system short, private schools are the equivalent of Australia’s public schools and state schools in England are called private schools. So basically, in English terms, Neil had just said that he attended a private school that was also public: an impossibility in England.

“I think you’re mixed up, young man. You can’t have gone to both a state school and a public school” says the Duke to Neil. He tells Neil, the “smartest” kid in Western Australia that he is wrong. And Neil is stumped. He doesn’t know what to do.

Well, for anyone who knows me, you would know that I can NEVER resist an argument.

“No no no,” I say, “In Australia we call your public schools private and your private schools public. In England they’re mixed up”

The Duke just stood back aghast… he couldn’t believe that I’d talked let alone the fact that I’d contradicted him. Added to the fact that he has just been called Your Majesty by Neil, the Duke was obviously a bit miffed.

So a very serious expression suddenly crosses the Duke’s face and looking dead into both of our eyes (if that is possible with only one pair to him) he lifts his index finger to us and shaking at us he says:

“No no… I think you’re mistaken” and walks off in a huff leaving  the Premier’s wife standing there, open-mouthed in surprise.

The Duke, making his way back to the dais, the Queen disappearing on the other side of the crowd, Neil and I burst out laughing. We had managed quite successfully, although obviously unintentionally, to snub and intimidate the Queen and then insult and contradict the Duke. We downed a couple of orange-juice and champagnes before the long walk home.

DEAN RABINOWITZ

Also pulbished in the InReview Magazine

Royal Foil – A Duel With The Duke!

21 years ago!

Read the hilarious, well written  and full story further below.

 

The Invitation

The Protocol

ROYAL FOIL

As you may already know, my brother Neil won the Beazley Medal 1999 which is awarded to the top student in Western Australia. Among his many honours was a chance to meet the Queen on her recent visit to WA.

We received the special VIP badges and all the pertinent regal details for the correct protocol in the mail and excitedly waited for the evening where we would stand with other important guests to see the Queen. Neil was only allowed to bring one guest to the event so I was the lucky one, Mum and Dad opting to watch their sons venture into the royal sphere. The only problem was that the event was on Shabbat, so we decided to walk the three hours back from Government House in the city to our house in the ‘burbs.

So on Friday night Mum and Dad took a million photos as we dressed in the best suits we could muster together: unfortunately the best was unmatching jackets and pants. So an hour before Shabbat came in we were dropped off at Government house and waited with another 600 people to be escorted to the gardens. Needless to say, our first hitch came at the entrance to Government House where we were the only pair questioned by the guards as to whether we were meant to be there. Producing the little invitations proudly, they hesitantly let us in. One point that must be noted is that both Neil and I have eye-brow rings: a feature that will play a more significant role later in this little yarn.

We walked into the gardens and they had set up a huge marquis with a dais and three aisles marked out by large gold ropes. We assumed that the aisles were for the royal party, while the areas behind the ropes were reserved for the privileged plebs: us! But as we got to the entrance to the marquis, we noticed that unlike the majority of other guests, our name badges had a little gold star in the corner. Before we knew it we had been escorted into the aisle area and were being briefed on royal protocol. It was then that we realised that we were among the ‘honoured’ list of guests! What that meant was that we would get a personal introduction to the Duke of Edinburgh as he and the Queen walked down the aisle to the dais.

Ok… so this is what happened. After waiting for 45 minutes for the Queen to arrive we were becoming more and more anxious and excited. We stood there dead-straight at attention for quite some time, practising the correct manner of addressing the Duke: Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness (again and again under our breaths).

Finally the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh arrived, accompanied by the Premier of WA Mr Richard Court and his wife Mrs Court. After a rendition of G-d Save the Queen and a few speeches, the Queen and Duke were asked to meet the honoured guests: the Queen was meant to walk down one side of the aisle while the Duke was meant to walk down the other side. Evidently no one had briefed the Queen about what she was meant to do, because before we knew it she was walking down the wrong side and the wrong way down the aisle.

Now Neil and I had been positioned at the very end of the line so that we would meet the Duke of Edinburgh last, but the Queen was now approaching us first – obviously believing that we were the most important people at the ceremony: Neil and I were the most honoured guests!

So as she walked down towards us, I quickly reminded Neil that she was Your Majesty and NOT Your Royal Highness! Unfortunately, however, while the Queen believed we were the most important people, our Premier Mr Court had no idea who in the world we were! He was only equipped with the list of names on the opposite side of the aisle and was totally unprepared to explain to the Queen who we were. So when she finally reached us and stood just a foot in front of me waiting to be introduced to the most important Western Australian, the Premier just stood there, pale-faced and in a panic.

So here we are. The tiny 4 foot high Queen with 1 foot of blue hair, the confused and anxious Premier, and the two oversized Jewish boys with big colourful kippot, eye-brow rings and unmatching suits. The Queen waited. We waited. The Premier looked down at our name badges at RABINOWITZ and deciding not to dare attempt pronouncing it, he waited too. So Neil and I did the only thing we thought appropriate. Simultaneously we attempted a little bow. The Queen looked at us and nodding at first, she freaked out. Obviously feeling a bit intimidated, she ran off to meet some people of less unordinary appearance on the other side of the group..

