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Published: June 21st 2007
On Tuesday, Lauren and I decided to take our free afternoon to see the South African Jewish museum, which is both a museum of Jewish history in South Africa and a Holocaust museum. I've seen a lot of Jewish museums in my life, and I hae to say, this is one of the top museums I've been to. Although it's much smaller, I'd say it's probably as comprehensive on scale as the American one in DC and very different than Yad Vashem.
The museum starts out with a few artifcats from the Jewish Community in Cape Town. The whole synagogue is built in a very European style that seems to imitate a Church...there are spires and what looks like a steeple. The ark is very beautiful, hand carved wood that is indigenous to the area. You start out in the reception area in the synagogue, then move in to the more modern part of the museum. The exhibits trace all the influences that Jews have had on South African society, and the patterns of immigration. Most Jews in South Africa apparently came from Lithuania, and they were very active in the anti-apartheid movements of the 60s and 70s. The
The Ark
I definitely took this picture illegally, after the nice Jewish reception lady told me that pictures were not allowed and she tried to confiscate my camera. I gave her my blackberry instead, which seemed to pacify her.exhibits were pretty interactive, and definitely engaging. It made me feel pretty proud to be a Jew; to see all the contributions they have made.
The Holocaust museum was also pretty good, but Lauren and I kind of rushed through it because she worked at the museum in DC, so she's seen just about every Holocaust exhibit known to man. The people that worked at the museum were very solicitous, and we met a man named Bernie Shapiro, who is a retired magistrate judge from South Africa. He was very excited to find out that we were law students, and he even took a picture with Lauren (it's on her camera).
After the museum, we walked over to the Company Gardens, which are also in downtown Cape Town. The Company Gardens used to be 16 acres of market place, botanical areas, and lawns that were used by the Duth East India Trading Company to sell wares and have auctions, but because of urban crowding, just a small square still exists. It was really a beautiful day, and I got some nice views of the gardens, the surrounding architecture (including the South African National Gallery), and the mountain.
Synagogue Architecture
Neoclassical columns in front of a synagogue. Interesting addition. One interesting thing to note, however, is the squirrels in the Gardens. Now, for those of you who are familiar with Gainesville squirrels, you will know that those squirrels are pretty aggressive. However, the squirrels in the Gardens were certainly the most aggressive squirrels I have ever seen. They were completely fearless, and kept getting closer and closer to Lauren and I, standing on their hind legs, and actually gnashing their teeth. I was a little afraid.
I still can't believe how beautiful this country is. Every time I get in the bus to go to school, and we go on the highway around the mountain, I get a glimpse of the whole city surrounding Table Bay, and I just can't believe that I'm actually seeing it, with the sky so blue, the sun so bright, the water sparkling, and the buildings just nestled perfectly around the cove. It's a sight I think I would never get tired of seeing.
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mommy and daddy
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horses and stuff
your experiences sound like heaven and I am glad that you are having this time in your life. Savor the fun and enjoy the classes. You should be very proud of me, Auntie and I did a trail ride yesterday for 6 miles and 4 hours into the valleys around the maroon bell mountains. I stayed on the horse and conquered my fear and even had a few episodes of trotting. I am fine today albeit a bit butt sore, but not worse for the wear and tear. It really was alot of fun as was the fly fishing and my pics prove I did it. Today was a quiet one, which was also a goal of this vacation. We ate out at a fabulous Japanese place last pm., the sushi, sashimi etc were spectacular and at Aspen prices. Daddy played golf yesterday with an obnoxious, spoiled kid of 13 years old. Thats the news. We love your blog and feel like we are sharing it all with you.