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If your family had roots in Lithuania, you can pretty well count on having some connection to the South African Jewish community. I'm still looking for my connection. I know you are out there!
There is a "Bibliography of South African Jewry - Towns and Villages in Eastern Europe" lists names and book information. It's there, but it is a bit hard to find. A web site promoting awareness of the heritage of nearly one million Jews displaced from Arab countries over 50 years ago
There are many books that deal with African Jewish Subjects and most are available at Amazon.com. "How to get started in South African Genealogy" - located on the Lehmkuhl Family Home Page at "Jewish Military Casualties in the Polish Armies in World War II" - history, names and burial places of the Jewish soldiers in the Polish armies, including those who fought in France, Norway, North Africa and Switzerland. Authored by Benjamin Mertchak - a 5 volume set. For more information check out http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/4017/meirtchak/meirtchak.htm "Jews and Zionism" The South African Experience - published by Oxford University Press in 1980 in Cape Town. "Journey to a Vanished City: The Search for the Lost Tribe of Israel" - Dr. Tudor Parfitt, founding director of the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of London, has written a book, and published by Random House, Vintage Books, in New York in 2000. The book describes his fascinating odyssey on behalf of the Lemba. His research retraced the origins of the Lemba from Yemen to Africa. Dr. Parfitt also participated in DNA testing which found that Lemba men exhibit distinctive genetic patterns in the same ratio as the general Jewish population "Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present" - authored by Michael B. Oren and published by W. W. Norton "Sage of Leipzig" by Esra Shereshevsky is mainly about his maternal grandfather "The Thorny Path of Jewish Immigration to South Africa" - authored by J. M. Sherman and published in 1952 in Johannesburg. It can be read on-line as part of the Rakishok (Rokiskis, Lithuania) Yizkor Book web page.
Algeria There were only two countries where Jews were stripped of their citizenship: Germany and Algeria. In Algeria, Jews wore the Yellow Star of David.
"Vital Records for the Jews of Algeria" - authored by Roland Gozland. The author, together with Fernand Deray and Annick Forgens, have created a record project of all the existing microfilms of civil state of Algeria kept at the "Archives d'Outre-mer" (Overseas archives) at Aix-en-Provence according to a note in the Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society and Review, Issue 4, Vol. 2, Spring 1999 Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) - http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htm Discover Algeria - a site that offers many links to many categories ETSI - Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society - The purpose of "ETSI" is to help people interested in Jewish Genealogical and Historical Research in the Sephardi World. "ETSI's" field of study covers the Ottoman Empire (Turkey, Greece, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Egypt); North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia); Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar. The study of every Sephardi community or family who lived in other regions is equally within the society's aim or email laurphil@wanadoo.fr Oran Has a Jewish presence Egypt Jews have lived in Egypt since before the time of the Second Temple. About 80,000 Jews left Egypt in the mid-20th century mainly because of political and religious discrimination, and later because the government expelled them - a second Exodus. Egyptian Jews made up several communities including Arabic-speaking Jews who had been in the country for hundreds of years; European Jews of Sephardic origin who had arrived from Turkey, Greece, Syria and other areas in the 1800s after the construction of the Suez Canal; Ashkenazim who had fled the pogroms of Russia and Karaites. Most lived in either Cairo or Alexandria. At the present time (2007) there are about 80 to 100 Jews remaining, mostly elderly women who have outlived their husbands and whose children have moved on to other countries.
"A Jewish Archive from Old Cairo: The History of Cambridge University's Genizah Collection" - authored by Stefan C. Reif and published by Curzon Press, 2000 - discusses the amazing treasure-trove of documents about the Khazars. "The Main in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World" - authored by Lucette Lagnado and published by Ecco "Souvenir Gourmands D'un Francais d'Egypte" (Greedy memories of a French person from Egypt) authored by Maurice Bensoussan and published in ETSI in the June 2006 issue - a review. Egypt The Consulate General of Israel in Alexandria and the Embassy of Egypt in Cairo are in touch with the Jewish communities there and can offer some assistance. Carmen Weinstein is the president of the Jewish Community Council of Egypt. My friend, Mila Begun (alev ah sholom), posted a story that had been printed in the March 15th 2000 issue of The Wall Street Journal titled: 'What's to Become of Musty Judaica in Egypt's Temples?' and I am copying same here though I have added other information to clarify the story of today's Egyptian Jews within the main story. "Apparently, since Jews began leaving Egypt in droves around 