Anyway, if you thought that the Rabinowitz boys had stopped at just intimidating the Queen, be prepared.

The Duke arrives a few minutes later (approaching from the correct direction), accompanied by Mrs Court who has all the names of the people he’s meeting in front of her.  Upon reaching Neil, Mrs Court introduces him as the Beazley medallist. Now as you already know, the correct manner of addressing the Queen is Your Majesty and the Duke is Your Royal Highness. So as Neil is introduced he throws out his hand to the Duke and shaking it he says:

“ It’s an honour to meet you, Your Majesty”

Quickly I stick out my hand and say:

“Your Royal Highness”

hopefully just muffling the insult that Neil had just inflicted on the man. So already we had started with him on a bad note.

Anyway, the Duke didn’t seem to notice that Neil had just insulted him so he continued to ask Neil who he was… that is, what school did he come from. So Neil replies:

“Carmel School, it’s a PRIVATE Jewish DAYSCHOOL”

Now in England, to cut a very long explanation of the school system short, private schools are the equivalent of Australia’s public schools and state schools in England are called private schools. So basically, in English terms, Neil had just said that he attended a private school that was also public: an impossibility in England.

“I think you’re mixed up, young man. You can’t have gone to both a state school and a public school” says the Duke to Neil. He tells Neil, the “smartest” kid in Western Australia that he is wrong. And Neil is stumped. He doesn’t know what to do.

Well, for anyone who knows me, you would know that I can NEVER resist an argument.

“No no no,” I say, “In Australia we call your public schools private and your private schools public. In England they’re mixed up”

The Duke just stood back aghast… he couldn’t believe that I’d talked let alone the fact that I’d contradicted him. Added to the fact that he has just been called Your Majesty by Neil, the Duke was obviously a bit miffed.

So a very serious expression suddenly crosses the Duke’s face and looking dead into both of our eyes (if that is possible with only one pair to him) he lifts his index finger to us and shaking at us he says:

“No no… I think you’re mistaken” and walks off in a huff leaving  the Premier’s wife standing there, open-mouthed in surprise.

The Duke, making his way back to the dais, the Queen disappearing on the other side of the crowd, Neil and I burst out laughing. We had managed quite successfully, although obviously unintentionally, to snub and intimidate the Queen and then insult and contradict the Duke. We downed a couple of orange-juice and champagnes before the long walk home.

DEAN RABINOWITZ

Also pulbished in the InReview Magazine

Yom Hashoah Global

8 April 2021
HAMEC has once again partnered with the WE ARE HERE! Foundation to bring a streamed video event for Yom HaShoah.
The “Yom HaShoah Global Commemoration,” featuring schools, students, and speakers (including HAMEC speakers Daniel Goldsmith and Ruth Hartz) from around the world, will premiere on YouTube on Thursday, April 8th at 9am EDT.  (11pm Sydney, 9pm Perth, 2pm London, 6am PST)
Watch this youtube page (https://www.youtube.com/c/elirab52/) or look for another post from us linking to the streamed premiere.
ORT Kishinev Moldova
We are featuring the following schools on this Yom Hashoah presentation:
Sholem Aleichem College, Melbourne Australia
Ellenbrook Secondary College, Perth Australia
Carmel School Perth Australia
King David School, Victory Park South Africa
Herzlia School, Cape Town South Africa
ORT Dimcho Debelianov Hebrew and English Language School, Sofia Bulgaria
ORT Technology Lyceum, Kishinev Moldova
ORT Tekhiya, Moscow Russia
JDS Seattle, USA
JPEF – Jewish Partisans’ Educational Foundation, San Fransisco
Survivors:
Mrs Miriam Lichterman
Mr. Daniel Goldsmith
Ms Ruth Hartz
Student contributors:
Maria O – ORT Tekhiya
Ben Zar, Eron Norrie, Daniel Marsden, Shallya Samakosky, Jonty Schkolne & Rachel Wohlman – Herzlia School
Julia K – JDS Seattle

Thanks to:
Sholem Aleichem College
Conductor Ilana Perlich
Pianist Tomi Kalinski
Grade 5 & 6 students
Production – Kreative Solutionz, Samuel Strunin
The JCCV, Randi Grose, Michael Cohen, Fredl Mrocki
Stuart Rhine-Davis – Ellenbrook Secondary College
Michele Galanti – Carmel School
Kirsten Kukard, Mark Helfrich & Ivor Joffe – Herzlia School
Mandy-Reine Gruzd & Nikki Richard – King David Victory Park
Nance Adler – JDS Seattle 
Stela Dinkova – ORT Sofia 
Anna Zaytseva – ORT Tekhiya Moscow 
Anna Kurilova – ORT Kishinev 
Noongar translation: Jesse J Fleay – Edith Cowan University, Perth
Musical arrangement – Suzanne Kosowitz, Perth

Morris Light – Orla Poland

A list of files from David Light

Morris Light Military Enlightenment 31 March 1888

Page 1 / 2
Zoom 100%

 

Morris Light Letter 9 April 1906

Page 1 / 2
Zoom 100%

 

Morris Light Letter 16 February 1910

Page 1 / 1
Zoom 100%

 

Morris Light

 

Morris Light

 

Morris Light Poem 16 February 1910

Page 1 / 2
Zoom 100%

 

Hand colored by Morris. One located in Florida. One located in Canada.

