Maitland Re-union 2005
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subsequently been submitted can be viewed under Personal Recollections. Click on a
name to jump to their message. Aron Back Esta Back Maureen Barron Wilma Barron Charles Frumer Ruth Horner Lisa Keschner Sheba Klein Edie Kramer Liebe Kramer Jeff Margolis Robert Odes Naomi Ozinsky Chalky Samson Bella Shapiro Aron BackHave a great
party, sorry I won't be there. Esta Dekel (was Back) I left South
Africa in 1969 and have been residing in Israel since then. I have 1 son who is married and is now a
Canadian resident. My sister, you
most probably know, Elka Arelisky, and my brother Aron Back, living in Canada
for many many years. Wishing you lots
of success with the reunion of all ex-Maitlanders. All the Best and Shalom from Israel. Maureen Sacks (was Barron) I was so excited
to hear about the Maitland reunion. I
left Maitland when I was 14 in 1961 and moved to Sea Point. I am now living in Boston. I have been divorced for some years and
have two children. Sean is 32 and is
recently married, and Lauren is 26.
They live in Boston. My dad was the
treasurer of the Maitland Shul for years and so would go collecting on Sunday
mornings and I would often go with him so got to know a lot of the Maitland
folks. He had the pharmacy on
Voortrekker Road and I used to work there, so that was another place where I
got to know a lot of Maitlanders. He
then opened an optical place and sold the pharmacy. Even though my
parents moved to Sea Point, they kept all their friends and were always
Maitlanders at heart. I used to be
friends with Leah Buchinsky, and Cecily and Joan Lazarus. Many years ago Leah called me from Canada
where she was visiting and it was great talking to her. I have so many
memories of my childhood in Maitland, playing in the field opposite my house
on Coronation Street for hours with the neighborhood kids, going to the
convent for music lessons, and Maitland Public School. My favorite person
there was Mr. Ross, who was the principal, and every morning I would wait for
him to arrive at school and rush over to carry his briefcase. I remember going
to bioscope every Saturday and sometimes at night with my parents and my
aunts and uncles. Everyone sat in the
same seats every time. I have the
distinction of being the second Maitland girl to have a Bat-Mitzvah. All my friends started out with me, but
dropped out, so I would meet Rev. Efron every week to study and would often
go to his old house near the Shul. It
was quite a festive occasion and there was another girl from a nearby suburb
who had it with me. I hope that you
have a wonderful reunion and I will be there in spirit. Regards. Wilma Bass (was Barron) How truly amazing
and wonderful that there will be the Maitland reunion. How I wish I could be there. We moved from
Maitland in 1961 to Sea Point so that our recently widowed grandmother could
live with her oldest son, our father, Bernard Barron. Which takes me to some of my happiest
memories in Maitland, namely, Simchat Torah.
As the daughter of the treasurer of the Shul, I got to hand over those
huge boxes of chocolates to the newly betrothed ladies in the congregation. It was always great fun as a girl to sit
downstairs before carrying said chocolates upstairs. And here's my big confession: we used to
get the leftover slabs of Cadbury's and eat them over the next few weeks at
home. What a chocolate binge treat! I now live in
San Francisco with my long-term soul mate, Tony Bass, and our daughter,
Marissa (age 17). Here's another
memory: Remember the bioscope? When I
was born, 10th May, 1953, it was the first time Mother's Day was celebrated
in South Africa. So there was a
picture in the newspaper of my mom holding me and the manager of the bioscope
presenting her with a bouquet of flowers. I will
definitely be there in spirit with all of you at the reunion. Have a great time. Best wishes. Charles Frumer Was born in Maitland,
family moved to Milnerton, came to Maitland Shul and cheder during the
60's. Now living in London. Unfortunately, I
shall not be able to attend the re-union.
Here's hoping the re-union is much fun!! Regards. Ruth Mibashan (was Horner) I left Cape Town
for Israel in 1967. Came to London in
1973, and have lived here since then.
I have been visiting Cape Town annually in the past few years, and
hope to continue, so perhaps will meet all/some of the old faces. What would be
nice to have after the reunion, is a good photograph of all those attending
the reunion, with their names noted, as I am sure many won't be recognizable
after all these years. Lisa Lashansky (was Keschner) We lived at
Sharon Court in Royal Road. We moved
to Vredehoek in 1970, when I was ten.
