Country Communities

Remembering our heritage in Ceres

Yesterday, over 50 people gathered to commemorate the laying of the foundation stone of the first Ceres shul , precisely 100 years ago on 21 November 1923. Former members of

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Old Shul re-opening

𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭! Among the guests attending the opening of our beautifully restored Old Shul were guest of honour US Ambassador to South Africa,

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Robertson cemetery gates restored

One of the key responsibilities of the Cape SAJBD is to ensure the well-being of all our constituents in the Western Cape. With a total area of almost 130 000

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Visiting roads less travelled

With Pesach fast approaching, the Cape SAJBD went to visit the country communities of the Garden Route to wish them a Chag Pesach Sameach. From Caledon to Riversdale, George, Plett,

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Caledon

Caledon is a town in the Overberg region in the Western Cape, about 100 kilometres east of Cape Town. As of 2011 i had a population of 13,020. It has a small Jewish cemetery and shul.

Ceres

Ceres is the largest town of the Witzenberg Local Municipality in the Western Cape. It has a population of 33,224 according to the 2011 census. It has a local Jewish cemetery and small museum.

Malmesbury

Malmesbury is a small town in the Western Cape, about 65km north of Cape Town, with a population of approximately 36,000 people. It has a small Jewish cemetery and its shul has been converted into a Jewish history museum.

Montagu

Montagu is a town in the Western Cape located around 180km from Cape Town, in the Little Karoo. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of around 15,000 people. There is a small Jewish cemetery. 

Oudtshoorn

Oudtshoorn is a town in the Little Karoo area of the Western Cape, known for its ostrich farms. As of 2011, it has a population of approximately 61,500 people. There is a small Jewish cemetery.

Piketberg

Piketberg is a small Western Cape town located around 50 miles east of Saldanha Bay. Its name was originally spelt ‘Piquetberg’. As of 2011, it has a population of around 12,000 people. There is a small Jewish cemetery and the old shul has been converted into a Jewish history museum.

Robertson

Robertson is a small town in the Western Cape, known as the valley of wine and roses, and located along the wine route (Route 62). As of 2011, it has a population of approximately 27,500 people. It has a small Jewish cemetery and an old shul.

Uniondale

Uniondale is a small town in the Little Karoo in the Western Cape, most widely recognised for its ghost story about a Uniondale hitcher. The town was formed in 1865 by joining two towns, Hopedale and Lyons. As of 2011, it has a population of approximately 4,500 people. It has a small Jewish cemetery.

Wellington

Wellington is a town in the Western Cape Winelands, approximately 45 minutes away from Cape Town, with an economy centered on wine, table grapes, deciduous fruit and brandy. As of 2011, it has a population of approximately 55,500 people. It has a small Jewish cemetery.

Worcester

Worcester is located around 120 kilometres outside of Cape Town and is a town of about 127,500 people, according to the 2011 census. Its first Jewish trader was Julius Mosenthal who sold household goods and livestock there in 1840, and Richard Rothkugel who ran a hotel from the 1860s to the late 1870s. Most Jewish residents started settling in Worcester in the 1880s. A plot purchased from the municipality in 1902 became the Jewish cemetery, and the first Hebrew congregation was founded in 1903. In 1904, the synagogue was consecrated in Durban.