A History of the Jews in South Africa from the earliest times to 1895 my Louis Herrman. 1935

A History of the Jews in South Africa from the earliest times to 1895 my Louis Herrman. 1935

Johannesburg and Cape Town. South African Jewish Board of Deputies. 1935. 288 pp. fair condition. spine damaged

 Jews barely rate a mention in general histories of South Africa, and general histories of world Jewry often omit South Africa. Many Jews in Australia, Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States have South African connections. For anyone doing more than the basics of genealogy, the socio-historical background of their families and their migrations is of interest.

In addition to some Anglo-Jews, a small number of German Jews were pioneers in South Africa in the 19th century, followed by a large migration of ‘Litvaks’ from the mid 1880s onward. For the authors “…the nature of the book…is to tell the story of how Jews went from being immigrants, to South African Jews, to Jewish South Africans—a transition sometimes subtle, sometimes fraught with conflict.” Both authors teach in the Department of Historical Studies at the University of Cape Town. The publisher’s concept was to produce a book that would be accessible to a broad group of readers apart from academics. Unlike many other history books, this book easily can be read from cover to cover.

Although Jews in South Africa have always been a small part of the overall population, they played a large role in the development of the rural areas and also in the founding and growth of the major cities, especially Johannesburg. The part played in the socioeconomic, political, academic and cultural life of this country cannot be understated.