The South African Jewish Museum was officially opened by Nelson Mandela in December 2000. The brainchild of Mendel Kaplan, the museum's founder and one of the benefactors, the project took about four years from planning to completion. Set in the heart of the Company's Garden in Museum Mile, it is a major attraction for local and international tourism.
at the official opening of the South African Jewish
Museum, December 2000.
The entrance to the museum is situated in the Old Synagogue, the first synagogue built in South Africa in 1863. This is linked to the new gallery by a bridge - the bridge between the old and the new - the gangplank to the shores of the Cape and the immigrants'
new homeland.
The Museum is interactive and
hi-tech, using different media to present highlights of South African history, and transforming the
Jewish community's story into
a vital account of individual and organisational roles and contributions. Dynamic displays reveal the community's response to the moral and political challenges that confronted them.
On view are rare Judaica artifacts, animated video footage of the famous Barney Barnato and Max Rose, and an award winning documentary film 'Nelson Mandela. A Righteous Man', which is screened throughout the day.
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