The Jewish Community of Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch

Including Banghoek, Faure, Ida’s Valley, Koelenhof, Lynedoch, Muldersvlei and Vlottenburg

A town in South Africa

Situated 48 km east of Cape Town, in the Western Cape, Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town. In 1679 Governor Simon van der Stel, who was on an expedition to open up the interior of the Cape, pitched his camp on the banks of the Eerste River near an indigenous forest, and named the site Stellenbosch (“Stel’s wild forest”).

The first Dutch people at the Cape were officials of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, and in 1657 the company created the first free burghers whose numbers were augmented in 1688 by Huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecution in France. By the end of the 17th century there were 1,334 free burghers who gradually spread inland. Some settled at Stellenbosch, where a village had been established in 1685 when the first landdrost (magistrate) was appointed. This remained the only inland magistracy for the next hundred years. Stellenbosch attained municipal status in 1840.

The picturesque town of Stellenbosch is famous for its historical monuments and its old oak trees. The first oaks were planted in Van der Stel’s time but most of those in the town today date back to the early 19th century. As a result of fire damage to the town in the years 1710, 1803 and 1875, the original single-storey Cape thatched houses were replaced by Georgian double-storey buildings that posed less of a fire hazard.

More than 600 farms surround Stellenbosch. Ida’s Valley, Koelenhof, Spier and Coetzenburg are some of the original farms established in Van der Stel’s time and still exist today. Viticulture is the most important agricultural activity, but deciduous fruit and Turkish tobacco are also grown in the area. More than 40 wine estates in the valleys of the Eerste and Berg Rivers can be visited as part of the “Cape wine route”.

Stellenbosch is an important educational centre. A number of former South African prime ministers studied at its university. There are also several prestigious local schools.

Although not a practising Jew, Adam Tas was the first person of Jewish origin to settle near the town in 1697. He was one of the ringleaders who led a revolt against the Cape governor, Willem Adriaan van der Stel, to assert the rights of the burghers, and was jailed for 13 months. According to legend, when he was released, Tas named his farm near Stellenbosch “Libertas” (“Tas is free”). However, there was reference to the name Libertas ten years prior to his farm being named. The governor was recalled to Holland. Today Libertas is an historic site. Descendants of Adam Tas, who spell their names Tasch, are still living in Holland.

Jewish settlement began in Stellenbosch toward the end of the 19th century. Louis and Liebe Abramovitz from Neustadt, Lithuania, came to Cape Town in 1885 with their sons Barney and Max. By 1887 they were living in Stellenbosch where their third son, Sam, was born. There they ran a dairy and grew grapes. The family left for Boksburg in the Transvaal in 1889 because of the detrimental effect of the damp winter months on Louis’s health.

Adolphe and Mashe Rosa Fisher were living in Stellenbosch when their daughter Regina was born in 1890. The Phillips family, Benjamin and Zippe and their son Saul, lived there for the duration of the Anglo-Boer War. During this time, Benjamin became one of the founders of the Hebrew Congregation. He was born in Salant, Lithuania, in 1857 and married Zippe Rachel Kalman in Schkud. Saul was born and educated in Schkud. In 1889 they went to Australia and came to South Africa in 1895, where they settled in Krugersdorp in 1896. The family returned to Krugersdorp at the end of the war.

By 1900 there were a number of Jews in the town. These included Phillip Agranat and his wife, Hanna Rosa; Mr Bloom; David and Rebecca Daitsch (Deitz); Mr S Guinsberg; Mr Hellman; Mr and Mrs M Kruskel; Abraham Ezak Lewis and his wife Bertha Elka; Mr P Nathan; Abraham Neiman and Mr Regazin; Mr and Mrs Brown; Rev Zeidel; Mr and Mrs Blumenfel; and Chaim Louis Siegal.

