Bloemfontein

A community that mirrors the struggles of our faith

• Location: 150 miles Southwest of Johannesburg.
• Population: 369,000 Jewsh Population: Nearly 80
• Bloemfontein Fact: It is one of South Africa's three capitals – Pretoria is the administrative capital, Bloemfontein is the judicial capital and Cape Town is the legislative capital.

History of the Jewish settlement

Our settlement was founded by Issac Bauman, who found the area while on a hunting trip in 1845. Later, the town was named after Jan Bloem, a farmer who settled by the strong and never-failing fountain and stream. This was to be part of town's water supply. In 1871, we held our first Yom Kippur service, but there were still not sufficient Jews to establish a Jewish Community. In 1880, there were only 28 Jews in Bloemfontein out of a total of 1600 Europeans.

Early citizens

Early German-Jewish settlers laid the foundation for a Jewish Community in Bloemfontein, but it is doubtful whether this small congregation would have continued with the assimilation of Jews with the non-Jewish population. What prevented the congregation from disappearing? The arrival in the 1880s of a new stream of immigrants from Eastern Europe who were fleeing the pogroms and persecution. Most of the immigrants came to South Africa from countries with deeply rooted communal organizations.

A growing community

Census figures in 1904 showed a total of 1,616 Jews in the Orange River Colony.

In 1926, membership of the community stood at 2,000. By this time there were 100 children attending the Talmud Torah. Activities of Jewish communities all over continued to expand and it became essential to establish official Archives and the SA Jewish Historical Society was founded.

Surviving The Depression & Word War II

The 1930s were difficult. The economic depression affected everyone and members could not meet their financial commitments. The rise of Nazi power also touched many families who had left relatives in Europe and many of the young Jewish men in the country joined the armed forces. We consecrated the new synagogue in 1965 and this marked a new milestone in the life of the community. In 1967 the Hebrew Nursery opened with 32 pupils in the Communal Centre.

Bloemfontein today

In the 1980s the Shul Complex became a financial burden. It was sold and a new facility was built. Today, the community struggles and membership is diminishing, but our citizens see this as just another step in our journey of faith. In the current Hebrew School, there are 8 pupils who are learning firsthand what it truly means to be a Jew.