The one made specifically for Lazar (Lazarus Light my great grandfather) Liatsky was never found. We knew it existed but all of the relatives we asked knew of it but couldn’t find it. In 1990 or so a woman came into my brother’s place of business in Miami and said she was a Light and wanted to know if we were related. She came in a month later with a ripped family tree in a broken frame that her grand nephew had, Sure enough in Hebrew was a branch with my grandfather Philip Light’s name on it and that of his sisters born at the time the tree was dated. My aunt figured out how to decipher the tree and the way the offspring were listed in chronological order. Morris made great efforts to make these trees with letters requesting updates of the births subsequent to his emigration from New York back to Orla. The bottom of the tree in Hebrew is written for those that want to remember. I feel that I may be among the few that care.
Attached are the two trees located. I also have a picture showing the artistic detail.
Evidently Morris was an intelligent and talented person.
His picture is attached.
There is some passion and stories behind the name.

Morris Light

By the way, some of my brother’s assumptions on the hand written translation may be incorrect. This was sent in a prior email.

 

 

 

 

Morris Light

 

Page 1 / 1
Zoom 100%
morrislightletters (4) – Copy

 

Letter #1

Bialystok, April 9, 1906

Dear [Karl?] Kalman Light and to my devoted daughter in law, Jenny:

We are all, thank God, well. I received your letter, and truly was very happy to get it, because you used to send me a letter every month and now you have not done so for three months. So I thank you warmly and I also thank you for the things that you sent me. You saved me because I did not have anything to wear to go out into the street among people. There was a bit of a mix-up, but there is nothing to be done at this point. I didn’t need a winter jacket but rather a spring jacket, because in Europe it is not fitting for an older person to go out without a jacket, even in summer. Especially in a [illeg.] it isn’t nice, but there is nothing to be done. The jacket will also be of use to me. I thank you very sincerely.

I am also sending you a tree with [illeg.] apples and pears.

For all the grandchildren who will send me a letter, I will answer them with a letter and also a tree with apples and pears. For the little children who can’t yet write me a letter I will also answer if I get a letter from their parents. I am also sending a present for Liala [from your family?] I will soon send a tree with pears and apples for Bubele [?] because Fanny was laid up and it was too hard for her to write to me and it’s too long for Bubele to wait for the apples and pears, so I will send it with a letter to Fanny.

I have also sent the big pictures [photographs] for each person; please be so good as to give them to each one.

Thank you, my daughter- in-law for the birthday greeting which you sent me, and for remembering the paper that I asked you to send me. [Illeg.] Fanny sent me a silk handkerchief but I haven’t received it, but I assume it will be [illeg.] and well wrapped so that no one can get to it, and that it will soon come. About [illeg.] you write that you haven’t gotten the receipt, I will tell him, but it seems to me that he once told me about the [illeg.] from Kalman that she sent it, but I will tell him.

I am also writing about Fanny’s [?]. I had already had the same [?] in the [third?] letter, but nobody wrote me the name of the newborn grandchild and I needed to know it to be able to write the name on the branches of all the trees which I have sent to you and also on the trees I made for [Avrom?] and to send to Orle and to Rokhl Leah, and for my brother’s children. So I left the space on the branches empty because I don’t know the name. And in America you will be able to write in the name yourselves. So when Fanny writes me, she shouldn’t forget to tell me the name so I can fill it in on the branches.

You must write me how [Hinde?] is, because Velvel Levtske told me that she is sick. He said it under his breath and then he told Nekhe that she [Hinde] needs to have an operation so I asked him again and he denied it. So I am very worried about her. So you must write me.

[Entire line along crease illegible].

I have no more news. My devoted son Kalman and Jenny and Liala. May God grant you good luck in business.

From me, your father, father- in- law and grandfather.

Morris Light

Aba and Nekhe and the children send regards to all of you.

Rokhl Leah and Natan and the children send regards to all

Khenke and her husband Ben Zion Shekovitshe and their little children send greetings to all

Kalman Limenske and his wife and children send greetings to all

I send regards to Rokhl Toshman [?] and K_____ Zukerman and her husband and children

I send greetings to Maytes’ [?]children

I send greetings to my sister’s son, Morris Schwartz

I received from Borukh Borman [?] 10 [units of currency; maybe rubles] I gave 5 to [illeg.] and I owed 3 which I paid. May God help all of you and I send my best wishes.


