ISAAC LASOVSKY
THE EARLY DAYS
Parents & Siblings
Meir Lasovsky married Mary Miriam Meyerowitz in 1887 in Rietevas, Lithuania
He left there for Francis town in Bechuanaland in 1904. Isaac Lasovsky
(born in 1888) joined his father in 1906, and Meir returned to Lithuania a few years later, where he died in 1922.
Isaac moved to Gwanda in 1911, where he was joined by his brother Harry.
In 1917 Isaac acquired a trading concession and the hotel in Shamva, where he was subsequently joined by his brother Sam In 1920 Isaac and Sam moved to Salisbury, where they joined Louis Braude in Braude & Co. for a short while, before opening as wholesale merchants trading as “Lasovsky Bros.” Harry likewise moved to Salisbury and together with Herman Krikler founded the firm of “Krikler & Lasovsky”. Brother Wolf Lasovsky (Lawson) came out in 1928 and practised as a family doctor.
The youngest brother Abrasha remained in Lithuania, became a judge and as far as can be ascertained, died of natural causes in Tashkent sometime during the war years. The only sister in the family Anna and her daughter Sima perished under the Germans during a forced March in early 1945 Mother. Miriam continued running the family Inn after her husband’s death, but subsequently sold out and moved to Shavli where she died in 1935
SALISBURY 1923—1961
In 1923 Isaac married Elizabeth. Bom in London in 1898, she was. a member of the well known Harris family, whose Rhodesian connections dated back to the 1900,s when her father and eldest brother came out to that country Isaac and Lizzie lived for some 2 years in a house in Baines Avenue where their son Mervyn was born in 1924 They subsequently stayed in Meikles Hotel for a further 2 years while their house at 64 (subsequently re-numbered 132) Montagu Avenue was under construction Their second son Colwyn was born there in 1934 and it was in that house that Lizzie died in 1952 and Isaac in1961.
It was their greatest pleasure and honour to entertain visiting Zionist personalities and the family has a book in which are recorded messages on the occasion of such visits to their home. The first inscriptions are those from Chaim and Vera Weizman dated March 3rd. 1932 and included are messages from Nahum Sokolov, Selig Brodetsky,,Berl Locker, Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver and many others. As a matter of interest, this tradition was carried on by Joyce and Mervyn when they continued to live in the same house after Isaac’s death and were privileged to entertain Chaim Herzog in 1969 and Ezer Weizman in 1972.
To quote from obituaries which appeared in the “The Rhodesian Jewish Times?” . “The late Mrs. Lasovsky was an active member of all Jewish communal institutions. Her work and influence for the uplift of Jewish life was well known throughout the Rhodesias and the hospitality of her home was -known to all”.
An impressive list of Honorary Life Presidencies and past presidencies, which include practically every Jewish organisation in Salisbury, give a brief summary of Mr. Lasovsky’s life- time of devoted work to the Salisbury and the Rhodesian Jewish community. President of the Salisbury Hebrew Congregation for many years, he had served as a member of the committee for about 35 years.
One of the founders of the Rhodesian Zionist Council and original Council for Rhodesian Jewry, he was the first Chairman and Honorary Life- Vice- President of the Rhodesian Zionist Council, the first Chairman of the Council for Rhodesian Jewry and the first Chairman of the Mashonaland Regional Committee of the Rhodesian Jewish Board of Deputies., past chairman of the Salisbury Zionist Society and of the Habonim Parents Council. An Honorary Life Vice- President of the Salisbury Chevra Kadisha, he was for many years also Chairman of the Salisbury Jewish Benelovent Society. During the war he had worked devotedly for the National War Fund, the Red Cross and the Services Club.