50 years ago, many synagogues have fallen into disuse and disrepair. Much of Egypt's Judaica has been sold to collectors, stolen or lost. However, there are still many historic torahs, religious books and civil records remaining, and groups outside of Egypt are seeking to rescue them. However, it's never so simple, and the rescuers have encountered issues of international relations and the resistance of the remaining small community of Jews who want their temples intact. Besides their own religious interests, Egyptian Jews cite the importance of the remaining synagogues to tourism, illustrated by the hordes of tourists who make the Alexandria and Cairo main synagogues a key destination. Another surviving Cairo synagogue is the Ben Ezra, said to be one of the world's oldest Jewish temples. It was renovated with money from the Egyptian Jewish community in Canada. The main synagogue, Shaar Hashamayim, in Cairo is on Adly Street and was built in the early 1900s. It was once the very heart of the Arab world's largest Jewish community. It is behind a wrought iron fence and heavy wooden doors. With fewer than 200 Egyptian Jews remaining, and only a dozen or so -- all elderly women - actively trying to saving the nation's Jewish history, the Jews of Egypt have to face a crisis. The Jewish community once numbered 150,000 in Cairo alone and dates to the last years of the pharaohs. There were 29 synagogues in Cairo, and during the 19th Century, Jews owned most of the major department stores, cornered the cotton trade and created urban districts, worked as financiers and merchants and helped found the National Bank of Egypt. Several Jews served as elected members of parliament. There are many streets and squares that were named after prominent Jews. Over the century, with the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973, the Jews in the Arab world dwindled to less than 40,000 from 850,000. Those left today (in 2006 there is fewer than 100 according to an article in the American Jewish World of 9-29-06) are mostly elderly, unskilled, poor and apolitical. Few practice Judaism. In Egypt, nine of the 12 remaining synagogues are closed and the other three are rarely used. The community is so small, it can't even gather the 10 men required for a Minyan. Most importantly for researchers is the existence of civil registers administrated by the Egyptian Rabbinate. All births, marriages and deaths were recorded at synagogues before they were registered with any municipal authority. Émigrés who need records for proof of marriage, for example, are hampered at present in getting those records from the synagogues where they are stored." Many of the Jewish inhabitants of Alexandria (who were still there in the 1950s) have a long history of habitation in the town - well before the big influx of other nationals when Egypt was developed in the late 1800s and was still part of the Ottoman Empire. From a posting by Celia Male An article, authored by Sarah Bronson appeared in the April 2007 issue of Hadassah Magazine which offers a more detailed view of the Egyptian Jews. A valuable site to help find a person, maps, etc. Type in the name of any country you wish to research. This service is free. Abstract of the AJOE (Association of Jews Originating from Egypt) Conference on the Suez Canal nationalization Jubilee, March 6, 2006) as published in the June 2006 issue of ETSI
Alexandrian Jews - in 2006, it is reported that there are only four Jewish mean and 27 Jewish women remaining in the city. A group of former Alexandrian Jews now living in Paris, has founded the "Association of Jews Originating in Egypt, in an effort to promote international interest in the heritage of Egyptian Jews. There has been virtually uninterrupted Jewish presence in Alexandria since 331 B.C.E., but today there are only six Jews remaining to look after the city's 150 year old, 700 seat Eliyahu Hanavi (Eliahou Hanabi) Synagogue. They have excellent records, but it is difficult to review them. Note that in researching this city, street names have changed, so to find the location today, you will need a good driver and guide. Lina Mattatia of Alexandria has recorded births, marriages and deaths for the community for three decades. The Jewish cemetery is still there but in a rather perilous state as reported by a friend of Celia Male in a posting. Finding former Alexandrians Association des Juifs Originaires d'Egypte Association Internationale Nebi Daniel - this group raises money to maintain Jewish cemeteries and ancient synagogues in Egypt Ben Ezra Synagogue - Cairo, housed a Genizah, or repository, that survived to tell its story of life in the Middle Ages. The documents told of the existence of the entire world's Jewish community, which extended to Europe and as far away as India. Details of this 19th century discovery , which includes the full range of texts extending from the 5th through the 16th centuries, though the major portion date from the 11th through the 13th centuries, are explored in "A Gateway to Medieval Mediterranean Life: Cairo's Ben Ezra Synagogue", a presentation held at the Spertus Museum in Chicago from October 21, 2001. The Cairo Jewish Community has a website at http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/5855 Cairo Jewish Community and other Middle-Eastern Jewish Records - contact Carmen Weinstein at bassatine@geocities.com http://www.jewishgen.org/sephardicsig/ Civil Registers administrated by the Egyptian Rabbinate are in existence. All