On Sunday 8 April 1900, members of the Stellenbosch Jewish community attended a Siyum HaTorah at the home of Mr David Daitsch (Deitz). It was during these festivities that David Daitsch, seconded by Mr M Kruskel, proposed the formation of a congregation. The Agudat Achim Hebrew Congregation was duly established with Rev Zeidel as its first minister. The first committee comprised David Daitsch (Deitz) as chairman, P Nathan as secretary, and Messrs P Agranat, S Guinsberg, M Kruskel, Abraham Louis, Neiman and Regazin as executive committee members. The initial membership of the congregation was 40, which soon increased as refugees arrived from the north of the country during the Anglo-Boer War. Services were conducted by Mr Bloom at the home of Mr and Mrs S Brown. Kosher meat was available from the butchery of Mr P Nathan. In 1902, a house was hired in Bird Street and a mikvah was installed to serve the needs of the growing congregation. The house was consecrated as a synagogue in 1903 by Rev A P Bender of Cape Town. This remained the spiritual home of Stellenbosch Jewry for 20 years. The site is now occupied by the Boland Bank building.

By 1904, a Jewish cemetery had been established on the slopes of the Papegaaiberg (a hill on the western side of Stellenbosch) on ground obtained from the municipality by Mr J Senitzky. The first grave was that of Mrs Jacob Opland. The Stellenbosch Chevra Kadisha was formally established in that year. The Oude Libertas Amphitheatre, a landmark in the town, was later built on ground next to the cemetery on the corner of Adam Tas and Distillery roads.

In 1905, a meeting was held in the synagogue at which the president, Mr Agranat, and several prominent members of the congregation made speeches concerning the massacre of Jews in Russia. They called on the mayor, Mr du Toit, to convene a meeting of citizens to secure their sympathy and support for the victims.

In the early 1920s, the congregation purchased a stand in Van Ryneveld Street to build a new synagogue. Although times were tough after the First World War, the response to the building fund appeal was very good. The foundation stone of the synagogue was laid again by Rev A P Bender of Cape Town in 1923. The mayor of Stellenbosch, the Dutch Reformed Church minister, and the magistrate were among the notables who attended the ceremony. A plaque bearing the names of the members of the congregation was erected in the foyer. At this stage, 23 Jewish families were living in Stellenbosch. The first boy to celebrate his barmitzvah in this synagogue was Max Sherman.

The congregation was fortunate in having a resident minister almost continually from the time of its inception. As part of their duties to the members, these ministers attended to shechita and to Jewish education. In 1920, Rev Helman taught 40 pupils in the cheder. A communal hall was built in 1932 next to the synagogue. Some time after its opening, rooms were allocated for use by the Talmud Torah. By 1950 a Hebrew School, with 25 pupils, was run on modern lines under the auspices of the Cape Board of Jewish Education. Rev Isaac Pakter, who served the community from 1945-1955, endeavoured to bring Jewish history and traditions to life, and had an excellent rapport with the Talmud Torah pupils. A regional scheme, operated in the Western Cape country districts, provided Jewish education to the children of the area in the 1970s. In the years from 1975 to 1978, Rev Eitan Holtzman, resident minister of Wellington, travelled to various towns for this purpose.

The Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, Sir Israel Brodie, was guest of honour when the congregation celebrated its golden jubilee in 1950. A special service was held, followed by a banquet in the communal hall. Another similar celebration was held in 1973 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the laying of the synagogue’s foundation stone.

Stellenbosch’s Jewish community established strong links with the broader community. In particular, the relationship between the Jewish and the Dutch Reformed community was very cordial. A function was held annually when the Dutch Reformed theological students, who studied Hebrew, were invited to meet members of the congregation.

The Stellenbosch Jewish community enjoyed close contact with the University of Stellenbosch. Jewish students felt free to participate in all aspects of university life, including being elected on students’ committees. In 1935 Dr Benzion Shein was invited to the university to speak on “Palestine today”. Over 1,950 students and members of the faculty attended his lecture, which was presided over by Prof. Brummer of the Department of Philosophy. In 1941, a group of 14 professors and five lecturers of various faculties at the university issued a manifesto protesting against national-socialism, and advocated a more democratic society which did not contribute to racial conflict.

