The official position of the South African Jewry toward the South African Republic which will be established here tomorrow was made clear here today at a meeting of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in a declaration made at the meeting by the chairman, Dr. Teddy Schneider, which was endorsed warmly by the entire Board. Dr. Schneider said:
“Looking back over 51 years of the Union of South Africa, we see that the Jews here have served the country in all fields. The religious services which were held in our synagogues and temples during the last weekend, with special prayers for the welfare of the Republic are a measure of the Jew’s faith in South Africa, his identification with the best interests of the land, and the rededication of the entire Jewish community to help South Africa in every way possible in the future. We take off our hats to the past, and we take off our coats to the future. Difficult times may lie ahead. But we, as a community, will play our part in facing the coming tasks as we played our part in all past national tasks.”
The South African Jewish community will be represented tomorrow, at the official investiture of the Republic’s first President, Charles R. Swart, and at a State banquet where authorities will provide special kosher food for the Chief Rabbi and other Jewish guests. During the weekend, sermons in various synagogues stressed the theme of citizens loyalties and Government’s responsibilities to ensure the well-being of all sections of the country’s inhabitants.
Editorials in the Jewish press today greeted the advent of the Republic, affirming the loyalty of the country’s Jewish citizens. Jewish Affairs, the organ of the Jewish Board of Deputies, declared: “South Africa’s 100,000 Jews are a settled, permanent part of the European population, enjoying the same rights and subject to the same duties as other citizens, and will accord the Republic the same loyalty they always accorded the Union. Loyalty to the State is a precept enjoined upon Jews by Judaism.”
The editorial referred to the many fields–the professions, arts, commerce, industry, education, science and social services–in which Jews made a “truly formidable contribution to the welfare and progress of South Africa.” The publication expressed the confidence they will make no less a contribution to the progress of the Republic.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
