“Solomon” Yaacov-Shlomo “Shleimeh” Kiwelowitz


“Solomon” Yaacov-Shlomo “Shleimeh” Kiwelowitz (born 1895) is a historical individual primarily found within public genealogical records.  
According to family historical archives hosted on platforms like MyHeritage, he carried the title or honorific of Reverend (“Rev.”) and was married to Gitel Kiwelowitz (née Gischen).  
 
Rev. “Solomon” Yaacov-Shlomo (“Shleimeh”) Kiwelowitz (1895–1962) was an Eastern European Jewish emigrant whose lineage links Belarus to South Africa.
 
Geographic & Biographical Background
  • Town of Origin: Records trace the family to Lubtch (Lyubcha / Liubcha, modern-day Belarus, historically within the Russian Empire / interwar Poland). 
  • Migration: He immigrated to South Africa, settling in the Cape region. Official estate liquidation documents filed under Solomon Kiwelowitz

    (filed in 1962) are held at the Cape Town Archives Repository  

Marriage & Lineage Connections
  • Spouse: Married to Gitel Kiwelowitz (née Gischen), who originated from the same region in Belarus. 
  • The Gischen In-Laws: Gitel had at least five siblings, establishing extended family links across southern Africa:
    • Sadja “Seidi” “Seika” Gischen
    • Henya “Hena” Bloch (née Gischen), who settled in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia)
    • Sorrel (Sarah) Levin (née Gischen)
Children & Descendants
  • Children: Public tree indexes on MyHeritage document that Solomon and Gitel had four children. 
  • Anglicized Surnames: Among their children is Ralph Kaye (born in Ivye / Iwje, Belarus, who later anglicized the surname from Kiwelowitz to Kaye, a common practice among Litvak immigrants to Anglophone countries). 
  • Surname Variations: When researching archival registries, the family name alternates between Kiwelowitz, Kivelowitz, Kiwelewicz, and Kaye.
Rev. Shlomo Kiwelowitz’s connection to Bulawayo reveals an interesting distinction between his traditional title and his practical contributions to the local Jewish community.
Community Service & Role in Bulawayo
    • Builder vs. Clergy: While family tradition and honorifics refer to him as “Reverend” (Rev.) or “Rabbi”, regional community archives confirm that his formal role in the Bulawayo Hebrew Congregation was actually as a builder rather than active pulpit clergy. 
    • Timeframe: His presence and involvement in Southern Rhodesia spanned between the 1930s and 1960s. 
    • Communal Documentation: Primary congregational minute books and official rabbinic registers in Bulawayo do not list him in an official ministerial capacity, which often led descendants to search through synagogue building committee records, physical inscriptions, and community annals to track his tangible work on congregation structures. 
Genealogical Records & Regional Lineage
  • Belarusian Origins: European records on JewishGen place the Kiwelewicz / Kiwelowitz family in Lubtch (Lyubcha) and surrounding towns such as Ivye (Iwje) within the Novogrudok district.
  • The Gischen / Bloch Connection:
      • His wife, Gitel Kiwelowitz (née Gischen), was actively involved in the Bulawayo community alongside him. [1, 2]
      • Gitel’s sister, Henya “Hena” Bloch (née Gischen), established the direct sister-branch in Bulawayo. This tied the extended Belarusian family into early Rhodesian Jewish pioneer networks across Matabeleland. 

  • Archival Inquiries: Further specifics regarding the Kiwelowitz, Bloch, and Gischen footprints can typically be cross-referenced via:
 Family Ties and the Gischen Connection
His time in Bulawayo was intimately tied to his family life. Genealogical trees map the Gischen family to Bulawayo—specifically Henya “Hena” Gischen (married name Bloch). Gitel Kiwelowitz (née Gischen) and the Reverend lived amidst a network of extended in-laws, making them deeply embedded residents, rather than just transient clergy. Their children, including Naomi, grew up integrated into this pioneering generation of Rhodesian Jewish youth. 
A Multi-Faceted Clerical Role
Because he held the title of Reverend rather than communal Rabbi, his duties would have been incredibly diverse and hands-on. In mid-sized Southern African communities of that era, a Reverend typically managed the daily spiritual infrastructure:
  • Shechita & Kashrut: Ensuring the availability of kosher meat, which was highly labor-intensive in the region.
  • Chazanut (Cantorial duties): Leading daily, Shabbat, and High Holy Day services alongside the chief spiritual leader of the community.

  • Education: Teaching at the local Hebrew school (Cheder) long before formal day schools like Carmel School were built.
  • Life-Cycle Rituals: Performing weddings, Brit Milot (circumcisions), and officiating at the Bulawayo Jewish.
His tenure spanned World War II, a period of intense activity for the Bulawayo community. The congregation mobilized heavily to support the war effort, hosting Jewish servicemen stationed nearby under the Empire Air Training Scheme. In the late 1940s and 50s, the community peaked in numbers as survivors from Europe and new families arrived, making it a bustling, prosperous era for the congregation he looked after.
Reverend Solomon Yaacov-Shlomo Kiwelowitz’s time in Bulawayo positioned him at the heart of a vibrant and rapidly expanding Jewish community during a historic era. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Bulawayo was the economic and industrial engine of Southern Rhodesia, and its Jewish population was tightly knit and deeply traditional.
A view into what his life and ministry in Bulawayo looked like reveals a rich history:
The Bulawayo Hebrew Congregation
Reverend Kiwelowitz served under the auspices of the Bulawayo Hebrew Congregation. During his decades there, the community was centered around the beautiful Abercorn Street Synagogue (which was tragically destroyed by a fire in 1961 and later rebuilt on the same site). The congregation was firmly Orthodox, composed heavily of “Litvak” immigrants (Lithuanian Jews) who had arrived in Southern Africa fleeing European persecution.
Transition to South Africa
By the late 1950s or early 1960s, like many long-serving ministers, Reverend Kiwelowitz and Gitel retired south to the Cape Province in South Africa, where he eventually passed away in 1962. 
 Sources for the above from Google include : SA Jewish Museum, Kaplan Centre, JewishGen, MyHeritage