This section explores the evolution of the Vryburg Jewish community.

 

The ensuing pages seek to give a sense of the community's early formation, expansion, formalization and decline. I try to understand which individuals and families were in the community over time. Not all Jews identified or associated. Not all lived in Vryburg and we look at Stella, Pudimoe, Taungs as well as Kuruman (Geluk). In some situations, the Jews in the surrounding areas interacted with the Vryburg Jewish community; in others, they went to Kimberley. The local cemetery is a case in point. As the speed of modern transportation improved, I suspect that Kimberley became a favoured destination.

 

In essence, I seek to plot the rise and eventual numerical decline of Jews in the town and district. The local Jewish community grew in the early 1900s - reaching a crescendo in the late 1930s. The early years are divided - somewhat arbitrarily - into the following time periods: 1880-1909, 1910-1919 and 1920-1929.

 

Section one covers 1880-1909. These were the early years which initially saw German Jews predominate, only to be replaced very quickly by Lithuanian and Latvian Jews. The latter were more observant and by 1912-104 a community was already established. We have limited visibility on these years - there is no archive and the Government Gazettes available online only commence from 1919. From what we can see, these appear to be years of high churn. It was not uncommon in rural South Africa.

 

We next look at the periods from 1910-1929 and 1930-1940. As noted, form 1919 we are able to access old Government Gazettes to try and piece together the Jewish presence. By the mid 1930s a Shul was built, and we have the list of folks who made donations towards that project. The 1940 and early 1950s saw numerical stability and the end of growth. After that, decline set in. Finally, we assess the five final decades - from 1950 to 2000. This marked the period of initial slow stagnation (till 1960) and then rapid decline. From 1963 to 1976 the community shrunk from 35 to 12 families. After a decade plus of dogged resistance the community came to an end.

 

As we have limited archival materials, the picture is partial. The further back in time we travel the less information we have. I hope that we will have greater clarity over time.