Letter #2

Orly 16 February 1910

To my devoted daughter in law Jenny Light and to my son [Karl?] Kalman Light. I am, thank God, well. I thought that all my children were angry at me and had decided not to write me any letters, since even from you I haven’t gotten a letter in four months and you used to write me every month. Also, when I wrote to my children regarding Aunt Toybe, that it hadn’t yet come to getting married, that [illeg.] still deliberating about what I should do, they had already stopped writing. Then all of a sudden a letter came from [Otvostsk? – partly illeg.] to someone in Bialystok and that person wrote to me in Orle, saying that the other person had talked to my children in New York and that the children had impudently said that if I get married they won’t send me even one cent.  Since I haven’t gotten any letters, that must be true. But then a couple of weeks ago I got a letter from Lazar. He writes me what that person wrote to me, that I won’t get one cent, is a lie and I shouldn’t believe it. But Kalman Limenske happened to read the letter that I had gotten and he said, What became of them in America? Did they become so corrupted in America? If they contributed 10 cents a week they would have [illeg.] to send you. In Bialystok they distribute [sentence along crease in paper illegible.] That’s how amazed Kalman Limenske was. Then ultimately I got the letter from Lazar that said it’s a lie and I shouldn’t believe it. [Illeg.] if they send it, if they don’t send it, with God’s help I won’t be abandoned, and if you can improve your situation , you should do that. That’s what was written in [your?the?] letter, but [illeg.] it must have been that other person who said that they will not send a groshen. [Russian equivalent of a cent.]

I understand that [illeg.] about the children, they won’t send it anyway. The way things are done in small towns, those people in Orle who don’t want to contribute to the Lines Hatsedek [charity in shtetl providing aid to indigent people], they talk about the Lines Hatsedek.

Let’s put this matter aside and talk about [illeg.] things. Today the 16th of February, the [4th?] day of [the Hebrew month of] Adar, is my birthday. So I am sending for all of you my biography that I have written. I ask that you write me more often. Finally, I send greetings to you and Kalman and the children. Please pass on my letter and the biography to everyone. From me, your father, father- in- law and grandfather.

Notes

I  use brackets to indicate when something is illegible or uncertain. If entirely illeg.ible: [illeg.]. If I’m unsure I put a question mark after the word/s in question, and all in brackets.

Brackets are also used to provide definitions or explanatory material.

If a word is in italics, it means that it is an English word that the writer wrote in the Yiddish alphabet, e.g. cent.

The list of greetings/regards [the Yiddish word is grus, pl.grisn; verb grisn – to greet or to send regards] at the end of the 1906 letter is very common in Yiddish letters. It was a way for people to keep in touch.

Although Morris addresses the letters to both Kalman and Jenny (I think her Yiddish or Russian name may have been Dzhenie) he often uses the singular “du” for you, instead of the plural ”ir” and I can’t tell if that has any significance. Sometimes it sounds like Jenny was the intended recipient, sometimes both Jenny and Kalman. It may be that she was the main correspondent because she could read and write Yiddish, or it might just be accidental.

David’s great grandmother’s parents  may be from Rivne (Rowne).. Anna had to live in Orla at some point if they were married before they left for Americas.

Used the following names. I assume he used Light upon return to Orla. From the letter we know he returned to Orla between 1902 and 1905. If he is any records, including death 1910 or after with the surname Light it should be evident.

He died AFTER his last letter written on his birthday in 1910.
Morris’ wife Yetta or Gitl (Gussie in Americal) was the daughter of Leibl Sholtander (different spelling in Orla) and wife Tamil. There may be records of her family in Orla also.
David Light

The Ides Of March

A day in the life:

7:30am IAJGS Board Meeting

With Jill, and Pearl, my third cousin once removed.  Having coffee at a local shopping centre.
Generally, no social distancing or masks in Western Australia!

Feeding a returning parrot

The cockatoos feed themselves

My business card with my Litvak Jerusalem family, who with me, are descendants of Tzoref, colorized, using MyHeritage’s new process.
For those who don’t know who Avraham Shlomo Zalman Tzoref, my third great grandfather, was:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ides_of_March

Zeldin Family 1953

Ochberg Orphans Centenary

The Ochberg Orphans,  previously known as the Ukrainian Pogrom Orphans, celebrate the centenary of their arrival in South Africa in 1921.

PUBLICATIONS ON THE OCHBERG ORPHANS AND ISAAC OCHBERG

by David Solly Sandler

sedsand@iinet.net.au

Uploaded by Eli Rabinowitz

eli@elirab.com

OCHBERG ORPHANS AND THE HORRORS FROM WHENCE THEY CAME (Volumes one and two published in 2011 and 2017) were compiled by David Solly Sandler who also reprinted in 2014 

THIS WAS A MAN (THE LIFE STORY OF ISAAC OCHBERG 1878-1937) A reprint of the original book by Bertha Epstein, (published 1974) by kind permission of the biological Ochberg family.

Full proceeds on all three books go to Arcadia Jewish Children’s Home (run by the Chevrah Kadisha) and still looking after children in need.

 Please contact David Solly Sandler sedsand@iinet.net.au for the books

OCHBERG ORPHANS AND THE HORRORS FROM WHENCE THEY CAME  (PUBLISHED 2011)

Ochberg Orphans and the Horrors from whence they came  (Published 2011 – 640 pages)

The rescue in 1921 of 181 Jewish Orphans by Isaac Ochberg, the representative of the South African Jewish Community, from the horrors of the ‘Pale of Settlement’

This book tells the story of a forgotten part of Jewish History; a period completely overshadowed by the Holocaust; the horrors of war and pogroms and starvation and disease suffered by Jews in the Pale of Settlement from 1914 to 1922. It details the horrors and the help given to these desperate people by Jewish communities established in the USA, Canada, Palestine and South Africa.

