Mark Angel
June 29, 2024
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Benjamin “Benny” Leon was born in 1936 in Gatooma, Rhodesia. His parents were Haim Jacob Leon and Marie Benveniste. He lived in Gatooma until 1978 and then moved to Salisbury. Benny was active in theatre productions and contributed many photographs and articles to the weekly Gatooma Mail from 1958 to 1978. He also was a correspondent for the Rhodesia Herald.
He earned a diploma in Photography from the Harare Polytechnical School and ran a portrait studio at Strachans Photo Pharmacy for 23 years. In 2016, he retired at the age of 80. He has been an editor of the Torah weekly newsletter for the Jewish community for the last 20 years.
To view Benny’s archive photographs: Zimbabwe Jewish Community
Below are some images of Jewish Rhodes in 1990, courtesy of the Benny Leon Collection
Rhodes Jewish Historical Foundation