births, marriages and deaths were recorded at synagogues before they were registered with any municipal authority. At the present time, a Brooklyn based Historical Society of Jews from Egypt are trying to have the artifacts "evacuated" from Egypt for safekeeping. The secretary of this society is Desire Sakkal according to an article published on the front page under the title of "What's to Become of Musty Judaica in Egypt's Temples?" From an article in the Wall Street Journal dated Wednesday, March 15, 2000. Discussion Groups - there are several online Yahoo discussion groups Egypt 1931 Movie Clip Farhi Genealogy - The following site contains a Genealogy Database of the Major Families from the Ottoman Empire and beyond. A collection of historical facts about the Farhi families and General topics and personal documents as submitted by members of the Fleurs de l'Orient "Genizah" of Cairo, holds thousands of hand writings of all kinds relating to Jews from various social statuses, holy scripts and much more. Global Gazetteer is a great web site. It is a directory of 2,880,532 of the world's cities and towns, sorted by country and linked to a map for each town. A tab separated list is available for each country. World-Wide Gazetteer Haret el Yahoud is Cairo's old Jewish quarter Historical Society of Jews from Egypt in New York History of the Jews of Egypt - This site is designed to gather, and provide historical and current information on the Jews From Egypt one of the most ancient established societies in the world. It attempts to cover the period from Joseph Saadia el Fayoumi (Saadia Gaon) to the present day. International Association of Jews from Egypt Jewish Community Council of Cairo (JCC) Jewish Families of North Africa; Prominent Egyptian Sephardim 1942-43; WWII Egyptian Sephardim Deportees from France; Representatives of the Synagogues of Egypt 1942-1943; Jews and Egypt - This is a very intensely studied field. Links, at this site, are to the better portal or meta-sites (sites that aggregate information) or represent the better WWW-based information offerings for researchers, while the bibliographic notes may be only representative of offerings in this field Jews From Egypt - In 1948, the Jewish population of Egypt was about 75,000 and today (2000) about 200. Between June and November 1948, bombs set off in the Jewish Quarter of Cairo killed more than 70 Jews and wounded nearly 200
Art Source International may have antique maps, prints and current world globes that may be of interest to you. Art Source International Records of the Cairo Jewish Community - 1886 to 1961Lehman Collection at the Yeshiva University Archives, New York City - . 500 West 185th St., New York, NY 10033 Phone (212) 960 5451 http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htm Resources in Egypt - Sephardic Sites - Shaar Hasamaim Synagogue - located in Cairo - Jewish Community Council (JCC) of Cairo #13 Sabil El Khazindar Street, Midan al-Geish, Abbassia, Cairo, Egypt - Telephone: +20 2 2482-4613; Fax +20 1 2736-9639 - Mobile: 010 143 8037 e-mail: bassatine@yahoo.com Ethiopia "The Ethiopian Jewish community dates back to the time of King Solomon. There were four immigrations from Israel, with some Jews settling in Yemen. There is some who say that the Ethiopian Jews came from the tribe of Dan which is mentioned in the 11th century by a rabbi from Egypt. The Ethiopian Jews practiced 'biblical Judaism' and were unaware of the Talmudic law. Who are the Jews of Ethiopia? Because of lack of recorded information about them, there has been some debate about their origin. Few, however, question that their roots stretch back to biblical times when Israelites resettled in Egypt and then moved southward to Abyssinia, as Ethiopia was then known. Their existence was not known until the 17th century when a Scotsman, James Bruce, went to the Middle East to find the source of the blue Nile. He met members of the Ethiopian Jewish community and when he returned to Europe, wrote articles about them for a newspaper. However, it wasn't until the early 20th century that real contact was made between the Jews of Ethiopia and the Jews of other communities. Jack Feilovich, a Polish Jew, went to Ethiopia and stayed with the Ethiopian Jews, who call themselves 'Beta Yisrael'. He lived with them. He learned the language. He tried to stop the missionary work (of the Ethiopian government),' and urged government leaders, including King Haile Selassie, to give them 'a little religious freedom.' The Ethiopian royalty originally was part of those Jews who had left Israel." The previous information was taken from an article by Herb Weber that appeared in the December 28, 2001 issue of American Jewish World. Over 78,000 Ethiopian Jews have been transported to Israel. Over 45% of the adult Ethiopian Jews now living in Israel are unemployed. In 1991 alone, 15,000 Jews were airlifted out of the Ethiopian capitol of Addis Ababa. The illiteracy rate is about 85%. There are still an estimated 26,000 Jews still living in Ethiopia Asmara, Eritrea - once a thriving center of local Jewish activity, a synagogue now sits deserted, its upkeep falling essentially to one man, Samuel Cohen, who at 53, is the youngest member of Eritrea's last Jewish family. The synagogue was built in 1906 and is just off the main street. The city is by far the largest city in Eritrea, with a population of some 435,000. Ethiopian Synagogue on YouTube, Beth Shalom Synagogue. Chicago, IL Falash Mura - "Jews of Ethiopia" - those Jews who may have been forced to integrate into Christianity in the late 18th and 19th century to avoid persecution in Ethiopia. Falasha - a derogatory term meaning 'stranger, who has no rights' also "moved" or "gone into exile." Falash Mura are known to be living in a wildlife preserve in the Simian mountains of Northwest Ethiopia. Legend of Ethiopia Kenya
