#19 Hyman YANSBERG
- derek4440
- Oct 28, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Jun 17, 2025
Eurythmics Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart - Thorn in My Side, that amazing voice together with Annie’s unique style. She was even Married to an Israeli at one time called Uri FRUCHTMANN, who was a film & record producer.
Hyman YANSBERG & Family
I appreciate this may be confusing but YANSBERG, HANSBERG, JOHANASBERG, JOHANESBERG JOHANNESBURG, JOHANSBERG, JACKSON, LEWIS & HARRIS & also probably YEKONZBERG are all surnames used by the same Family.
I'd no knowledge of this branch of the family until one day I was travelling by train from LEEDS to LONDON, & bought some papers to read on the train, one of which was the Jewish Telegraph, which is a local Jewish Newspaper for LEEDS & MANCHESTER. I started reading through this, & eventually came to the section called Roots Directory, where people place an item seeking information on a long lost family. My eyes were immediately drawn to one asking for information on a family I'd never heard of called JOHANNESBURG, because there was mention of my Family Name GINSBERG. I read the item with gathering excitement & on arrival in LONDON Emailed the writer of the article who was called Derek HARRIS.
Derek replied to my Email & we started a very long Email conversation which went on for many years, where we swapped information on our joint family & Derek told me of his own personal adventures which would make a good Hollywood movie, the outline of which is set out below
His Father Lionel LEWIS Born 3/JUN/1918 at 33 Bexley Grove, which was a few doors away from my Father & his Family, as Lionel JOHANNESBURG. He Married Lilly LAPPING 26/MAY/1943 who was a WAAF during the WWII, & they had a Son called Derek Neville JOHANNESBURG 18/AUG/1943. Lionel & Lilly Divorced about 1944. All events in LEEDS
Derek was brought up by his maternal Grandmother Fanny LAPPING & his Aunt Rachel “Rae” LAPPING & lived at 5 Sholebroke View, Chapeltown, LEEDS. In 1948 Derek was adopted by his Aunt Rachel & her Husband Fred HARRIS & became Derek HARRIS. Fred owned a Plumbing & Electrical business next door to the Prince of Wales Pub on Chapeltown Road, near Buslingthorpe Lane & opposite Barrack Road, LEEDS
Derek Davening Kiddush
Rae fell ill & died on 21/APR1956, at 44 years old three months before Derek's Barmitzvah. Derek went to live with Fanny until on 25/NOV/1960 Derek, Fanny LAPPING (nee TOBE) & Sarah LAPPING sailed from LIVERPOOL on SS SYLVANIA to America
They went first to live with Louis LAPPING & his wife Stella (aka Esther) In SAN ANTONIO TX, but as they weren’t made welcome they stayed only 3 months before moving to ROCHESTER NY. In 1964 Derek, now 21 years old & Fanny LAPPING & Sarah LAPPING, moved to ONTARIO CA, & have been in the LOS ANGELES area ever since.
Derek HARRIS 1965 with "YANK TANK"
Derek HARRIS Married Diane HETTICK 25/OCT/1992 LAS VEGAS & now lives in PHILLIPS RANCH, CA
Derek & Diane HARRIS
We first met Derek & Diane when we lived in PALM BEACH & went to LOS ANGELES & stayed nearby in NEWPORT BEACH. We met them & their family & had a wonderful time with them. The next time we met, Derek & Diane came to ISRAEL for their first visit, in time to help us celebrate our BNEI MITZVAH. They joined us for the ceremonies which were conducted by Rabbi Michael BOYDEN at the KOTEL, & also were our guests at my 80th Birthday Party held at Lisa & Avi’s Apartment in BAT YAM. We have a great deal of fondness for both Derek & Diane.
Derek HARRIS with Theo & Rabbi Michael BOYDEN at our Bnei Mitzvah
My 83rd Birthday Party in Lisa & Avi's Apartment BAT YAM
Sarena (Derek's Half Sister) was Born 3 Apr 1948 to Lily & David APPELL, who were Married in late 1948 in LEEDS. David was originally from LONDON.
Lionel LEWIS Second Wife was Marjorie Rachel SHEVLOFF Born 3/DEC/1914 SHEFFIELD. They Married 3/JUL/1955 in MANCHESTER without issue. Lionel Died 7/FEB/1988 MARBELLA, SPAIN & Marjorie Died 12/FEB/2001 MANCHESTER. They are both Buried in the Southern Cemetery in MANCHESTER.
Lionel LEWIS Wedding to Marjorie SHEVLOFF
Many of the people in the photo will be from the JOHANESBERG Family, but regretfully I'm unable to identify them, with the exception of Lionel's Parents sat either side of the Wedding Couple, & Harvey NEWDALL at the extreme right of the photo.