We had many
happy memories of Maitland: buying bunnylicks on a hot day at Bubbys café,
playing housie/housie in our garage with boxes, spending Shabbat mornings
with our dad at Shul, going to the library, Simchat Torah at Shul, where
engaged ladies got big boxes of chocolates, playing with the neighbours in
the street till dark, getting the school bus to Herzlia from town, driving to
Muizenberg for our holidays, watching the new post office being built, the
first supermarket (was it called Gees)? I married Bryan
Lashansky from Johannesburg in 1981.
We have three boys. I lived in
Johannesburg from 1980 to 1997 and then we moved to Melbourne where we now
live. I wish you all
the very best for the reunion, sounds like it will be a nostalgic and
wonderful event. Sheba Israel (was Klein) I received an
e-mail regarding the reunion you are having.
I wish I could be there. I was
at cheder when Rev. Flax was teaching me, and I must say going every Sunday
morning was a real nuisance. However,
I learned a lot and I wish you all a happy and joyful reunion. Sorry it is a bit of a distance to be
there but I await all the news.
Regards Edie Radomsky (was Kramer) Left Maitland ca 1949, now living in Virginia Beach On December
15th, we will be in Houston, where we are going to attend the unveiling for
our friend, Late Ben Ostrin on Sunday 18th.
So on the evening of the 15th we will be in the company of old
Maitlanders, Naomi Ostrin, Ben's brother Gus and his wife Masha (nee
Silbert), who will be there from Israel, and Sally Wisnevitz (nee
Rosenbloom). So it will also be a kind
of Old Maitlander Re-Union! Quite a co-incidence. Liebe Lagnado (was Kramer) Left Maitland in 1968, now living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada The Kramer
family was amongst the oldest Maitland residents. I am Liebe (Kramer) Lagnado, youngest daughter of Ruben and
Rachel Kramer. My mother, Rachel
(Firer) Kramer arrived in South Africa with her parents, Louis and Miriam
Firer, in 1903, and as far as I know, they established residency in Maitland
at that time. My father, Ruben
Kramer, joined his brothers in South Africa in 1914. Ruben Kramer was
a butcher, and worked for the National Meat Supply in Dock Road, Cape Town
for many years. He was a gentle man
who took pleasure in his family. In
later years, after he retired, he spent a lot of time at Maitland Shul. One of his proudest moments was when he
was given a key to the Shul, and he would be the first there for the weekday
morning minyans. Many people remember
that on Yom Kippur he would stand holding onto the Bimah for the entire day,
a ritual which he took over from his older brother. Ruben made and supplied wine for Pesach for all the family as
well as for many Maitland residents.
Ruben kept chickens in the back yard, which for him were somewhat like
pets, and although he would never admit it, I think that was the reason that
he never ate chicken. There were also
always numerous pets around - a succession of Collie dogs, which were always
named Lassie. At one stage, we had a
particular cat, and when the cat went out to the front gate, my mother knew
that my father would be home in 10 minutes.
Perhaps that little bit of information belongs in the "Believe it
or Not" column. Rachel Kramer
was a Homemaker "extraordinaire".
She was skilled at all handicrafts – knitting, sewing and crocheting,
and people came to her to pick up a dropped stitch or to shorten a
dress. In addition to making school
uniforms for her children in the early days, she also saw to it that everyone
always had the most exquisitely knitted fair-isle cardigans and beautifully
cabled jerseys. And, as the saying
goes, "waste not, want not", with the wool left over, she crocheted
afghans. Then, when she had spare
time, she crocheted doilies as gifts for friends. In later years when we were married, she made full-sized
crocheted cotton tablecloths for each of us, and then even managed to make
one for her oldest granddaughter. She
was the Honourary Secretary and Treasurer for the Maitland B'noth Zion group
for many years. She had a reputation
for making the best Taiglegh in Maitland, and I remember that when I came
home from school, the smell of golden syrup and ginger permeated throughout
the house. She hosted the most
beautiful Pesach Seders, which were attended by extended family members as
well as a cosmopolitan group of friends and friends' friends. My oldest
sibling, brother Myer, served in the South African Army during World War2,
and was stationed in North Africa. He
married Ida Blumberg in 1947, and his untimely death in 1948 at the age of 27
left an irreplaceable void in our hearts and in the hearts of many Maitland
residents. My parents kept the
letters that Myer wrote to the family.
