The Stellenbosch Synagogue, formally the Stellenbosch Hebrew Congregation, 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 44 Ryneveld Street, in

Stellenbosch Stellenbosch (; )A Universal Pronouncing Gazetteer.
Thomas Baldwin ...

, in the

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

region of

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 ...

. The congregation was established in 1900 and moved into its current building in 1923.

History

The congregation dates from 1900 and was then known as the Agudat Achim Hebrew Congregation, with Rev Zeidel as its first lay leader. Membership numbered 40 at its inception, yet increased as Jewish refugees arrived during the

Second 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 and ...

. Services were held at a private home before a house in Bird Street was rented exclusively for the congregation and a mikvah built on-site. Rev A. P. Bender, spiritual leader of Gardens Shul, consecrated the house as a synagogue in 1903. In 1905, the president of the synagogue and other senior members addressed the congregation to lament the

pogroms in the Russian Empire Pogroms in the Russian Empire () were large-scale, targeted, and repeated Antisemitism, anti-Jewish riots that began in the 19th century. Pogroms began to occur after Russian Empire, Imperial Russia, which previously had very few Jews, acquired te ...

and appealed to the mayor of Stellenbosch to garner local support for the victims. The congregation decided to build its own purpose-built synagogue and purchased a stand. Rev Bender lay the foundation station in 1923 in a ceremony attended by the town's mayor,

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

minister and a local magistrate. The new building served the spiritual needs of the 23 Jewish families living in the town at the time. In 1932 the congregation built a communal hall. The congregation also operated a Hebrew School. In 1950,

Israel Brodie Sir Israel Brodie (10 May 1895 – 13 February 1979) was the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth 1948–1965. Biography He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He served as a Rabbi of Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australi ...

, Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth attended a special jubilee celebration at the synagogue. The synagogue is operational, with Friday night

shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...

and other Jewish holiday services being held. As well as serving resident Jewish families, it serves Jewish students at

Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch University (SU) (, ) is a public research university situated in Stellenbosch, a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Stellenbosch is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Sahara ...

. Students are also served by Chabad on Campus. Between 2019 and 2024, the number of Jewish students has increased from 40 to more than 150. In response, Rabbi Chananyah Duthie became the Stellenbosch University Chabad on Campus rabbi in 2024.Stellenbosch campus rabbi caters for growing Jewish presence
''The South African Jewish Report''. 8 August 2024 Since inception, the congregation has been led by

lay Lay or LAY may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada * Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France * Lay, Iran, a village * Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community * Lay Dam, Alaba ...

clergy.

Gallery

Skuinshuis 6.JPG, Stellenbosch Synagogue Skuinshuis 7.JPG, Communal hall Skuinshuis 2.JPG, Front doors of the synagogue Skuinshuis 1.JPG, Foundation stone

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stellenbosch Synagogue 1900 establishments in South Africa 20th-century synagogues in South Africa Ashkenazi Jewish culture in South Africa Ashkenazi synagogues

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 ...

Jewish organizations established in 1900 Orthodox synagogues in South Africa Synagogues completed in 1923 Synagogues in the Western Cape

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links