"Nowhere in Africa: An
Autobiographical Novel" - authored by Stefanie Zweig and
translated by Marlies Comean, is based on Zweig's personal
experience as a German Jewish refugee child in Kenya during WW II. Gibraltar An article about Gibraltar, the steep rock at Spain's southern tip - can be found in the November 2007 issue of Hadassah magazine and authored by Esther Hecht. Gibraltar is call "Gib" by the locals. It is one-tenth the size of Manhattan. There has been a Jewish presence here as early as the 14th century as many Jews passed through here en route to North Africa in 1492. Jews actually returned to Gibraltar to live in 1704, after an Anglo-Dutch force took possession of the fortress. The Treaty of Utrecht, signed by Spain in 1713, stated that no Jews or Muslims could live there. However, in 1729, England allowed Jewish traders from Morocco to visit and later a community was established. In 1749, Jews won the legal right of residence. "The 600 Jews then made up one-third of the population and played a visible role in public life and trade with Morocco and England" according to Ms. Hecht's article. Further, she states that "during the Great Siege (by France and Spain, from 1779 to 1783, many Jews fled to London." But by 1805, Jews made up half the citizenry. The Ladino newspaper Cronica Israelitica appeared in 1843 and the community peaked in size in the middle of the 19th century - also the height of The Rock's naval and military importance. In 1878, there were 1,533 Jews and they controlled most retail trade. During WW II, Jews left Gibraltar along with most of the civilian population. Today there are about 650 Jews constituting just over 2 percent of the territory's population of 28,000. They are Sephardim, most of them descendants of settlers from Tetouan on the northern coast of Morocco, just south of Gibraltar. There are four synagogues, all Orthodox. The current community president is Haim Levy. Visits to the synagogues have to be pre-arranged by contacting Abraham Benady of Holyland Tours 011 350 567 49 000. To join a local family for a Shabbat meal, contact Esther Benady 350 72 606 Four streets have been named for prominent Jews: Serfaty's Passage, Abecasis's Passage, Benoliel's Passage and Benzimra's Alley. Abudarham Synagogue Esnoga Chica (Little Synagogue) Etz Chayim Synagogue - 91 Irish Town Gibraltar Museum - 350 74 289 Jewish Virtual Tour of Gibraltar Jews Gate - at the southern end of Main Street, take the left fork, Trafalgar Road; it turns into Europa Road which leads to Jews' Gate. Pass the Pillars of Hercules monument on the right, and next pass the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society on the left. A few yards farther down, stone steps on the left lead to the Jewish cemetery. Of the 800 tombstones, about 30 percent are legible. New Jewish Cemetery - the entrance is opposite No. 19 Devil's Tower Road through a tiny lane between the Lady Williams Cancer Support Center and a house surrounded by a beige stucco wall. a good view of the cemetery can be had from Jock's Balcony on the Tunnel Tour Nefutsot Yehuda Synagogue - 65 Lule Wall Road however the entrance is around the corner on Bomb House Lane. The current congregation was founded in 1800 by Dutch merchants and is now known as the Flemish Synagogue. A fire in 1911 gutted the synagogue which was later rebuilt. Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue - 47/49 Engineer's Lane
ETSI - Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society - The purpose of "ETSI" is to help people interested in Jewish Genealogical and Historical Research in the Sephardi World. "ETSI's" field of study covers the Ottoman Empire (Turkey, Greece, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Egypt); North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia); Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar. The study of every Sephardi community or family who lived in other regions is equally within the society's aim Surnames of Gibraltar from Genealogia Hebraica: Portugal e Gibraltar Mauritius Many hundreds of Jewish refugees attempting to enter Palestine from 1940 to 1945, were deported to Mauritius. This island is located in the Indian Ocean. 127 of the detainees never left the island are buried in the St. Martin Jewish Cemetery in Bambous. Henry Wellisch has transcribed data about them from the book "The Mauritian Shekel: The Story of the Jewish Detainees in Mauritius, 1940-1945" - authored by Genevieve Pitot (Port Louis, Mauritius: Editions Vizavi, 1998), and is available on-line If you include "Town is Exactly Mauritius" in your JOWBR search, you will be searching this information. Please note that, in JOWBR, the field labeled "Place of Birth" should instead, be understood to be "Country of Origin." Morocco
"Le noms des juifs du Maroc" ("Jews in North Africa") - authored by Abraham Isaac Laredo and published in 1978. It is "out of print" but may be available at many large libraries throughout the US, and presumably one can try to obtain it through Interlibrary Loan. Avotaynu, has a microfiche index to the names in this book though there is a charge.