In 1955, a historic and unique function took place when students of the university organised a social in honour of the local Jewish community. It was chaired by a third-year theological student, a Mr Louw. Musical recitals took place, one of which was a violin solo by Prof. P Weiss, accompanied by his wife. Games were organised by one of the students, which created a wonderful spirit of friendship between young and old, Jew and non-Jew. Rev Pakter and Rev Treurnicht were blindfolded and had to find each other. Rev Pakter delivered a moving vote of thanks in Afrikaans. In 1960, the SAJBD donated a leather-bound set of 19 volumes of the Talmud to the library of the Stellenbosch University. Rev Pakter was considered a very innovative and energetic minister and instigated many communal and Zionist activities, which received support from the local Afrikaner population. These included the staging of pageants and tableaux of Jewish interest. He was one of the few locally born ministers who served the smaller communities. His upbringing and background enabled him not only to play a worthy part in civic affairs, but also to promote goodwill between the Jewish and non-Jewish sections of the town. He was personally friendly with the head of the Dutch Reformed Church, Dr Snyman, and on visiting terms with all local predikante.

The tradition of cordial relations between the Jewish community and the broader society continued into more recent times. The Transvaler of 13 March 1990 reported that antisemitism had been unequivocally condemned by lecturers of the Theological Faculty and the departments of Semitic Languages, Bible Studies, Greek and Philosophy. Around this time Die Kerkbode, the official organ of the Dutch Reformed Church, issued a strongly worded appeal to all groups displaying antisemitic tendencies to combat this among their followers. Relatively few incidents of antisemitism have been recorded in Stellenbosch.

Attempts by the Jewish community to build bridges between the different sectors of society continue to this day. In July 2003 Tikkun, a Jewish organisation whose mission is to make a meaningful difference to the upliftment of disadvantaged people in South Africa, held its annual “Camp Howzit” in Stellenbosch, bringing children from Herzlia Jewish Day School in Cape Town together with children from the township schools in Khayelitsha and Phillippi.

Jews participated in the economic life of the town in a variety of occupations – shopkeepers, hotel proprietors, garage owners and bakers, while farmers produced wine, fruit and vegetables. Many became well known in the district.

Samuel Zetler was Stellenbosch’s first strawberry grower; he farmed in the district in 1922. Today, his farm Mooiberge is run by his sons Jeffrey, Hershel and Dennis Zetler, although Samuel is still involved. The farm is renowned for its innovative scarecrows in the strawberry fields, and has become a tourist attraction. About half the fruit is exported; the other half goes to all the big supermarkets nationally as well as to the South African yoghurt industry.

Sam Meyer was a well-known cabinetmaker. He was born in Austria where he learnt his trade. After completing his military service, he immigrated to England. The climate did not agree with him and so he moved to Cape Town where he worked for the firm D Isaac & Co before starting his own business. When war broke out in 1914 he was interned as an alien at a camp in Pietermaritzburg. He was released after 11 months on grounds of ill health but was not allowed to live within 30 miles of Cape Town. He therefore settled in Stellenbosch in 1915. His workshop produced a great variety of furniture. Victoria College, which became the University of Stellenbosch, commissioned much of his work. Many Stellenbosch families owned furniture made by Sam Meyer. Meyer never used machines and all work was done by hand. He purchased mainly teak and stinkwood from various local timber merchants such as I Perel & Co and Rabinowitz & Berman.

Prof. Israel Leeman, son of Mr and Mrs Sam Leeman, was born in Stellenbosch in 1936 and was educated at the Paul Roos Gymnasium, Later he studied law at the University of Stellenbosch and graduated with a BA-LLB cum laude in 1958. He taught at Natal University for two years and then at Stellenbosch University, where he was awarded a Union Stipend. He used this scholarship for doctoral research on neighbourhood law in South Africa. He is also a specialist in law relating to privacy. He was senior lecturer in Roman-Dutch Law at the University of Cape Town from 1963, and was appointed to the chair of South African Private Law at that university in 1973. When he retired in 2000, he held the post of Professor of Criminal Law.