Over the years I have read and re-read the letters, and from the way
he wrote, and the content of his letters, it is obvious that he loved his
family deeply and that Judaism played a big part in his life. Anyone reading his letters will note that
he had a keen sense of humour. In
1998, my nephew Philip Stodel painstakingly dictated the letters and then
typed them and made them up into a 150-page book called "Letters Home -
A Collection of Myer's Letters - 1942 - 1945". (Thank you, Philip !) My sisters were Miriam (Mickey),
married Lew Stodel from Leeds, England in 1952. Ethel (Edie),
married Leon Radomsky from Port Elizabeth in 1952. Gertrude
(Gertie), married Sonny Frumer from Maitland in 1952. Sylvia, married
David Berman from Mossel Bay in 1959. I married my
husband, Rabbi Eli Lagnado, from Alexandria, Egypt in 1968, and we are the
parents of Michelle and Isaac.
Shortly after our children were born, we moved to the United States of
America, and have resided in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for the past 11 years. Our daughter
Michelle married Joseph Hadar, a Sabra, in Tel Aviv in 1991, and they have
two sons, David Ruben and Leor Avraham.
Our son, Isaac,
married Orit Arai, a Sabra, in Houston in 1998, and they have a daughter Eden
Leah and a son Matan Jacob. We extend our
best wishes to the organizers of this reunion, and to all
ex-Maitlanders. Enjoy the evening
and have a "doppie" for us !! Jeff Margolis We lived at 15
Station Road. I left Maitland in 1965
but all my schooling was done in Maitland through the Public and High
School. I have lived in London since
1979. I think you and
Harold have done an outstanding job on the reunion. Most of the names of the attendees evoke wonderful memories for
me. With kind regards. Robert Odes What a great
idea. I have such fond memories of
Maitland. I left Maitland around
1981, live in Johannesburg, but am busy with some work in UK at the
moment. Best regards. Robert Naomi Stone (was Ozinsky) Lived at 23
Lawrence Rd, Maitland. Maitland Primary
School and Talmud Torah. Left SA in 1967,
lived and worked in Israel 14 years. Remarried 1980
and since living in London. My Father was
Chazan and Baal Tephilla at the Shul.
An abiding memory is of him on the Bima with his watch laid out to the
side and with the concluding Service of Neilah for Yom Kippur repeating and
drawing out several more "Avinu Malkenu"s according to the time in
hand. My mother was an
excellent cook + baker - Bagel Queen - and I remember baking sessions in our
kitchen always with several near neighbours sitting round gossiping - Mrs
Levin, Stoltzman, Seidel, Kawalsky, Drus, Urdang, Barlin, Wallace, Peltz,
etc. My 2 sons and
families are in Israel, as is my brother Meyer on Kibbutz Tzora. My daughter and her family live in
California. My brother
Phillip served with Machal in 1948 and lived in Israel from 1957 till his
death in 1997. His widow Becky (nee
Gootman) is ex-Maitland and still lives in Israel. My brothers Julian and Jossie live in Cape Town. All my brothers and myself were active
members of Habonim. I wish you all a
wonderful reunion, happy memories as I have, and a successful event. I hope to be in CT for Pesach next year
with my dear brothers and their families. Chalky Samson Sorry that I
cannot be with you - would love to have been there. We lived in
Coronation Road, corner Norfolk Street, right next door to the Ostrins. I was at school with Gus Ostrin and
Wilfred Maisels, and finished Std 5 in 1946, when my parents moved to
Johannesburg. I had just turned 12,
my brother Eric was 8, and my sister Felicity (now Berman) was only 8 months
old. I was friendly
with Maurice Joffe, Harry Buchinsky, Chaim Lang and late Benny
Stoltzman. I have kept up this
friendship all these years and we are constantly in touch. I came to
Parktown Boys High in 1947 with my voice breaking - it sounded like chalk
screeching on the blackboard and I acquired the nickname "CHALKY",
and apart from my late mother, no one called me Charles again. I left SA in
April 1974. Am now living in Irvine
California. Trust that you
will have an enjoyable reunion. Bella Levin (was Shapiro) Dear all
ex-Maitlanders, My name is Bella
Levin, nee Shapiro. I am indeed very
sorry that I am not able to share this special re-union with you. Have a great re-union and a wonderful
celebration. I will be
thinking of all you folk having a great time on the 15th, whilst we are
freezing in Toronto, and I will drink a toast to you all. It was a great
idea to have this party. I would love
a DVD of the celebration. Take care
and I send my love to all who remember me.
Love, Bella |