KweKwe Community History

2012 - Editor's note.  In the course of various exchanges and surfing the web I came across a wonderful website (blog) by Diana Hirsch called http://www.oncecalledhome.com

which describes in great detail the life in Kwe Kwe (Que Que) in the "early days" including several reference to Jewish life in the town. Stories include

http://www.oncecalledhome.com/2010/12/chanukah-in-africa/

http://www.oncecalledhome.com/2011/06/rabbi-ehrman-was-a-mensch/

2006 - Note from Peter Sternberg :

Unfortunately I do not have any communal records of the KweKwe and Gweru communities and as to what happened to their Minute Books, where their Torah's were sent to etc.  Perhaps the Bulawayo Hebrew Congregation may be able to assist with Gweru?   The Board in Harare appear to have no knowledge of any
records at all.  Regarding Kadoma, I have the original Minute books and certain other records.

The Gweru Synagogue complex was sold to a church,  the KweKwe one sold to the
Hindoo Community as a temple, I understand it has since been re-sold.  The
Kadoma Synagogue was also sold to a church last year who pulled down the building
and I understand built a larger complex on the site.

A brief history of the Gatooma (Kadoma) community appeared in the 100th
Anniversary Book of the Harare Hebrew Congregation (see below),  I have no details
whatsoever of the other two Midlands communities.

The opportunity was taken at the recent re-dedication service to take
photographs with a digital camera of the graves in the KweKwe and Kadoma
cemeteries and these are now on CD.  Photos were taken by Benny Leon.  

To see pictures of the re-dedication service click here