This collection was donated to the Kaplan Centre by Cyril Orolowitz (1933-2006) in October 2003. Cyril Orolowitz was born in Paarl in the Western Cape. His parents, Louise and Solly Orolowitz, came to South Africa as immigrants from Eastern Europe. This large collection is the product of Cyril’s attempt to compile a family tree for his large extended family. Cyril’s family is very typical of the eastern European Jewish families that make up eighty percent of the Jewish community in South Africa. His father’s family immigrated to South Africa at the turn of the nineteenth century, at a time when eastern European Jewish immigration was at its peak. One of the earliest arrivals, the trooper, Joseph Rabie, was killed in the South African War in 1901. Cyril Orolowitz’s mother, who was orphaned in the Ukraine in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917, immigrated to South Africa after being refused entry to the United States due to the Immigration Quota. The collection contains photographs, identity documents, memorabilia, research files, correspondence, including a collection of early 19th century Jewish postcards from eastern Europe and the United Kingdom, as well as video and audiotapes of typical Jewish celebrations - weddings, a bris (circumcision), a barmitzvah, chazones (cantorial singing), as well as of Cyril’s trips to Lithuania to search for the roots of his family. The collection also contains records of a distant family relative, Ben Moreell (1892-1978), a much decorated Admiral in the United State Navy, who is buried in Arlington Cemetery in Washington. Moreell is a descendant from the first marriage of Cyril Orolowitz’s great great great grandmother. While Moreell’s family converted to Christianity in the United States, ironically his grandfather, Judah Loeb Sossnitz, was a noted rabbinic scholar, who is documented in the Jewish Encyclopaedia. All the information about the family tree was passed on to Rael Kamionsky, who today maintains and keeps it up to date. He can be contacted at: 021-794-3184.
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The collection contains photographs, identity documents, memorabilia, research files, correspondence of the extended Orolowitz and Solomon families. Includes a collection of early 19th century Jewish postcards from eastern Europe and the United Kingdom, as well as video and audiotapes of typical Jewish celebrations - weddings, a bris (circumcision), a barmitzvah, chazones (cantorial singing), as well as of Cyril’s trips to Lithuania to search for the roots of his family.
The collection also contains records of a distant family relative, Ben Moreell (1892-1978), a much decorated Admiral in the United State Navy, who is buried in Arlington Cemetery in Washington.
No restrictions apply
Orolowitz family tree.
Solomon family tree.
Shleimowitz letterhead, 1917.Bromide negative.
Master’s Office Death notices
Family files arranged by Cyril Orolowitz
Beckman, Milly, 1915-1992.
Belling, Galia Bat Mitzvah, 1983
Bloom, Daniel’s Bar Mitzvah, 1990
Bloom, Jonathan’s Bar Mitzvah, 1980
Bloom, Rael’s Bar Mitzvah, 1991
Borstrock, Brent’s Bris, 1984
Borstrock’s Bar Mitzvah, 1991
Goldstuck, Jessie’s seventieth birthday, 1992.
Michalowsky, Pearl & Abie’s Golden Wedding Anniversary, 1992.
Orolowitz, Hymie & Ettie’s Golden Wedding, 1992.
Orolowitz, Philip & Kim’s wedding, 1990
Rabie, Dan’s 80th birthday, 1990.
Rabie, Lauren’s marriage to Craig Meyer, 1991.
Max Rabie
Rabie, Rose, 89th birthday, 1990.
Rabie, Rose, 90th birthday, 1991.
Briths Paarl.
Death notices, & affidavid of birth date, Tonne Ita Klitzner.
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Correspondence (3 files & 1 folder)
Birthday and other cards (2 files)
Birthday photographs.
Cyril Orolowitz’s Last will and testament.
Louise Orolowitz’s Last will and testament.
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Cyril Orolowitz’s fiftieth birthday photographs.
Photographs of friends.
Orolowitz, Cyril (photographs).
Orolowitz, Cyril (miscellaneous).
Miscellaneous.
A-E
Aldrich, Larry
Ash/ Widegger wedding
Beckman
Bloom
Davis, Abraham
Elkin, Bertha and Selwyn
Fa-K
Fainstein (includes Benny and Milly’s Naturalization papers and Ketuba)
Fogel, Joseph, Reverend
Hotz
Jankelowitz
Klitzner family:
Tonne Ita (Mother) & Groups
Ray Ginsburg
Jacob & Martha Klitzner
Family album (Leah Klass)
Unidentified photographs.
K
Klitzner family:
Leah Klass (3 files)
Rose Kamionsky
Lena Penkin
Bessie Bubly
Kl-Mi
Klitzner family:
Myers, Becky (2 files)
Includes Klein Drakenstein Primere-Skool Eeu-fees, 1854-1954, booklet, with group photographs (1911, 1916) that include Milly, Lena, Rose and Bessie Klitzner.
Article about Mervyn Myers.
Milly Penkin
Jossie Klitzner
Me-Mi
Meyerson family
Meyerson, Joel
Michalowsky, Elie, Israel Louis, Max, Morris, & Moses: Naturalisation papers, 1909.
