Leah Epstein (1913 - 1985)

Leah Epstein is the daughter of Tilly Morris, born Tilly Dik, the sister-in-law of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Morris family HERE

Parents: Isaac Epstein (1884 - 1941) and Tilly Morris (1886 - 1981)

Tombstones for Leah's parents. Isaac is buried in the Rice Lane Cemetery in Liverpool, England and Tilly (Tova) in Westpark Cemetery, Johannesburg, South Africa

Born: 25 August 1913  in Liverpool, England. Her husband Oscar stated in his Shoah interview that Leah was born in 1922/3 but this does not accord with the 1921 census record or the 1939 register

Siblings

• Baruch Epstein (1911 - 1982) married Sarah Ritov (1911 - 2003) in 1950
• Naftali Epstein (1914 - 2000)
• Esther Epstein (1915 - 2013) married Marcel Aron Kindler (1908 - 1972) on 4 July 1943 in London, England
• Sarah Epstein (1920 - 2003) married Michael Avni (Marcus) (1920 - 1991) in Liverpool, England on (Apr - Jul) 1941
• Zahava Epstein (1927 - 2024) married Martin Dover (1925 - 1995) in Liverpool, England in (July - September ) 1950

Hebrew name: Chaya Leah daughter of Yitzhak

Occupation: Rabbi's wife

Leah Epstein age around 16 years circa 1929

Married: Oscar Marcus Werner on 10 June 1945 in Liverpool. England

Oscar and Leah and her mother Tilly on their wedding day, 10 June 1945

Children

Their first child was born in 1947 when Oscar was 25 and Leah 33. Their final child was born in 1953 when Oscar was 31 and Leah 40

• Sara Sharon Werner 1947 - 1997
• Bernard Isaac Werner 1949 -
• Maxine Werner 1953 - 

Census

1921

In the 1921 census taken on 19 June 1921, Leah's parents Tilly and Isaac are living in a 6 room dwelling at 48 Erskine Street, Liverpool, England. Isaac is age 37 years and four months and a travelling draper and clothier working from home. His place of birth is given as Wloclawek, Poland.Tilly is a housewife age 35 years and six months and born in Poneviezys, Lithuania. Their children are Boruch age 10 years and four months, Leah age 8 years and 10 months, Naphtali age 7 years and one month, Esther age 6 years and one month, Sarah age 1 year and one month

1939 Register

In 1939 the family are living at 99 Granby Street, Liverpool, England. Isaac is now a master butcher with his own business. Living with Isaac and Tilly are their children Leah and Esther who both work in the family butchery, and Sara. The family had moved to Palestine in the mid-1920s but had returned to Liverpool in the early to mid 1930s due to their poor financial situation. However Naftali remained in Palestine

Migration to South Africa

After going through the rigors of war, they looked at emigrating to greener pastures. Leah already had an uncle (Ely Morris) living in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Ely came to England in 1951 and offered to sponsor the family to come to South Africa. Oscar came to Bloemfontein, South Africa in August 1951 to have a look, and the family followed, with Oscar accepting a position as second cantor and shochet in Bloemfontein. In 1953 they moved to Bethlehem where he was the rabbi and from 1957 - 1970 lived in Kimberley where he was again the rabbi. In 1970 Oscar became rabbi of the Parkview / Greenside synagogue in Johannesburg and Leah and Oscar remained there until her death in 1985

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL, Welcome: O. M. Werner of Wallasey. Cheshire. England, has arrived to take up his duties as second Cantor and Shochet. (Hashomer October 1951, p. 10)

Kimberley, 1961/2. Rabbi Oscar Werner is 3rd row from the back 1st left and Leah is in the same row on the extreme right

Death

7 August 1985 (20 Av 5745) in Johannesburg, South Africa age 71. Leah was buried in the Westpark Cemetery there on 8 August 1985, grave block H 129. In 1995 her remains were transferred to Nahan Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel

JewishGen burial record for Leah

Westpark Cemetery burial record for Leah

On 25 June (27 Sivan) 1995 Leah's remains were transferred from Johannesburg and interred in the Eretz HaChaim Cemetery, Mate Yehuda Regional Council, Jerusalem District, Israel, grave no 38

Residences

In the 1921 census the family are living at 48 Erskine Street, Liverpool, England. The building no longer exists

In around 1936 until her marriage in 1945 Leah lived with her the family lived at 99 Granby Street, Liverpool, England

After her marriage in June 1945 until the family migrated to South Africa in 1951 the family lived at 160 Chatham Street, Liverpool, England