By Michel Levine, Human Rights Historian
In the early 1920s, thousands of Jewish children across Eastern Europe were left orphaned – victims of war, pogroms, and violent upheaval following the Russian Revolution. As civil war raged between rival armies, Jewish communities became easy targets.
More than 100 000 Jews were killed, hundreds of thousands were injured or displaced, and an estimated 150 000 children were left without parents – many traumatised, starving, and alone.
These children had witnessed unimaginable horrors – the murder of family members, widespread disease, and desperate hunger. Some survived by hiding in forests or begging for scraps; others clung to small personal items or religious rituals as a way to hold onto a sense of identity and stability in a world that had collapsed around them.
Into this crisis stepped Isaac Ochberg – a Cape Town-based entrepreneur originally from what is now Ukraine. Having emigrated to South Africa as a teenager, Ochberg had built a successful business career and become deeply involved in Jewish communal life, including helping to establish and lead the Cape Jewish orphanage.
Moved by reports of the suffering in Eastern Europe, he proposed an ambitious plan in 1920: to travel there himself, identify orphaned children, and bring them to South Africa to start new lives. It was a daunting idea – logistically complex, politically sensitive, and emotionally fraught – but one he felt compelled to pursue.
Why South Africa – and Cape Town?
Cape Town played a central role in making the mission possible. By the early 20th century, it had a well-established Jewish community with the infrastructure to absorb and care for vulnerable children. Ochberg believed the city could offer something rare at the time – safety, stability, and the possibility of a future.
With support from the South African government, led by Jan Smuts, permission was granted for approximately 200 orphans to immigrate. This was no small concession – immigration was tightly controlled, and strict conditions were imposed. The children had to be under 16, in reasonable health, and genuine orphans, and siblings were not to be separated.
The South African Jewish community took on much of the financial burden, raising funds to cover travel, care, and accommodation. There were even debates within the community – some worried about the risks of such a journey or the reaction from wider society – but, ultimately, support prevailed.
The rescue mission
In 1921, Ochberg set out on what would become a months-long journey through war-scarred regions of Poland and beyond. Travelling between cities such as Warsaw, Pinsk, and Brest-Litovsk, he visited overcrowded orphanages and met children who had endured profound trauma.
Despite their suffering, many still behaved like children – curious, playful, and hopeful. Ochberg connected with them easily, earning their trust so completely that they began calling him “Daddy Ochberg,” a name that would endure for generations.
Selecting which children could go was one of the most difficult aspects of the mission. With limited places available, Ochberg had to make heartbreaking choices. In some cases, he bent the rules – including children who were not strictly orphans or who were slightly older than allowed – determined to save as many as possible.
The journey out of Europe was itself extraordinary. The children travelled by train across the continent, often greeted at stations by local Jewish communities offering food and encouragement. From Poland they sailed to England, where they underwent medical checks before boarding a ship bound for South Africa.
Arrival in Cape Town
After a long sea voyage, the children finally arrived in Cape Town in 1921. What awaited them was a moment of profound emotion. Crowds gathered at the docks, waving banners and flowers, welcoming them with songs and tears.
For many of the children, it was their first experience of safety in years. One later recalled never forgetting the sight of Table Mountain emerging through the mist, or the overwhelming warmth of the reception they received.
Building new lives
The children – who became known as the “Ochberg orphans” – were placed in local institutions such as Arcadia and Oranjia, as well as in foster homes. Many were eventually adopted into families, where they were given the stability and care they had long been denied.
From these beginnings, they went on to build full lives in South Africa. They entered professions, started businesses, and raised families of their own. Cape Town, in particular, became deeply intertwined with their story – not just as a place of refuge, but as a place of renewal.
A lasting Cape Town legacy
Today, the legacy of the Ochberg orphans is still strongly felt. Their descendants number in the thousands, forming a significant part of South Africa’s Jewish community.
The story is often retold at commemorations and family gatherings, where the memory of “Daddy Ochberg” lives on – not only as a rescuer, but as a symbol of compassion and action in a time of crisis.
More than a century later, his mission remains one of Cape Town’s most remarkable humanitarian stories – a reminder that even in the darkest times, a single act of courage can shape generations to come.
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