Grahamstown

Grahamstown People

The first Jews in Grahamstown were 1820 Settlers, in particular the Norden family. They made a seminal contribution to the nascent community and to Jewish communal life. However, the community was always relatively small, never more than 200 persons. In the latter part of the 20th century the Jewish community was sustained by the presence and contribution of Jewish staff and students at Rhodes University.

Here are some of the people I know about, drawn from a variety of sources, including Jewish Life in the South African Country Communities, Volume III, researched by the South African Friends of Beth Hatefutsoth, and the SA Jewish Yearbook, 1966-67, published by Feldhill Publishers.

See also the article by Arthur Markowitz on the Articles page for some Grahamstown early pioneers.

If you have a family story for Grahamstown, please send it to jeremy@chol.website.

1. Addleson, Norman Cecil, born in 1926, was educated at Selborne College and Rhodes University. He became a judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division, towards the end of 1966. He was 40 years old at the time, the youngest judge to be appointed to that division. He was a member of the Rhodes University Council from 1967, and served a term as chairman.
   
   
2. Alexander, Jack, was the honorary secretary of the Grahamstown Zionist Society in 1911 and in 1913 founded the Students' Jewish Association at Rhodes University. He lectured as a professor of Classics at the university from 1911 to 1917. He was an executive member of the SAZF from 1916, and its secretary for 25 years, from 1919 to 1944. Jack Alexander was the editor of the Zionist Record from 1919 to 1924. He served on the executive of the SAJBD from 1921 to 1923, and was its treasurer from 1923 to 1926.
   
   
3. Arkin, Marcus, was professor of Economics and Economic History at Rhodes University from 1967 to 1973, and Dean of the Faculty of Social Science from 1970 to 1972. He was Director-General of the SAZF from 1973 until 1985.
   
   
4. Awerbuch, Chaim Berel, minister of religion. Born in Lithuania, 1892, son of Yeruchom and Eva Awerbuch. Arrived in South Africa in 1913. Educated at Yeshiva College, Telz, Lithuania. Chazan, Schochet and Hebrew teacher, Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation.
   
   
5. Barnett, A G, was a leading member of the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation, serving as president from 1935 to 1950. He was a founder of the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation Hall.
   
   
6. Birkenruth, Nathan, was a prominent merchant in Grahamstown and active in public affairs. In the 1840s he was a JP and in the 1850s a director of the Frontier Commercial and Agricultural Bank. He was one of a provisional committee appointed by the government in 1852 to form a company for developing a harbour at the mouth of the Kowie River, at what is today known as Port Alfred. Nathan Birkenruth became head of the Grahamstown Jewish Community, later known as the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation. He was one of the founder members of the Tikvath Israel. In 1869 Nathan Birkenruth was the first Jew to purchase property in Dordrecht.
   
   
7. Gordon, Adolph (Gochin), general dealer. Born Mitau, Latvia, son of Mones and Sheine-Blume Gochin. Educated at the Livenberzen School, Latvia. Came to South Africa in 1927. Member of the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation. Married Anna Kahn.
   
   
8. Green, L B (Boysie), was elected chairman of Rhodes University Council in 1990.
   
   
9. Kahn, Michael, was president of the local Lions Club in 1962, at the age of 24 the youngest Lions president in the world at the time. He became president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, aged 30, in 1968.
   
   
10. Lewis, Henry Godfrey, MA LLB KC, was educated at the South African College, Cape Town, and at St John's College, Cambridge, England. As a student at the South African College he won the gold medal for literature and later became a lecturer in law there. He was appointed professor of Law at Rhodes University from 1910 to 1917, when he was admitted to the Bar in Grahamstown. In 1945 he became a judge of the Eastern Province division of the Supreme Court.
    
    
11. Norden, Benjamin, was a well-known Grahamstown resident who played an important role in the public life of the city and the district. In 1837 he served on the Grahamstown committee for the building of the first jetty in Port Elizabeth. He also interviewed the Portuguese authorities on the possible development of Delagoa Bay. He organised expeditions to collect ivory from the interior from as early as 1831, thereby opening up trade between Natal and the Cape Colony. On one of his journeys to Natal he carried a letter to Dingaan, the Zulu chief, from Sir Benjamin d'Urban, Governor of the Cape. He later settled in Cape Town.
    
    
12. Norden, Joshua Davis (1803–1846), was a pioneering figure in the Jewish community and civic life of Grahamstown. Born in London, he was one of five brothers who were among the 1820 Settlers sent to the Cape Colony. After a period as a farmer, Norden moved to Grahamstown. He became a successful auctioneer and was elected as a municipal commissioner in 1836, serving in other civic roles such as sworn appraiser of the High Court and a member of the Emigration Committee. He was also a founder and chairman of the Albany Steam Navigation Company in 1841 and was involved in efforts to develop a harbor at the mouth of the Kowie River. Norden played a vital role in establishing the Grahamstown Jewish community, serving as a leader until his death. In 1843, he was instrumental in securing land for a Jewish cemetery, which holds the first recorded Jewish burial in South Africa. In 1846, during the Seventh Frontier War (also known as the War of the Axe), Norden formed and commanded the Grahamstown Yeomanry, a burgher force for the town's defence. He was killed on April 25, 1846, while leading his men in a skirmish at Buffelskloof. He was the first Jewish South African casualty in a military action. He was buried with full military honours in the Jewish cemetery he helped establish. A memorial plaque in his honour, erected by his comrades, can be found on the west wall of St. George's Cathedral in Grahamstown.
    
