By Salvatore Franco

March, 2023

Family biography

I am the younger son of the late Katie Alhadeff – Franco (née Alhadeff), who was born in Salisbury in 1923. She was the eldest daughter of Behor (Yeoshua) Alhadeff ( born in Rhodes ) and of Rosa Levy.   She was born and bred in Salisbury.  My Mom over the years lived on Fife Avenue , Union Avenue and later on in Lanark Road . She was brought up from beginning to the end at the Dominican Convent where she distinguished herself and turned out to become an excellent fully qualified and talented pianist. 

She met my Dad , the late Liv Franco and upon her marriage to him , moved to Elisabethville in the Belgian Congo where my two other siblings and I were born . Returning to my grandfather , Behor Alhadeff , he was a very well respected gentleman, a man of great integrity and wisdom.

He came to Rhodesia embarking from Rhodes at the beginning of the 1900’s and was considered a “pioneer”, having lived first in farmland around Marandellas ,Mazoe. Later on he established his own successful business in Salisbury in the B.Alhadeff Building . He was tightly related to B.S.Leon , Strella Galante ,J.N .Alhadeff , Solly Alhadeff amd Archie Alhadeff to name just a few .

My Grandmother  Rosa Alhadeff née Levy , born in Beira ( Portuguese East Africa ) who met my Grandfather Behor while he was in Mocambique , married him and moved with him to Mazoe first and later Salisbury .

My Grandmother was an elder sister of Camilla Soriano , who was Chairlady of the Sephardic Ladies Congregation and was also affiliated with the Chevra’ Kadisha’

My Late Mom, Katie Franco, née Alhadeff, subsequent to her marriage to my late Dad , Liv J.Franco ( the gentleman on the right) , left Rhodesia and moved for fifteen years to the Belgian Congo prior to moving again to Rome Itaiy for another eighteen years and later , again, this time to Atlanta , Georgia .

My dear Late Father , Liv J.Franco ( on the right of the photo ). He was born in Rhodes too, being the son of Rabbi Yosef Hai Franco . He moved to the Congo where he carried out his business in Elisabethville , Leopoldville and Stanleyville .

He met my Mom at a Passover Seder organized by a common friend / relative : Archie Alhadeff  (the husband of Graziella Alhadeff).