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Alex Abrahams Collection
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Alderman Sol Kreiner Collection

  • Collection
  • 2022

The Alderman Sol Kreiner Collection Collection includes a number of materials donated by Sol Kreiner, Cape Town’ Mayor (1983 – 1985) Mr Kreiner was loved and appreciated by the people of Cape Town during his term in office. This collection contains images and newspaper articles from Mr Kreiner’s influential time as Mayor, as well as several letters addressed to him which express admiration for the work he did for the City.

Alderman Sol Kreiner represented Ward 8 – Woodstock, Salt River, Walmer Estate and District Six in Cape Town for 20 years from 1976, where he was responsible for launching a campaign to “stop urban decay”. Before going into politics, he was the sole owner and director of a textile company. He was a self-made man.

Sol Kreiner followed in his brother Louis Kreiner’s footsteps when he became Deputy Mayor and subsequently Mayor of Cape Town. Sol Kreiner’s Mayoralty has been commended for the energetic and unceasing work put in by Sol, who directed the refurbishment of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in order to market Cape Town as a tourist destination.

An avid sports fanatic, Sol Kreiner continued to make big contributions to Cape Town after his Mayoralty, when he brought the IAAF Cross Country Championships to Stellenbosch. He also participated in the campaign to bring the Olympics to Cape Town.
Alderman Sol Kreiner has described Cape Town as a city of compassion. “In the recipe of success, the key ingredients are people,” he has said. “I believe that every problem can be solved and I also believe that once you start something, you finish it.”

Alderman Sol Kreiner has met with dozens of high profile people, and shaken hundreds of municipal workers’ hands. South African Jewish Museum is grateful to the donors of this beautiful collection, Mr Sol Kreiner and Mrs Brenda Kreiner. The material is historically insightful for Capetonians and truly inspiring for the Jewish community.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich the information in these collections. If you would like to add any additional information please contact us.

Bnoth Zion Collection

  • Collection
  • 2014

The Bnoth Zion Collection includes photographs and news clippings dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Bnoth Zion, an international women’s outreach organisation, is now known as WIZO (Women’s international Zionist Organisation). The images in this collection depict various events and meetings hosted by Bnoth Zion. Events documented in this collection include World Bible Day, W.P. Zionist Conference, Presenting Israel, Chairman’s Tea and AGMs. There are several prominent names, people, figures, rabbis, speakers, members, and artists featured in these photographs.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich these collections. If you have anything to add please contact us.

Hyman Schauder Collection

  • Collection
  • 2013-

This Collection of photographs were taken in 1934 by Hyman Schauder during a student trip that took him to the USSR, Eastern Europe, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Italy and Switzerland.

Hyman Schauder was studying Economics at the LSE and travelling with an HB Webb Scholarship for overseas study. He took this trip with a party of 8 other economists to study the economic situation in Europe.

Schauder investigated industrial conditions and methods of unemployment insurance and relief in Britain and the United States, and did research work in Geneva.

Hyman Schauder wrote letters to his family and wrote notes on the backs of his photographs. All these sources of original narrative are available today in the collection held by South African Jewish Museum. In some cases Hyman Schauder's notes are availble in this collection and in other cases they have been transcribed.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich the information in these collections. If you would like to add any additional information please contact us.

Johannesburg History Collection

  • Collection
  • YYYY-

The Johannesburg History Collection gathers together a small number of photographs pertaining to various aspects of Jewish life in Johannesburg in the 20th century.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich the information in these collections. If you would like to add any additional information please contact us.

Key Contributors Collection

  • Collection
  • YYYY

The Key Contributors Collection includes a number of photographs of several prominent South African Jewish community members who made significant contributions to society. These men and women achieved great success in various sectors such as finance and commerce, arts, the sciences, politics, law and sports. They are icons in South Africa and they are also known globally. They are prominent within the Jewish community and they are recognised by all South Africans.

South African Jewish Museum Collection

  • Collection
  • 2021-

The South African Jewish Museum Collection holds a number of series relating to the output and activities of the South African Jewish Museum.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich the information in these collections. If you would like to add any additional information please contact us.

The Davidian Collection

  • Collection
  • 2021

The Davidian Collection comprises twenty-two papers from the official school newspaper of King David High School. This Collection of papers date to the 1960's.

The Davidian went to print every month or two, and the articles covered various aspects of school life, including Matriculation results, awards, the Headmaster’s address, sports team photographs, and sports results. Being a predominantly Jewish school, King David High School was, and still is, involved in international Jewish activities. These included inter-school competitions with Herzlia and other schools, Ulpan Hebrew lessons, chess contests in Israel and Ukraine, and Final House Positions for Maccabi, Weizmann and Bar Kochba.

