Marais Road Shul
Green & Sea Point Hebrew Congregation | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
Rite | Ashkenazi |
Leadership | Dovid Wineberg (Senior Rabbi) Pini Hecht (Rabbi) |
Status | Active |
Location | |
Location | 10 Marais Road, Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa |
Geographic coordinates | 33°54′47″S 18°23′23″E / 33.913186690902165°S 18.38977652465002°E |
Architecture | |
Architect(s) | J Lonstein |
Type | Synagogue |
Completed | 1934 |
The Marais Road Shul, formally, the Green & Sea Point Hebrew Congregation (G&SPHC) is a notable
History
Origins, Union of South Africa (1910–1948)
The congregation was first established in Sea Point in 1926 at Monreith, Hall Road, the home of Mr and Mrs Gutman.[2] A meeting took place at their home to advance “representations of a number of the younger members of the Community for the purpose of electing a strong working Committee to go into the question of the proposed new Synagogue”.[2] A constitution was drawn up, establishing; “the congregation shall function as an Orthodox Hebrew congregation and shall be known as the Green & Sea Point Hebrew Congregation, the holy congregation, the House of Jeshurun.”[2] In the meantime, the Gutman family hosted services at their home, before the congregation hired premises at the Old Sea Point Town Hall.[2]
The architect, J Lonstein was hired to design a new synagogue for the congregation and the building was completed in 1934, with
Shortly after its opening, a decision was made to establish a choir and the following year, Cantor Morris Katzin, from
Apartheid era (1948–1994)
Meanwhile, membership of the synagogue soared and additional premises had to be hired for
Rabbi Shrock resigned from his position in the same year, becoming Chief Rabbi of the Durban Hebrew Congregation and Rabbi of the Communities of Natal (1956-65).[9] Meanwhile, in rejoining the UC, the congregation's independence was curtailed; ″Only the UC executive could decide which rabbis could join the Beth Din. All synagogues had to accept the UC constitution without reserve. All communal services would be arranged only by the UC. All special prayers would be issued only by the Chief Rabbi. All the sermons at all radio broadcasts, communal services and functions arranged by the Beth Din and the UC would be delivered by the Chief Rabbi in his capacity as spiritual head. If the Chief Rabbi decided to allow another rabbi to do so he insisted on vetting and editing their sermon beforehand.″[9] Tensions eased in 1969, when the position of Cape Chief Rabbi was abolished and a decision was made that there would only be one Chief Rabbi in South Africa, and he would be based in Johannesburg.[9]
The synagogue's Weizmann Hall, the largest Jewish communal hall in the Cape was used for Jewish functions and the wider Cape public.[10] In 1958 it hosted a concert for the 1956 Treason Trial.[10] The G&SPHC allowed the concert on the condition that the organisation hiring the hall was a registered welfare fund assisting members of the families of the accused and that no advertising or tickets should give the impression that the organisation responsible for the concert was of a political nature, and no speeches or addresses could be made on the night of the concert.[10] In 1962 they rejected a request by the National Party to hire the hall, on the grounds that it was not to be used for public political meetings.[10] They allowed the Board of Deputies to host a lecture by visiting Rabbi Solomon Freehof, president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the World Union for Progressive Judaism.[10]
The synagogue also began to accommodate for
In 1975, Rabbi
Post-apartheid period (1994–present)
The synagogue was a polling station in the
Rabbi Steinhorn's middle of the road Orthodoxy was at odds with the increasingly religious Chief Rabbinate in Johannesburg, where a Jewish religious revival had taken place.[15] In 1999, the Beit Din instructed the G&SPHC committee to retire Steinhorn, and they refused. Then the Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris and other rabbis sent letters to the 1, 300 members of the congregation.[15] The letter informed the members that the committee had refused their request to retire Rabbi Steinhorn, and that the rabbi would be declared persona non grata.[15] They reasoned that Rabbi Steinhorn was in breach of contract as he had refused to respect the authority of the Chief Rabbi.[15] Then the rabbinate made claims that Rabbi Steinhorn had failed to act in accordance with principles of halacha.[16] He was accused of having included people who were not Jewish in certain ceremonies, and of having given Jewish burials to people who might not have been Jewish.[16] They ordered rabbis to refuse to officiate with Rabbi Steinhorn at any religious occasions including shiva prayers.[16] The legality of the weddings at which he officiated, his recommendations on potential converts and his rabbinic statements would no longer be considered valid.[16] No weddings Rabbi Steinhorn conducted would be regarded as legitimate nor would the offspring of those weddings be regarded as Jewish or in their turn be able to marry Jewish people. However, the congregation defied the chief rabbinate and instead backed Rabbi Steinhorn.[16] The Chief Rabbinate also complained that the congregation had invited Dr Azila Talit Reisenberger, an Israeli-born theologian, at the University of Cape Town to address the congregation.[16] Rabbi Harris later apologised to Dr Reisenberger admitting that his statements had been incorrect and defamatory.[16]
