The visit of the Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, the Ponevezh’s Rav to Cape Town in 1953. My zaida – Rev Nachum Mendel Rabinowitz – seated third from the left. Cantor Jakub Lichterman 2nd from the bottom right.
Pinelands Cemetery, Cape Town
Vredehoek Shul Closing 1993
Video
Vredehoek Shul Closing
8 August 1993 Cape Town South Africa – edited speech
Miriam and Ivor Lichterman at Highlands House 2018
With Cantors Ivor Lichterman & Joffe at Cafe Rieteve 2018
The Global Partisan Song Project 2018
Video
The Global Partisan Song Project
Every year on Yom Hashoah the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and Heroism, Holocaust survivors and Jewish communities sing the song Zog Nit Keynmol
Author: Wojciech Konończuk — political scientist and historian, deputy director of the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw; specializes in problems of contemporary Eastern European countries, the history of Jews in the Russian Empire and the Second Polish Republic, and deportations of Polish citizens to Siberia during the Second World War. Contact: wojtekk7@wp.pl
“They show the highest tendency to emigrate” thousands of other migrants from Lithuania. According to the census of 1911, 47 thousand Jews lived in South Africa, many of whom were Lithuanians, although there were also Jews from Podlasie.
Nachum Mendel Skaryszewski (Rabinowitz) & his brother, Moshe Zalman Rabinowitz from Orla
An example is Nachum Mendel Skaryszewski from Orla, who first emigrated to Palestine, from where in 1911 he moved to South Africa. After a few years, he was joined by his brother, sister and several other residents of his native shtetl (20) .
Migration level of Jews was so significant that already in 1895, there were voices calling until the border is closed to them, and South Africa playfully was called the “colony of Lithuania” 21 .
Relatively little popularity before the outbreak of World War I, Palestine, which was part of the Ottoman Empire, enjoyed this manski, where in the first (1882-1903) and second (1904-1914) aliji came over 40 thousand. Russian Jews, including 23,000 in years 1905–1914 22 . They came mainly from the Ukrainian lands, in the most more affected by pogroms at the beginning of the 20th century. Funds from numerous Zionist organizations were gathered to buy land in Palestine, and one of the largest was founded in 1912. Białystok Society Land purchase, supporting the departures of Białystok Jews 23 . As it follows, according to the findings of Gur Alroey, emigration to Palestine was caused by not only the idea of Zionism, but this area was also seen as a potential attractive place to live, and thus the reasons for emigration did not differ from those related to going to the USA 24 . Interesting there is also the level of returns from Palestine, possibly emigration from there to the US or another country was very high and in the period before at the outbreak of World War I, it ranged from 50 to 75 percent. 25 It was from a difficult climate, poverty, limited possibilities of finding work, relative proximity to the migrants’ place of origin, but also disenchantment with Zionism 26 .
20 E. Rabinowitz, Personal Journeys. From One Photograph to Journeys of Research and Discovery , Avotayline Online, August 31, 2016, http://avotaynuonline.com/2016/08/from-one-photograph-to-journeys-of-research-and-discovery (access: February 17, 2020).
21 A. Żukowski, Konsekwencje , p. 128; HR Diner, Roads Taken , p. 36.
22 G. Alroey, An Unpromising Land , p. 110.
23 R. Kobrin, Żydowski Białystok and its diaspora , Sejny – Białystok 2014, pp. 67–68.
24 G. Alroey, An Unpromising Land , pp. 61, 233.
25 Ibid, pp. 211-217, 236.
Also further down in the article
610
Wojciech Konończuk
Table 2. Emigration of inhabitants of Bielsko and Orla to the USA in the years 1885–1914
It should be emphasized that the above calculations do not give the full picture Jewish emigration from both localities, and only provide information about confirmed newcomers to the United States. Uses- the scanned numbers are certainly far from complete for several reasons.
Firstly, as already mentioned, in relation to some of the migration documents, However, the record of a person’s place of origin is unclear or it was written distorted. Thus, it made it impossible the identification of all emigrants from both places.
