Earlier this month, our Executive Director, Daniel Bloch, embarked on a trip to visit the Jewish communities of George, Plettenberg Bay, and Oudtshoorn. These visits are part of the Cape SAJBD’s commitment to ensuring no Jewish community in our province – no matter how small – is forgotten.
In each town, Daniel met with community members, offering updates on current local and global issues affecting Jews, including the rise in antisemitism, political developments, and Israel-Diaspora relations. There were many questions, deep conversations, and moments of connection. Daniel was warmly welcomed and took part in local religious life, davening on Shabbos in Plett and leading Maariv in Oudtshoorn on Sunday night.
Oudtshoorn: From Jerusalem of the south to a small but proud community
Once known as the ‘Jerusalem of South Africa’, Oudtshoorn was home to over 500 Jewish families in the early 1900s. Today, just 10 families remain, holding tightly to their Jewish traditions and continuing to maintain both the shul and the cemetery.
This cemetery is the second-largest Jewish cemetery in South Africa (after Pinelands). However, it has faced repeated vandalism in recent years. After spending R70 000 on a security system that proved ineffective, the community has now made the painful decision to flatten the remaining gravestones to prevent further desecration.
To complete this project with dignity, the Oudtshoorn community urgently needs to raise R170 000.
Oudtshoorn Needs Your Help
So many Jewish families in South Africa trace their roots to Oudtshoorn. Many have loved ones buried in its cemetery. We now turn to the wider community – those who carry the legacy of Oudtshoorn in their family history – to ask for support.
The support of members of our community with a connection to Oudtshoorn is desperately needed to complete this project. Even if you have no connection but would still like to support, this would be greatly appreciated. Please email SAJBD2@ctjc.co.za for more information.
Maintaining Jewish memory across the Western Cape
The Cape SAJBD works to maintain Jewish cemeteries across the region – from Caledon and Montagu to Robertson, Worcester, Uniondale, and others. In towns like Riversdale, Ladismith, and Piketberg, we partner with municipalities to ensure these sacred sites are regularly cleaned and respected.
Our cemeteries are not just gravesites. They are monuments to Jewish continuity – to the lives, values, and histories of those who came before us.
During his trip, Daniel met with the incredible people who maintain our cemeteries and look after some of our old deconsecrated shuls.
Barry Mason and the Lions Club in Uniondale look after both the cemetery and the old shul; the Hessequa Municipality maintains the Riversdale Jewish cemetery, and the town is home to the Julius Gordon (Africana) Museum with its own Jewish museum; in Ladismith, the Municipality ensures the small Jewish cemetery is cleaned and kept in pristine condition; Mannie Koopman ensures that the Caledon Jewish cemetery is well looked after; Isadore Olivier and his team do an immaculate job of maintaining the Worcester cemetery; and, in Robertson and Montagu, we have the extremely capable Rentia Anger doing an incredible job.
Our thanks go to all of them for their support.
What’s next?
In the coming weeks, we will be visiting even more of our country communities, including Piketberg, Paarl, Ceres, Stellenbosch, Strand, and Hermanus, to strengthen our relationships and listen to the needs of every corner of our province.
For more information or to contribute to the maintenance of our cemeteries, please contact the Cape SAJBD office via email: Sajbd2@ctjc.co.za
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