Two far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s

dc.contributor.advisorShain, Milton
dc.contributor.advisorPhillips, Howard
dc.contributor.authorMendelsohn, Adam
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-24T06:53:45Z
dc.date.available2025-10-24T06:53:45Z
dc.date.issued2003
dc.date.updated2025-10-24T06:48:16Z
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation uses the comparative historical method to compare and contrast the responses of Southern and South African Jews to apartheid and segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. It focuses on the interrelationship of the two communities with reform rabbis and international Jewish organizations. The dissertation argues that the nature of individual and institutional responses was significantly shaped by exposure to a set of factors common to the South and South Africa. The dissertation is thematic, employing a variety of case studies. The dissertation begins by examining the effect of frontier conditions on reform rabbis. The author argues that the dispersed reform pulpits prevalent in these two contexts, and the type of rabbi that they generally attracted, served to inhibit civil rights activism. Differential exposure to these conditions, together with the presence of various liberating features, determined the risks and opportunities that frontier rabbis encountered. Thereafter, the dissertation analyzes the interactions of the Southern and South African Jewish communities with northern-based national Jewish organizations (in the case of the former) and international Jewish organizations (in the case of the latter). The author compares the interplay of the Southern lodges of the B'nai B'rith with the Anti-Defamation League, and the interrelationship of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies with various overseas Jewish groups. Whereas in the first section, rabbinical responses in the South Africa and the South are analysed together, here the two communities are dealt with separately. The author argues that the responses of external organizations were shaped by pressure from constituencies in the South and South Africa. These pressures competed with other philosophical and political considerations in determining policy towards segregation and apartheid.
dc.identifier.apacitationMendelsohn, A. (2003). <i>Two far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Historical Studies. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42031en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMendelsohn, Adam. <i>"Two far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Historical Studies, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42031en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMendelsohn, A. 2003. Two far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Historical Studies. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42031en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Mendelsohn, Adam AB - This dissertation uses the comparative historical method to compare and contrast the responses of Southern and South African Jews to apartheid and segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. It focuses on the interrelationship of the two communities with reform rabbis and international Jewish organizations. The dissertation argues that the nature of individual and institutional responses was significantly shaped by exposure to a set of factors common to the South and South Africa. The dissertation is thematic, employing a variety of case studies. The dissertation begins by examining the effect of frontier conditions on reform rabbis. The author argues that the dispersed reform pulpits prevalent in these two contexts, and the type of rabbi that they generally attracted, served to inhibit civil rights activism. Differential exposure to these conditions, together with the presence of various liberating features, determined the risks and opportunities that frontier rabbis encountered. Thereafter, the dissertation analyzes the interactions of the Southern and South African Jewish communities with northern-based national Jewish organizations (in the case of the former) and international Jewish organizations (in the case of the latter). The author compares the interplay of the Southern lodges of the B'nai B'rith with the Anti-Defamation League, and the interrelationship of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies with various overseas Jewish groups. Whereas in the first section, rabbinical responses in the South Africa and the South are analysed together, here the two communities are dealt with separately. The author argues that the responses of external organizations were shaped by pressure from constituencies in the South and South Africa. These pressures competed with other philosophical and political considerations in determining policy towards segregation and apartheid. DA - 2003 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - South African Jews KW - Apartheid LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2003 T1 - Two far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s TI - Two far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42031 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/42031
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMendelsohn A. Two far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Historical Studies, 2003 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42031en_ZA
dc.language.isoen
dc.language.rfc3066eng
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Historical Studies
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subjectSouth African Jews
dc.subjectApartheid
dc.titleTwo far South: the responses of South African and Southern Jews to Apartheid and Segregation in the 1950s and 1960s
dc.typeThesis / Dissertation
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
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