A request by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies that at least one Jewish member be appointed on every hospital board and educational institution in a town containing a considerable Jewish population, has been denied by the provincial authorities of the Transvaal. In denying this request, C. E. Viljoen, provincial secretary of the Transvaal, declared that according to the Public Hospitals Ordinance one-third of the members of all hospital boards, excepting Johannesburg, are elected by registered contributors to the hospital, and suggested that in towns where there is a considerable Jewish population representation could be obtained in this way.
The Jewish Board of Deputies had felt that with regard to Jewish patients in hospitals and Jewish children and teachers in educational institutions, matters affecting the Jewish religion often occur, and therefore urged the provincial authorities, wherever these have the power to do so, to appoint a Jew on each such body so that the religious interests of the Jewish section of the population might be safeguarded.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
