The dramatic demographic shifts in the South African Jewish
community over the past half-a-century were underlined in the
latest national census findings. Conducted in 2001, the
census put the Jewish population at just under 75,000, down
from a high of 120,000 in 1980. Of these, over 95 percent
resided in the major urban centers, mainly Johannesburg and
Cape Town.
The once thriving Jewish communities in the small country
towns, most of which at their height managed to maintain a
shul and community hall, a full-time rabbi, cheder and
sometimes even a mikveh, have all but disappeared.
Tiny pockets of Jews, totaling no more than 2500 mostly
elderly souls, remain scattered in various country towns, but
in only a handful of cases is it possible for these to come
together for a minyan, even on the Yomim
Noraim.
Caring for the religious needs of Jews in the country has
been the provenance of the South African Jewish Board of
Deputies since the early 1950s, at which time the country
communities were already in serious decline. Much of the
Board's work today consists of maintaining the more than 220
Jewish cemeteries in the rural areas, which in the absence of
any local Jews to look after them have been vulnerable to
natural deterioration and acts of vandalism.
Under Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, Spiritual Leader to the Country
Communities, a new system is being instituted whereby the
matzeivos, instead of standing upright are laid flat
in a bed of concrete, similar to the custom in Israel. The
measure has thus far proved highly effective in preventing
damage to the stones.
South Africa is divided into nine provinces. The provinces
with the largest number of Jews living outside the major
urban centers are Western Cape with 900, and North-West
Province with 440. In the geographically large but arid and
sparsely populated Northern Cape, by contrast, a mere 23 Jews
were recorded as living in the smaller towns, and little more
than a hundred overall, out of a total population of nearly
900,000.
The story of country Jewish life in South Africa is not only
one of decline, however. Certain communities on the southern
coast of the country have actually grown in recent years. One
of these is Hermanus, whose shul reopened its doors a few
years ago after having ceased operating a decade
previously.
Plettenberg Bay's growth has been even more surprising. The
picturesque coastal town, a favorite of vacationers from all
over the country, today boasts not only a full-time rabbi but
also a kosher deli, the latter being the only such facility
outside of Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Another one of the country communities still functioning is
that of Oudtshoorn, once described as the "Jerusalem of South
Africa" because of the strong and active Jewish community
that resided there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The district is famous for ostrich farming, and the
international ostrich feather boom of a century ago enabled
many recent Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe to make
their fortunes.
Oudtshoorn celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, and
the remaining Jews in the town, along with Jewish leaders
from around the country, will be taking part in the official
celebrations in November.