Sidney Leeman, younger son of Mr and Mrs Sam Leeman and Israel’s brother, was born in Stellenbosch in 1941. In his teens Sidney organised the Stellenbosch group of the Zionist Youth Movement, and later was chairman of the Students Jewish Association at Stellenbosch University. Like Israel, he also attended the Paul Roos Gymnasium, and after a brilliant scholastic career won a Rhodes Scholarship in 1961. He attained a B Sc at Stellenbosch and an M Sc at the University of Cape Town before taking up his scholarship at Oxford where he gained a doctorate in theoretical physics in 1966. He then taught physics at Birmingham University and at the same time did research in elementary physics. In 1968, he accepted a two-year appointment at the Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv, Israel. He then taught in the United Kingdom and retired at the end of 2003.

Dr Hymie Ebedes, born in Ermelo in 1936, lived in Stellenbosch in 1978. In the period 1970 to 1985 he was instrumental in developing the use of tranquillisers to assist in the translocation of wild animals, in order to reduce stress and mortality. From 1965 to 1975, he was the veterinarian at the Etosha National Park in Namibia. During that time he did research on anthrax in animals. He was chief veterinarian at the National Zoo in Pretoria from 1980 to 1989. Dr Ebedes was actively involved in obtaining giraffes and rhinos for the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem, and also served on the committee for the future planning of that zoo. At his suggestion, a Noah’s Ark was built on a prominent rise at the zoo. It houses an educational centre for children and a restaurant. He was also involved in animal welfare and in game ranching, and wrote about game and its capture.

Samuel Sacks, a businessman and farmer, was a well-known local philanthropist whose generosity extended to all sectors of the community. A week before his death in 1947 he treated the local coloured population to a free dance at the Stellenbosch town hall. Besides making bequests in equal amounts to both Jewish and non-Jewish institutions (unique for South Africa at the time) he left money for a fund to assist coloured students living in Stellenbosch, and also for an orphanage for coloured children.

Felix Gut was instrumental in acquiring for the University of Stellenbosch about 300 volumes on the Holocaust. These now form part of the J S Gericke Library. This project began in the early 1970s, when Gut was living in the Transvaal. He felt he wanted to make a personal effort to counter neo-Nazi propaganda that claimed that the Holocaust was a figment of the imagination. He therefore wrote to the university to ask whether their library would be interested in a collection of Holocaust literature. The offer was gratefully accepted, and this marked the beginning of an extensive exchange of correspondence between them. Felix Gut not only added to the collection but also provided helpful information as well as summaries of the content and origin of each volume. In 1979, at the age of 75, he moved to Stellenbosch where a more personal interaction took place, and he continued to acquire further volumes for the university.

Lazar (Lossie) Ginsburg was chairman of the Stellenbosch Hebrew Congregation for 27 years from the 1960s. He is recognised as a world authority in the field of cold storage of fruit, vegetables and flowers. He published over a hundred papers on this subject as author and 50 as co-author. He was the head of the Fruit and Food Technology Research Institute in Stellenbosch, and served on several government advisory committees.

The Agudat Achim Hebrew Congregation is still active. In 2000 the Stellenbosch Hebrew Congregation donated Torah and bimah covers to the Minsk synagogue in Lithuania. It also gave generously to the Oranjia Jewish Child and Youth Care Centre and to Highlands House, both in Cape Town. In January 2004 150 current and former Congregation members gathered at the Stellenbosch synagogue to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone. They came from as far afield as Canada, the United Kingdom and Israel. Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris, who delivered the sermon, said that the name of the synagogue “Agudat Achim” (“a band of brothers”) was particularly appropriate as so many had returned to participate in the celebration. The shul holds regular Friday evening services conducted by Les and Barry Zetler. High Holy Day services are led by students from the University of Cape Town, and Morrie Marcus officiates on Simchat Torah and Chanukkah.


JEWISH INSTITUTIONS

The Stellenbosch Chevra Kadisha was formed in November 1904. Its chairman in 1907 was Mr S Tolpas.