The book then focuses on, and follows up on the lives of the 181 Jewish Orphans rescued from the ‘Pale of Settlement’ in 1921 by Isaac Ochberg, the representative of the South African Jewish community. Half of these Ochberg Orphans, on arrival in South Africa, were placed in the care of the Cape Jewish Orphanage (later known as Oranjia) while the rest were sent to Johannesburg and placed in the care of the South African Jewish Orphanage (later known as Arcadia).

While the firsthand accounts of the Ochberg Orphans are included in part one of the book, the secondhand accounts, as recorded by their descendants, are in part two and part three of the book. Part two, Cape Town, South Africa, contains the history of Oranjia and the life stories of the Ochberg Orphans in its care and similarly part three, Johannesburg, South Africa contains the history of Arcadia and the life stories of the Ochberg Orphans in its care

The book contains the life stories of 120 of the 181 Ochberg Orphans.

“The Ochberg Orphans and the horrors from whence they came”   reviewed by Lionel Slier.

Book review of “The Ochberg Orphans and the horrors from whence they came” compiled by David Solly Sandler .                         Review by Lionel Slier

2011 could be called “The Year of Isaac Ochberg.”  Isaac who? was what many people would have asked previously. The South African Jewish Report called him: “South Africa’s long lost philanthropist.”

Isaac Ochberg was born in the Ukraine in 1878 and followed his father to Cape Town as a 16 year old youth (1894). He became a successful entrepreneur and business man, involved in ship buying, ships’ salvage, property, fashion shops and, in fact, built the first cinema in Cape Town. He became very wealthy and was also a philanthropist of note. He was the President of Cape Town’s Jewish orphanage. (1).

The First World War (1914-18) was fought on many fronts but it was on the Eastern Front where the German and the Russian armies confronted each other, on territory that was part of the Pale of Settlement (2) Eastern Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine mainly; that caused devastation, destruction and death to the Jewish communities living there. How many died is not recorded. The fortress border city of Brest Litovsk (3) changed hands four times as the armies advanced and retreated.

When the war ended in 1918 the suffering of civilians did not. A ‘flu epidemic is believed to have killed as many people again as had died in the fighting. Inevitably among the worst affected were the children. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee estimated that almost half a million Jewish children were left as orphans – wretched, homeless, verminous, hungry, helpless and dying, Something had to be done to help these children!

In Cape Town Isaac Ochberg was approached and he readily agreed to help. He approached the South African Prime Minister, J.C. Smuts with a proposal to bring children to this country, hoping that the local Jewish communities would adopt them. Smuts agreed but imposed conditions. The Jews here were to bear the entire cost of the operation, only orphans were to be brought, no  families were to be broken up, no physically or mentally disabled children were to be taken and no child over sixteen years of age could be brought out. Ochberg accepted and the number of children as fixed at 200.

In March 1921 Ochberg set out for Eastern Europe. In London, a visa was arranged for him by Fridjon Nansen, the Polar explorer who had been involved in food relief for Russia. Russia, itself, was in chaos – the Communist revolution had taken place, followed by a civil war; hunger and disease were rife. Undeterred, Ochberg, accompanied by a British Jew, David Dainow, went to Warsaw, then on to Belarus and the Ukraine, travelling by any means he could find including a donkey cart. He visited orphanages and shuls collecting children. He ignored Smut’s conditions in many cases but collected 235 children (4) and brought them to England on the S.S . Baltara. After a three week stay at the ‘Shelter for Jewish Poor’ in London’s East End, because Ochberg took ill, he left with 187 children on the Edinburgh Castle. (5). They arrived in Cape Town on the 21st September 1921. 100 children went to the Cape Town orphanage and 87 were sent to Johannesburg, where, after some problems about accommodating them, the  Jewish Board of Deputies bought ‘Arcadia’ in Parktown from Lionel Phillips, a wealthy Randlord.(6).  The Jewish Orphanage, at that time, was in Benbow Street, Kensington, and the children there were brought to Arcadia where they lived with ‘The Russians’.

Now to David Solly Sandler who by collating stories and memories from Ochberg descendants compiled this book. He had already produced two earlier books about Arcadia. Sandler was born in Johannesburg in 1952 and spent 1954 to 1969 at Arcadia. After matric, he did his National Service and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1976. In 1981 he immigrated to Perth, Western Australia where he retired in 2007. As Sandler writes in the foreword of this book, “The approach of the centenary of Arcadia (2006), (7) (100 Years of Arc Memories) prompted the first book., which was published in May 2006, to celebrate the centenary, and a completed a journey of over six years and a labour of love though some call it a meshugas. In those years I was privileged to meet with, and get to know many Arc brothers and sisters spanning many generations across the world. Over the next two years I continued to collect more Arc Memories and at the end of 2008 ‘More Arc Memories’ was published.

