Editor: Dr Saul Issroff
Copyright © 2002 Saul Issroff, Mike Getz, SAfrica SIG
and Jewishgen Inc.
URL: http://www.jewishgen.org/SAfrica/alexander-immig.htm
Date: 13 January 2002
 

What follows are some notes taken by Morris Alexander on Jewish immigration cases which were found in his papers in a notebook entitled "Immigration." Some background is necessary to understand why these notes exist.
 
In a piece written by Percy Cowen entitled "The Jewish Board of Deputies in South Africa" which was published in the "The South African Jewish Year Book, 1929", he relates that the Jewish Board of Deputies for the Transvaal and Natal, founded in 1903, handled a number of immigration issues:
 
" . . . The large number of refusals of naturalizaton certificates began to occupy the attention of the Board in August, 1909, when it was stated that Major Mavrogordato, the then head of the local C.I.D., refused the applicants "simply because he did not like the look of their faces." The Chairman (Mr. Alfred Rogaly) stated that naturalization was an act of grace and granted entirely at the Government’s discretion. At the following month’s meeting, it was reported that Major Mavrogordato showed that 40 per cent of Jewish applicants had been refused by him, and that he would be only too pleased to have the co-operation of the Board in the matter . . . The number of cases of prohibited Jewish immigrants was now beginning to grow in volume and importance, so much so that in September, 1910, it was resolved "to give the question of immigration the Board’s special attention." Thereafter, at almost every meeting there was reported a number of immigration cases having been dealt with."
 
In 1904, a separate Cape Jewish Board of Deputies was formed by Morris Alexander in response to a number of issues including those of immigration. It was stated by Cowen that ". . . The Board dealt with a number of immigration cases, with the result that many deserving immigrants were allowed to land who would otherwise have been sent back to the countries whence they came." The "Immigration" notebook of 1911 documents a number of these particular cases. This occurred prior to the inception of a combined South African Jewish Board of Deputies in 1912.
 
It is interesting to note that the Immigration Officer mentioned as causing problems was a Mr. Cousins. The Board had an immigration representative, Mr. Franks, as well as the services of a private doctor, whose name was not mentioned, who examined the health related cases. Two comments made by Morris Alexander in the "Immigration" notebook about Mr. Franks are as follows:
 
"Mr. Frank wants to know why is it that each Foreigner is asked to produce papers of identification?"
 
"Mr. Frank states that the Jewish passengers do not eat the food on board because it is not Kosher. Consequently, they are not very strong when they come here. On those grounds they are refused admission. He also said that Mr. Cousins sends wires himself and words them to his own liking."
 
As a result of these immigration cases, Morris Alexander suggested to the Government that a Board-appointed individual be recognized to deal with Jewish immigration issues. On January 1, 1914, Mr. B.S. Hersch was appointed by the Board to watch the interests of Jewish immigrants and to run the Board immigration office in Cape Town. This immigration office handled thousands of cases before it was closed in 1915 due to the World War. After the War, the office reopened to deal with the increasing waves of immigration at that time.
 
The following table contains a listing of cases that were included in Morris Abraham's notebook. These cases epitomize the immigration problems experienced by Jews coming to South Africa. Many, as you can see, were trivial or clearly ethnically-based. Further research will determine what happened to the individuals mentioned in these cases and whether they were able to overcome their initial deportation and return to South Africa.
 
MORRIS ALEXANDER "IMMIGRATION" NOTEBOOK CASE ENTRIES, 1911

Date format: month day 19year

NOTE: Reproduced from a document in the possession of the University of Cape Town Libraries for research purposes. Extracted from BC160, Morris Alexander Papers, List III, Item 10d, Notebook headed "Immigration," March, 1911. Contributed by Leslie Hart and Debbie Myers.