Secondly, the data included in the table do not include migration from Bielsko and Orla to other countries, which – if data for departures of Jews from the Empire are accepted Russian – was 22 percent. -all migrants.
We have source confirmation of emigration in both surveyed towns Jews living there to Argentina, South Africa and Palestine 43 .
Third, many Jews from smaller towns were leaving, the most first to larger cities, then emigrate from there abroad nothing. As a result, American migration statistics often show their whereabouts, not of origin, appeared. In case of Bielsko and Orla, such a natural center was Białystok 44, 50 km away .
43 For example: in 1905, Aryeh Levin from Orla (1885-1969) emigrated to Palestine, in later years a famous rabbi and teacher; in 1907, Bielski left for Argentina Jew Dawid Abraham Gail (R. Gail, The Gail Family. From Bielsko to Argentina and the USA , “Bielski Hostineć “2019, 2, pp. 63–64);
in 1911 the above-mentioned Nachum Mendel Skaryszewski, and shortly after him, several other Orla residents emigrated to South Africa (E. Rabinowitz, op. Cit.).
Rabinowitz Eli, Personal Journeys. From One Photograph to Journeys of Research and Disco- very, Avotayline Online, 31 VIII 2016, http://avotaynuonline.com/2016/08/ from-one-photograph-to-journeys-of-research-and-discovery (dostęp: 17 II 2020).
A Tragic Romance & Finding Mr Katz
by Eli rabinowitz
A Tragic Romance & Finding Mr Katz
This story is divided into: A Tragic Romance (From One Photograph to Journeys of Research & Discovery) and Finding Mr Katz Finding Mr Katz by Eli Rabinowitz Finding Mr Katz is an importa…
Author: Wojciech Konończuk — political scientist and historian, deputy director of the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw; specializes in problems of contemporary Eastern European countries, the history of Jews in the Russian Empire and the Second Polish Republic, and deportations of Polish citizens to Siberia during the Second World War. Contact: wojtekk7@wp.pl
“They show the highest tendency to emigrate” thousands of other migrants from Lithuania. According to the census of 1911, 47 thousand Jews lived in South Africa, many of whom were Lithuanians, although there were also Jews from Podlasie.
Nachum Mendel Skaryszewski (Rabinowitz) & his brother, Moshe Zalman Rabinowitz from Orla
An example is Nachum Mendel Skaryszewski from Orla, who first emigrated to Palestine, from where in 1911 he moved to South Africa. After a few years, he was joined by his brother, sister and several other residents of his native shtetl (20) .
Migration level of Jews was so significant that already in 1895, there were voices calling until the border is closed to them, and South Africa playfully was called the “colony of Lithuania” 21 .
Relatively little popularity before the outbreak of World War I, Palestine, which was part of the Ottoman Empire, enjoyed this manski, where in the first (1882-1903) and second (1904-1914) aliji came over 40 thousand. Russian Jews, including 23,000 in years 1905–1914 22 . They came mainly from the Ukrainian lands, in the most more affected by pogroms at the beginning of the 20th century. Funds from numerous Zionist organizations were gathered to buy land in Palestine, and one of the largest was founded in 1912. Białystok Society Land purchase, supporting the departures of Białystok Jews 23 . As it follows, according to the findings of Gur Alroey, emigration to Palestine was caused by not only the idea of Zionism, but this area was also seen as a potential attractive place to live, and thus the reasons for emigration did not differ from those related to going to the USA 24 . Interesting there is also the level of returns from Palestine, possibly emigration from there to the US or another country was very high and in the period before at the outbreak of World War I, it ranged from 50 to 75 percent. 25 It was from a difficult climate, poverty, limited possibilities of finding work, relative proximity to the migrants’ place of origin, but also disenchantment with Zionism 26 .
20 E. Rabinowitz, Personal Journeys. From One Photograph to Journeys of Research and Discovery , Avotayline Online, August 31, 2016, http://avotaynuonline.com/2016/08/from-one-photograph-to-journeys-of-research-and-discovery (access: February 17, 2020).
