In the 1980s the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies undertook a large oral history project designed to record the memories of Jews of Lithuanian-origin who settled in South Africa before and after the First World War.
A major new research study published this week estimates that South Africa’s Jewish population now stands at 52,300, with four in five living in either Johannesburg or Cape Town.
A Demographic Snapshot of the Cape Town Jewish Community
In 2017, the Kaplan Centre initiated a comprehensive study of the Cape Town community. This report outlines some of the demographic information collected during the course of that project.
The Kaplan Centre is a hub for research focused on Jews and Jewish life in South Africa. Explore our archival and book collections, search our online databases, and contact our staff to learn more.
The Kaplan Centre presents two new online exhibitions: Ethnic Radicals that explores the links between the ethnic origins, institutions and values that informed the early lives and socialisation of Jewish radicals; and the Life and Art of Herman Wald, providing a coherent and chronological overview seen within the perspective of his time on the art historical map together with an interpretation of his work.
While Denis Goldberg never built SA’s own Suez Canal, the UCT honorary doctorate recipient certainly became one of the country’s finest nation-builders.
"Milton Shain, emeritus professor of history at the University of Cape Town, specializing in the history of Jews and anti-Semitism in South Africa, tells the very different story of a Jewish settlement in the New World."
Rachel Bloch House, the home of the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies, will reopen in July 2018 after extensive renovations. The Centre's staff can be contacted by phone.