Is Johannesburg’s Jewish future living overseas?

There is a remarkable paradox at the heart of South African Jewish life.

Over the past half-century, our community has lost more than half its population, largely through emigration.

Yet Jewish communal life in Johannesburg remains vibrant, remarkably well organised and deeply committed to it’s ideals.

How does a community sustain the institutions and responsibilities accumulated over generations when the population supporting them has diminished so dramatically? And what does its future look like?

A recently published academic study offers valuable insights.