South African Jewish Museum
Housed in the Old Synagogue—South Africa's first synagogue, built in 1863—this museum sits in the same complex as the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre and spans 150 years of South African Jewry, tracing the history of local Jewish culture back to Eastern Europe and elsewhere. The themes of Memories (immigrant experiences), Reality (integration into South Africa), and Dreams (visions for the future) are conveyed with high-tech multimedia and interactive displays, models, and artifacts. The complex also includes the Great Synagogue (built in 1905), an active place of worship, a temporary gallery for changing exhibits, an auditorium, and a museum restaurant and shop. The museum also exhibits the extraordinary Isaac Kaplan collection of Japanese netsuke (miniature ceremonial carvings), considered among the world's finest. Photo ID required for entry.