    
13. Ossher, Louis, a merchant born in Kelem, Lithuania, on 22nd October, 1885, son of Yitzchak and Devorah Ossher. Came to South Africa in 1903. Past treasurer, Grahamstown Chevra Kadisha, 1931-60. During World War II was a member of the National Reserve of Volunteers. Married Cecelia Steinberg in 1927.
    
    
14. Radomsky, Abraham, came to Grahamstown in 1897 and was a leader of the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation for most of his life. He was awarded honorary life membership in 1953 and later became Honorary Life President. He lived in Salem from 1910 to 1918, and was active in village affairs. Abraham had the government contract for conveying mail and passengers by post-cart between Grahamstown and Alexandria.
    
    
15. Radomsky, Hymie Israel, son of Abraham and Fanny, was born in Grahamstown in 1907. He also played a leading role in the town's Jewish communal life. He was secretary of the Grahamstown Hebrew Burial and Benevolent Society for over 24 years. He served as vice-president and president of the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation twice, between 1959 and 1977. Abraham and Hymie donated a permanent sukkah behind the communal hall in 1953 in memory of Fanny Lily Radomsky. Hymie received an Africa Service Medal for his service during World War II.
    
    
16. Reich, Leon, born in 1934, was an influential entrepreneur, public servant, and Zionist leader in Grahamstown. He served as a city councillor for 20 years, was deputy mayor in 1973, and became mayor in 1975, making him the only Jewish person to have held that position. His civic and business contributions included serving twice as chairman of the Publicity Association, serving as chairman of the Chamber of Industries, acting as the city council's spokesman for works and industry, sitting on the Rhodes University Council from 1983 to 1993, where he was a member of the finance and personnel committees, being on the original committee for the establishment of the 1820 Settlers Monument in 1973. This committee initiated the Grahamstown Festival, which included the Jazz and Wine Festival first held in 1974 in the cellars of the Grand Hotel which he owned. Within the Jewish community, Leon Reich served the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation from 1959 to 1994 in various roles, including chairman, president, treasurer, and committee member. He was also chairman of the Grahamstown Jewish Community and Synagogue for a decade. A dedicated Zionist, he was vice-chairman of the South African Zionist Federation for 20 years and re-established and chaired both Likud South Africa and Betar. He established the Leon Reich Centre for Combatting Antisemitism in 2024. In 2017, he and his wife, Juliette, made Aliyah to join their four children and eleven grandchildren.
    
    
17. Reich, Juliette (née Kaplan), mayoress in 1975, was chairman of the local branch of the Union of Jewish Women and also of WIZO. She was a founder member of the Grahamstown branch of Toastmasters International and became district governor of that organisation. Juliette served as vice-chairman of Soroptimists International in Grahamstown. She was a committee member of the Parents' and Teachers' Association of Graham College and chairman of the hostel committee of Victoria Girls High School, where she was also on the governing body and played a leading role in raising funds for the building of a new school. She established a Peace Forest in the town, where trees were planted to commemorate various occasions.
    
    
18. Rosenbaum, Louis (1877–1952), was a Jewish pioneer and a significant figure in the South African ostrich and citrus industries. He was born in Lithuania and came to South Africa in 1893. After serving in the British forces during the Anglo-Boer War, he settled in Grahamstown, where he was involved in Jewish community work and served as chairman of the local Hebrew congregation for several years. When he retired as president of the Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation in 1906 he was given an illuminated address. Rosenbaum's most notable contribution was to the ostrich industry. In 1909, he and his partner, L.H. Lax, formed the firm of Rosenbaum, Lax and Co. They began ostrich farming at Mount St. Bernard after consulting with the Natal government, which was eager to promote the industry. The ostrich feather trade was a major economic driver in South Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with many Jewish immigrants from Lithuania playing a prominent role. Following the collapse of the ostrich feather market in 1914, Rosenbaum diversified his interests. He pioneered lucerne and citrus farming in Natal, starting the Golden Valley Citrus Estate at Muden. After retiring from farming, he founded the Gonubie Park township in East London. He married Ettie Myers, of East London, in 1907.
    
    
19. Schonland, Selmar (1860 – 1940), was a German-born botanist who made significant contributions to science and academia in South Africa. Born in Germany, he earned a doctorate from the University of Hamburg. He worked as a curator at the Fielding Herbarium at Oxford University before moving to the Cape Colony in 1889 to become the curator of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown. Schonland's primary focus was on the flora of the Eastern Cape. He developed the Albany Museum's herbarium into the second largest in South Africa and was instrumental in the establishment of the Botanical Survey of South Africa. He is commemorated in the names of several plant species, such as Rhus schonlandii and Aloe schonlandii. The Selmar Schonland Herbarium at Rhodes University is also named in his honor. Schonland played a pivotal role in the founding of Rhodes University. As a member of the Rhodes Council, he helped secure a significant grant of £50,000, which made the establishment of the university possible. In 1905, he became the university's first professor of botany. His son, Sir Basil Schonland, was also a notable figure who contributed to lightning research and radar development.
    
    
20. Siff, Max, a general dealer, born in Lithuania on 7th November, 1909, son of Moshe and Rachel Siff. Educated in Lithuania. Came to South Africa in 1929. Hon. Treasurer, Grahamstown Hebrew Congregation. Married Lilly Bauskin in 1938.