21 A. Żukowski, Konsekwencje , p. 128; HR Diner, Roads Taken , p. 36.
22 G. Alroey, An Unpromising Land , p. 110.
23 R. Kobrin, Żydowski Białystok and its diaspora , Sejny – Białystok 2014, pp. 67–68.
24 G. Alroey, An Unpromising Land , pp. 61, 233.
25 Ibid, pp. 211-217, 236.
Also further down in the article
610
Wojciech Konończuk
Table 2. Emigration of inhabitants of Bielsko and Orla to the USA in the years 1885–1914
It should be emphasized that the above calculations do not give the full picture Jewish emigration from both localities, and only provide information about confirmed newcomers to the United States. Uses- the scanned numbers are certainly far from complete for several reasons.
Firstly, as already mentioned, in relation to some of the migration documents, However, the record of a person’s place of origin is unclear or it was written distorted. Thus, it made it impossible the identification of all emigrants from both places.
Secondly, the data included in the table do not include migration from Bielsko and Orla to other countries, which – if data for departures of Jews from the Empire are accepted Russian – was 22 percent. -all migrants.
We have source confirmation of emigration in both surveyed towns Jews living there to Argentina, South Africa and Palestine 43 .
Third, many Jews from smaller towns were leaving, the most first to larger cities, then emigrate from there abroad nothing. As a result, American migration statistics often show their whereabouts, not of origin, appeared. In case of Bielsko and Orla, such a natural center was Białystok 44, 50 km away .
43 For example: in 1905, Aryeh Levin from Orla (1885-1969) emigrated to Palestine, in later years a famous rabbi and teacher; in 1907, Bielski left for Argentina Jew Dawid Abraham Gail (R. Gail, The Gail Family. From Bielsko to Argentina and the USA , “Bielski Hostineć “2019, 2, pp. 63–64);
in 1911 the above-mentioned Nachum Mendel Skaryszewski, and shortly after him, several other Orla residents emigrated to South Africa (E. Rabinowitz, op. Cit.).
Rabinowitz Eli, Personal Journeys. From One Photograph to Journeys of Research and Disco- very, Avotayline Online, 31 VIII 2016, http://avotaynuonline.com/2016/08/ from-one-photograph-to-journeys-of-research-and-discovery (dostęp: 17 II 2020).
A Tragic Romance & Finding Mr Katz
by Eli rabinowitz
A Tragic Romance & Finding Mr Katz
This story is divided into: A Tragic Romance (From One Photograph to Journeys of Research & Discovery) and Finding Mr Katz Finding Mr Katz by Eli Rabinowitz Finding Mr Katz is an importa…
Online Jewish genealogy resources to be focus of Jewish Genealogical Society talk on 23 May 2021
Online Jewish genealogy resources to be focus of Jewish Genealogical Society talk on 23 May 2021
Eli Rabinowitz, a board member of the IAJGS who lives in Australia and is from South Africa, will speak on “Journeys from Shtetl to Shtetl” for the Sunday, 23 May 2021, virtual meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois. His live streaming presentation will begin at a special time: 7:30 pm CST.
8:30 pm ES 5:30 pm WST
Monday 24 May 2021: 10:30 am Sydney, 8:30 am Perth, 3:30 am Israel, 2:30 am South Africa, 1:30 am UK
After you register, you will be sent a link to join the meeting. This webinar will be recorded so that JGSI’s paid members who are unable to view it live will be able to view the recording later.
For more information, see https://jgsi.org or phone 312-666-0100.
In his presentation, Rabinowitz will explain how to trace our past and plot our future, using 88 KehilaLinks, over 800 WordPress blog entries, Facebook posts, and other social media. He will also discuss heritage travels in the actual and virtual worlds.
In his talk, Eli will describe special events including commemorations and reunions of descendants. “An important activity is to visit a local school—either physically or online, to engage with students, especially in towns where a few buildings with Jewish symbols, or cemeteries that often contain illegible matsevot, are the only tangible memories of a once thriving community,” he said.