Moroccan Synagogue Interior The Jewish community stood at about 250,000 in 1948, but today it has dwindled to around 3,500. There were once flourishing communities in Fez, Rabat and Marrakech, all of which once boasted thousands of Jews living intimately in walled medieval markets, now have only a few hundred members. Most Moroccan and Eastern country cities have medieval souks (bazaars) The historical record is complex and includes anti-Jewish pogroms. Jews faired better in Morocco than in many other parts of North Africa or Europe. The Jewish communities of Morocco date back some 2,000 years and once numbered more than a quarter of a million. Most Moroccan Jews emigrated from Spain to escape the Inquisition. In 1912, Jews were given equality and religious autonomy, and during WW II, King Muhammad V prevented the deportation of thousands of Jews by telling the Nazis, "There are no Jews [here], only Moroccans. There is an excellent article by Andree Aelion Brooks on "The Road To Morocco" in the December 2007 issue of Hadassah Magazine. Serge Berdugo is president of the Council of the Jewish Community in Morocco. In the beginning of the 19th century, a large group of Jewish people of Morocco, made Aliyah to Eretz Israel. They were called Moghrabim (Arabic for Westerners). Prior to the 1960s, Jews had been living in Morocco for over 2,000 years. In 1948, there were over 250,000 Jews here but as of 1971, only 35,000 left in the country. Now, according to the Hadassah article, there are an estimated 5,000 Jews, mainly in Casablanca and Marrakesh. Since there are the states of the Moghrab (West) and they are in North Africa, Udi Cain suggests that maybe from the period that the Muslims had started ruling the area between India and Spain, through North Africa, Jewish people of the Moghrab (West side of the Muslim reign) were referred to as Westerns, while Jewish people of the East side of the Muslim reign were referred to as Easterns. From a posting to JewishGen by Udi Cain on 3/9/02
Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) - http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htm ETSI - Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society - The purpose of "ETSI" is to help people interested in Jewish Genealogical and Historical Research in the Sephardi World. "ETSI's" field of study covers the Ottoman Empire (Turkey, Greece, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Egypt); North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia); Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar. The study of every Sephardi community or family who lived in other regions is equally within the society's aim. Email laurphil@wanadoo.fr Jewish Communities Jewish Museum - located in Casablanca (in the suburb of Oasis) and is the only Jewish museum in the entire Arab world Jewish Theological Seminary Archives, New York City - Moroccan Records
Resources in Morocco - Sephardic Jews - Moroccan Sephardim Deported from France; Cities and Towns
Map reproduced from 'The Map Gallery' at Casablanca - has dozens of synagogues. One street boasts seven synagogues and all have three daily minyanim. The city also has four day schools attended by more than 500 students. Casablanca - Records of the Moroccan Jewry Bet Din of Casablanca - http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htmhttp://www.jewishgen.org/sephardicsig/ Fez - once had a Jewish community of thousands living intimately in walled medieval markets, now have only a few hundred members. There is a synagogue here Marrakech - once had a Jewish community of thousands living intimately in walled medieval markets, now have only a few hundred members. Medina means old city (dating from the 17th century) and Ville Nouvelle means new town. Meknes - There is a synagogue here Mogador - Quarzazat - once had a Jewish presence Rabat - is the capital city. Morocco was a French protectorate from 1912 to 1956 and has strong European influences. There is at least one synagogue in existence in the city. It once had a Jewish community of thousands living intimately in walled medieval markets, now have only a few hundred members. Tangier http://www.mincom.gov.ma/english/reg_cit/cities/tanger/tanger.html "A Sample of the Jewish population of Tangier in 1955 from Isaac Pimienta's note book" - authored by Sidney Pimenta, explains how his father recorded in a note book, the list of voters of the Jewish Community in 1955. This list gives a representative feature of the community at this time. The most frequently quoted names are Cohen, Levy, Bengio, Anidjar, Benarroch and Bendahan. The article can be found in the Winter issue of ETSI (Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Review of 1999 There is a synagogue here Tetuan - had a Jewish presence - there is a synagogue here Nambia
South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during WW I and administered it as a mandate until after WW II, when it annexed the territory. It borders the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa. Its natural resources include diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, natural gas and more which attracted a few Jewish peddlers and merchants. Nigeria
Jewish Union Of Nigeria South Africa Jews immigrated from Lithuania, Latvia, Russia and Belarus. South Africa, during the second World War, also had a restrictive immigration policy. Between 1937 and 1947, approximately 500 (mainly elderly) Jews were admitted. According to an article in South African Jewry, written by Professor Allie Dubb, Demographer, edited by Marcus Arkin in Cape Town and published by Oxford University Press in 1984, 'Thus, by 1970, with no significant immigration having occurred for over three decades, annual growth (of Jewish population) had dropped to 0.3% (compared with 2.6% 1926-1936 and 1.1% 1936-1960)'. An article by Rebecca Faye Rosenberg in the January 2007 issue of Hadassah Magazine offers much information about the history of South Africa and in particular, Capetown. She states that "a record of two young Jewish men living in the Western Cape who were baptized on Christmas Day in 1669 is the earliest evidence of a Jewish presence in the region. Until around 1800, the few Jews who came to South Africa did so as part of the Dutch East India Company, which required that all employees and colonists be Protestant." The first Jews that emigrated to England's Cape Colony and formed the first community organizations did so in the first half of the 19th century. The first Minyan was held at Benjamin Norden's home, Helmsley Place, in sub-Saharan Africa. It is now represented by a memorial plaque at Mount Nelson Hotel at 76 Orange Street. About 40,000 Eastern European Jews, predominantly from Lithuania arrived between 1881 and 1910 becoming peddlers and eventually shopkeepers. More than 25% of South African Jews live in Capetown. There were about 25,000 in the 1980's but thousands have moved on to Israel, Canada and the US leaving about 17,000 Jews in 2006. There were between 120 - 150,000 Jews in South Africa at the peak and perhaps there remain close to 100,000, bolstered by Jews from Congo/Zaire, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa. The South African Jewish Year Book Database SA-SIG - Southern Africa Jewish Genealogy http://www.jewishgen.org/SAfrica/websites.htm http://www.jewishgen.org/safrica/gallery/index.htm
"From South African Jewry - 1967-68" - Edited by Leon Feldberg.
