Hillbrow

Common card · No. 431620

Hillbrow ( ) is an Inner City residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. It is characterized by a high population density and has experienced issues associated with municipal disinvestment, including elevated levels of unemployment, poverty, prostitution, and crime. Under the Group Areas Act during apartheid, Hillbrow was initially designated a "whites-only" area. It later became a "grey area", where residents of different ethnic backgrounds lived together. During this period, it developed a reputation as a cosmopolitan neighbourhood with a politically progressive character and was one of the first recognized queer neighborhoods in South Africa. For much of the twentieth century, Hillbrow had a significant Jewish community and was home to several Orthodox synagogues, including the Great Synagogue and Poswohl Synagogue. Temple Israel, the oldest Reform synagogue in South Africa, continues to operate. Following the end of apartheid, population growth, white flight,...

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