The Union of Orthodox Synagogues (UOS) is the coordinating organisation of Orthodox Synagogues throughout South Africa. It is the largest Jewish religious organisation in the country and caters to the needs of approximately 25000 Jewish families.
The UOS maintains an internationally recognized Beth Din, which provides a comprehensive range of specialist services essential to the preservation of Jewish religious life. These include marriage, divorce (GET), conversion, adoption, legal disputes, as well as maintaining religious standards and providing guidance for the overall orthodox direction of Jewish South Africa. The Office of the Chief Rabbi provides unified national leadership for the South African Jewish community through Torah principles and values. The Chief Rabbi engages with the national network of UOS Shuls, as well as many communal organisations, in order to strengthen and guide Jewish life in all areas. As a national religious leader representing the Jewish community and Torah values, the Chief Rabbi is involved with the South African government, media, and civil society, with the aim of sanctifying G-d's name, fostering tolerance and peace, and contributing to moral regeneration. The UOS Kashrut Division supervises the production of kosher foodstuffs to the highest possible standard. There are approximately 1000 companies, 6000 products, and over 40000 ingredients under constant Kashrut supervision controlled by the Beth Din. This is an ongoing process, which is carried out by our busy Kashrut department. Under the supervision of the Chief Rabbi, the UOS upholds Jewish home life and the sanctity of marriage with compulsory Marriage Preparation courses, and trains rabbis and counselors to provide expert counseling where needed. The UOS fights missionaries, cults and all pernicious groups targeting Jews for conversion. Jews for Judaism is an international outreach organisation aimed at countering these insidious endeavours and is truly effective in "bringing Jews home". The UOS publishes a quarterly magazine Jewish Tradition, which highlights synagogue activities, and issues of religious importance and moral concern to the Jewish public. The newly launched Community Development Division will be solely dedicated and committed to enabling and supporting our affiliated Synagogues to meet the needs of their members and potential members in order to secure their future. Our focus is to assist our affiliates in maximizing their potential and achieving excellence in their core activities. Our primary goals are to help you:
We have assembled a team of dedicated volunteers and professionals, and will share tried and tested techniques based on best practices in the most successful communities in South Africa. We will be providing ongoing support in these areas.
With its essential range of services, the UOS is instrumental in ensuring Jewish life is properly maintained and will continue to flourish throughout South Africa.
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