The Doornfontein Synagogue or Lions Synagogue is an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located at 120 Siemert Road, New Doornfontein, in Greater

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, in the region of

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. It is the oldest synagogue in use in South Africa. The synagogue is located two blocks from

Ellis Park Stadium Ellis Park Stadium (known as Emirates Airline Park for sponsorship reasons) is a rugby union and association football stadium in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by th ...

History

The neighbourhood of

Doornfontein Doornfontein ( ) is an inner-city suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, located to the east of the city centre. It is in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. In the 1930s, it attracted many Jewish immigrants, becoming ...

was founded in 1886, and after wealthy residents moved to more affluent neighbourhoods in the aftermath of the

Anglo-Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

, Doornfontein became popular with Jewish immigrants from the United Kingdom and Western Europe. Beit Street in Doornfontein was once the commercial hub of the neighborhood, with Kosher butchers and other Jewish merchants. During the 1880s, religious services were held at the nearby Rand Club and at private residences. The Lions Synagogue was the third synagogue to be built in the neighbourhood. It was built in 1905 at a cost of £4,000 and nicknamed the "Lions Synagogue" (also commonly known as Lions Shul) after the two

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

lions watching over either side of the entrance. The architect was Morrie Jacob Harris. A fire damaged the building in 1930. It has been completely restored, but the original look has therefore changed. The synagogue was documented and photographed by renowned photographer,

David Goldblatt David Goldblatt HonFRPS (29 November 1930 – 25 June 2018) was a South African documentary Photographer noted for his dedicated portrayal of the South African peoples within the political landscape of the apartheid era.Weinberg, Paul.David ...

in 2014.Monochrome: Modern and Contemporary Art Timed Online Auction, 7 - 27 March 2023
Strauss Art. Retrieved on 1 November 2024 To the left of the synagogue was a

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

, which was added in the 1950s as part of an extension to the building. This was later sold off and converted for other uses as the congregation's membership resettled to other suburbs. The synagogue was led by Rabbi Ilan Herrmann until 2017. Herrmann had served the congregation for the last 18 years. Today, the synagogue usually has about 60 congregants for weekly Shabbat services and about 200 congregants for the

High Holy Days In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of: #strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); #by extension, th ...

. Most current congregants live outside of Doornfontein, in

Sandton Sandton is a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sa ...

, Morningside and Highlands North.

References

{{Greater Johannesburg, religion 1880s establishments in South Africa 20th-century synagogues in South Africa Eclectic architecture Jewish organizations established in the 1880s Orthodox synagogues in South Africa Synagogues completed in 1906 Synagogues in Johannesburg

History

See also

References