Beit Emanuel, formally the Temple Emamuel, is a Progressive

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

, located in

Parktown Parktown is a wealthy suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the first suburb north of the inner city (both chronologically and geographically). It is affectionately known as one of the Parks, others including Parkview, Gauteng, Parkview, Pa ...

, a suburb of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

, in the district of

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. The synagogue was established in 1954 and is one of the largest Progressive Jewish congregations in South Africa. It is an affiliate of the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ), which is part of the

World Union for Progressive Judaism The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) is the international umbrella organization for the various branches of Reform Judaism, Reform, Liberal and Progressive Judaism, as well as the separate Reconstructionist Judaism. The WUPJ is based i ...

(WUPJ).

History

There had been advanced plans for a progressive synagogue in Parktown since the early 1930s. After the arrival of Rabbi Moses Cyrus Weiler in South Africa in 1933, a plot was purchased on Empire Road,

and Weiler hired Herman Kallenbach to build a grand synagogue with lush gardens and where Weiler would serve as rabbi. However, just as building work was set to commence, a neighbourhood petition circulated against plans for a synagogue in a residential area. Eventually a decision was made to sell the plot and buy a smaller 3/4 of an acre plot on Paul Nel Street in

Hillbrow Hillbrow () is an inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty, prostitution and crime. It had a large and active Jewish commun ...

, where there were already synagogues such as the Great Synagogue and Poswohl Synagogue. Kallenbach used the same

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

design that he and his partners A.M. Kennedy and A.S. Furner had prepared for the Parktown site, but scaled it down according to the smaller plot size. Twenty years later, Beit Emanuel, was established in Parktown in 1954. The architect,

Harold Le Roith Harold "Harry" Hirsch Le Roith (24 March 1905 – 4 July 1995) was a South African architect. He was a key figure in modern architecture in South Africa in the twentieth century. He is mostly known for designing residential buildings and synagog ...

delivered a modernist and minimalist design. In 1993 there were divisions in Johannesburg's Progressive community when Beit Emanuel's congregational rabbi, Ady Asabi declared that it and the Imanu-Shalom congregations would become independent and Masorti synagogues, breaking with the SAUPJ and Progressive Judaism. A court case ensued to retain both of the congregations under the SAUPJ. Beit Emanuel returned to the SAUPJ following an agreement and Shalom became independent and Masorti. Today the synagogue has moved away from the formality of conventional

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...

and instead concentrates on prayers (ancient and modern) that encourage greater congregant participation. In 1995, president

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

addressed 2,000 people at the synagogue and made appeals against white emigration; "Don't leave, don't let us down. You have nothing to fear... My duty is to unite the people of South Africa. I have no time to indulge in party politics"

Religious tradition

Jocelyn Hellig, professor of religious studies and one of the best-known interpreters of South African Judaism, described the Progressive community as conservative in religious practice. This was also given as an explanation for the relatively modest presence of Masorti Judaism in the country. In 1986, the synagogue's US-born rabbi, Norman Mendel told an audience that Progressive Jewry in the country were leading the Jewish struggle against the "indefensible, immoral and evil." policies of

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

. He said that Progressive Jews are opposing apartheid "against a backdrop of Jewish discrimination" from the Orthodox community. "There is day to day diminishment in the Reform movement in South Africa. Reform are considered a second class Jewish community," he added.

Notable members

Helen Suzman Helen Suzman, Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (née Gavronsky; 7 November 1917 – 1 January 2009) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and p ...

, politician *Jeremy Gordin, journalist

References

External links

* {{Greater Johannesburg, religion 1954 establishments in South Africa 20th-century synagogues in South Africa Jewish organizations established in 1954 Modernist architecture in South Africa Modernist synagogues Reform synagogues in South Africa Synagogues in Johannesburg Synagogues completed in 1954 Jews and Judaism in Johannesburg Heritage Buildings in Johannesburg Harold Le Roith buildings

History

Religious tradition

Notable members

See also

References

External links