It is also important that family histories should be documented and shared at the same time as the special events, Eli said.
Examples of such recent ceremonies were the Bielski partisans’ descendants’ reunion in Naliboki and Navahrudak, Belarus; the new memorial for victims of the massacre that took place near Birzai, Lithuania; and the groundbreaking ceremony for the Lost Shtetl Museum in Šeduva, Lithuania.
Eli Rabinowitzwas born in Cape Town, South Africa, and has lived in Perth, Australia, since 1986. He has researched his family’s genealogy and associated Jewish cultural history for over 30 years. Eli has travelled extensively, writing about Jewish life, travel, and education on his website, Tangential Travel and Jewish Life (http://elirab.me). He writes and manages dozens of JewishGen KehilaLinks and more than 750 WordPress blog posts. His articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Avotaynu: The International Review of Jewish Genealogy. Eli has lectured internationally at educational institutions, commemorative events, at IAJGS and other conferences, and online.
He is a board member of the IAJGS—The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, an independent non-profit umbrella organization that coordinates an annual conference of 84 Jewish genealogical societies worldwide.
Eli also advises on Litvak and Polish heritage tours.
He writes and manages 88 KehilaLinks—Jewish websites for JewishGen.org, the world’s largest Jewish genealogical organization, with a database of 500,000 followers. His KehilaLinks include sites in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Germany, Russia, China, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa and Australia.
The Jewish Genealogical Societyof Illinois is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping members collect, preserve, and perpetuate the records and history of their ancestors. JGSI is a resource for the worldwide Jewish community to research their Chicago-area roots. The JGSI motto is “Members Helping Members Since 1981.” The group has more than 300 members and is affiliated with the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
Witnessing Holocaust History: From Generation To Generation – A New Global Project Partnership between WE ARE HERE! Perth, Australia, HAMEC Philadelphia and World ORT, London #education
From: Eli Rabinowitz
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2020
Maftir and Haftorah at the Nozyk Synagogueand related stories
Back From the Polish and Litvak Diaspora
I am pleased to advise that for those of you arriving early in Warsaw for the IAJGS Conference, I will be reciting / singing my barmitzvah Maftir and Haftorah at the Nozyk Synagogue on 28 July 2018 – Shabbat Nachamu.
My barmitzvah was held on 14 August 1965 – 16 Av 5725 at the Waverley Shul, Bramley in Johannesburg, South Africa.
My good friend Phillip Levy’s barmitzvah book – our barmitzvahs were on the same day on 14 August 1965. We didn’t know each other yet!
Books as gifts
My zaida, Rev Nachum Mendel Rabinowitz
This is a significant milestone for our family both historically and genealogically speaking. My zaida, Rev Nachum Mendel Rabinowitz, left Poland in 1905 for Jerusalem, and then in 1911 for South Africa. I have sung in shul choirs in South Africa and Australia since 1960, but this will be the first time since 1905 that the voice of one of our Rabinowitz family will be heard in a shul in Poland! My zaida, my father and my uncle were all cantors.
In 2011 in Orla, I played a recording of my zaida from Johannesburg made in 1961
Now in 2018, I return not to play a recording, but to sing in the only synagogue in Warsaw that survived the Holocaust – a return to my roots!
My lecture at IAJGS: Back From the Polish and Litvak Diaspora: Virtual Journeys That Connect Us To Our Roots, is on Thursday 9 August at 4-5pm.
A repeat of my barmitzvah was held in Perth in 1992 – the invitation
Nozyk Synagogue 2018
Send-off from Noranda CHABAD Thursday 26 July 2018
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Cantor Jakub Lichterman
The last cantor at the Nozyk before the Holocaust
The visit of the Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, the Ponevezh’s Rav to Cape Town in 1953. My zaida – Rev Nachum Mendel Rabinowitz – seated third from the left. Cantor Jakub Lichterman 2nd from the bottom right.
