Number 78: My maternal grandfather, Jacob a’ Cohen Treves, “Opa”, z”l, was born in Amsterdam on 10^th November 1897 to Moses and Grietjie ‘nee Vigevano. He married my grandmother Sophia Olman z”l, on the 7^th September 1922 in Amsterdam. “Jaap” as Oma and his Dutch friends called him,  passed away on  28^th March 1978, buried at Pinelands 1 Jewish Cemetery next to my late “Oma”. The Hebrew name on the gravestone: Ya’akov son of Moshe and of my Oma: Shifra daughter of Yerachmiel. (My Hebrew name is Yerachmiel – meaning “G-d have mercy on me”).

Opa’s rich, deep, proud, diverse family roots are Sepahardi Jews that can be traced, from Israel and Judah, (Israel and Palestine today), to Babylon, Spain, France, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Holland – most specifically Amsterdam. Also Curacao, Suriname and Brazil. Many branches of the tree can reliably be traced back many generations with an abundance of fascinating stories and seeds for imagination of what kind of lives his forebears led…

We have records of the new Ford Escort, purchased in 1969 for R1 386, the Truworths shares he held!, the Certificate of “deep appreciation for the splendid work” to the benefit of war victims. He suffered his parents and siblings perish in the Holocaust.

Strange the details one remembers:  Opa always in a suit or smart clothes, continually rubbing his right thumb against his fingers, the bulge at back of his neck,  the farmers tan  – when he did wear short sleeve shirts. David and I sitting on his knee  — him telling us stories. A successful businessman – General Manager of a Diamond Cutting Factory in Wynberg for many years and later a Diamond Broker – taking me on trips sometimes to his office in Adderley Street. Everything was detailed and ordered: his beautiful stamp collection built with huge patience, Mr Buurman (and his cigars) every Sunday morning, Tante Kitty Kronenburg to dinner every Friday evening without fail, sitting at Opa’s right.  A different dish: fish, chicken etc. each designated for a specific night of the week. His pride at Oma’s 70^th Birthday Party.