(Reviewer: David Saks,Vol. 64, No. 2, Rosh Hashanah 2009)
The South African Jewish Orphanage, better known as Arcadia after the premises it occupied in Parktown for most of its existence, has been a vital part of the Jewish communal fabric for over a century. By the time it celebrated its centenary in 2006, the institution could claim to have taken care of over 3000 children in residence and assisted an even greater number who were never in residence. It is estimated that at least one Jewish South African out of twenty would have a direct connection with Arcadia, whether this be that they, their parents or grandparents had lived there or received help from it. It is also estimated that at one time, 50% of South African Jewish families would have been financial members of Arcadia.
In 2006, some of the stories of ex-Arcadians were told in 100 Years of Arc Memories: Arcadia – South African Jewish Orphanage 1906-2006. A hefty volume of essays, reminiscences and photographs, it was compiled by ex-Arcadian David Sandler (a resident at the home from the age of four until seventeen). Its publication resulted in such a flood of reminiscences from other ex-Arcadians that a mere two years later, Sandler has been able to bring out an equally comprehensive sequel, entitled More Arc Memories: South African Jewish Orphanage 18991908.
Sandler, who has been living in Perth for the past 25 years, is currently working on yet a third volume. This one will focus on the so-called “Ochberg Orphans”, who were brought to South Africa from the war-torn Ukraine in the early 1920s and of whom more than half ended up in Arcadia. More Arc
Memories includes a significant section on this subject (which has previously been featured in the Pesach 2007 and Pesach 2009 issues of Jewish Affairs and is dealt with at some further length in Veronica Belling’s article in this current issue).
The two books amount to a great deal more than the history of a single communal institution, and indeed can be seen as “people’s history” in the best sense of the term. Collectively amounting to well over a thousand pages, the books include the stories of some 250 individuals. Their enduring value lies in their being compelling repositories of oral history, comprising as they do the memories of a wide array of members of the Jewish community at a formative stage of its development. Some of the contributors went on to considerable fame and fortune while others led relatively quieter lives, but their respective stories are accorded equal status.
Within SA Jewish historiography, there has been a move away from writing what might be termed “Macher History”, that is history focusing exclusively on individuals who achieved a certain level of prominence during their lives, towards a historiography of inclusivity. The two Arc Memories volumes may not be telling the story of SA Jewry per se, but those reading the multiple individual testimonies they contain will gain a very real and immediate sense of what growing up as a Jewish South African (albeit those of a particular social background) was like at various times over the last hundred years.
A second area in which the books make a valuable contribution is that of the growing field of Jewish genealogical research. They are naturally replete with names of family members, whether of spouses, descendants, cousins or relatives by marriage, and also provide information on where such people now live (a very relevant feature of the South African Jewish story, given how dispersed around the globe its members are today).
The books have been printed and paid for by Ex-Arcadians and are on sale in Canada, the US, UK, New Zealand and Israel, where many Old Arcs and their descendants now live. The full proceeds of the sales will go to Arcadia. Information on the books and how to purchase them can be accessed at www.arcadia.ca.com.au.
100 Years of Arc Memories: Arcadia – South African Jewish Orphanage 1906-2006 (2006, 524pp) and More Arc Memories: South African Jewish Orphanage 18991908 (2009, 588pp with index for both volumes), compiled and edited by David Solly Sandler.
David Saks is Associate Director of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies and Editor of Jewish Affairs.
