Thousands of Johannesburg Jews fasted for 24 hours last week, following a number of tragedies involving local Jews.
The fast, called for by religious leaders, with prayers led by Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris, was held to show solidarity with members of the community who had suffered loss through unnatural deaths and accidents.
The Sunday Times reported that the South African ambassador to the United States, Harry Schwarz, joined in the fast.
The tragedies included several young people who were killed or seriously injured in road accidents, a boating accident which claimed the lives of three Jewish yachtsmen, a young medical student who fell to his death while bird-watching, a fatal accidental shooting and four Jewish racehorse owners who were victimized in their homes by gunmen.
Prayers were also said for the future of South Africa, which is in the process of dismantling apartheid.
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.