Bnei Zion Association / Stellenbosch Zionist Society
In 1902, the SA Zionist Federation opened a branch in Stellenbosch under the name Bnei Zion. The president was P Agranat and the chairman, Abraham Lewis In 1903 Mr P Agranat was part of a delegation to the Cape Attorney-General proposing that Yiddish be accepted as an official European language. In 1906, a crowded meeting was held under the auspices of the Bnei Zion Association at the Zionist Library to hear addresses by members of the SA Zionist Federation for the Western Province. They discussed the urgent necessity of supporting the Zionist movement and helping to carry the Basle programme into effect. At the conclusion, a collection was made for the National Fund. The meeting aroused renewed interest in Zionism. In 1912, Stellenbosch was represented at the first Zionist conference to be held in the Cape Province.

Between 1926 and 1932 various speakers addressed the community on behalf of the Keren Hayesod appeal. Theodor Herzl memorial meetings were held in 1928 in 1929 and 1931. In 1929 a meeting was held to protest the Arab uprising in Palestine and the subsequent atrocities. It would appear that the society went through periods of inactivity, as there were reports in 1929, 1931 and again in 1933 that the society was being revived. In 1934 Nahum Sokolow, Dr Celine Sokolow and Adv. H M Bloch addressed a meeting on behalf of the Keren Hayesod appeal. They were met outside the town and escorted to the hall where they were met by a guard of honour waving blue and white flags. In 1936, members of the Stellenbosch Zionist Society attended a Keren Hayesod meeting in Strand, which was addressed by Prof Brodetsky and Mrs Rebecca Sieff of the UK.


The Ladies Benevolent Society was formed in Stellenbosch in 1905 with Mrs P Agranat as president. In 1917 it held a very successful concert in the Conservatorium Hall. Although most of the artists were from Cape Town, some members of the local Jewish community also participated. The proceeds raised were distributed to local charities and war funds. The society became defunct in 1938. Its successor was the Stellenbosch Women’s Zionist Society.


The Young Israel Society was formed in 1919. It was, by all accounts, a very dynamic and vibrant organisation. In the 1920s the members produced plays, some in Yiddish, which went on tour to the neighbouring communities and even to Cape Town. In 1925 the society held a musical and dramatic evening and in 1926, a dance was held at which the mayor, Mr C M Neethling, was the patron.

In 1928 the society split into the Junior and Senior Young Israel Society. Between 1928 and 1932 regular lectures were held. Notable among the lecturers were Mr Aronowitch, sub-editor of The Judean and Mr Padowich, the Zionist propagandist, who spoke on “Zionism and the reconstruction of Palestine” in 1928. In 1931 it was decided that the society should also be opened to adults. It was to have a National Fund section, which would be devoted to Zionist affairs. Members of the society attended the Judean Parliament in Worcester. A debate on “Jews are more imitative than original” was held in 1932. In the same year the society organised a picnic for the children of the Cape Jewish Orphanage. It became an annual event. In 1946 the society hosted a rally attended by members of the Country Zionist Societies.


In 1938 the Stellenbosch Women's Zionist Society replaced the Ladies Benevolent Society. In 1939 the chairman was Mrs S Tollman. In 1958 a rally was held in Stellenbosch of representatives of Western Province Women’s Zionist Societies and executive members of the Bnoth Zion Association and members of the Provincial Committee. At the annual World Bible Day and Rebecca Sieff Award presentations in 1998, which were held at the Green and Sea Point Hebrew Congregation Hall in Cape Town, the Stellenbosch branch received an award for 50 years of service.

The Union of Jewish Women was established in Stellenbosch in 1945. By 1953, when it applied for membership of the SAJBD, it had a membership of 50. The Cultural Group of the UJW, at which Bible studies were conducted by Rev Pakter, was very active in 1956 with meetings being held every fortnight. Guest speakers included Prof P Weiss, Dr H Abt and Dr Moshe Natas. In 1966, the UJW organised “Operation Spring Clean”, and involved a team of young boys who volunteered to give the synagogue building a thorough spring-cleaning. In 1967 the union undertook to raise funds for the decorating and panelling of the hall and foyer of the shul. The main project in 1968 was the restoration of the historic shul house. The UJW was also instrumental in caring for Jewish students at the University of Stellenbosch. It helped to furnish the student “home” provided by the congregation and catered for monthly student lunches.

