The Northern Transvaal Synod of the Dutch Reformed Church today officially disassociated itself from charges made recently by an unofficial church publication, which linked Jews here with Communism. At the same time, the Synod called upon South African Jewish leaders “to do their own cause good by declaring themselves against Communism.”
The Synod’s official organ, Die Kerkbode, stated: “Attention has been focused on what some people consider the high percentage of Jewish names among listed Communists. It can be understood that Jewish leaders fear that anti-Semitism might thus be advanced. To put at rest those who are upset, we state hereby that the Dutch Reformed Church is not anti-Semitic.”
In addition to protests by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, the charges of Communism against Jews were denounced this weekend in a sermon by Chief Rabbi Bernard Casper who said that “unfortunately, and perhaps unknowingly,” the charges “resemble anti-Semitic propaganda in which the Nazis specialized.” Other leaders of the dominant Dutch Reformed Church have also stated openly that the church is not anti-Semitic. But many leaders of the church continue to insist that the Jews here officially Join “the fight against Communism.”
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.
