Pioneer's Memorial Synagogue

Raleigh Street Synagogue
(also known as Pioneer's Memorial Synagogue)

(Provincial Heritage Site)

Address: Raleigh Street

Where is this place?

The French language and cultural centre, the Port Elizabeth Alliance Française in Richmond Hill exists side-by-side with the oldest surviving synagogue in the Eastern Cape, the Jewish Pioneers’ Memorial synagogue on the corner of Edward and Raleigh Street.

The Port Elizabeth Orthodox Hebrew Congregation was formed in 1903 with members who consisted mainly of Eastern European Jews who came to South Africa after severe pogroms and persecution in Russia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. At first the community had worshipped in a house in Hartman Street. On 12 December 1912, Chief Rabbi J.L. Landau of Johannesburg consecrated the Raleigh Street synagogue.

Orlando Middleton, a leading architect, designed the beautiful building, which Kohler Brothers built. The design is predominantly in the Art Nouveau style with turrets and keyhole windows showing Byzantine influence.

The Art Nouveau style is characterised by a curvilinear line inspired by flora. The objective is to harmonise nature with man-made objects whether they are made from brick or gold. Suddenly ‘art’ became ‘new’ or nouveau art. Nouveau houses – nouveau furniture – nouveau jewellery – nouveau fabrics – nouveau ornaments – nouveau ceramics and even nouveau synagogues!

The eye is drawn to the arched gable high above with the large Hebrew inscriptions in relief flanked by two turrets. Each turret has a gigantic keyhole motif stamped into each pillar with symmetrically placed keyhole windows giving an Eastern feel to the building. Seven-keyhole windows on the façade look out onto Raleigh Street like silent witnesses.

The exquisite Hebrew lettering over the front entrance are the words of the patriarch, Jacob, when he arose from his dream and said, “Surely this is the House of Hashem and these are the gates of Heaven”.

A narrow blue door under a rising curve becomes the entrance to the metaphorical ‘heaven’s gate.’ It seems that the architect envisioned welcoming many in the porch area by creating space that stretches from one end of the turret to the other. An elegant plant-like design, typical of Art Nouveau style rises in a straight blue line along the centre of the pillars and blossoms into the Star of David.

The interior of the building features more typical Art Nouveau elements like benches, door handles and light fittings.

The Raleigh Street shul closed its doors in 1954. A group of concerned congregants felt that this should not be the fate of the Synagogue and they bought the building.

The only source of income to the Jewish Pioneer’s Memorial Museum is from donations, bequests and endowment of seats in memory of forebears; restoration at Raleigh Street shul occurs whenever funds become available. Among donations received by the museum is the beautiful chandelier, a replica of the original which was stolen.

The fine Art Nouveau building, was declared a National Monument in 1987 and is today maintained as a museum of local Jewish history.