Glenhazel is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region E, bordering Fairmount, Sandringham, Lyndhurst and Percelia Estate. The area lies on a sloping hill with a park in the valley. It is known for its large Jewish population as well as for being home to the largest Jewish kosher hub in Johannesburg, which attracts many Jewish tourists.Judd Yadid (1 May 2014). Eruvs and Electric Fences: Inside the Walls of Johannesburg’s Jews Haaretz. Retrieved on 18 January 2026.(1 December 2023). South Africa's anti-Israel stance alarms country's Jews Deutsche Welle. Retrieved on 18 January 2026.
History The suburb is situated on part of an old Witwatersrand farm called Rietfontein and was established in 1950. In 1992, Helen Heldenmuth, an actress and prominent figure among South African Jewry, opened up her Glenhazel home as a refuge for black children and their mothers fleeing violence in the nearby black township of Alexandra.(14 April 1992). Jewish South African Actress Makes a Haven for Black Kids Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved on 18 January 2026.
Jewish community Glenhazel is well known for being a suburb with a high ethnic concentration of Jewish people. A large number of synagogues, schools and Jewish seminaries are based in and around the Glenhazel area. In the context of a religious revival in the 1960s, a group of Jews established a highly observant, Orthodox enclave in the suburb.Besche, John (22 March 2023). The Future of Jewish South Africa Tablet. Retrieved on 18 January 2026. Overseas rabbis from the Ohr Somayach movement established themselves in Glenhazel, now the epicenter of Orthodox Jewish life in the city with Yeshiva College of South Africa, and Kosher stores, delicatessens and restaurants.
In 1997, the mostly Jewish residents of Glenhazel and the adjoining Jewish suburb of Sandringham funded the establishment of their own police station.(5 June 1997). South African Jews to fund Johannesburg police station Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved on 18 January 2026. Crime in the suburb has decreased significantly since the Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein introduced Community Active Protection (CAP) to Glenhazel.(24 November 2022). Achievers More brain, less brawn a win for CAP Security South African Jewish Report. Retrieved on 18 January 2026. The Orthodox Jewish character of the suburb was profiled for SABC's 'Issues of Faith' documentary series.(30 December 2011). Baal te Shuva-The Road to Return 01. SABC. Retrieved on 18 January 2026.
In 2013, 2, 000 Jewish South African women converged on a street in the suburb for a mass Challah bake. The street had been closed, with permission from the city council, and the women learned to knead and shape the dough before taking it home to bake for their Shabbat. The challah bake was part of The Shabbos Project, a project of South Africa's Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein.Sifrin, Geoff (28 October 2013). 2,000 South African Women Join Mass Challah Baking The Forward. Retrieved on 18 January 2026.
Places of worship Ohr Somayach, an Orthodox synagogue Shaarei Chaim, an Orthodox synagogue The BASE Shul, an Orthodox synagogue Sunny Road Kehilla, an Orthodox synagogue Adas Yeshurun Shul. an Orthodox synagogue on the border with Fairmount Iliana, a Religious Society of Friends church Aldergate Methodist Church, a Methodist church. the Torah centre formed by Rabbi Shternbuch. Originally founded in Yoeville but moved to the greater Jewish area, Glenhazel. Yeshiva College Yeshiva Gedolah YSA, Yeshiva of South Africa Lebuvitch Yeshiva Gedolah RCSA, Rabbinical College of South Africa Maharsha, an orthodox synagogue Keter Eliyahu, an orthodox sephardi synagogue Kehillas Chofetz Chaim, an orthodox synagogue Sydenham Shul, an orthodox synagogue Kehillas Yad Avrohom, an orthodox synagogue Ha'meor, an orthodox lebuvitch synagogue Aish Hatorah, an orthodox synagogue
Education Yeshiva College of South Africa, a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school established in 1953 that serves pupils between ages 3–18 Mesivta Shaarei Torah Boys High School Ohr Somayach, South Africa, a Yeshiva Glenhazel Primary School, a public English medium co-educational primary school
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