My great-grandfather , Solomon ( Solly ) Shippel ( Zaida to his grandchildren and great grandchildren ) was born on January 5, 1917. He was born in a small town on the outskirts of Johannesburg , South Africa. He was born to Ella Michla from Ponovesh and Itze Bera Shippel , originally from Pumpyan in Lithuania, both parents immigrated South Africa in the first part of the 20th century and were married there .
Childhood
Zaida came from a loving and comfortable home. Although there was not a lot of money his father was a kosher butcher and always made aliving. His mother was a womderful seamstress who made clothes for the whole family. He was the eldest of two brothers , Sandy , Hymie and later a sister Edna . Zaida went to the local school in Witbank .
Later they moved to Johhanesburg, Zaida attended Athlone Boys High and was an examplary student. He finished high school with excellent grades and was able to get into medical school immediatley afterwards.On Rosh Hashanah, he and his family walked very far to the synagogue Doornfentein .
Passover was spent in Fordsburg with Zeida maternal grandparents, they were the main religeous influence on Zeidas life. They spoke only Yiddish and as a result he spoke perfect Yiddish. On Pesach Bobba use to make "Zisaneshoma" keneidlach. These are keneidels with a sweet cinnamon filling . The recipe has become a special Passover custom and a family treasure that has been passed from generation to generation .
Young adulthood
As a young adult Zeida was a talented violinist in an orchestra in Johannesburg , unfortunately his father died at an early age and he stopped playing for the whole year of mourning . His mother died a year later and after the year in which he mourned for her he put his violin away forever. The violin and showed up in his daughters' toy box many years later . After matriculating with a very high score in 1934 he began his studies at the School of Medicine Witwtersrand , Johannesburg . As a student he worked at a Psyichiatric hospital in order to make money. He finished got his MbBch in 1941.Having done so well in University , the school immediatly asked him to come back and lecture in the department of obstetrics and gynecology .
Zaida 's parents were very friendly with Meyer and Shaina Rosa Levy . Through the friendship he met their daughter Stella and married her as soon as he finished his medical studies . In 1942 he married Stella Levy at the Wolmarans Street Synagogue , Johannesburg .
Immediately after University Zaida began working as a registrar at the Queen Victoria Hospital . There he began the original research on the particular situation of the ovary causing infertility .During World War II he was a captain in theSouth African army of on the side of the Allies . There he studied the treatment of injuries caused by gas warfare as it was a real threat that the Germans would use poison gas against the Allies .
Parenting and Illness
In 1944, Bobba and Zaida were blessed with two daughters, Evelyn in 1944 and my grandmother Marilyn who was born six months before the declaration of the state of Israel . Ten years later their son Lenny was born with Downs syndrome. At great expense which they could ill afford, Zeida and Bobba insisted that their children go to a Jewish day school.In his early 30 's Zeida contracted and diagnosed himself with Adisons disease which at the time was fatal. He was dying. Luckily one of his Zeidas colligues was in the United States at the time, where they had just started producing corrtisone medicine. Member brought some home for him to court. Thank G-d Zaida made a full recovery and was probably one of
the first people in the world to survive Addisons disease. Zaida took cortisone medication every day of his life from then on and was a perfectly healthy person .
Unfortunately, as a result of his condition , he could no longer operate on patients. He then respecialised as a histapathologist. He became increasingly sought after because of his expertise in gynacalogical histerpathology .He then began lecturing in the Pathology department at the medical school, becoming a very well loved proffesor. Very many of the doctors in Johanesburg had been his students and remembered him as a superb teacher and very empathetic man. Many would seek his advice in connection with personal problems.
Religion and Faith
Zaid grew up in a traditional Jewish family, but the real religious influence came from his maternal Bobba and Zaid. After the death of his parents at a young age he moved in with his Bobba and Zeida and their influence was greatly strengthened.The more Zeida studied medicine, the more convinced he became that G-d , not evolution was responsible for the creation of mankind and the beautiful way that the human body worked.
His deep belief in Ha'shem was even more strengthened after his miraculous recovery from Addisons disease .
Throughout his life Zeida was observant; praying three times a day , fasting every fast, celebrating every chag, and of course be shommer shabbat . He belonged to a gemmara learning group in Johannesburg and attended many many shiurim . He was always very charitable even though he was never a very wealthy man and very supportive of the State of Israel eventually making aliya. He helped set up three synagogues , two in Johannesburg and one in his retirement home in Israel.
Zeida became a very highly respected and well loved member of the South African Jewish community. Unfortunately when he was in his eighties his eldest daughter Evelyn was accidently shot and killed in Johanesburg. They then decided to relocate to Israel to join their daughter, my safta Marilyn and her family. One of Zeidas great disappointments was to find that most Israelis are secular and often have no respect for religious cerimonies, attending funerals, weddings, kiddush and britot ect. without even doning a kippa. Zeidas health deteriorated rapidly after a fall down a staircase.
He passed away peacefully in his sleep four months before his ninetieth birthday, having been a good Jew, human being and a fine example to his children and grandchildren.
יהי זיכרונו לברכה
