(Vol. 66, #2, Rosh Hashanah 2011)
Dr Irving Lissoos, who passed away in Johannesburg on 30 July 2011at the age of 74, was a contributor to Jewish Affairs of many years standing, writing on such diverse subjects as South African Jewish Nobel laureates, Jewish humor, the Pesach Seder and Jewish roots in Johannesburg. In 2002, he was much involved in an advisory capacity in the production of a special issue on Jews and medicine, to which he also contributed an article on the Jewish role in the first heart transplant operation.
In addition to being a much cherished personality within the Jewish community, Lissoos was highly respected in his profession. As a Specialist Urologist he was, amongst many other things, a pioneer of kidney transplant in South Africa and served as Secretary of the Urological Association of SA. He was in private practice for 38 years and at the time of his passing was still practicing as an Urologist at Milpark Hospital.
Beyond this, Lissoos forged a second ‘career’ as a lecturer and writer on a range of subjects of Jewish and general historical interest, the diversity of which testified to his erudition and wide-ranging intellectual curiosity. He was much sought after as a speaker at Jewish communal events, and further afield was much involved in broader local heritage initiatives.
Given his intimate knowledge of Johannesburg and local Jewish history, Lissoos was the obvious choice to deliver the keynote address at the opening of the SAJBD’s ‘Jewish Johannesburg 120’ exhibition in 2007. Amongst other topics he addressed in his public speaking engagements, always with his trade-mark sense of humor and infectious enthusiasm, were synagogues in India, Jewish Nobel prize winners and Jewish cinema. In a more serious vein, he also lectured on the Holocaust and authored a guide to the Haggadah, entitled Seder Beseder. In the Jewish communal field, he was a founding member of Victory Park Synagogue and for many years served the King David schools and Jewish Board of Education in a variety of capacities. His diverse hobbies included making and collecting shofars.
Going beyond specifically Jewish themes, Lissoos was also involved in promoting the general history and heritage of Johannesburg, inter alia through being a guide for both the Parktown Westcliff Heritage Trust and Soweto heritage tours.
Of his work in the former field Flo Bird, herself a doyen of Johannesburg heritage promotion, wrote, “Your tours were all masterpieces of research and a choice selection of facts leavened with a delightful sense of humor. You gave everyone a sense of adventure and enjoyment in exploring new fields of understanding Johannesburg from different perspectives – murder and mayhem, [Herman Charles] Bosman’s Johannesburg, Gandhi, the Anglo-Boer War and your most popular tour – the Jewish contribution”.
Lissoos is further remembered as the ultimate family man, one who never missed a school play, sports day or the like and brought every Jewish festival to life in the family home through, for example, animated Sedorim and creative sukkahs. He leaves his wife, Pam, five children and twelve grandchildren.
David Saks, Editor: Jewish Affairs
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