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NEWS
Oudtshoorn 120th Anniversary
by D. Saks
Hundreds of well-wishers and former community members from
all around South Africa converged on the historic town of
Oudtshoorn, from 12-14 November, to join the local Jewish
community in celebrating the 120th anniversary of the
Oudtshoorn synagogue. Founded by Lithuanian Jewish immigrants
soon after they arrived; the Oudtshoorn Hebrew Congregation
is the third oldest Jewish community in the country that is
still functioning. Although today comprising only 54 souls
— down from a high of over 2000 families in the early
years of the last century — the community continues to
hold regular Shabbos and Yom Tov services and three-quarters
of its members observe kashrus.
Amongst the many speakers during the weekend was Chief Rabbi
Elect Dr. Warren Goldstein, whose grandfather lived in the
town for a period following his arrival in South Africa in
the 1890s. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies also
held a meeting of its national executive committee in the
town, the first time such a meeting has been held outside
Johannesburg.
In an atmosphere of warmth, pride and nostalgia, speaker
after speaker paid tribute to the Jews of Oudtshoorn, past
and present, commending them on the vibrant and enduring
community they had created. The shul was packed to capacity
for all the Shabbos services, with the choir from Cape Town's
Claremont Shul in Cape Town contributing to the joyous
atmosphere.
On Sunday, a memorial service, conducted by Rabbi Moshe
Silberhaft, Spiritual Leader to the South African Country
Communities, was held in the Jewish cemetery in memory of
those pioneers who had been laid to rest there. In his
keynote address, Rabbi Goldstein noted the enormous
contribution the new immigrants had made to Oudtshoorn's
economy, and in this regard stressed the need in post-
apartheid South Africa for political liberalization to be
followed by economic empowerment, just as the Jews leaving
Egypt had not just attained their bodily freedom but monetary
wealth as well.
Oudtshoorn is located in the southern part of the country,
about an hour's drive from the coast, in the hot, semi-desert
region known as the Karoo. It is famous for its ostrich
farming industry, and in fact owed its large Jewish presence
to a worldwide boom in the ostrich feather industry between
1880 and 1914. So large and vibrant was the Oudtshoorn's
Jewish community, in fact, that the town became popularly
known as Yerushalayim beDrom Africa. When the bottom fell out
of the ostrich feather market, the Jewish community rapidly
declined as most of its members moved on, but a core of its
members still remained and continued to ensure that
Oudtshoorn remained one of the most Jewishly active towns
outside of the main urban centers.
Up until the early 1970s there were still two shuls in the
town. One of these, founded in 1896, was sold in 1973. Today,
its aron kodesh, bimah and benches can be seen in the
C. P. Nel Cultural History Museum, where they form part of a
miniature synagogue within a special Jewish Gallery recording
the Jewish contribution to Oudtshoorn over the years.
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