The South African Jewish community traces its origins to the early decades of the 19th Century, when small numbers of Jewish immigrants, mainly from the United Kingdom and Germany, began settling in what are today South Africa’s Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. This included three Jewish families who arrived as part of the large group of British immigrants subsequently known as the 1820 Settlers. In 1841, seventeen Jews organised the first Hebrew Congregation in Cape Town, called the Tikvat Israel Congregation. Thereafter, the community grew slowly, with further congregations being established in, amongst other cities, Port Elizabeth and Kimberley.

On the eve of World War II, the Jewish population numbered just over 90 000. It continued to grow steadily, reaching a peak of 118 200 in 1970. Thereafter, mainly as a result of political unrest, the community began decreasing, and today it numbers around 75 000 people. Most South African Jews today trace their origins to the arrival of East European immigrants. During the 1930s, there was a further influx from Germany as a result of Nazi persecution and from the 1970s, from Israel and a number of Southern African states, including Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

As the community grew, both in numbers and influence, Jewish communal institutions began to emerge. The South African Zionist Federation was founded in 1898, and over the next eight decades was the dominant Jewish communal organisation. South African Jewry has long been noted for its strong support for Zionism and the State of Israel. The Transvaal branch of the Jewish Board of Deputies was established in 1903 and the Cape branch a year later. The two branches merged to form the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) in 1912.