There were moments of tragedy in The Davidian when the newspaper printed obituaries; moments of great pride when awards and results were announced; and The Davidian also told its student, parent and teacher audience when students were being called to join the South African Army.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich the information in these collections, if you would like to add any additional information please contact us.

The Jews for Justice and Jews for Social Justice Collection

  • Collection
  • 2021

This Collection gathers materials from two Jewish organisations that were formed in 1985: Jews for Justice (in Cape Town) and Jews for Social Justice (in Johannesburg).

Including items such as newsclippings, photographs, speech cards, meeting minutes and an interview, this collection further sheds light on organisations that played a role in the fight for human rights in Apartheid South Africa.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich these collections. If you have anything to add please contact us.

Zimbabwean Jewish Community Collection

  • Collection
  • 2021

The Zimbabwean Jewish community Collection was donated by Benny Leon. The towns of focus are Gatooma and Rhodes Island. The Gatooma Jewish Cemetery reconsecration and the Sephardi Hall consecration are featured, as well as prominent people from the Zimbabwean Jewish community who were involved with these events. Zimbabwean Jewish families are also in the collection.

Jewish friends pose together for a social snap whilst attending the celebrations of the Coronation for Queen Elizabeth in Gatooma in July 1953.
The teenagers of the Gatooma Habonim in 1953 pose in front of the Gatooma Synagogue under construction. The synagogue was consecrated in 1953 and was the communal centre for about sixty Jews in Gatooma, a small mining and agricultural town 140km west of Salisbury (Harare).

Robert Sternberg founded the Gatooma Hebrew Congregation. He fled Nazi Germany and arrived in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1939. He conducted the High Holidays services at various venues. With the establishment of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland the economy boomed and so did the Jewish population. At its peak there were 7000 Jews living in Rhodesia.

The Gatooma Hebrew Congregation flourished for a while until congregants chose to move to the larger centres of Salisbury. By the 1980s with hardly any congregants the synagogue was sold to a church group who later demolished it.

An image in the collection captures the interior of the synagogue. The building served as both a synagogue and a communal hall. By drawing the large wooden panels in front of the arc it became a hall.

Gatooma began its existence as a mining town in 1906. In the Jewish cemetery is the earliest grave. In 1998 with funds from overseas Peter Sternberg had the Gatooma Jewish Cemetery refurbished. Leaning graves were rectified. A new coat of paint was put on the letters on tombstones and a small plaque was put on unmarked graves. A low wall was erected.

In 1998 the reconsecration of the Gatooma (Kadoma) Jewish Cemetery was well attended by Jews from the Harare Jewish Community. A photograph taken by Benny Leon at the event shows President of the Sephardi Hebrew Congregation Philip Hasson, Peter and Hermoine Sternberg, Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft and President of the Harare Hebrew Congregation, Freddy Weisenbacher.
Other Jewish people and their histories are in the collection; including Peter Sternberg, Rev Ehrman, Samuel Hasson, and the Leon family.

This collection also features photographs from the Sephardic Hebrew Congregation of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). The Congregation’s president Mr A. I. Menashe said at the Sh’are Shalom Synagogue, Rhodes Island, consecration on 1 June 1958, “We now have a permanent house of worship.” People had come from as far as London and New York to attend the service. The distinguished gathering also included the Governor-General Lord Dalhousie and the Governor of Southern Rhodesia Sir Percival William-Powlett.

The Sephardic Hebrew Congregation had begun 25 years earlier in the then Rhodesia. Services had been held, of necessity, in a number of places. A photograph of the interior of a temporary synagogue is also available in the collection.
The new synagogue was declared a symbol of thanksgiving to the God of Israel for bringing his children to the land. The Very Reverend the Haham, Rabbi Dr. S. Gaon said that many members of the congregation had been given the opportunity to build a new future for themselves and their children in Rhodesia.

The sacred Scroll of the Law from the Mother Congregation was carried around the synagogue by clergy and wardens at the start of the service. The Scrolls were then placed in the Sanctuary which was opened by the Rabbi Emeritus, Mr. B. D. Almelah. Rabbi Dr. M. Papo consecrated the Perpetual Light. The consecration stone was unveiled by Mr. B. S. Leon.

In one photograph, holding the Sepharim from left to right are: Rev Isaacs, Rabbi M. Konviser, Rev Perreira, Mr. S. M. Alhadeff, Rabbi Dr M. Papo and the Haham Rabbi Dr. S. Gaon.
This is a fascinating collection. The photographs show prominent figures in the Zimbabwean Jewish community enacting Jewish rituals and commemorating rich Jewish history. South African Jewish Museum is grateful to the donor of the collection, Benny Leon.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich the information in these collections, if you would like to add any additional information please contact us.