 “It was only towards the completion of ‘More Arc Memories’ that I started to receive, via the Jewish grapevine, the life stories of Ochberg Orphans and I realized that we needed a third volume to properly record their story.” (17 chapters of the second book contain stories of the Ochberg children). “And so now, after a further two years of collecting memories, I am happy to present this third volume, ‘The Ochberg ‘Orphans’. Subtitled ‘and the horrors from whence they came.’ The book is divided into three parts and eleven sections. The first part is about the Pale of Settlement and the horrors that took place there – the war, the pogroms in the Ukraine, the starvation and the death of children’s parents. There is horror piled upon horror, with what “The Hebrew Standard, July 28 1922” newspaper called ‘The Ukraine Gehenna.’ There is some relief in the next section, which tells about the help given by Jewish communities, including ‘The South African War Victims Fund.’

Section 3 is devoted to the Pinsk Orphanages and the outrages that occurred there. A sainted man is written about; he is Alter Bobrow who involved himself in looking after the children as best he could. Bobrow came to South Africa and spent time assisting at the Cape Jewish Orphanage. There is an excellent chapter about him written by Liebe Klug. David Solly Sandler has a work in progress about the three Pinsk Orphanages and inevitably Alter Bobrow will feature in the story.

Sections 4 and 5 relate some stories of Ochberg in Eastern Europe, including photos and documents, together with an extremely moving story of Feiga Mirel Shamis and her struggle written in Yiddish and later sent to her son Mannie Favish and her daughter, Rose Miller (who were both brought out by Ochberg).  Mannie had the book translated into English and it fills 15 pages of this book. It is the story of the struggle to survive typical of the Jews of that place and that era.

Part 2 is about Orangia- the Cape Jewish Orphanage with 37 stories about  Ochberg orphans who went there –all riveting, all similar but all with differences.

Part 3 moves to Johannesburg with a history of the Jewish Orphanage there, and the relocation to Arcadia, the stories of 35 Ochberg children, all different, all sad yet many inspiring and all gripping.

Sandler has written, “This book is about the suffering of the Jews in the Pale and the help given to these desperate people in their time of need by their brethren, the Jewish Communities around the world”

South Africa was not found wanting and in Isaac Ochberg they had a man who did not hesitate to go and give assistance. In the annals of the narrative of the Jews of South Africa this is a story that the local Community can justly be proud of. This book is a social history about some of the Jews who escaped from the horrors of their existence in Eastern Europe and who were given a new life in South Africa. All their stories are important and David Solly Sandler has collected and saved them for us. Lauren Snitcher of Cape Town,  a grand-daughter of an Ochberg Orphan, has a database of descendants and it has currently over 3000 names who owe their lives to one man who was brave enough to go to war-ravaged Eastern Europe and bring 187 children to a new life. And of those left behind? Twelve years later, in 1933, Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany!

Isaac Ochberg will now never be forgotten, and David has, with this book, presented us with a memorial to him. Besides the narratives, there are many documents reproduced as well as a great number of photographs. (8) Remember this, “No one stands so erect than when they stoop to help a child.”

Footnotes.

  1. The Cape Jewish Orphanage became known as “Orangia.”
  2. The Pale of Settlement stretched from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, through Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, parts of eastern Poland, and western Russia, Ukraine and Bessarabia. It was established in 1772 by the Czarina, Catherine, and it was in effect a gigantic ghetto to which the Jews were restricted.  A Russian census in 1897 reported 5 million Jews living in The Pale. ‘Pale’ is an English translation of the old Russian word ‘Cheta’ meaning ‘an enclosed area’
  3. Brest-Litovsk is in Belarus and now known simply as Brest. The Litovsk indicated that many people came originally from Litau (Lithuania). It is famous for the enormous fortress on the River Bug by the border with Poland. At the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in February 1918, Russia (now after the Communist revolution) withdrew from the war against Germany.  Leon Trotsky led the Russian delegation. By the Treaty Russia gave up a huge swath of land including eastern Poland, Baltic territories, Ukraine and Finland. At the Versailles Treaty after the war, the Ukraine and Finland sections were annulled.
  4. There is some confusion about the actual number of children rescued. Ochberg wrote that he took 235 children to Warsaw originally but 37 refused to leave with him.
  5. Then in London 13 children refused to go to Africa ‘to be eaten by lions’. The number of children reaching South Africa is given as 187 or 181.

The confusion is caused by children’s names being written in Yiddish or Russian or Polish as well as the uncertainty of their ages.

  1. The original Villa Arcadia was bought by Lionel and Flo Phillips in 1909 and rebuilt by the famed British architect, Herbert Baker. When the Phillips moved into Arcadia the suburb of Parktown became fashionable for the wealthy of Johannesburg to come to live. There is some confusion about the amount paid for the building; some figures are 25,000 pounds sterling, others are 30,000.
  2. Book 1.-the 2006 Centenary Book celebrating the Johannesburg Jewish Orphanage is not the centenary of Arcadia but of the first Orphanage started by the Johannesburg Jewish Ladies’ Communal League in which was started  in 1906 in Pretoria Street, Hillbrow.  Arcadia, of course, became a Jewish children’s home in 1923.
  3. Such was Ochberg’s foresight and confidence that he left money for a 50th anniversary reunion to be held in Cape Town. Any ex-Orphan who could be contacted was sent money from Ochberg’s estate to come to Cape Town. The event duly took place in 1971. 

