Always Intent on Settling in Israel
Bennie Katzman Tells his Life Story
The
Jewish History of Oudtshoorn
Due
to the pogroms in Eastern Europe there was a huge Jewish immigration to America
and South Africa, including Oudtshoorn.
The
main reason for immigration to Oudtshoorn
was due to riches which they believed could be made from Ostrich feathers:
which were a very popular fashion in Western Europe.
Bennie’s
Father
Bennies
father, Aaron was born in Moghilev Belarus and came to Oudtshoorn with his
family in 1906 and there he met his wife, Miriam, Bennie’s mother.
Bennie’s Mother
Miriam
was born in Bloemfontein in 1899 and came to Oudtshoorn
where she met and married Aaron and they raised 4 children viz:
Shima,
Hillel, Bertha, and Bennie being the youngest.
Early Life
Bennie was born in 1931 in Oudtshoorn.
Since there were no kindergardens
that time, Bennie stayed most of the time at home, where he learned to speak
Yiddish and Afrikaans, even before he could speak English!
Childhood
In
1938 Bennie attended the Hebrew school where he learned English (at last!) and
Arithmetic. In addition, he also learned Jewish history and how to read Hebrew.
Bennie
was a leading figure in the young Jewish society of Oudtshoorn.
He played Rugby for his highschool
team, and passed his matric (bagrut)
in 1947.
College Studies
Bennie
studied pharmacy at "Cape Towm
Technical College” and qualified from it in 1954. Then he worked in various
pharmacies until May 1955 when he went to London.
London
And Europe
He worked in various pharmacies and
saved some of his money to travel in Europe. While working, Bennie met his future wife, Helen.In August of 1955 he toured around
France and then he hitchhiked to Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and finally
Finland.
The
Wedding
Bennie returned to South Africa after his travels in Europe, and went
to London to marry Helen on 29th March, 1959.
After the Marriage
After
their marriage, Bennie and Helen settled in Wellington, South Africa, where
they opened their own Pharmacy. Bennie and Helen were very involved in
the Jewish Community of Wellington. Their 4 children, viz
Trevor, Ruth, Aviva and Michael were born there.After
living in Wellington for nearly 20 years, Helen and Bennie went to live in Cape
Town
Life in Cape Town
Bennie opened another pharmacy at
Cape Town Station.Once again both Bennie and Helen
were very involved in the community life. The synagogue they attended was the
oldest in South Africa, having been established in 1842. Bennie was also
involved with the Zionist societies in Cape Town, including raising funds for
projects in Israel.
The
Last Years in Cape Town
After selling his pharmacy in 1994,
Bennie worked in hospitals in Cape Town. Including Groote Schuur
Hospital, which was world famous, as the first ever heart transplants took
place there in 1967.(The first 2 recipients of heart
transplants in the world were both Jewish and had lived in Cape Town.)
Aliyah
Bennie
and Helen were, and still are, ardent Zionists, and were always keen to settle
in Israel. They finally made Aliyah in March 2009, following their 2 sons
who had made Aliyah, in 1992 and 1995 respectively. The last
family member to have made aliyah (so far) was one of their two daughters
in August 2012.
The Family in Israel
By 2009 they had eleven
grandchildren in Israel. They became great grandparents for the first time just
before Pesach this year (2013). There are now 4 generations of Katzman's, all living in Israel. Bennie and Helen are now living
happily in Protea Village.
Reflection
During the past few weeks I have
had the privilage of researching and documenting
Bennie Katzman’s life. Beyond the fact that Bennie
lived and lives a fascinating life, which in itself was amazing, he is also an
amazing person. It is an absolute honor and pleasure to interview him. Thank you Bennie for all the
stories that you told me!
Click here to watch Bennie's presentation on YouTube
Published on July 2013
מילון
PogromWikipedia - A pogrom is a violent massacre or persecution of an ethnic or religious group, particularly one aimed at Jews.