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THE PAROW PROJECT

Memorialising small-town SA Jewish communities

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Join Oren Kaplan, the originator of the Parow Project, and author Prof Richard Mendelsohn, as they speak about how this unique project documents typical small-town SA Jewish communal life, making its stories accessible and engaging for all.​

 

Date: Monday 16 December 2024 | Time: 6pm

 

Venue: The South African Jewish Museum, 88 Hatfield Street, Gardens

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Guests will have an opportunity to view the exhibition and purchase the book.

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Parow’s Jewish community, was a small suburban community founded on the outskirts of Cape Town in the early twentieth century. It never numbered much more than a hundred families and ceased to exist officially in 1993. Yet, despite its small size, it has had a remarkable afterlife thanks to the vision of one of its leading early family clans, the Kaplans and Kushlicks, who together founded Cape Gate, the international steel company.

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To celebrate the 95th anniversary of Cape Gate, the current generation of the Kaplan-Kushlick clan conceived the idea of the Parow Project, a deep dive into the history of the Jewish presence in Parow.

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Join Oren Kaplan, the architect of the Parow Project and lead researcher (and author )Prof Richard Mendelsohn as they discuss the process, insights gained and the three primary outcomes of this research project.

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  • THE BOOK: The richly detailed and illustrated book, The Jews of Parow. The History of a South African Community, authored by historian, and panelist, Professor Richard Mendelsohn of the University of Cape Town.

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  • THE EXHIBITION: The innovative exhibition at the South African Jewish Museum, entitled Echoes of Parow. The Story of a South African Jewish Community.

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  • THE WEBSITE: A comprehensive website, The Jews of Parow, which houses all the additional material discovered by the Parow project research team...CLICK HERE

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