OCHBERG ORPHANS AND THE HORRORS FROM WHENCE THEY CAME  Volume two published March 19, 2017 (350 pages)

This volume two is a sequel to The Ochberg Orphans and the horrors from whence they came, published in April 2011, and includes not only additional histories of Ochberg Orphans (initially known as Ukrainian War and Pogrom Orphans) that have come to light since 2011 but also the many events and celebrations that have taken place over the past six years to remember Isaac Ochberg and the good work done by the Isaac Ochberg Heritage Committee in Israel that was established mainly through the efforts of Bennie Penzik, the son of two Ochberg Orphans. This volume commences with an introduction to the Ochberg Orphans by the late Sir Martin Gilbert. It is followed by details of the horrors that faced the Jews in The Pale of Settlement in the 1920s and the help given to them by the Jewish communities around the world The next section of the book is devoted to the three Pinsker Orphanages that are very much part of the Ochberg Orphan story as 44 children were selected from these orphanages to go to South Africa. They were accompanied by Alter Bobrow who had helped establish these orphanages together with his comrades and their story is included in this volume. We also include The Work of the Pinsker Orphan Relief Fund of London by John Cooper, whose grandfather was on the committee of the fund. The fund brought out 19 Pinsker Orphans in 1924 and 34 in 1926 for adoption in London. The book includes histories of Ochberg Orphans newly uncovered and those that were previously published in More Arc Memories in 2008 and for completeness a limited amount of material from the first volume. We now fast forward to the twenty-first century and reveal the events, ceremonies, books and the documentary, to honour Isaac Ochberg since his death in 1937. The main event, no doubt, was the two day ceremony held in Israel in July 2011 culminating in the Dedication of Memorial Site at Ramat Menashe to Isaac Ochberg and the Orphans he saved. We end off by detailing the good work done by The Isaac Ochberg Heritage Committee and an addendum. As with the original volume this edition has three aims: -To record the forgotten history, the horrors suffered by Jews in the ‘Pale of Settlement’ from 1914 to 1922 and the help given to them by their brethren, the Jewish Communities worldwide. -To provide a legacy for the descendants of each of the Ochberg Orphans; a book which presents the history of the original Ochberg Orphans and preserves the life stories of their descendants. -To raise funds for Arcadia and Oranjia, the two Jewish Orphanages in South Africa, in whose care the Ochberg Orphans were placed. Both of these institutions still exist today and continue to take care of Jewish children in need. All the proceeds from the sale of this book, as with my previous compilations, will be donated to them. I feel honoured to be the compiler of this volume and the catalyst for its creation. I regard these volumes of life stories collected, as the property of the Jewish Community. A special thank you goes to Bennie Penzik and Lionel Slier, both descendants of Ochberg Orphans, who always encouraged, helped and contributed towards the creation of this volume. I also thank all the many people who have helped me collect the life stories, and those who have opened their hearts and shared their, or their parents’ stories. I dedicate the book to the Ochberg Orphans and Arcadians who have passed away and to the generosity of the South African Jewish community which has always taken care of its own. In these difficult times in South Africa, I appeal to all ex South Africans to support their needy community left behind. I end with the blessing that Doctor Lichtigfeld (Arcadia’s Superintendent from 1952-1971) often bestowed on the congregation at Arcadia. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine on you and give you peace and happiness and may there be peace in Israel soon.

Shalom David Solly Sandler sedsand@iinet.net.au

THIS WAS A MAN – THE LIFE STORY OF ISAAC OCHBERG

A message from Benny Penzik.

This message will hopefully reach all of us who owe their very existence to Isaac Ochberg z”l.

“Daddy Ochberg” was the ‘father’ of OUR forebears.

He was, therefore, OUR grandfather!

Had YOU been granted the unique opportunity to read YOUR grandfather’s biography… would YOU?? 

THE LIFE STORY OF ISAAC OCHBERG 1878-1937

A 2014 reprint of the original book by Bertha Epstein, (published 1974) by kind permission of the biological Ochberg family.

There are two major events indelibly engraved in our collective memories – the rescue of the Ochberg Orphans from the perils of Eastern Europe in 1921, affording them new lives in South Africa, and the mammoth bequest to the JNF which established a record that stands to this very day. 

But the story of Isaac Ochberg reveals very much more than this.

Editing the script according to the wishes of the Ochberg Family and composing the addendum together with my good friend, acclaimed compiler and champion of the Ochberg legacy and ‘partner’ in this venture, David Solly Sandler, presented me with the opportunity to reread every word and to be inspired once again by the virtues of the man known to us as ‘Daddy Ochberg’.