In 2002, there was a fresh dispute between the synagogue and the Chief Rabbinate. The previous year, the synagogue had married its deputy president, Saul Berman to Karin Barnard, ex-wife of heart surgeon Christiaan Barnard.[17] Karin had converted to Judaism by Rabbi Edmond Amsellem in Paris, however, the Chief Rabbi and the local Beth Din would not recognise the conversion as valid nor the marriage or the Jewishness of the child she was carrying.[17] However, Rabbi Steinhorn defended the conversion as valid.[17] The synagogue's committee considered disaffiliating from the Union of Orthodox Synagogues and setting up it own Beit Din.[17] Eventually, the decision was taken to stay in the Union and to re-establish a sense of harmony, with Rabbi Steinhorn retiring in 2004.[17]
In the 2000s, the synagogue faced challenges that were common to congregations everywhere such as aging congregations, expensive infrastructure and younger generations that were less interested in religious observance.[18] There were also numerical challenges, Cape Town's Jewish population had peaked at 25, 000 but had declined to 15, 000 as people opted for smaller families than generations before them.[18] In the face of these challenges, the decision was made to concentrate more efforts into making the synagogue into a vibrant community centre, a vision that both Rabbis Rosen and Steinhorn had in mind.[18] Rabbi Levi Silman had joined as Youth rabbi to work with people from eighteen to thirty-five.[18] Rabbi Silman introduced separate youth services on Fridays in the Small shul.[18] The congregation also responded to the May 2008 South Africa riots in providing shelter and food in the Weizmann Hall to 200 displaced people.[18]
In 2010, the synagogue engaged its present senior rabbi, Rabbi Dovid Wineberg from the Chabad movement. He brought back certain practices that had fallen into disuse.[19] Rabbi Pini Hecht, also from the Chabad movement, has been with the congregation since 2013 as an assistant rabbi, and as a rabbi since 2022.[20]
Notable clergy
- Rabbi David Rosen, served the congregation from 1975-1979 and later became Chief Rabbi of Ireland
Notable members
- Dennis Davis, Judge of the High Court of South Africa and Judge President of the Competition Appeal Court of South Africa[21]
- Rael Levitt, entrepreneur[21]
References
- ^ Mandela Visits Cape Town Shul and Reassures Jews on Their Future Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 10 May 1994
- ^ a b c d 1920s: A congregation is established University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 22 October 2023
- ^ a b c d 1930s: Part 1 University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 22 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e f 1930s: Part 2 University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 22 October 2023
- ^ Cape Town Picks a Jew for Mayor Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 5 November 1933
- ^ Farewell to ‘the flying dentist’ South African Jewish Report. 24 January 2019
- ^ Talmud Torah troubles University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 22 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e News of Nazi atrocities emerge University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 22 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k The synagogue secedes from the Jewish Board of Deputies University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 22 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e The Synagogue expands University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 22 October 2023
- ^ a b c d The Congo crisis - Sephardi congregation finds a home University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 23 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rabbis speak out University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 24 October 2023
- ^ a b First free elections – synagogue becomes polling booth University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 25 October 2023
- ^ a b c Caution averts calamity University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 25 October 2023
- ^ a b c d Battle for the soul of the shul University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 25 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e f g Rolls Royce vs a Mini Minor University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 25 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e Battle continues – this time over conversion University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 25 October 2023
- ^ a b c d e f Moving on for the good of the community University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 26 October 2023
- ^ Something fishy University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 29 October 2023
- ^ Life’s journey South African Jewish Report. 13 July 2023
- ^ a b Something fishy University of Cape Town. Retrieved on 26 October 2023