Shaun Zagnoev

Above Board 19.7.19


Amidst the critical role that the SAJBD plays in representing South African Jewry and ensuring that its safety and civil liberties are upheld, it is often forgotten that the Board provides a range of other important services to the community. One of these concerns our unique archives, compromising probably the most comprehensive and multi-faceted record of the Jewish presence in Southern Africa anywhere in the world. The newspaper cuttings collection, starting at the end of the 19th Century, includes files on various aspects of South African Jewish history, including congregations past and present, communal organisations, Zionism and prominent personalities, both Jewish and non-Jewish. There are also a considerable number of minute books, original manuscripts, documents, correspondence, bound volumes comprising all the important SA Jewish newspapers that have appeared over the years and photographs.

The archives, which have been headed up for nearly thirty years by Naomi Musiker, provide a true treasure trove of information that is regularly used by academics, genealogists, authors and journalists, many of them from overseas. Not infrequently, they are consulted by ordinary members of the public simply interested in researching their family histories. To give everyone an idea of the sheer range and diversity of the requests that come our way, recent enquiries dealt with by this department have included material on Jewish involvement in South African football, Jewish nurses in the two World Wars, a leading Haredi rabbi who worked in the country for a while and the visit many years ago to this country of the legendary violinist Jascha Heifetz.

A second vital role that our archives play is in preserving and safe-guarding documentation relating to Jewish organisations that would otherwise be irrevocably lost once the latter close down. These include the records of scores of former small town congregations, which have been used extensively by, amongst others, the SA Friends of Beth Hatefutsoth in the work they are conducting in this area. A most welcome recent addition were the archives of Bnai B’rith, in its day one of Johannesburg’s most active Jewish communal bodies which for over three quarters of a century assisted the under-privileged of all races and creeds. Sadly, the organisation finally closed its doors earlier this year, but past and former members at least have the assurance that the good deeds it performed and the contributions made by the many good people associated with it are being preserved for posterity.

Recent Articles

SAJBD Responds to DIRCO's Abandonment of South Africans stuck in Israel

The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on Sunday issued a travel advisory urging South African citizens in Iran to exercise caution and register with the South African Embassy in Tehran. It is outrageous that DIRCO did not offer similar assistance or services to its citizens in Israel. With the Advisory the Government and DIRCO have clearly shown disinterest and abandoned the many South Africans, be they Christian, Jewish or Muslim who are stranded in Israel. The Government's stance on this current situation confirms once again its lack of concern for not only the citizens of Israel, but its own citizens in Israel.

​DIRCO supports terror regime once again

DIRCO supports terror regime once again

South Africa’s expression of concern and condolences for the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran serves once again to show their decision to always side with dictators, terror organisations and human-rights abusers. DIRCO supported the Assad regime in Syria, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir in Sudan, Sadam Hussein in Iraq, Hamas in Gaza and now Ali Hosseini Khamenei in Iran. All these dictators have a strong history of oppressing their own people and exporting terror.