Montagu People page
Montagu had an active Jewish community from the 1880s and in the first half of the 20th century. Many started as itinerant pedlars. They became ostrich feather traders, shopkeepers and general dealers. The Montagu Country Hotel was owned by Jews for a while. In 1951 70 Jews were recorded in Montagu. Thereafter there was a steep decline and in 1966 only the Idelson and the Sandler families remained.
Family names, identified from various sources, include those below. Their children became prominent doctors, lawyers and Jewish and civic leaders all over Southern Africa.
- Abramowitz, Harry and Anna: From Russia, were resident in 1910. Harry became the secretary of the Montagu Zionist Society when it was formed in 1915. They had a daughter, Margery, and son, Ralph.
- Abramowitz, Lewis: Died in 1920 aged 32, buried in Montagu Jewish Cemetery.
- Ansell, Nathan: Died in 1919 aged 51, buried in Montagu Jewish Cemetery.
- Brown, A: Became treasurer of the Montagu Zionist Society when it was formed in 1915.
- Buirski, Isaac and Barnett: Arrived in the early 1890s as merchants. Barnett established the Jewish cemetery in 1894. Barnett married four times and also had an illegitimate son. Read this part of the family story from the Montagu museum.
- Fernandes, Mrs: First managed and then bought the Montagu County Hotel from Mr Goldberg.
- Friedman, Micah Hyman: Died in 1919, buried in Montagu Jewish Cemetery.
- Gesundheit, Sigismund: Feather buyer from Warsaw; was in Montagu before 1910. He later became President of the Gardens Synagogue in Cape Town.
- Goldberg, Maurice and Emma: With daughter Bessie, who at the time was five years old, bought the only hotel in Montagu, the Montagu Country Hotel, in 1917. The Goldbergs lived in the hotel until they sold it 2 years later. Read family story from the Montagu museum.
- Goldblatt, Herman and Bertha: With children Mervyn and Eunice (Movsowitz). Had a store on the corner of Bath and Kohler Streets and lived next door.
- Goldstone
- Idelson, Aaron and Freda: With their two daughters, Joyce and Bernice, lived at the Little Sanctuary from the 1950s. Mr ldelson was a onetime owner of the Montagu Country Hotel and owned the Baths Hotel in those years. Little Sanctuary was a lavish home built originally for Lady Florrie Phillips so she could benefit from the mineral waters. Later it was bought and beautifully modified by American millionaire Hugh Tevis, who transformed the house and the garden with patios, beautiful stone walls with niches, artistic building, statues and pillars everywhere, paving, small ponds with statues, and stone paths that lead to the upper limit. The Idelsons were one of the two Jewish families still living in Montagu in 1966. Read family story from the Montagu museum.
- Hirschowitz, Rev E: Minister, 1911. Read family story from the Montagu museum.
- Koonin, Dr Jack and Zelda: They had nine children. Jack died in 1912, aged 70, and is buried in Montagu Jewish Cemetery. Read family story from the Montagu museum and also see the Koonin family Facebook pages and Koonin family website.
- Landau, Simon and Helena: Their son, Dr Arthur Landau, was a well-known specialist physician at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, senior lecturer in medicine at UCT and one-time president of the Medical Association of South Africa (Western Cape branch). He was also active in Jewish affairs.
- Millin, Aleta Catharine: Wife of Nathan and mother of Esther and Arnold. Died in 1924, buried in Montagu Jewish Cemetery.
- Millin, Nathan: Husband of Aleta (Tilly), father of Esther and Arnold. Died in 1941 aged 75, buried in Montagu Jewish Cemetery.
- Millin, Barnett: Married Mary (née Hoffman) (pictured). Originally a feather dealer. One of their four sons, Albert Millin, became a solicitor in Swaziland and a member of the Advisory Council and chairman of the Executive Committee. A great contribution he made was to get permission for victims of Nazi persecution to enter Swaziland. He received a CBE and CMG for his public work. His brother, Philip Millin, became a KC and in 1927 a Judge of the Supreme Court. He drafted the 'Millin Report', which led to important changes in company law. He was also the co-author of Mercantile Law of South Africa (1917 and several other editions), a standard work. For some years Millin was vice-president of the South African Friends of the Hebrew University. He was married to the famous writer, Sarah Gertrude (Liebson), whose family had settled in Barkly West.
- Moss, Joseph Abraham and Annie: Tailor, born in Kurland, Latvia, 1879. Had five children, Percy, Leopold, Rebecca, Joyce and Reuben.
- Moss-Rendell, Percy: Became the president of the council of the Cape Town Reform Congregation and the Southern African Union of Progressive Judaism.
- Philips
- Plax
- Raisers, M: Became president of the Montagu Zionist Society when it was formed in 1915.
- Sanders, N: An early feather buyer.
- Sandler, David: Was a member of the Montagu Brick Co. During the Second World War he served in the Montagu National Reserve of Volunteers. The Sandlers were one of the two Jewish families still living in Montagu in 1966.
- Schachat
- Schlesinger
- Schwartz, Maurice (Blackie) and Belle: With their eight young sons from Camps Bay were owners of 'Little Sanctuary', originally built by Lady Florrie Phillips, in the 1970s.
- Stein, Solomon: Died in 1909, buried in Montagu Jewish Cemetery.
- Stein, Professor Philip: Won a scholarship to Cambridge, where he has honoured to be the Senior Wrangler, the top mathematics undergraduate at the University, in about 1913. He became the professor of applied maths at the University of Natal from 1920-1956.
- Vanger