The UJW served both Jewish and non-Jewish sectors of the community. In 1973, for example, the union “adopted” a young girl from Kayamnandi, a township north of Stellenbosch, and paid her school fees so that she could complete high school. Afterwards she qualified as a teacher.

In 1985 the local UJW celebrated its 40th birthday. A tea was held at the synagogue hall. Guests included friends and representatives of welfare and service organizations and churches, as well as former union members.

In 1994 Stellenbosch’s UJW held several functions, one of which was a picnic lunch for the country branches to meet Helen Marr, president of the International Council of Jewish Women. In 2002 a street collection was held with other organisations to raise funds in support of rape and other victims of abuse. The organisation opened a trauma room at the town’s police station in the name of Myrel Ginsburg who had chaired the committee from 1970 until 2000. The unit has a beautifully decorated bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

Over the years a number of groups were formed to cater for the needs of Jewish students at the university. The Students’ Jewish Circle came about in 1927; Mr Greenstein was the first chairman with J W Fish as secretary.

Some years later the Stellenbosch Students’ Jewish Association was established to foster Jewish religion, tradition and culture among Jewish students so that they could make a meaningful contribution to the Jewish community. Lectures and study groups were held under the guidance of Rev Pakter and the association organised weekly Hebrew classes. In 1959 a communal seder was held for the Jewish students. In that year, 200 theological students and dignitaries from the university attended a Friday night service, which Rev Pakter conducted in Afrikaans. In 1960 Rev Pakter opened the Students Jewish Association centre. In 1972 the Students Liaison Committee was established. One of its aims was to attract non-Jews to lectures and exhibitions of an informative Jewish and Zionist nature. The committee had about 20 members, headed by a committee of three, one of whom was not Jewish.

The Stellenbosch Jewish community also formed cultural societies. In 1927 the Stellenbosch Jewish Dramatic Society produced Jacob Gordin's play “Der Emes”. Between 1946 and 1955 the Stellenbosch Cultural Group held fortnightly meetings that were convened by Rev Pakter.




MINISTERS

1900 Rev Zeidel
1904 Rev H Natas
1905–1910 Rev Jacob Hurwitz
1913–1916 Rev E K Sher
1916 Rev E S Walt
1917–1920 Rev M A Helman
1923 Rev Kassel
1925 Rev J Herison
1929–1934 Rev I Goldberg
1937–1940 Rev I Reichenberg
1941 Rev H Shatz
1945 Rev G Golub
1946 Rev Hillman
1945–1964 Rev Isaac Pakter
1964–1966 Rabbi M Kaye
1967 Rev M Cantor
1968–1970 Rev Eli Lagnado
1973–1974 Rev David Lapin
1974–1975 Rev Philip Koein
1976 Rev Harold Walt



POPULATION STATISTICS

Census

YEAR JEWS WHITES TOTAL

1904 489 8,672 22,291
1936 308 8,261 23,805
1951 272 14,419 41,442
1980 – 22,741 64,027
1991 71 25,315 73,839

Community records:

1943 – 251 (including nine Jews in Faure and five in Koelenhof)

1953 – 283


SURROUNDING PLACES WHERE JEWS LIVED AND WORKED


Banghoek is a village in the Helshoogte Mountains. The name refers to the prevalence of lions and leopards, which were much feared by the local population (“bang” is Afrikaans for “fear”).

Faure is a hamlet 16km south-west of Stellenbosch and 13km north west of Strand.
Ida’s Valley is a small village in the Stellenbosch district at the foot of the Simonsberg.

Koelenhof is a station and post office 8km north-west of Stellenbosch, on the railway line between Stellenbosch and Paarl. There are large brick kilns near the station.

Lynedoch is a village 10km south-west of Stellenbosch.

Muldersvlei is situated 15km north-east of Stellenbosch on the Paarl road.

Vlottenburg is situated south-west of Stellenbosch, on the railway line between Stellenbosch and Eerste Rivier.


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The history of the Jewish Community of Stellenbosch was researched by The South African Friends of Beit Hatfutsot and fiest published in Jewish Life in the South African Country Communities, Volume II (2004): 241-254

The article is published here courtesy of The South African Friends of Beit Hatfutsot