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Synagogue
Malmesbury, Western Cape
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Click to view large map Coordinates: | "The foundation stone for the synagogue was laid on 11 November 1911 by Abraham Katz and Benjamin Olswang. Architecturally the synagogue is a fine example of an eastern European synagogue. It is double volume with a ladies' gallery at the back upstairs. The facade has a centrally placed front door and teak windows rounded at the top. It is topped by an ornate Cape Dutch Revival gable with a Magen David on a roundel." The first Jewish traders had already started settling in Malmesbury in the late 1800s. Around 1900 an active Jewish community of about 40 families existed and it was decided to build a synagogue. The first Malmesbury Hebrew Congregation appears to have started around 1900, and by 1904 there were 246 Jews in Malmesbury. One of the founding members of the early congregation, Max Goldman, drew up the plans and also oversaw the construction of the synagogue in Prospect Street. The synagogue opened in May 1912. In 1920 a mikvah was built at the back of the synagogue. Ticket holders had to pay a shilling to use the bath. In 1922 a local farmer, Piet van der Westhuizen, donated a piece of his farm, Rozenberg for use as a Jewish cemetery. The town was the regional centre for Jewish life and for the High Holy Days the congregation would be augmented by Jews who travelled in from nearby villages such as Mamre, Darling, Kalbaskraal and even Piketberg. By the 1930s the Hebrew school had 28 pupils, but by 1940 only one pupil remained. There were only four families left in 1971. Due to emigration, the Jewish community became so small that the synagogue was closed in 1974. In April 1974, the Malmesbury synagogue was deconsecrated. Max Goldman’s son, Dr Leon Goldman, bought the building and donated it to the municipality on condition that it be used for cultural purposes and that no religious services of any kind be held there. Half a century later, thanks to the efforts of the local Kultuurraad, the Malmesbury Museum was officially opened in the building on 10 October 1991 – exactly 80 years after the cornerstone had been laid. The Malmesbury Museum has been a heritage site since 1994. (Summary by Paul v d Merwe from Netwerk24 Toe & Nou: Malmesbury, and A history of the Malmesbury Jewish community.) All truncated references not fully cited below are those of Joanna Walker's original text and cited in full in the 'Bibliography' entry of the Lexicon. References:
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