From The Baltic To The Bushveld

Reviewed by Suzanne Schwartz

"From the Baltic to the Bushveld" is a memoir about the writer's experience of growing up

in a small town called Gatooma in Rhodesia on the African continent. After the country gained independence from Britain in 1980, the town was renamed "Kadoma", and the country "Zimbabwe".

The chapters are thoughtfully divided, according to the various aspects of their life. They cover milestone events, vacations, economic and educational opportunities in a small town, family history and Jewish life.

The first couple of chapters set the historical background, describing how the writer's grandparents of Lithuanian Jewish heritage established themselves in Gatooma and raised their family, which included the writer's father.

Throughout the book, the text is illustrated with an abundance of photographs, newspaper

clippings and other family memorabilia, thus leaving the reader with the impression that this is more in the realm of a visual history than dry text.

Furthermore, the writer adds an individual touch with interesting anecdotes and stories,

sometimes brushed with historical significance, such as his father attending the same boarding school in Gwelo, a town close by, as Ian Smith, who would go on to become a future prime minister of the country.

While this is very much a personal account, it can also be viewed as a valuable historical record of and testimony to a specific era in the country's history, amid political winds of change and the bush war. This book describes the interaction of a tiny Jewish population within the wider community and is undoubtedly an important contribution in keeping the memory of this time period alive.

The author, Marc Chimowitz, is my second cousin, and I am extremely grateful to him

for taking the time to write this book as a way of reflecting on his roots and acknowledging the role of his childhood and adolescent years while growing up in a small-town community in the middle of Africa.

Now a retired Emeritus Professor of Neurology living on Rhode Island in the United States, Marc went on to achieve enormous success in the medical field. But he never forgot his humble beginnings in Gatooma, Rhodesia. I feel privileged and honored that he asked me to write this review.

If you are from Southern Africa and even if you are not, you will find this book an interesting read and a valuable contribution to an overview of the passage of Jewish history through time.

From the Baltic to the Bushveld by Marc Chimowitz
140 pages. Self-published 2025.
Available on Amazon.com
Kindle $6.95; Paperback $13.95, Hardcover $29.95