Arts, Culture & Heritage
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Blue Plaque Sites

Temple Israel

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Address

Cnr. Paul Nel and Claim Street Hillbrow
2014

Inscription

The first Reform synagogue in South Africa, Temple Israel opened in 1936 under the leadership of Rabbi M.C. Weiler. An Art Deco temple designed by architects Kallenbach, Kennedy & Furner, the building also houses the archives of Progressive Judaism. Equality between man and women was promoted, and in 1949 the sisterhood at Temple Israel founded the M.C. Weiler School in Alexandra, to counter the inferior ÒBantu EducationÓ offered by the apartheid state.

Photo courtesy: Kabelo Mokoena (Sunday Times)

Explore Joburg

A culmination of research gathered over many years, the Online Johannesburg Heritage Register is being launched on Nelson Mandela Day 18 July 2025.

Among the many heritage sites featured is Chancellor House, the downtown offices of Mandela and Tambo Attorneys in the 1950s. After having been vacant and shuttered for more than a decade, this iconic building is being revived and brought to life once again as offices for the Community Development Department, which oversees the City’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Services.

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