Much of the material on this website got here via a project initiated several years ago by David Solly Sandler, a native of Johannesburg and Litvak descendent, who has compiled an impressive print library of material on Lithuanian Jews, there and in the diaspora. I had worked on and off for many years to try and make the Keidan Yizkor Book available in English, but the project only really took off after David offered to finance and publish a full translation.That book, along with many others of interest to Jews with ties to Lithuania, is available for purchase. David, who grew up in a Johannesburg orphanage now called the Arcadia Jewish Children’s Home, donates the full proceeds from any sale to that institution, which still cares for Jewish children in need, as part of the Johannesburg Chevra Kadisha. Books are priced from US$25 to $US80, including shipping, and take up to three weeks to deliver. (Discounts apply to orders of multiple copies.)
A list of David’s compilations is below. To order books or for further details, contact David Solly Sandler at sedsand@iinet.net.au
COMPILATIONS ON EASTERN EUROPEAN JEWRY
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The Lithuanian Slaughter of Its Jews
Published February 2020. The Testimonies of 121 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust in Lithuania, recorded by Leyb Koniuchowsky, in Displaced Persons’ Camps (1946-48)
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Testimonies of Life in Lithuania by Leyb Koniuchowsky
Published May 2020. Testimonies collected by Leyb Koniuchowsky that display his writing skills.
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Keidan Memorial (Yizkor) Book
Published June 2018. The English version of the book first published, mainly in Hebrew, in Tel Aviv 1977. The book contains more than 80 memoirs, essays and articles that span the 500 years history of Keidan’s Jewish community from its founding to its tragic annihilation in the Holocaust. The book was translated with the help of Bella Golubchik, Chaim Charutz and Miriam Erez, and edited by Aryeh Shcherbakov and Andrew Cassel.
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Keidan – Our Town in Lithuania (A Booklet)
Published February 2018.
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Krakenowo, A Town in Lithuania: The story of a world that has passed
Published 2017. The reprint of the booklet printed by the South African Krakenowo Sick Benefit and Benevolent Society in 1961 to celebrate its diamond Jubilee. All articles in Yiddish have now been translated into English.
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50th Anniversary Souvenir Programme of the South African Keidaner Sick Benefit and Benevolent Society.
It commences with the Jewish history and life in Keidan then tells of the destruction of Jewish life in 1941. The book then focuses on the South African Keidaner Sick Benefit and Benevolent Society.
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The Ochberg Orphans and the Horrors From Whence They Came
Published 2011. The rescue in 1921 of 181 Ukrainian War and Pogrom Orphans by Isaac Ochberg, the representative of the South African Jewish Community, from the horrors of the Pale of Settlement. This book is but a small part of a much larger and forgotten part of Jewish History, the horrors suffered by the Jews in The Pale of Settlement between the two world wars.
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The Ochberg Orphans – Volume Two
Published 2017. A follow up from the first book that includes more of the stories of the Ukrainian Orphans, details of the Pinsk Orphanages and children going to South Africa and rescued by the Pinsker Orphan Relief Fund of London and modern ceremonies, books and documentaries to remember Isaac Ochberg.
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The Pinsker Orphans
Published 2013. The Pinsker Orphans book, in part a follow up of The Ochberg Orphans book, tells of the life and times of the children from the three Pinsk Jewish Orphanages in the 1920s and like The Ochberg Orphans book is but a small part of a much larger and forgotten part of Jewish History, the horrors suffered by the Jews in The Pale of Settlement between the two world wars.
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Our Litvak Inheritance
Published March 2016. This book tells of Jewish history, life and times in Lithuania and surrounds – the inheritance of most South African Jews and is the matching volume to Our South African Jewish Inheritance.
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The Memorial Section of the Rakishok Memorial Book.
This book was originally published in 1952 in Yiddish by the Rakishok Landmanschaft in Johannesburg. The book has been translated into English by Bella Golubchik.
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This Was a Man
Reprinted 2014. This book is the life story of Isaac Ochberg as written by his daughter Bertha Epstein and first published in 1974. Reprinted with the permission of the family of Isaac Ochberg z”l with an addendum.
COMPILATIONS ON SOUTH AFRICAN JEWRY
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South Africa’s 800: The Story of South African Volunteers (Machalnics) In Israel’s War of Birth by Henry Katzew
Reprinted with the permission of Joe Woolf in August 2016.
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Our South African Jewish Inheritance
Published August 2016. This book tells of Jewish history, life and times in South Africa and is compiled from numerous articles, books and family histories. It is the matching volume to Our Litvak Inheritance.
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100 Years of Arc Memories
Published 2006. The Arcadia Centenary book contains the memories of over 120 children of The South African Jewish Orphanage.
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More Arc Memories
Published 2008. A follow-up of the Centenary book, with the memories of more than 100 children and a section of 17 chapters on the Ochberg Orphans.)
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Memories of Oranjia, The Cape Jewish Orphanage (1911-2011)
Published 2014. This centenary book is a collection of the memories of many generations of children (over 120) who were in the care of The Cape Jewish Orphanage which was established in 1911 in Cape Town South Africa.
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My Goldberg and Plein Family Inheritance and
My Sandler and Silberman Family Inheritance
Published April and May 2019. In these two large volumes I share with my relatives all my family history, documents, research and photos gathered over the past 50 years.
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Michael Perry Kotzen – The Arc Memory King
Published October 2018. This 333 page book is made up of all the Arc Memories and Arc Correspondence of Michael Perry Kotzen who passed away in July 2018. The book tells of his acting career and his life in general in South Africa, Israel and Australia and was mainly compiled as a gift for his family. He would have been 95 on the 10th of October 2018 and the family plan to celebrate his birthday.
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Parktown Boys’ High 1969 Matriculants
Published December 2019. This 439 page volume is made up of the history of Parktown Boys and the school photos, memories, and biographies of the 1969 matriculants.
Art and Photography Books
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The Art of Eli Zagoria
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Louis Touyz’s art of Jewish Festivals and Festivities
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Elaine Roenfeldt’s art of Kalamunda and Surrounds
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Brian Sanger’s photography of Perth and Surrounds and Fremantle
About David Solly Sandler
David was born in Johannesburg South Africa in 1952. He grew up in the care of Arcadia Jewish Children’s Home (formerly The South African Jewish Orphanage) in Johannesburg, where he spent his childhood from 1956 to 1969 and aged 3 to 17. David qualified as an accountant in 1976 and emigrated to Australia in 1981. He married and has two daughters and retired in 2007 to compile books on Jewish History. His first compilation in 2006 was 100 Years of Arc Memories celebrating the centenary of Arcadia and one book led to another.
Like over 90% of South African Jews my ancestors are Litvak, from Lithuania, Latvia and surrounds, and what many of us have in common in our family trees are relatives who perished in the Holocaust. More correctly they were slaughtered or murdered.
All the proceeds from sale of these compilations together with all my other compilations on South African Jewry go to Arcadia Jewish Children’s Home (formerly The South African Jewish Orphanage) in Johannesburg, where I spent my childhood from 1956 to 1969 and aged 3 to 17.
Today they still take care of Jewish children in need in Sandringham, as part of the Johannesburg Chevrah Kadisha that provides cradle to death services for the Jewish community.
Please contact me for books or more information – David Solly Sandler sedsand@iinet.net.au
