New book on Jewish Communities around Durban published

by David Saks

The latest installment in the SA Friends of Beth Hatefutsoth (SAFBH) acclaimed series of publications on Jewish life in the South African country areas was launched in Durban on 31st August 2011 at the AGM of the Council for Kwa-Zulu-Natal Jewry. The fourth in the series, this volume focuses on all the localities outside of Durban in which Jews lived at one time or another. Previous books have covered the northern and eastern Transvaal areas (mainly comprising today's Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces), the northern and western Cape and the southern and eastern Cape. It was originally intended that KZN and the Free State would comprise one volume, but the sheer size of the latter made this impractical. The Free State book is in the final proofing stages and will be published later this year. The last three books will cover the Southern Transvaal and Great Escarpment, Gauteng and the Western Transvaal.

Travelling to Durban for the occasion were SAFBH research coordinator Elona Steinfeld and Country Communities Spiritual Leader Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, both of whom spoke at the launch. Rabbi Silberhaft entertained the large audience by
recounting some of his interesting experiences in the field as the country’s ‘travelling rabbi’ while Elona, after bringing greetings from the two main project coordinators Rose Norwich and Adrienne Kollenberg, presented a brief overview of the
country communities project, the methodology followed by its professional and volunteer researchers, its aims and parameters and what had to date been accomplished. The function was opened with a message of welcome by David Simpson, President of the Council for KwaZulu-Natal Jewry. Brian Moshal, a trustee of the Victor Daitz Foundation that sponsored the printing of the book, delivered the opening remarks.  

Steinfeld said that since the commencement of the project some eighteen years ago, over 1520 places where Jews had once lived, ranging from medium-sized towns to small hamlets and railway sidings, had been identified.  Even if only one person
lived in a particular locality at any time, this was documented. Originally, the intention had been for the project to take no more than a year or two to complete, but such was the wealth of the archival material available, as well as the enthusiasm
with which the greater Jewish public responded, that the venture had progressively expanded.

The latest volume in the series is considerably shorter than its hefty predecessors, since comparatively fewer Jews settled in the rural areas of KZN than in those of other parts of the country. Whereas in the Free State, there were nearly two dozen
centres where Jews established formal congregations with a synagogue, in KZN the only cases where this happened outside of Durban were in Pietermaritzburg and Vryheid. The story of KZN beyond the Durban area is therefore more about individuals than actual communities. What is striking is how often such people are recorded as playing a prominent role in the civic, economic and professional life of the localities in which they settled.

Those interested in obtaining copies of the SAFBH's publications, or in otherwise participating in the country communities project, can contact Elona Steinfeld on +2711 645 2598 or museum@beyachad.co.za.