Michalowsky, Pearly & Abe, photographs
Michalowsky photographs
Michels - O
Michels
Mirkin
Moreell, Ben, Admiral (2 files)`
Orolowitz, Hymie
Orolowitz, Solly
Orolowitz family (3 files)
O-R
Orolowitz, Louise (3 files, includes condolence letters)
Rabie postcards
Rabie, Joseph, trooper, killed 1901, South African War.
R
Rabie family photographs
S-Z
Schilling
Shagam, Boris, Max & Morris: Naturalisation papers, 1902.
Solomon family
Solomon papers
Solomon, Izzie & Annie: includes anti-nuptial agreement.
Vilensky
Woolf, Susan
Zadkin
Subject files
Cars
Muizenberg
Nannies
Pets
World War II
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Bar/Bat Mitzvah invitations
Stories, anecdotes, maiselech
2 Baby books
Book of poetry in Yiddish handwriting: Tsum Ondeynkung: Hanah Milner fun Chaya Luryah.
The Chosen baby by Valentina Wasson.
Negatives
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Herman & Leah Klass, Yetta Michels, Alec Myers, Cyril, Hymie & Solly Orolowitz, Ann, Dan, Len, Margaret & Max Rabie, Ray Schilling, Annie (Skop) & Isaac (b. 1918), Isaac (b.1882), Louise (Orolowitz) & Sima Solomon, Jacob Meyer Bloom.
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Weddings - Maureen Orolowitz to Roger Shagam, Debbie & Charles Myers, 1971? Kesler wedding, 6 April 1985. Chessie & Boetie Vilensky, 25 July 1985. Carol Meyerson to Dennis Abadi, 13 January 1991. Nadine & Lance’s wedding, 23 February 1997. Tracy Ash to David Widekker Wedding anniversary Max & Margaret Rabie, 1958.
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Bris Mile (Circumcision) Adam, 13 October 1996. Barmitzvah Julian Kesler, May 2001. Chazones (Cantorial singing) Hilton Maze, 1996. Birthday Lauren Rabie Lithuania Mendel Kaplan, Sep 1989. Cyril Orolowitz, filmed by Debbie Myers, May 1994. 2 reels. Kibbutz Naan Oscar Solomon & family, July 1988/9
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Klitzner “Kum trink”: Dekkersvlei convention, 22 June 1980. Rabie family 1952. Gilinsky, 11 October 1983 Louise Orolowitz birthday party, 15 August 1985. Cyril, Maureen, Pearl, Milly and Rose Rabie. Louise Orolowitz’s 75th birthday, 15 August 1988.Dr Simon Kesler on SAFM, talking about migraine, 13 January 1997. Marc Meyerson in Auckland, New Zealand, August 1991.
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Family tree, rough work. Birzai, Lithuania Shipping lists (4 files) S. A. Jewish Chronicle: Articles about eastern European Jewish immigration. Universal Encyclopedia Notes and clippings
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Naturalisation applications
Paarl Hebrew Congregation Committee
Paarl Hebrew Congregation Newsletters
Paarl Hebrew Congregation Marriage records
Paarl cemetery tomb stone inscriptions.
Paarl Briths (Circumcisions)
Paarl book,
Photostats from The Light of Israel by Charles Press
Wellington Hebrew Congregation Minutes
Exhibitions: Our Family, 1990; Cape Jewry 1991; The Jews of Namaqualand.Calvinia Town Guard, 1902.
Newspaper clippings
Archival notes
Queries
Letterheads & invoices
Expenses
Negatives
Archival correspondence
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Jacob Bloom photograph
Susan & Stuart Clark Wedding photograph
Charcoal drawing by S. Karezmar
Matle Orelowitz (left) and Eliezer Orolowitz, Jehudah Leib Sossnitz in photograph (?).
Lorna Rabie: wedding photograph
Paarl Hebrew Congregation Committee photographs (3)
Letter Dan Rabie, 1970
Workshop Programme, Medicine, Paris, 1992.
Max Rabie unveiling Memorial plaque, 1950.
Dan & Ann Rabie Wedding photograph.
Michalowsky wedding flower girl.
Universal Yeshivah of Jerusalem photograph.
Photostats of leaves of oversize photo album (12).
Charles & Debbie Myers wedding photograph
Samuel and Denise Myers wedding photograph
Hymie and Louise Orolowitz Photgraph
Joel Borstrock’s Barmitzvah placemat.
Yohrzeit Luhot: Max, Musse, Ethel, Gershon Abbe, Shleime Peretz Bloom.
Klitzner family Naturalisation papers & Ketubbot.
Yahrzeit certificate of Shlom Peretz Bloom
Cover of Illuminated Manuscripts calendar, 1984/5.
Paarl Linath Hazedek (2 photostats)
Leaves of oversize photo album. (61)
Certificates: Solly Orolowitz
Matle Orolowitz photograph
Mervyn & Adele Myers photograph.
Record
Solly Orolowitz singing chazones.
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