Around the end of November and December, there is another holiday celebrated by many people around the world and here in Ashburton. Chanukah (Hanukkah) celebrates two miracles that happened in Judea in 139 BCE; the first being the defeat of the Greek-Assyrian ruling class by Macabees after many decades of religious suppression, including the desecration of the Jewish holy temple. During the clean-up of the temple, it was found that nearly everything inside had been stolen or destroyed, but a small pottle of blessed olive oil was found intact among the debris.
This oil was used daily to light the menorah, a two-armed, seven-branched candelabra that represented the seven days it took to create the world. The original menorah had been stolen long ago, and the pottle was only enough to last one day, but the survivors decided to make a new menorah and use the oil for as long as it would last. This is when the second miracle occured; it took eight days for more oil to arrive, yet all the while the small pottle of oil continued to burn. Today, Jewish people around the world celebrate Chanukah by lighting candles on the menorah for 8 nights, playing a game with dreidl (spinning top) and gelt (chocolate coins), and eating oily foods such as doughnuts and latkes (potato pancakes).
The Friedlanders
Jewish migration to New Zealand is well documented from the 1840s onwards. By the early 1900s, communities were well established in the South Island centres of Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, Hokitika and Timaru. For a long time, I thought that Ashburton didn’t have a Jewish community, until I came across a few records noting a Jewish plot in the Ashburton Cemetery. Digging into the names and the archives a bit further, it turns out that the second mayor of Ashburton and prominent businessman, Hugo Friedlander, along with his brothers Rudolph and Max, are the earliest recorded immigrants of Jewish heritage in town. Incidentally, it is largely members of this family that take up the Jewish plot in the old part of Ashburton Cemetery.
After leaving Prussia when he came of age, Hugo first moved to Ashburton at the age of 22 to establish a branch of buisness for his employer, general merchant Julius Mendleson of Temuka. In 1876, Hugo, alongside his brothers, bought out Mendleson and began to build one of the most successful businesses in the District. Friedlander Bros. Ltd. exported what was considered for the time some the largest quantities of grain and wool to Australia and Europe. They also were one of the earlier exporters of frozen Canterbury mutton to England. Over time, the brothers and a few other family members established various businesses in town, including a grocers, but Hugo was by far the most active in public matters. His obituary in The Press, October 1928, lists his accomplishments:
“Mr. Friedlander was the second Mayor of Ashburton being elected in 1879, following the late Mr. T. Bullock. He occupied that position for two years and again from 1890 to 1892, and 1898 to 1901. In the intervals and up to 1908 he served three times as a member of the Council. He was a member of the County Council for a term in 1881 and from 1890 till 1914, representing either Wakanui or Upper Ashburton ridings. He was County Chairman in 1894. He occupied a seat on committee of the County Council that administered the affairs of the hospital before the constitution of the Board being chairman of that body in 1901 and 1909. When the board was constituted Mr. Friedlander was appointed first chairman, in 1910 was associated with Ashburton A and P Associations, Ashburton County Saleyards Company Ltd., Ashburton Co-Operative Dairy Company Ltd., Staveley Dairy Company, Ashburton Permanent Building and Investment Society, and Ashburton Gas, Coal, and Coke Company, as well as numerous companies in Wellington and Christchurch. Mr. Friedlander was ever ready to support the cause of education in Ashburton, two testimonies to his interest in this direction being the Friedlander science laboratory at the Ashburton High School, and his gift of £1000 towards the erection of the Borough School. He was a member of the High School Board of Governors for a number of years. Football and swimming also claimed his attention, and the Friedlander cup which he gave to the Tinwald Swimming Club goes to show his interest in that direction….”
Hugo was a busy man with seemingly little downtime. In addition to the the positions listed above, he was also a member of the Lyttleton Harbour Board, elected in 1905 and serving until he stepped down in 1916. He was also known for participating in various charitable local and national causes during his 40 years in Ashburton. Despite all that we know of Hugo’s public activities, little is known of the private life of the Friedlanders or other Jewish members of the Ashburton community. The Jewish plot reveals that life was not always easy, noting the death of several infants and children, Hugo’s first wife Lalla and his brother’s cousin Moritz, are among some of the legible stone markers.
Given the time and dedication the family gave to Ashburton, I was somewhat confused as to why the whole family left until I came upon an old Guardian article from 1985 that seemed to shed some light. During the First World War, as anti-German sentiment grew in New Zealand, so did it grow in Ashburton. The tension between the community and the Friedlander family became too much for them to stay, and so in 1915 the Friedlander Brothers left Ashburton, folding the last of their business by 1920.
And so although Chanukah has already passed this year, let’s think not only of the Friedlander family and their dedication to Ashburton, but also of current Jewish communities across Aotearoa in wishing everybody a happy Chanukah and a great holiday season for all. Chag sameach! (Happy holidays)
By Natalie Liverant
Unless otherwise stated, photographs and research materials on this page are owned by the Ashburton Museum & Historical Society Inc. This post was modified for this blog and was originally published in the Ashburton Guardian, 24 December 2022.
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