Pinelands Cemetery, Cape Town
Vredehoek Shul Closing 1993
Video
Vredehoek Shul Closing
8 August 1993 Cape Town South Africa – edited speech
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of his barmitzvah at Camps Bay Shul, Cape Town
28 July 2018
Richard Shavei-Tzion
Thanks so much Eli for posting the Sefer story. Here’s the continuation: 70 Years after its consecration and 20 years after I first came across and read from it, with HH’s permission I hope to borrow it for a Shabbat. Cheryl and I and our 3 daughters will be spending Shabbat Nachamu, 27-28/7/18 at the Camps Bay Shul, celebrating the 50th anniversary of my Barmitzvah. once again a special connection- the Sefer was installed just weeks after the founding of the State of Israel, now to be used by Jerusalem family with all the significance attached to the number 70 in Jewish tradition. All Blochs-Saevitzons-Sloans-Wienburgs invited to the Brocha after Shabbat morning service.
Richard Shavei-Tzion
Richard in 1968
Audio
The Bloch Sefer Torah
The Bloch Sefer Torah
More about Aphraim and Chava and the Bloch & Cynkin Families: Source: kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/mir/Bloch_Cynkin.html The visit to Cape Town from Israel by Beverly Jacobson and her children on …
Miriam and Ivor Lichterman at Highlands House 2018
With Cantors Ivor Lichterman & Joffe at Cafe Rieteve 2018
The Global Partisan Song Project 2018
Video
The Global Partisan Song Project
Every year on Yom Hashoah â the Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and Heroism, Holocaust survivors and Jewish communities sing the song Zog Nit Keynmol (âW…
Featured on the new JewishGen Success Stories site:
Click on the image or source link below to read the article.
Finding Mr. Katz – Success! Stories of Connection
This story is a sequel to From One Photograph to a Journey of Discovery, my research into the tragic romance of my great-uncle Moshe Rabinowitz and Paula Lichtzier, recently published by JewishGen.
Traces and Memories of Jewish Life Connecting to our Litvak Shtetls
Eli Rabinowitz’s presentation has been compiled from six visits to Litvak lands.
His collection of photos and stories showcases:
– the shtetl, where most South Africans originated
– the people on the ground memorialising the shtetl
– the Tolerance Education Centres in schools
– the use of online resources to advance your own heritage research
“How will our children know who they are, if they don’t know where they came from?” —John Steinbeck
Eli Rabinowitz (ex- South Africa) is involved in Jewish community activities, filming events, photographing, researching, lecturing internationally and blogging on Jewish life and heritage. He presented at the IAJGS 2015 conference in Jerusalem. He manages 76 KehilaLinks websites for JewishGen. He led the first JewishGen Virtual Heritage Tour of Europe. Eli lives in Perth, Australia.
WHEN: Sunday 5 February at 7.30pm DONATION: R90.00 (including refreshments) VENUE: Clive M Beck Auditorium Rabbi Cyril Harris Community Centre (RCHCC) cnr Glenhove Rd & 4th Street Houghton, East of the M1 BOOKING: Hazel or René (011 728 8088/8378) After Hours (011 728 8378) email: rchcc@telkomsa.net or rene.s@telkomsa.net www.greatpark.co.za
Eli Rabinowitz’s presentation has been compiled from six visits to Litvak lands
His collection of photos and stories showcases:
– the shtetl, where most South Africans originated
– the people on the ground memorialising the shtetl
– the Tolerance Education Centres in schools
– the use of online resources to advance your own heritage research
Gardens Synagogue – Nelson Mandela Auditorium
8 February 2017 at 7:30 pm
My Upcoming Talks at the Great Park & Gardens Shuls
Traces and Memories of Jewish Life Connecting to our Litvak shtetls The Great Park Synagogue RCHCC, Johannesburg 5 February 2017 at 7:30pm and The Nelson Mandela Auditorium at the Gardens Shul, C…
Online Jewish genealogy resources to be focus of Jewish Genealogical Society talk on 23 May 2021
Richard Shavei-Tzion