Capetown - there is a Jewish cemetery known as Maitland. Capetown has a Great Synagogue, a Jewish Museum, a Holocaust Center, the Gitlin Library, a Jewish Community Center, a kosher restaurant and a Museum shop. The Chief Rabbi is Cyril Harris. There are 12 Orthodox synagogues Green and Sea Point Hebrew Congregation - also known as Marais Road, is considered by many as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere with over 2,000 members. The American-born rabbi is Elihu Jacob Steinhorn. Sea Point has the largest concentration of Jews in the city. Cape Town Hebrew Congregation (the Gardens Shul) has a membership of more than 800 and is the oldest active congregation and consecrated in 1905. Chabad of Cape Town Cape Town Holocaust Centre - the only Holocaust institution in Africa and also contains the South African Jewish Museum, the Gitlin Library. Gitlin Library - housed in the Holocaust centers offers over 20,000 Jewish themed holdings including Hebrew, Yiddish and English books and periodicals, photographs and more. Thee is also a virtual Jewish history tour available Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies and Research South African Jewish Museum - 88 Hatfield Street; 21-465-1546 Berl Padowitz was a bookseller. Born Lithuania in 1899. Settled in Cape Town. Married Bertha Beinkanstadt. Cemeteries - Braamfontein Jewish cemetery -located in Johannesburg Brickstone cemetery - where earlier Jews are buried Johannesburg - there is a Jewish cemetery just outside known as Kempton Park. Westpark Cemetery - it is a huge Jewish cemetery Great Park Synagogue, Houghton, Johannesburg. Contact Eli Goldstein eligold@virtual-ventures.co.za Chief Rabbi of South Africa - Cyril Harris Dordrecht - a town in the Cape having a Jewish history. A list of surnames was posted by Paul Cheifitz pcheifitz@global.co.za on JewishGen Highlands House - the home for Jewish elderly Jewish ex-Patriate Africans - world-wide link to ex-Patriate Africans now living somewhere in the world Jewish Genealogy of South Africa - publishes a web site that offers a great deal of information including: photographs, Historical Background, Historical, Jewish Genealogical Societies in South Africa, Associations and Societies, National Archives, South African Jewish Communities and more Jewish South Africa - the official home of the South African Jewish community on the Web, "Jewish South Africa' is a site created to inform, entertain and educate visitors about the Jewish community in South Africa The Board’s quarterly journal Jewish Affairs, provides a forum for discussion and original research on a wide variety of topics of Jewish interest. It publishes articles dealing with Jewish history, literature, art and religion as well as more specific subjects such as Zionism and the Holocaust, both in the local and international context. To view past publications you may have to do a cut and paste to get to the site.
Miriam Margolyes has offered to do telephone looks up in the July 1998 Phone Book for this city E-mail 75342.3217@compuserve.comLemba - a Bantu speaking people of northern South Africa and Zimbabwe, practice circumcision, keep one day a week holy and avoid eating pork or pig-like animals such as hippopotamus. The confirmation of the Lemba's Jewish ancestry has come via two intertwining lines of inquiry. Library in Cape Town Lichtenburg - there is an old Jewish cemetery, though the Jewish community is no longer functioning for about the last ten years. It is located west of Johannesburg. Lithuanian Jews Make Big Impact In South Africa - an article written by Ed Stoddard at
Art International may have maps, prints and globes that may be of interest to you at Art Source International National Archives of South Africa Oudtshoorn - there was once a Jewish presence Paarl - The Jewish country community of Paarl, South Africa, was founded by Dutch and German settlers in the 1850s. Later Lithuanian immigrants from Plungian/Plunge and Birzh/Birzai, formed the majority of the community. The book "The Light of Israel, The Story of the Paarl Jewish Community" - authored by Charles Press and published in 1993, lists some of the families who formed the nucleus of the community and the towns they came from. A list of families was offered by Ann Rabinowitz pqua32a@prodigy.com on 7/4/1997 on JewishGen Digest Ponevez - Port Elizabeth - a seaport city which has the Glendinningvale Synagogue and was established in 1841 Pretoria Jewish Cemetery - Resources in South Africa DEPARTMENT OF HOME AFFAIRS
The public has no direct access to South African birth, marriage and death civil registration records. The registers are maintained by the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria. The facilities, files and records of the Department of Home Affairs are not open to the public or researchers. There is no index for perusal by the public. The public may submit applications for copies of birth, marriage and death certificates. Two types of certificates are available - an abridged certificate and a full certificate. For genealogical purposes, always request FULL certificates, as they contain more details. Within South Africa, application can be made at any Department of Home Affairs office. To apply for certificates from outside South Africa one must do so through the nearest South African Embassy, Consulate or High Commission. There is a charge associated with obtaining copies of these certificates. Alternatively, the South African National Archives has marriage and death registers older than 20 years, although the issue of certificates can only be done by the Department of Home Affairs and the records cannot be photocopied. This web site contains information