# Jean Bernadt > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jean_Bernadt > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Jean_Bernadt.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bernadt > Source revision: 1346756277 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Jean Bernadt** (née Alkin) (19 May 1914 – 9 April 2011) was a South African [anti-apartheid](/source/Anti-Apartheid_Movement) activist.[1] She was an active member of the [Communist Party of South Africa](/source/South_African_Communist_Party) (CPSA), the Congress of Democrats, the [Federation of South African Women](/source/Federation_of_South_African_Women) and the [Black Sash](/source/Black_Sash) among other institutions. In 1940 she married Himan (Himie) Bernadt and she had three children. ## Early life Jean Bernadt (née Alkin) was born in [Panevėžys](/source/Panev%C4%97%C5%BEys), Lithuania on 19 May 1914. She was the eldest of four children. When Jean was about six years old, her family moved to South Africa. She matriculated at Cape Town High School in 1934. [2] In 1935 she became the secretary of the 'Left Book Club' , a club which organised monthly meetings between a group of anti-fascist socialists, made up of intellectuals and trade union leaders in Cape Town. Bernadt's connection to politics can be linked back to her joining of the [South African Communist Party](/source/South_African_Communist_Party), then known as the Communist Party of South Africa. [3] ## Education 1934 High School [Cape Town](/source/Cape_Town)[4] 1936 [New York University](/source/New_York_University) – studied [American Literature](/source/American_literature)[4] In 1936, Bernadt attended university as [New York University](/source/New_York_University). She studied American Literature. She formally joined the CPSA that same year, returning to Cape Town and working for the Guardian newspaper as a distributor and fundraiser. [5] ## Activities She was involved in a wide range of charity organisations, usually together with other women from the Black Sash and the Communist Party. She was a member of the Athlone Committee for Nursery Education. The Athlone Committee founded the first nursery school for Coloured children in Athlone in 1949 and also founded the [Maynardville Open-Air Theatre](/source/Maynardville_Open-Air_Theatre) on 1 December 1950 as a charity fund-raiser for underprivileged areas. Her and Margaret Molteno (chair and founder of the Athlone Committee) joined up with the Blouvlei community leader [Dora Tamana](/source/Dora_Tamana) in 1954 to work on community projects in the Blouvlei informal settlement. As far back as 1948, Tamana had started a community creche at a private house, but it had stopped after two and half years because of a lack of funding. The three women raised funds and established the Blouvlei Nursery School and family health centre according to Tamana's plans in May 1955.[6] Additionally, she was an active member of the National Council of Women for Women in Athlone and the Congress of Democrats. Bernadt also attended a [Women's International Democratic Federation](/source/Women's_International_Democratic_Federation) conference in East Berlin, upon the request of [Ray Alexander Simons](/source/Ray_Alexander_Simons). [7] She was under government banning orders from 1959 to 1964. Later she housed [Nelson Mandela](/source/Nelson_Mandela) during his negotiations with the Apartheid government.[8] In 1960 she was arrested and spent three months in jail.[9] Bernadt played a key role in the establishment of Thembalethu, an organisation that focused on supporting physically disabled people. In the early 1960s, the Bernadts were under constant surveillance from the police. [10] ## Personal Life She married Himan Bernadt, a lawyer who helped attend to Nelson Mandela's legal matters during his incarceration, in 1940. They had three children: Marion, Ian and Morris. [11] ## Legacy Jean Bernadt resided in [Kenilworth, Cape Town](/source/Kenilworth,_Cape_Town) until her death at the age of 96. [12] ## Commemoration In 2008, Jean Bernadt and her husband were commemorated and awarded the [Order of Luthuli](/source/Order_of_Luthuli) in silver for opposing racism and defending the anti-[apartheid](/source/Apartheid) activists.[13] ## See also - [List of people subject to banning orders under apartheid](/source/List_of_people_subject_to_banning_orders_under_apartheid) ## References 1. ["Black Sash - Making Human Rights Real - in memory of Jean Bernadt"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170810212328/https://www.blacksash.org.za/index.php/our-legacy/in-memory-of-black-sash-stalwarts/988-coming-soon). Archived from [the original](https://www.blacksash.org.za/index.php/our-legacy/in-memory-of-black-sash-stalwarts/988-coming-soon) on 2017-08-10. Retrieved 2017-08-10. 1. South African History Online, Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) (November 2012) South African History Online, <[https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin](https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin)> 1. South African History Online, Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) (November 2012) South African History Online, <[https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin](https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin)> 1. ["Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) | South African History Online"](https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin). *www.sahistory.org.za*. Retrieved 2020-06-15. 1. South African History Online, Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) (November 2012) South African History Online, <[https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin](https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin)> 1. Tasmin Cupido: Peoples Post Retreat. Cape Town. 1 May 2014. p.3. *Blouvlei Nursery: Mandela-sponsored Revamp Rejuvenates 60 year old creche*. 1. South African History Online, Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) (November 2012) South African History Online, <[https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin](https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin)> 1. Leander (2012-11-29). ["Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin)"](https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin). *South African History Online*. Retrieved 2019-04-02. 1. ["Farewell to an icon who spent her life fighting apartheid"](https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/cape-times/20110505/281865820041399). 5 May 2011. Retrieved 2020-06-15. – via PressReader. 1. South African History Online, Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) (November 2012) South African History Online, <[https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin](https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin)> 1. South African History Online, Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) (November 2012) South African History Online, <[https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin](https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin)> 1. South African History Online, Jean Bernadt (nee Alkin) (November 2012) South African History Online, <[https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin](https://sahistory.org.za/people/jean-bernadt-nee-alkin)> 1. Guardian Staff (2017-09-30). ["Family life: My mother in Cape Town before her arrest; Bless This House; ice-cream pudding"](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/30/family-life-my-mother-in-cape-town-before-her-arrest-bless-this-house-ice-cream-pudding). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2020-06-15. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Jean Bernadt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bernadt) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Bernadt?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.