Economic Depression Drives South African Jews to Suicide

So hard hit has South African Jewry been by the world-wide economic depression that reports of Jews committing suicide because of financial activities have become increasingly frequent of late and are causing serious concern to communal leaders. South African Jewry’s long-established reputation in the Jewish world as being one of the most well-to-do of all Jewries, will soon vanish if conditions do not improve.

No better indication of the difficulties confronting the Jews here can be cited than the fact that South African Jews, who have long been in the fore-front of contributors to Palestine and other non-local Jewish causes, are now increasingly heard to say “charity begins at home”. At a recent meeting of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies a campaign was launched for $150,000 to aid the poor Jews of South Africa.

At this meeting many speakers emphasized that the Board of Deputies itself is practically penniless. It was pointed out that forty percent of the 143 Jewish communities in South Africa whom the Board represents have not paid their annual dues of twenty-five dollars. At the same time these communities had donated thousands of dollars for foreign relief purposes.

The economic depression struck South Africa about the same time that the immigration quota bill, which virtually bars East European Jewish immigration, was passed. In the interval between its passage and the date it became operative South African Jews hastened to bring over their relatives but the question of whether these relatives would be able to earn a living here was apparently not given serious consideration.

Thus several thousand additional Jews entered South Africa before the quota law became effective. Handicapped by lack of knowledge of the country’s language and additionally burdened by the depression, the lot of these people has not been happy. Many of them have returned to Europe while others, unable to return have remained here in dire circumstances.