Jews have been present in Pretoria almost from its founding in 1855. The synagogue depicted below, the Paul Kruger Street synagogue (consecrated in 1898) was the first in the city. In 1952, the synagogue was expropriated by the government for the purpose of erecting a new Supreme Court. Once expropriated, the government converted into a "special Supreme Court" to be used specifically "for cases relating to the security situation, the activities of the black opposition movements and socialist/communist alliances." The following excerpt is from the Pretoria Jewish Chronicle of October, 1998 (courtesy of Terrence Davis):
"From August 1, 1958 to March 29, 1961, the treason trial of Nelson Mandella, Walter Sisulu and 26 others was held at the Old Synagogue. On March 29, 1961, all the accused were acquitted and there were 'wild scenes of euphoria outside the synagogue", according to the Public Works report. 'The second appearance of Nelson Mandella in the Old Synagogue was as historic as the treason trial.
From October 22 to November 7, 1962, Mr. Mandella was again on trial in the Old Synagogue. On November 7, Mr. Mandella was sentenced to a total of five years in prison with hard labour, three years for incitement to strike and two for leaving the country without travel documents. In 1963, while serving the sentence handed down in the Old Synagogue, Mr. Mandella appeared at the Rivonia Trial. From November 14 to December 2, 1977, the inquest into the death of Steve Biko was held in the Old Synagogue."
Postcard
The below postcard of the Kruger Street synagogue was mailed in 1906 from Pretoria to Delft, Holland.
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
The Jewish Experience of an Afrikaner City
Copyright © 2000 Edward Victor