The Lieberman Doors

Editor Tali Barnett at the Lieberman Doors

In the December issue of the Chronicle, we wrote about Mayor Hyman Lieberman. The story continues with a look at the Lieberman Doors, a treasure of South African Jewish history.

After Mayor Lieberman passed away, his trust donated funds for the ‘Hyman Lieberman Memorial Doors’ to be commissioned especially for the SA National Gallery, which was being built at the time.

The doors were carved by Herbert Vladimir Meyerowitz, and can be found in the courtyard of the Iziko South African National Gallery. The huge wooden doors depict the story of the Jewish people in detailed and beautiful carvings, beginning in Biblical times and ending with the Jews’ arrival in South Africa. Looking closely, you will see Dutch gabled houses, smouses and scenes of South Africa alongside biblical stories and historical moments.

One can also find a sketch of the doors in the reception area of the Samson Centre.

History may sometimes seem lost, but the Lieberman doors demonstrate that it is all around us. They also how the story of the Jewish people and Jewish migration to South Africa are valued in this country.

Lastly, history can continue to inspire us. Artist Joanne Bloch utilised the image of the smous depicted on the Lieberman Doors in a work entitled After Meyerowitz: Old Moses, which was displayed at a recent exhibition held at the Association for Visual Arts Gallery in Cape Town. “I decided that a representation of Old Moses would add value to my work, which speculates about the experience of the Jews who left Lithuania to become smouses and shopkeepers in this country,” explains Joanne.

“Using mapping pins and other materials transforms the image but at the same time retains something of its very particular quality. For this exhibition, I decided to use materials that a smous like Old Moses or a shopkeeper like my oupa might have sold — buttons, little toy whistles and straight and safety pins.”

According to Joanne, “the works speculate about chance, luck and prosperity. Because they escaped the persecution they were facing in Lithuania, these immigrants had the good fortune to survive the Holocaust, which the family members they left behind did not. I referred to this issue of good fortune in life with both the symbol and the numerological associations of chai — so, for example, there are 108 buttons in the Old Moses image.”

Indeed, history may be from the past, it is also a vibrant and dynamic entity, all around us.

1 COMMENT

  1. Good afternoon…. oct. 25 2018

    My name is Debra Kerzner Kon.
    My mother’s name was Evelyn Dretchen Lieberman. Her father’s name was Hyman Lieberman. He was my grandfather. He was named after the first Jewish mayor of Cape Town
    South Africa.

    My mother was the great niece of the late Hyman Lieberman I am the great great niece of Hyman Lieberman.

    My entire life I have been proud to be a Lieberman.

    It’s a long story and still have his involved will that consisted of many pages. If u are interested in knowing more…. please email me,

    With deep seated love of your country and my beloved relatives

    Would be with much gratitude to hear from you!

    Debi kerzner Lieberman Kon

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