In the article below, journalist Lucille Davie reveals some of the history of the Jewish Community in Johannesburg. The article was originally published on the City of Johannesburg's website on 2 February 2007. Click here to view more of Davie's work.
Jews first settled in Johannesburg a year after the town was proclaimed. Public digging in Joburg was opened by Carl von Brandis, who read a proclamation written by President Paul Kruger on 20 September 1886.
Statue of Carl von Brandis in the Joburg CBD (The Heritage Portal)
This year marks 120 years since the Jewish community was first established in the town. Wendy Kahn, national director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBOD), says that the 120th anniversary “is a meaningful anniversary for the Jewish community as in Jewish tradition, based on Genesis 6.3, the number 120 always represents a coming of age and completion”. Living for 120 years indicates a complete lifespan, symbolising fulfilment, according to Genesis.
Over the past 120 years, explains Kahn, thousands of Jews from around the world have settled in Johannesburg. “They have been intimately bound up with the history of Johannesburg from its very establishment, and remain so as the city continues to progress confidently into its second century.”
Although Jews only arrived in the city...
