Oudtshoorn People page
The Jews who came to Oudtshoorn from the late 19th to the early 20th century were first mainly from the prosperous town of Shavel and then from the nearby poor village of Kelme. (Some families also came from Kretinga.) They were intimately involved in the growth of the ostrich feather industry as buyers, sorters, brokers and eventually farmers.
Read about Jewish 'ostrich barons' interviewed in Scattered amongst the Nations.
Below are the names of some of the families of Oudtshoorn. Where a more substantial family story is available either on other sites or as original material here, their name is a link that you can click to read their story.
If your family came from Oudtshoorn, you are welcome to send your family story for this CHOL website People page – write to info@chol.website.
- Aschman, George – Aschman (1906-1987) was born and educated in Oudtshoorn, the son of Moritz J Aschman. He started his newspaper career on the Oudtshoorn Courant, later joining the staff of the Cape Times, where he became managing editor in 1960. Mr Aschman was associated with many community projects and with organisations concerned with the arts, conservation and preservation.
- Aschman, Moritz J – He was a town councillor for eleven years, and served on the school board and hospital board as well as being for many years president of the Jewish Philanthropic Society.
- Berelowitz, Samuel and Olga
- Gillis, Glenn
- Hermann, Izidore
- Herring, Ellie
- Joseph, Bernard
- Joseph, Paul
- Kroll family
- Nurick, Isaac – A successful feather merchant, married to Annie Sanders, daughter of Wulf.
- Orwin, David
- Rose, Max – Max Rose was known for nearly fifty years as the ‘ostrich feather king of South Africa’. Not only did he have a greater knowledge of the ostrich feather market than any man alive but he also knew vastly more about the breeding of birds and the growth of the right sort of feathers than most other farmers in the Oudtshoorn and surrounding districts. Read about him and his brothers Barney, Albert and Wulf, who were closely associated with him in his feather- and produce-dealing enterprises though they were not always resident at Oudtshoorn.
- Sanders, Wulf – President of the building committee for the Queen Street Synagogue, which opened in 1888. Successful shopkeeper in Oudtshoorn. Family included seven children.
- Seligman, Jon
