The captivating story below appeared in the 1982 issue of Restorica. It was compiled by Hymie Amoils and traces the origins, history and significance of the Poswohl Synagogue in Mooi Street Johannesburg. We visited this Provincial Heritage Site, now the Promise Land Pub and Restaurant, yesterday and noticed internal alterations taking place. It would be interesting to see if the necessary approvals from the Provincial Heritage Resources Authority Gauteng (PHRAG) have been secured. Thank you to the University of Pretoria and the Heritage Association of South Africa (HASA) for giving us permission to publish.
In early Johannesburg, Jewish religious life was dominated by three congregations, all of whose synagogues were built within the historic Randjeslaagte triangle. The oldest was the President St. Synagogue, founded in 1888; the Park Synagogue adjacent to Park Station, was founded in 1891 and opened by President Kruger in 1892, and the Orthodox Hebrew Congregation in Fox St. was founded in 1892.
After the Anglo-Boer War, more congregations were formed, and new institutions came into existence in order to serve the expanding Jewish community. Apart from other areas, three more synagogues were built in the Randjeslaagte area. Of the goal of six constructed in this area, only two remain: The Great Synagogue in Wolmarans St., built in 1913, which was brought into being by the amalgamation of the first three already mentioned, and the Poswohl Synagogue in Mooi St., built in 1921. The latter is situated in the central Johannesburg Business District, very close to the City Hall.
The Synagogue
Poswohl, a small...
