Mr. Siegfried Raphaely (President, S.A. Jewish Board of Deputies)

SIEGFRIED RAPHAELY, J.P., President of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, was born in 1878. He was educated at the High School, Queenstown (Cape), and at Marist Brothers College, Johannesburg. He arrived in the Transvaal in 1888, two years after the proclamation of the Witwatersrand Gold Fields.

Shortly after qualifying as a solicitor, etc., he became actively associated with Jewish life. He was one of the founders and for three years President of the Jewish Guild.

While still too young to be active communally in the early nineties, Mr. Raphaely, deeply affected and grieved by the schisms and strife in the community, and especially by the evils resulting from the split in the President Street Synagogue, resolved that from his earliest participation in communal life he would devote himself not only to healing the breach but to maintaining so far as lay in his power the peace and harmony of the whole community.

While still a very young man he served on the Committee of the Johannesburg Hebrew Congregation and later became its President. He was sole mediator between the Government and the Congregation resulting in the removal from the Synagogue property, granted by the late President Kruger, of the onerous servitude which restricted its uses to religion and education. Mr. Raphaely, though accused of preaching rank heresy, devoted his efforts to amalgamating the two rival Congregations, which was successfully accomplished in 1913 after a disastrous breach which had endured for over 21 years.

After upwards of 15 years' service and for some years President of the Johannesburg and later chairman of the United Hebrew Congregation, its Council placed on record

"Its unbounded appreciation of the invaluable services Mr. Raphaely has rendered during a long unbroken period of office in various capacities, the whole forming a brilliant and rarely equalled record of honest, unselfish, indefatigable service and most able leadership from which the Congregation will benefit for many years to come."

Mr. Raphaely's association with the Deputies has been continuous since January, 1908. He was President of the Jewish Board of Deputies for Transvaal and Natal for the years 1911/12. Has been Vice-President and Acting President for long periods, and President since 1927 of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, in which capacity he has been a successful mediator and conciliator in many of the serious disputes that have arisen to permanently threaten and endanger the peace and progress of the community.

Not only did Mr. Raphaely lay the foundation stone of the Wolmarans Street Synagogue (he was youngest but one on the Council), but in materially assisting in the much desired amalgamation of the two senior and largest congregations, and the cementing of the constituent bodies of the Federation of Synagogues, he placed the whole of our communal structure on a solid and permanent basis.

As President of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies which, with the South African Zionist Federation was responsible for the creation of the South African Board of Jewish Education, and which, with the South African Jewish Historical Society, undertook the publication of this South African Jewish Year Book, he was largely instrumental in securing the co-operation of Cape Town Jewry in these important branches of Jewish activity.

Mr. Raphaely succeeded within a few months in bringing peace and unity to the Federation of Synagogues of the Witwatersrand after two years of disagreement and dissension. His Jewish outlook embraces the whole of South Africa and beyond; maintaining that with the deservedly high reputation of South African Jewry any discordant note, however soft, reverberates throughout the world, he not only deplores, but combats, to his uttermost, any disturbers of the peace and harmony of the community.

While deeply interested in all alleviative work, he is an enthusiastic advocate of constructive schemes which make for raising the status and prestige of South African Jewry, and its general betterment. His active participation in the creation of the Jewish Employment Bureau and the Jewish Land Settlement Scheme stamps him as a leader with vision, and a practical idealist. As President of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, his knowledge of institutions and men stands him in good stead, for the position demands qualities of courage, diplomacy and leadership.

Mr. Raphaely has recently been elected as South African Representative on the extended Jewish Agency.