December 16, 2014

Avrille Harris-Cohen

Avrille Harris-Cohen came from a family whose Jewish heritage stretched from Tunisia through Portugal, Brussels, Holland, and finally London, having left Portugal during the Inquisition. Unlike many South African Jews, both her mother's and father's parents were born in London. Her father was born in London and came to South Africa when he was about 18 months old, which meant Avrille could claim British citizenship by naturalization. Her maternal grandfather came to South Africa around the time gold was discovered. She recalled Friday night dinners with her maternal grandparents, Miriam and Barney, and treasured memories of an uncle who was killed during the Second World War fighting against Rommel in North Africa, buried at El Alamein.

Avrille grew up in Johannesburg, spending time with her granny and grandpa, whom she was especially close to. Her granny, a Cockney who spoke no Afrikaans, loved hearing Avrille play the piano, which she began at age six. Saturday mornings often included pickled herring on toast, piano playing, lunch, and a tram ride to see a movie at the Piccadilly. Because she was not yet five when school began, she started at Orange Grove Primary School before attending Fairmount. Later her parents built a house in Waverly, a period she remembered as less happy.

Her family was connected to a business her grandfather owned, which handled wholesale hairdressing supplies on one side and optical work on the other, run by her uncle Harry, an optician. Her father was beloved by customers, though her grandfather resisted modernization and kept old technology, which ultimately hurt the business when it was later sold. Her mother also helped run the business. Avrille's brother, whom she called Chan, followed her to Dallas but disliked it and eventually settled in California after time in Seattle. She spoke proudly of her nephew Aaron, a high-achieving student at the University of Southern California.

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