of interest to people researching South African ancestors/descendants. Sephardic Sites - South African Immigration - this site is based on materials from the papers of a well known South African attorney and Jewish communal leader and deals with some of the problems immigrants faced upon reaching South Africa and why they were refused entry or deported http://www.jewishgen.org/SAfrica/ South African Genealogy - lots of help here South African Jewish Genealogy - www.jgbgb.org.uk The Kaplan Centre, Cape Town, has funded the South African MEGA BASE project, Part I. There is a database consisting of the 16,000 records contained the South African Jewish Board of Deputies Passenger List Registers, 1924-1929. Project Manager as of 12/20/1996 is Janine Blumberg. South Africa Mailing List - RootsWeb.com offers a mailing list for anyone interested in Southern African genealogy and related topics. http://home.global.co.za/~mercon/ South Africa SIG - an excellent resource Telephone Directory - Phone Books of the World site: http://www.phonebookoftheworld.com/sommaire.htm Telephone Directories on the Web - Zastron - there was a Jewish presence
Sudan
"Jacob's Children in the Land of the Mahdi: Jews of the Sudan" details the development of a prosperous Jewish Community in the Sudan including the lives of the Sephardic Jews, - authored by Eli S. Malka
The first Jewish settlers came to Tunisia in 70 CE, after the destruction of the second Temple, bringing with them a Torah and settling on the island of Jerba, Tunisia. Today, there are still 2000 Jews living there with a beautiful temple and Jewish day schools for boys and one for girls. At one time, more than 100,000 Jews lived in Tunisia. But the turmoil of the last half century, the Arab-Israeli wars and a rise in regional anti-Semitism have prompted most to leave. Those still here are a remnant of what was a Diaspora within a Diaspora. Since 1948, when 100,000 Jews lived in Tunisia, the Jewish population has dropped to 2,000. Many Jews emigrated to Israel after the founding of the Jewish state - or to France when Tunisia won independence in 1956. More Jews left following anti-Jewish riots during the 1967 Six-Day War. Following the Six Day War, Muslims burned down the Great Synagogue and anti-Jewish riots led to a steady stream of emigration. They have clung, for better or worse, to the island traditions established those thousands of years and refuse to let the modern world separate them from their traditions. For example, marriages are still arranged. Djerba - A resort island that is located off the northern coast of Africa that has the Ghriba synagogue which was the target of a terrorist on April 11, 2002 that killed 21 German tourists. It is the place called home for about 1,600 Jews in a community that dates back to the destruction of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Lore has it, that the first Jews brought with them a stone from that synagogue and in 586 BC built a temple on the very site where Ghriba rests today. Djerbans may have come from Palestine, arriving after the fall of the temple in 586 BC. More than observant, they are pious. They live in Jewish villages known as haras. Local leaders emphasize that the word 'hara' is not synonymous with ghetto because Jews have never been walled in. Jews have been living in this Arab state for many centuries without problems. During the 16th century, pirates took Jewish hostages. To arrange their release, a small group of Marrano Jews - Jews who hid their religion to escape the Spanish Inquisition -- traveled from Livorno, Italy. Many of them stayed and others followed from Livorno. Their descendants are easy to recognize because they speak Italian, avoid intermarriage with native Jews, and educate their children in Italy. They keep their own traditions and cuisine, a mixture of Italian, Tunisian and Portuguese. Many Jews from Spain and later Portugal, settled in Tunisia to escape the Spanish Inquisition. It didn't take long for them to both adopt and influence local cooking. (More Sephardic cooking information - click here. Youseff Ouazan is the President of a Jewish community organization. Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People (CAHJP) - http://www.orthohelp.com/geneal/sefardim.htmETSI - Sephardi Genealogical and Historical Society - The purpose of "ETSI" is to help people interested in Jewish Genealogical and Historical Research in the Sephardi World. "EST's" field of study covers the Ottoman Empire (Turkey, Greece, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Egypt); North Africa (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia); Spain, Portugal, Italy and Gibraltar. The study of every Sephardi community or family who lived in other regions is equally within the society's aim Email laurphil@wanadoo.frhttp://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/1321 Hara Kbira, Jerba: Still quite Jewish. There are as many as 11 synagogues here, and close to 1,000 Jews make up a substantial part of the population. As this is a place where people work, there are little to see of normal tourist attractions, but while walking around the place, you can look out for the signs in blue color that have been painted on doorways to guard the families against the evil eye. These signs vary, but are fish, hands, or candelabras. Hara Kbira is the largest Jewish quarter in Djerba. Hara Seghira - home to the Ghriba Synagogue, is the oldest in continuous existence in the world. This synagogue has an Arabic style entrance shaped like a keyhole. Jerba - about 1,000 Jews are still living here. http://lexicorient.com/tunisia/jerba.htm Jewish Community of Tunisia