The author, Bertha Epstein, was Isaac’s daughter so she would have been forgiven should she have embellished some aspects of her father’s life. However, this is not the case. When she writes of his generosity, his character is reflected in the chapter listing his bequests. Proof indeed. Just some of the recipients of his generosity – local Jewish charities, the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the Jewish poor of Cape Town, recreation facilities for Cape Coloured children, dowries and wedding gifts for poor Jewish girls, the Salvation Army, Old Aged Homes, Hospitals, Hebrew schools and Zionist causes.

When she describes his business acumen, the chapters dealing with his derelict ship exploits, ventures into scrap metal, cinemas, elegant stores, brickfields, astute investments – among which was the manufacture of British army uniforms in WW1 – bear eloquent testimony to his foresight.

A lesser known story is that of HMS Penelope, a British battleship which lay stranded for many years close to the beach near Simonstown.  Isaac bought the ship, a move which brought some amusement to the locals, intending to sell it as scrap but, after a lengthy series of exploits well documented in the book, sold it in Genoa and realised a handsome profit.  “He spoke of this incident as one of his best achievements”.

The tragic events of his personal life – his father was killed in a railway accident, his mother stricken by a most virulent cancer, two children died young, two afflicted by an incurable disability, and his darling youngest daughter Ruth died suddenly, shortly after her 17th birthday.

The heartwarming account of the 1971 Golden Jubilee describing the overwhelming emotional event which enabled almost all the original orphans to renew acquaintance ends with this comment by the author – “For me too, it had been a most momentous occasion.  Honour had been paid where honour was due, with love and affection, in the living presence of my Father’s greatest humanitarian achievement.  This had indeed been a Golden Jubilee to remember; the reunion of Isaac Ochberg and his beloved pogrom orphan children.  God bless them all.”

In addressing you, my fellow descendants, I am acutely aware that I am preaching to the converted when I state that most of us have a sparse record of our family history pre-1921.  After all, our forebears were orphans.  I know how much I would value a manuscript detailing the life and times of my biological antecedents – perhaps a forlorn wish.  Possession of this book changes all that. I suggest that it warrants pride of place to grace the bookshelf of every family with an Ochberg connection.

If not for the fortitude of this one great man, we descendants would not exist. In the spirit of his legacy, proceeds of sales will be directed to Arcadia and Oranjia Jewish Children’s Homes in Johannesburg and Cape Town and the American Joint Distribution Committee (The Joint).

THIS WAS A MAN – the front cover

Contact  David Solly Sandler – sedsand@iinet.net.au    for your copy

Best wishes and good health to you all and stay safe.

David

David Solly Sandler  sedsand@iinet.net.au

Uploaded by Eli Rabinowitz

eli@elirab.com

Witnessing Holocaust History

“World ORT, the WE ARE HERE! Foundation, and the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center of Philadelphia have partnered this year to provide an international experience of Holocaust education and remembrance to students around the world. This is an international project that commemorates the Holocaust and also provides opportunities for global Holocaust education, engaging the next generation of learners.

Join us through Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/97948035452) and the HAMEC Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PhilaHAMECon Wednesday, January 27th (9am EST, 2pm London, 10pm Perth) as these three organizations honour International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Experience survivor testimony shared through HAMEC programming to World ORT students, and hear the impact these testimony programs have on students’ understanding of the past, as the programs personalize the Holocaust so that they learn the consequences of racism, ethnic cleansing, and intolerance. The program will conclude with a performance by students of the Partisans’ Song, one of the most powerful songs of resistance and defiance ever written. Today, 80 years on, long after the demise of Hitler’s murderous regime, the Partisans’ Song is now sung worldwide to mark the Jewish spirit of resistance.”
 
King David School Johannesburg

Participating ORT Schools for January Event

Country/ City Timezone School
Mexico/ Mexico City CST CIM-ORT
South Africa/ Cape Town SAST Herzlia
South Africa/Johannesburg SAST King David Victory Park High
Bulgaria/Sofia EEST Dimcho Debelianov Hebrew and English Language School
Netherlands/ Amsterdam CET JSG Maimonides
Spain/Madrid CET ORT Colegio Estrella Toledano
Russia/ St Petersburg MST ORT de Gunzburg Secondary School # 550 “Shorashim”
Russia/ Samara SST Samara ORT Secondary School# 42, “Gesher”
Russia/ Moscow MST ORT Tekhiya, Center of Education # 1311
Russia/Moscow MST ORT Moscow Technology School, Gymnasium # 1540
Russia/ Kazan MST ORT “Mishpahteinu” Secondary School # 12
Ukraine/ Chernivtsi EEST ORT Specialized School #41
Ukraine/ Kiev EEST Kiev ORT Educational Complex #141
Ukraine/ Odessa EEST ORT Secondary School # 94
Ukraine/ Zhaporozhie EEST ORT “Aleph” Jewish Gymnasium
Moldova/ Kishinev EEST ORT Technology Lyceum
Estonia/ Tallinn EEST ORT Tallinn Jewish School
Latvia/ Riga EEST ORT Network Jewish Secondary School
Lithuania/ Vilnius EEST Vilnius Sholom Aleichem ORT School
Herzlia School Cape Town
Multi-cultural Centre Perth
WAH! Advisors and Educators, Perth
ORT Kishinev Moldova
 
 
Back