The Great Karoo: Jewish Presence In Towns
Monday, 27th May 2019
The Karoo had a sizeble Jewish community that played a major role in various towns. They also left a mark in most towns ranging from cemeteries to Synagogues.
The list below was compiled by Rabbi Stuart Serwator Country Communities Dept, S A Jewish Board of Deputies.
Aliwal North
Cemetery, synagogue: now engineering-works, refer Mrs Jocelyn Stoch, Newlands, tel. 021 – 674.1571; Mr Stanley Becker, Sea Point: 021 – 434.3381
Aberdeen
Cemetery, synagogue: sold & demolished 1958
Adelaide
Cemetery: apparently only 1 grave out of about 50 families!
Beaufort West
Cemetery, synagogue, Rabbi’s house: sold 1979; both converted into store-houses for a market-garden
Calitzdorp
Cemetery: Moses’ Hope farm (Herring family)
Colesberg
Cemetery, synagogue: sold 1955 to Volkskas Bank; Services held thereafter in home of Mr M Stern ‘till his death in 1965
Cradock
Cemetery, synagogue: sold 1986 to SAPS; now owned by Dept of Home Affairs Refer Mrs Muriel Sendzul (nee Kahn), Belmont Hotel, Sea Point: 021 – 439.7231
De Aar
Cemetery, synagogue: sold 1971? 1988?
Jansenville
Cemetery
Kimberley
Cemetery, synagogue: still functioning Refer Mr Adrian (k.a. Barney) Horwitz, Kimberley
Ladismith
Cemetery (part of municipal cemetery, synagogue (tall buildingg, pressed ceilings, built 1913, in dangerous state)
Laingsburg
Cemetery, synagogue washed away in flood?
Middelburg
2 Jewish cemeteries; 2 synagogues: 1 used from 1903 – 34; the new one from 1934 – 62, sold in 1972, now a house
Cemetery
Oudtshoorn
Cemetery, 1 functioning synagogue, 1 synagogue in C P Nel Museum: Ref Mr & Mrs Marc & SuSAN Freedman, Mossel Bay
Somerset East
Cemetery
Steytlerville
Cemetery
Sutherland
Cemetery
Uniondale
Cemetery, beautiful synagogue with Italian tiles and walls decorated with stars and animals (Lions Club. Yoga group)
Upington
Cemetery, synagogue: ask Eunice Movsowitz
Willowmore
Cemetery (Margerie: ref Mr & Mrs Freedman, as above); Synagogue: now shop