Ethel LEWIS (Lionel's Sisiter) Married Michael HUNTERMAN 1946 LEEDS without issue. Ethel had a popular Ladies Hairdressing Salon on Briggate opposite LEWIS’S. Joan went there because of their reputation without knowing that Ethel was part of my Fathers family. When Ethel saw Dani she told Joan how much Dani resembled Bertha, which confused Joan, as she’d never heard of Bertha. (Bertha was my Father's sister)
The earliest member of this branch of the family is Reuben YANSBERG who was the Father of Hyman, Lena & another Son who emigrated to SOUTH AFRICA. Lena Born about 1871 in RUSSIA Married Abraham LIPMAN 25/DEC/1892 in BOSTON, Lincs, UK & had 4 Children. Lena's original name appears to have been Yete YEKONZBERG, which is written in Hebrew on her Certificate of Marriage, though it clearly states her Father was Reuben YANSBERG, so we are assuming that YEKONZBERG was the original surname.
Lena YANSBERG Certificate of Marriage
Hyman YANSBERG. Born about 1865 RUSSIA Married Fanny BAKER (Birth Name EGDALSKE) Born about 1868 RUSSIA, at New Synagogue, Chapeltown Road, LEEDS 30/MAY/1890.
New Synagogue, Chapeltown Road, LEEDS
(Now School of Contemporary Dance)
They had 7 Children, before Fanny Died 7/APR/1904 in LEEDS.
Their Children were as follows
1. Louis YANSBERG, all facts regarding Louis & his 2 Children & their descendants are known, & he became known as John LEWIS. It was through his Marriage to Florence LEVI, that the connection to my GINSBERG Family was made. Florence was the Daughter of Hyman Levi, who in turn was the eldest son of Levi ZAGOFSKY.
2. Sarah HANSBERG Born 7/MAR/1893 Married Myer GILSTON 1921 had 2 Children. Myer was a Drapers Warehouseman in the 1911 Census, & by the time of his Marriage was a Self Employed Cloth Merchant. He became the Managing Director of an Aluminium Rolling Mill & lived at 10 Gloucester Gardens, Hendon, LONDON by 1939. They all lived in LONDON, where Myer Died in 1963, followed in in 1966 by Sadie.
3. Gertrude YANSBERG Born 28/APR/1895 Married Alfred NEWDALL (previously NOODLE) 25/MAY/1913. Gertrude Died 28/SEP/1981 & Alfred had previously Died 24/JAN/1967. They had 6 Children including Harvey NEWDALL Born 26/SEP/1921 Married Patricia GOTT MAY/1966 Harvey Died 28/MAY/2009. They had 2 Sons one of whom owned Premier Cars until it was bought by Amber Cars. Patricia was Megayid in the Sinai & then in the Orthodox. All events LEEDS
4. Jane YANSBERG Born 2/JUN/1897 Married Norman Pinder OATES 12/AUG/1925 BRADFORD & had a Daughter Constance
5. Abby JACKSON (Born Abe YANSBERG) 1/JUN/1899 Married Hilda GOLDSTONE 1924 Register Office LEEDS After the Marriage Abby left for America & sent for Hilda, however Hilda wouldn't go so Abby came back & Married Hilda in a Jewish Ceremony in LEEDS on 5/JUL/1925. They had 2 Daughters Barbara & Audrie
When his Father Re-Married, Abby joined the Army at 14 years old, & was Wounded at YPRES & sent back to UK where he lived with his future wife’s family, his best friend was Mickey GOLDSTONE (told to me by Audrie LANDE in JUN 2006)
He left LEEDS & went to Manage one of Montague BURTON’S Factories in Lancashire, I think the one at WALKDEN. Abby Died 5/JAN/1979 & Hilda 8/DEC/1962 both in MANCHESTER
6. Harry HANSBERG Born 18/MAY/1902 Married Rhoda MANKOWITZ 1/JAN/1928 all LEEDS without issue. Harry Died 1967 & Rhoda 1986 both in LONDON
7. Mary JOHANNESBERG Born & Died 19/MAR/1904 LEEDS never Married
Hyman, who by the time of Fanny’s Death (8/APR/1903), was now calling himself JOHANSBERG, & had changed his occupation from Tailoring to being a Poultry Dealer. Hyman's Second Marriage was to Esther COHEN in about 1905, though I’ve not been able to find proof of this. They had 2 Sons the first Julius JOHANSBERG Born 17/DEC/1910 Married Leah GREENBERG 1940 & had 1 Son David who became David JACKSON & lives in HEBDEN BRIDGE with 3 Children. Julius Died 30/JUL/1957 & Leah Died 10/MAY/2004
Julius who was known as Johnny even had this name on his Headstone
Julius "Johnny"JOHANNESBERG Headstone
The Second son Philip JOHANESBERG Born 30/OCT/1916 Married Bella WAGENHEIM 7/AUG/1953 (who had previously been Married & Divorced by David PLOTKIN) & had a Daughter Susan Yetta JOHANNESBERG Born 29/NOV/1945 who Married Selwyn Terry Brash on 4/JUN/1972 & they had 2 Sons.
