Benoni was previously home to a thrivingJewish community, peaking with 400 Jewish families. Jewish residents were also widely involved in the greater community, with five Jewish mayors.[5]
The Benoni Shul congregation began with a synagogue located on Woburn Avenue in 1907, before relocating to a new, larger synagogue on Park Street in 1933.[6] The synagogue served the community for 90 years, before closing in 2023.[7] Rabbi Lionel Mirvis, father ofChief Rabbi,Ephraim Mirvis, previously served the congregation.[8] The synagogue was designed in amodernist style by the English architect, Arthur Furner, a partner inHermann Kallenbach's architectural firm, KKF.[9]
The community was also served by Hillel, a Jewish day school, which closed in 1989, amid Jewish migration to Johannesburg's northern suburbs and emigration overseas.[10]
A Jewish cemetery was also established in Benoni in 1912, it is administered by the Benoni Chevrah Kadisha.[11]
Benoni is situated towards the centre of theEast Rand and lies on theurban fringe where the urban area dissolves into the smallholdings and farmland to the north. It borders onKempton Park to the north-west,Boksburg to the west,Brakpan to the south andDaveyton to the east.
Benoni mainly encompasses a mixture of suburban areas and semi-rural acreage towards the north while the commercialcentral business district lies in the centre and a few industrial areas lie towards the south.
Benoni lies on the main railway line betweenJohannesburg andSprings and the main railway line between Johannesburg andDaveyton, both operated byMetrorail which has temporarily suspended services on these commuter lines since 2020 and have remained closed due to vandalism on these lines.[13][14]
Prior to 2020, Metrorail operated services on the Johannesburg-Springs line from Benoni toJohannesburg,Germiston,Boksburg,Brakpan and Springs. Benoni is served by three Metrorail railway stations on the Johannesburg-Springs line including: Benoni station, New Kleinfontein station and Apex station.[15]
Prior to 2020, Metrorail operated services on the Johannesburg-Daveyton line from Benoni to Johannesburg, Germiston and Boksburg. Benoni is served by three Metrorail railway stations on the Johannesburg-Daveyton line including: Avenue station, Northmead station and Van Ryn station.[15]
TheN12 is the majorfreeway that runs through Benoni. It enters the town fromBoksburg andJohannesburg in the west, bisecting the town and bypassing the CBD to its immediate north before heading east towardseMalahleni.
TheR23 runs north-south fromKempton Park towardsBrakpan andHeidelberg and runs through the CBD as Tom Jones Street (southbound) and Bunyan Street (northbound). TheR29 runs east-west fromSprings towardsBoksburg and runs through the CBD as Ampthill Avenue (westbound) and Princess Avenue (eastbound). TheR51 runs north-south fromBapsfontein, just outside Benoni towards Springs and barely by-passes Benoni to the east.
Benoni is also served by threemetropolitan routes linking it to surrounding towns and cities in theEast Rand. TheM43 links Benoni with Kempton Park to the north-west andVosloorus to the south-west. TheM44 links Benoni with Boksburg to the west. TheM45 links Benoni with Kempton Park to the north-west. TheM53 links Benoni with Boksburg to the west and Brakpan to the south.
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Escutcheon
Or a turreted castle of three storeys Sable on a chief Sable three escallops Argent all within a bordure Gules charged with four bezants and four heraldic fountains alternately.
Supporters
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^Cowley AM, Mathewson JE (1968).Benoni, son of my sorrow : the social, political and economic history of a South African gold mining town. Benoni, Gauteng.OCLC923280265.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Bonner P, Nieftagodien N (2012).Ekurhuleni The Making of an Urban Region. Johannesburg, Gauteng: Wits University Press.ISBN9781868145430.OCLC912308844.
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