Art International may have maps, prints and globes that may be of interest to you at Art Source International Uganda
There are approximately 600 Jews (2002) living in this African country. They were almost extinguished by the late Idi Amin when in 1971, he came to power, and banned Jewish practices and ordered Jews to convert to Christianity or Islam. Amin took 32 synagogues for public use and shut the Israeli embassy, which never reopened. Uganda today is served by the Israeli ambassador in Kenya. The Jewish community has been in existence for 83 years and has converted according to Halacha, or Jewish law. They are known as Abayuda, a local term that means 'the people of Judah'. An American organization, Kulanu (Hebrew for 'all of us) - has come to the aid of these lost and dispersed Jewish communities and has been offering aid to these Abayuda Jews. http://www.kulanu.org/The Abayuda's trace their beginnings to 1917 when Semei Kakungulu, a military leader with a following of over 3,000 people, established the town of Mbale (now the third largest city in Uganda) and began to study the Bible. He was converted to Christianity by British missionaries. As he developed his interest in the Bible, he determined that God loved those who followed the Torah and convince his entire community to have their baby boys circumcised at the age of eight days as God commanded Abraham. There are about 500 African Jews who live in villages surrounding Mbale. Today, most Abayuda are farmers. They have no electricity or running water. In addition to the synagogue at Nabugoye, four smaller synagogues also serve the community. The village spiritual leader is Gershom Sizomu who is studying to be a rabbi on a full scholarship at the University of Judaism in Bel-Air, California. "The Images and Sounds of the Abayudaya, the Jews of Uganda" - authored by Richard Sobol and Jeffrey A. Summit. Published by Abbeville Press. 168 pages and can be purchased through my Amazon.com link to the left. An interesting and informative article about Ugandan Jews, written by Stacey Schultz, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, was published in the June/July 2002 issue of Hadassah Magazine. http://kulanu.org/ Joab Jonadav "J. J." Keki recently became the sub-county Chair over 32 villages and more than 25,000 Ugandans. This gives him control over the police and military forces - and makes him the first Jew in Uganda to win political office. Debra Gonsher and her husband have produced a 44 minute documentary on the Jewish conversion ceremonies entitled "Moving Heaven and Earth". Dr. Tudor Parfitt, founding director of the Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of London, has written a book, "Journey to a Vanished City: The Search for the Lost Tribe of Israel" and published by Random House, Vintage Books, in New York in 2000. The book describes his fascinating odyssey on behalf of the Lemba. His research retraced the origins of the Lemba from Yemen to Africa. Dr. Parfitt also participated in DNA testing which found that Lemba men exhibit distinctive genetic patterns in the same ratio as the general Jewish population Those whose families are from Southern Africa, Zimbabwe, and Szczuczyn, Poland should find this book interesting. It is the biography of Abe Abrahamson entitled "The Moon Can Wait: A Biography of The Hon A. E. Abrahamson" written by Paul Clingman with a forward by Helen Suzman. Abrahamson and his family, who were originally known as Kacprowski in Szczuczyn, Poland, and related to Jacobzinners, Finkelsteins and Shawzins, among others, have been prominent personalities in the life of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) for a number of generations and have contributed much to not only local and national affairs, but international activities as well. At one time, there were about 8,000 Jews living in this country, formerly known as Rhodesia, but now (2002) there are only 720 (some say as few as 420) Jews left of which 75 percent are over 55 years of age. Many of the former Zimbabwe Jews have left because of political upheaval and are now residing in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (the latter usually as a stepping stone). In 1977 there were about 500 to 600 Jewish families. The count of Jews by city are: Bulawayo (now Harare) - there are records indicating that this town was the residence of Samuel Shattil, a merchant who sold goods to the diamond miners. The Bulawayo's synagogue holds services every morning and evening and has a Jewish school as well as a Jewish old-age home, Union of Jewish Women, Central African Zionist Organization, Board of Deputies and Chevra Kadisha. Harare has an Ashkenazi and a Sephardi synagogue, with a Minyan every evening and also a Jewish school "The Moon Can Wait" - a book chronicling the life of Abe Abrahamson who was a Cabinet minister in the government of Southern Rhodesia - now Zimbabwe. He starts his book with his beginnings in the city of Bulawayo, as the son of immigrants who found refuge in Africa from the pogroms of Eastern Europe, and leading up to the 21st century. The book's author is Paul Clingman. "Zimbabwe Jewish Community" (African shtetls) this site spans several thousand pages with 6,000 images and some video clips. Over 4,000 tombstones in four cemeteries have been logged and photographed as well as 1,000 marriage certificates from the two major communities. Many family histories have been included - webmaster is Dave Bloom Note: Please let me know if there is a favorite link of yours that is not included in my site and I will be happy to add it to Jewish Web Index I want to make this the best and most informative web site, so please
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