Selwyn is the Son of Michael & Pauline BRASH who were very kind to Joan. Pauline used to teach Joan how to kosher food & prepare the Sabbath meal on a Friday night. We will always remember Mickie’s beautiful tenor voice singing the Kiddush, this is still my favourite rendition. They owned the Harehills Snack Bar where Joan & I would spend a whole evening over one cup of tea, putting the world to rights. Many years later, & after we were Married Mickie opened Hernando’s, upstairs with an entrance just round the corner. This became a very popular night spot, & we went there regularly.
After we’d been humiliated by Louis SAIPE at Brandsby Lodge when we went to enquire about Joan embracing Judaism. Michael helped us by introducing us to a family connected to the Sinai synagogue. When we finally did get Married, Michael & Pauline’s Daughter Sandra was Joan’s Bridesmaid.
Many years later when Joan celebrated her 50th Birthday at Raspoutine in PARIS, we invited Mickey & Pauline to join us, so they would know how much they meant to us, & even though we were no longer a couple of kids who had to share a cup of tea & could afford to fly them & our other friends for the weekend to PARIS we hadn’t forgotten them, & how much we owed them.
GUINNESS & BRASH Relationship
We went to WHITBY a few months ago & were sat in Trenchers having Fish & Chips for Lunch when this person on the next table came over to us & said “you’re Derek GUINNESS aren’t you”? This was Selwyn Brash with his wife & some friends. When we get back from PORTUGAL we will be looking them up. We’ve always had a special place in our hearts for the BRASH family & the kindness shown to us.
Michael "Mickey" BRASH
As I previously mentioned the BRASH'S owned the "Harehills Snack Bar" on Harehillls Road & round the corner on Roundhay Road was the entrance to "Hernando's Hideaway" which they also owned, & was an upstairs nightclub. Sandwiched between the two was Charles "Charlie" FEDER Gentleman's Tailor, whose claim to fame was that he made suits for Billy DANIELS, a well known American Crooner, whose photograph he proudly displayed in his window. Joan also had a couple of tailored suits made by him. What we didn't know until many years after his death was that Charlie was a distant relative of ours!
Billy Daniels singing That Old Black Magic
People who know me well, know my feeling about the Germans, yet two of my all time favourite songs are German; "Lili Marleen" & "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", preferably sung in German.
The Threepenny Opera[1] (Die Dreigroschenoper) is a "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann, adapted from John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, The Beggar's Opera, with music by Kurt Weill and insertion ballads by François Villon and Rudyard Kipling. Although Hauptmann produced 80 to 90 percent of the text,[2] Brecht suppressed this and assumed sole credit, and is usually listed as sole author in printed versions.
The work offers a Socialist critique of the capitalist world. It opened on 31 August 1928 at Berlin's Theater am Schiffbauerdamm. Songs from The Threepenny Opera have been widely covered and become standards, most notably "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer" ("The Ballad of Mack the Knife") and "Seeräuberjenny" ("Pirate Jenny").
Kurt WEILL who is Jewish wrote the Music
Born 2/MAR/1900 DESSAU
Died 3/APR/1950 NEW YORK
Spouse Lotte LENYA who is also Jewish (she Married Kurt Twice) also appeared in many of his works
Berthold BRECHT had the idea & wrote the Lyrics
Born 10/FEB/1898 AUGSBURG
Died 14/AUG/1956 EAST BERLIN
Spouse Marianne ZOFF was listed as a Half Jew
Spouse Helene WEIGEL who is Jewish appeared in many of his works
Elizabeth HAUPTMANN wrote 80% of the play & Translated John GAY’S “The Beggars Opera” on which the Musical is based.
Born 20/JUN/1897 PECKELSHEIM
Died 20/APR/1973 EAST BERLIN
Spouse Paul DESSAU is Jewish
Robbie WILLIAMS Mack the Knife at the Albert Hall
Robbie Williams | Mack the Knife | Live At The Albert 2001 though not a fan of his, I think this is the best English version of this German song by Kurt WEILL who was Jewish. The 58-piece Orchestra Conducted by Steve SIDWELL is superb. As an aside Robbie is Married to Ayda FIELD who is Jewish & Robbie is very proud of his Jewish Family.
Some of the best versions are
Mackie Messer Sung in German by Lotte LENYA
Milos KOPECKY singing in Hungarian,
& of course irrepressible Bobby DARIN (Walden Robert Cassotto)
Bobby DARIN Mack the Knife
And now
Lili Marlen Sung by Lale ANDERSEN
Lili Marleen Sung by Marlene DIETRICH
Lili Marleen (German version) - A song full of contradictions and history
Vera LYNN, the Forces Sweetheart Singing Lili MARLENE in English
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