CHOL – Community History On-Line

A forum for those involved in preserving the footprint of Southern African Jewish community life in digital form

Welcome to our 'Share Your Stories' page

This is where we get comfortable to read our stories...

Here you will find the many stories that have been sent to me. They come from our hearts. This is not an academic forum, rather a relaxed place to connect with writers, their stories and the various questions and feelings they arouse in us. All you need to do is to click the title of the story you want to read on the table below. Enjoy! Please send me your feedback, comments, suggestions and stories at gail@chol.website.

Stories are numbered and uploaded in the order we receive them. By clicking the top of the 'No.' column the stories can be displayed from newest to oldest and clicking again will reverse that, from oldest (no. 1) to newest. Clicking the title link will bring up the story and clicking the recording date leads you to the recording of the writer, or a friend, reading it (where available). Clicking on the title cell of the 'Writer' column groups all stories by author, in alphabetical order. (You can do this with any column and clicking again reverses the sort order.) There is also a 'search' feature on the top right of the table that allows you to search the table for a writer or topic. For the latest information, check my 'Gail's Updates' or email me at gail@chol.website.

No. Writer Title Topic Recording date and time
127 Jodi Schneider Neelin Some Days Personal essay 2024 Mar 10 51:14
126 A Joint Composition by CHOL Members October 7th – 17 Mail Entries of Members of the Forum Narrative essay Not yet recorded
125 David E. Kaplan A Case of Love Narrative essay Not yet recorded
124 Mark Wade The Jews of South Africa Reflective essay 2024 Mar 10 17:38
123 Linda Frysh Tokolosh Fictional story 2024 Mar 10 3:43
122 Harry Friedland My Life in Israel Reflective essay Not yet recorded
121 Harry Friedland On the Beach Personal essay Not yet recorded
120 Harry Friedland The Truck Narrative essay Not yet recorded
119 Harry Friedland (read by Gail Lustig) Stompie Narrative essay 2024 Mar 10 57:24
118 Sheila Swartzman The Eyes Have It Narrative essay Not yet recorded
117 Raphael Shevelev (read by Karine Schomer) The Letter Personal essay 2024 Mar 10 36:40
116 Jack Hoffmann A Light unto the Nations Reflective essay Not yet recorded
115 Stanley Loon The Jan S. Marais Hospital Narrative essay Not yet recorded
114 Gail Loon Lustig Eighteen - Chai Narrative essay Not yet recorded
113 Gail Loon Lustig Like a Bird on a Wire Personal essay Not yet recorded
112 Gail Loon Lustig A Sleuth in a White Coat Narrative essay Not yet recorded
111 Sheila Swartzman Black and White in Colour Narrative essay Not yet recorded
110 Silvia Duran My Formative Years Narrative essay Not yet recorded
109 Beulah Gross Now Hear This Narrative essay 2023 Sep 3 6:18
108 Beulah Gross Listen and Learn Memoir essay Not yet recorded
107 Beulah Gross To or from Russia with Love Memoir essay Not yet recorded
106 Glenda Levitt A Portrait of Bella and Life in a Shtetl Narrative essay Not yet recorded
105 Jack Hoffmann Amaryllis Belladonna Narrative essay Not yet recorded
104 Jack Hoffmann The Lesson Narrative essay Not yet recorded
103 Solly Kaplinski As Long as We Speak about Them and See Them, They Are with Us Personal essay 2023 Sep 3 17:25
102 Richelle Shem-Tov A Boy, a Girl and the Sea Narrative essay Not yet recorded
101 Bella Brom Double Decker Buses Personal essay Not yet recorded
100 Bella Brom Post Card – Story Narrative essay Not yet recorded
99 Mike Zaslansky Memories of Life in South Africa Personal essay Not yet recorded
98 Glenda Levitt Emma Vanga and Ingrid Narrative essay Not yet recorded
97 Avra Scher Medical and Ophthalmic Photography, a Unique and Fulfilling Career Personal essay/memoir Not yet recorded
96 Beulah Gross Finding Olga Narrative essay Not yet recorded
95 Beulah Gross Memories of Port Elizabeth – Shabbat Memoir essay Not yet recorded
94 Brenda Yagil The Yom Kippur War, a Personal Experience Narrative essay Not yet recorded
93 Stanley Loon Dementia Reflective essay Not yet recorded
92 Gail Loon Lustig Maurice Antonis Narrative/memoir essay Not yet recorded
