Simon Meyer Kuper (1906 – 20 March 1963) was a judge of the South African Supreme Court, and a noted leader in the South African Jewish community. His children include anthropologist Adam Kuper.

Early life

Kuper was born in

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 1906. He attended Jeppe High School and subsequently gained his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

and

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

Career

Kuper was admitted to the

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in 1927. He joined Group 621 of the Johannesburg Bar. After practising law for several years, he was appointed

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1946 and became a judge at the South African Supreme Court in 1955. The South African Supreme Court consists of several divisions. Kuper sat in the Transvaal Provincial Division, which covers

Pretoria Pretoria ( ; ) is the Capital of South Africa, administrative capital of South Africa, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to the country. Pretoria strad ...

, South Africa's administrative capital.

Civic activities

In 1946, Kuper provided evidence before the

Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry on Palestine The Anglo-American Committee of Inquiry was a joint British and American committee assembled in Washington, D.C., on 4 January 1946. The committee was tasked to examine political, economic and social conditions in Mandatory Palestine and the well ...

, on behalf of South African Jews. At the February 1954 Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Kuper represented South African Jews, together with Abel Shaban. Kuper was chairman of the

South African Jewish Board of Deputies The South African Jewish Board of Deputies is an organisation formed in 1912 from the merger of the Board for the Transvaal and the Board for the Cape. It serves as the central representative institution of most of the country's Hebrew congregatio ...

from 1944–49, and was chairman of the

South African Zionist Federation The South African Zionist Federation is an organisation formed in 1898, responsible for coordinating all the Zionist activities throughout the country. It is based in Johannesburg, with additional branches in Cape Town, Durban, and Port Elizabe ...

from 1950 to 1955. Kuper's resignation from the chairmanship of the latter, which was made to pursue his career at the Supreme Court, was honoured by a pledge to plant a grove of 1,000 trees in Israel. Kuper subsequently became honorary president of the South African Zionist Federation. Kuper was at one time president of the United Hebrew Congregation, honorary vice-president of the Israel United Appeal, and honorary vice-president of the South African Jewish Appeal.

Death

On the evening of 8 March 1963, Kuper, who was at home with his wife and daughter, was shot through a window by an unknown assailant. He died twelve days later. Later that year, a hall at the Oxford Shul in Johannesburg, where Kuper had been a member of the congregation, was named in his memory. In November 1963, a new

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the se ...

lodge, founded in Johannesburg, was named after Kuper. Mr. Justice Ludorf said of Kuper:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuper, Simon Meyer 1906 births 1963 deaths 20th-century South African judges 20th-century South African lawyers History of Zionism Lawyers from Johannesburg South African barristers South African Jews South African murder victims South African Zionists University of the Witwatersrand alumni Alumni of Jeppe High School for Boys