Editor: Dr Saul Issroff
Copyright © 2000-2002 Saul Issroff, Mike Getz, SAfrica SIG
and Jewishgen Inc.
URL: http://www.jewishgen.org/SAfrica/communities/5/index.htm
Revised: 4 February 2002

On 13 April 2001, Derek Stavrou, Kfar Sava, dereksue@netvision.net.il wrote:

I'm trying to trace a family member whose kinnui was Avram-Mitse, and whose family name in Seda, Lithuania, was MOWSOWITZ. He left Lithuania for England c 1890, married (twice, I believe), and went to SA where he was a rabbi, schochet and mohel. I don't know where he studied for the rabbinate; he died c 1930. (that's all the family legend).

I had been trying to trace him for an age without any success, when I came across Rabbi Eliezer Hillel MATTHEWS in the 1929 SA Jewish Yearbook. There is a photo of Matthews which looks similar to my photo of Mowsowitz; the biographical info about Matthews is also similar to the little I know about Mowsowitz.

Matthews was rabbi in Krugersdorp until his death in 1929; before that he had been in Kroonstad. I have pictures of his grave in Krugersdorp; and copies of death certificates of him and his wife, and am also in touch with his descendants in Johannesburg, who tell me Matthews studied in Gateshead, England.