91 Raphael Shevelev Martin Pretorius and the Fleetmaster (Learning to Drive in Apartheid South Africa) Narrative essay 2023 Sep 3 54:04
90 David Bass A Few Words (and a Star) for My Uncle in Italy Memoir essay 2023 Sep 3 35:14
89 Russell Sacks The Oak Desk Narrative essay Not yet recorded
88 Russell Sacks Blessed by Poseidon Narrative essay Not yet recorded
87 Russell Sacks Arak and Holy Bread Narrative essay Not yet recorded
86 Russell Sacks Disgorged Olive Pips Narrative essay Not yet recorded
85 Denis Benjamin A Postcard – Art and Photography Personal essay Not yet recorded
84 Denis Benjamin Entering Medicine The Compleat Physician – Reflections of a Golden Era of Clinical Medicine Reflective essay Not yet recorded
83 Denis Benjamin A Postcard – A Passion for Mushrooms Personal essay Not yet recorded
82 Harry Friedland Isaac Rosenberg Narrative essay 2023 Jun 18 37:20
81 Beulah Gross The Samovar Memoir essay Not yet recorded
80 Fonda Dubb My Treasure Chest Memoir essay Not yet recorded
79 Silvia Duran, read by Gail Lustig My Awakening Personal essay 2023 Jun 18 3:46
78 Avra Scher My Childhood in Durbanville Memoir essay Not yet recorded
77 Raphael Shevelev, read by his widow, Karine Schomer Fourteen Lambs Personal essay 2023 Jun 18 19:59
76 Gail Loon Lustig Full Circle Personal essay Not yet recorded
75 Gail Loon Lustig Family Passions Personal essay Not yet recorded
74 Gail Loon Lustig The Shattering of a Dream Reflective essay Not yet recorded
73 Gail Loon Lustig Bad Breath Narrative essay 2023 Jun 18 1:02
72 David E. Kaplan The Adventurers - the Reunion of the Bnei Zion Youth Movement at Kibbutz Timorim in 2008 Memoir essay Not yet recorded
71 Beulah Gross Memories of a 1920 Pesach Memoir essay Not yet recorded
70 Beulah Gross Memories of the High Holy Days and Succoth in the 1920s in Port Elizabeth Memoir essay Not yet recorded
69 Richelle Shem-Tov Flashbacks - An Account of Her Professional Life as a Physiotherapist in Israel, 1970-2000 Memoir essay Not yet recorded
68 Ivor Kosowitz A Tale of Two Shuls - Schoonder Street and Vredehoek Memoir essay Not yet recorded
67 Ivor Kosowitz Cape Town Nostalgia - Growing up in Cape Town in the 60s-70s Memoir essay Not yet recorded
66 Ivor Kosowitz Habonim in the Old Days Memoir essay Not yet recorded
65 Brian Binyamin Meyer The Escarpment's Edge (Part Two) Narrative essay Not yet recorded
64 Karine Schomer A Word Triggers a Chain of Memories Reflective essay about Karine's late husband, Raphael Shevelev 2023 Apr 16
63 Sheila Swartzman A Little Bit of News Personal essay 2023 Apr 16
62 Beulah Gross Death Personal essay Not yet recorded
61 Beulah Gross My Father's Diamond Personal essay Not yet recorded
60 Beulah Gross Reclamation of our Holy Land Poem by Henny Ausbruch, Beulah's grandmother Not yet recorded
59 Beulah Gross Gran's Place Personal essay Not yet recorded
58 Beulah Gross The Sound of Music Personal essay Not yet recorded
57 Harry Friedland Death in the Family Narrative essay 2023 Apr 16
56 Issy Nochomovitz A Personal Journey Narrative essay Not yet recorded
55 Raphael Shevelev Mrs Marcus's Bagels Personal essay 2023 Feb 19 6:10
54 Fonda Dubb Poems Personal poetry 2023 Feb 19 33:47
53 Harry Friedland The Adventures of Eric Personal essay Not yet recorded
52 Harry Friedland The House of Arthur Tintagel Persuasive essay Not yet recorded
51 Leon Moss Yoni and Kiddush Reflective essay Not yet recorded
50 Leon Moss My Grand-Daughter, the Gibeonite Narrative essay Not yet recorded
49 Leon Moss My First Week of Work Personal essay Not yet recorded
48 Leon Moss David and Goliath - An Everlasting Choice Reflective essay Not yet recorded
47 Leon Moss Whisky and Milk Narrative essay Not yet recorded
46 Leon Moss Last Item on the Agenda Personal essay Not yet recorded
45 Richelle Shem-Tov Tarab Descriptive essay Not yet recorded
44 Harris Zvi Green A Soldier and His Diary Reflective essay on his father 2023 Feb 19 56:54
43 Basil Porter Outside Personal essay/memoir Not yet recorded
42 Fonda Dubb A Collection of Poems Poetry Not yet recorded
41 Beulah Gross Henny and Julius - A Love Story Memoir Not yet recorded
40 Gail Loon Lustig The Gift Personal essay Not yet recorded
39 Brian Binyamin Meyer On the Edge of the Escarpment Personal essay Not yet recorded
38 Richelle Shem-Tov A Psalm to Freedom Personal essay Not yet recorded
37 Harry Friedland John Keats and the Unlimited Time Exam Personal essay Not yet recorded
36 Anthony Fagin The Girls Next Door Personal essay/memoir Not yet recorded
35 Anthony Fagin Vredefort Personal essay/memoir Not yet recorded
34 Anthony Fagin The Return of Gertrude Gelehrter Personal essay/memoir Not yet recorded
33 Anthony Fagin For Giving Me Life Personal essay Not yet recorded
32 Anthony Fagin Dad's Estate Personal essay/memoir Not yet recorded
31 Glenda Levitt About Chocolate Personal essay Not yet recorded
30 Harry Friedland The Fastest Gun in Greenmarket Square Personal essay/narration Not yet recorded
29 Harry Friedland The Spinster's Tail Personal essay/narration 2022 Oct 24 37:00
28 Gail Loon Lustig The Bane of my Life Personal essay Not yet recorded
27 Basil Porter The Concert Personal essay 2022 Oct 24 1:01:00
26 Richelle Shem-Tov Ibrahim and Dvorah Historical fiction Not yet recorded
25 Anthony Fagin Why Mark Kaplan Didn't Become a Lawyer Personal essay 2022 Oct 24 12:47
24 Emanuel Derman Prost Personal essay/observation/insight Not yet recorded
23 Emanuel Derman Separation Anxiety Narration Not yet recorded
22 Fonda Dubb Poems Poetry Not yet recorded
21 Beulah Gross Immigration Australia Style Personal essay Not yet recorded
20 Beulah Gross Peklach Memoir/opinion Not yet recorded
19 Stanley Loon The Story of Sam Perch Genealogy/history Not yet recorded
18 Stanley Loon Family Tales Memoir 2022 Oct 24 51:00
17 Sheila Swartzman Death and the Diaspora Memoir 2023 Feb 19 42:04
16 Sheila Swartzman A Time in my Life Personal essay Not yet recorded
15 Glenda Levitt A Duet Personal essay 2022 Oct 24 3:50
14 David Kaplan Rebels with an Unjust Cause History, roots, family 2023 Feb 19 14:45
13 Stanley Loon Sport in the Sixties History, sport, reminiscences Not yet recorded
12 Fonda Dubb Creating a Coexistence Memoir, personal essay Not yet recorded
11 Richelle Shem-Tov Branches on a Family Tree Memoir, roots Not yet recorded
10 Solly Kaplinski A World of Pains Memoir, personal essay Not yet recorded
9 Margaret Green Finding Borys Tolczynski Roots, memoir, mystery tale Not yet recorded
8 Brian Binyamin Meyer Table Mountain Memoir, family, personal essay Not yet recorded
7 Solly Kaplinski Until 120 Personal essay/memoir 2022 Aug 22 3:56
6 Sheila Swartzman A Portrait Family/roots 2022 Aug 22 10:54
5 Lynette Karp Welcome Home Personal essay/memoir 2022 Aug 22 22:20
4 Glenda Levitt A Love Story Personal essay 2022 Aug 22 40:00
3 Richelle Shem-Tov The Old Lady in the Park Personal essay/memoir 2022 Aug 22 54:00
2 Gail Loon Lustig The Knockout Sport/family member Not yet recorded
1 Gail Loon Lustig Muizenberg Personal essay Not yet recorded

An active forum

We have established an active Share Your Stories forum, meeting regularly on Zoom, to listen to the stories, to chat about our writing and meet the writers. If you have already written or not yet taken the plunge, you are welcome to join our stories forum.

Contribute a story

I know from responses received that there are many of you who not only love expressing yourselves through writing but have been sharing your efforts with family and friends ever since you were old enough to type. If you have stories to contribute to these pages, please get in touch. Tell me where you are based. Include a little bit about yourself and the writing you do. We can discuss how you would like to be involved. When sending your stories, you are invited to include a short biography and background to the piece you are submitting. This could include the stage of your life in which it was written and the circumstances which stimulated you to write it. You are welcome to include a picture of yourself with the story.

A word about me

I grew up in Cape Town, studied Medicine at UCT and then came on aliya in 1976. After serving the community in Israel for decades in various capacities relating to my profession and on a voluntary basis, I recently retired. I still feel deeply attached to my roots. The formative years back then, growing up in apartheid South Africa, have been an immense influence in my life and the way I view things. I have been writing stories that are coloured by my South African background for as long as I can remember.

I would really love to hear from you!

Gail Loon Lustig gail@chol.website