Cape Town Jewish Museum
The Cape Town Jewish Museum narrates the story of South African Jewry from its early beginnings, set against the backdrop of South African history over a period of more than 150 years. We cover a number of areas of interest, including South African history, mining, commerce, Eastern European history, and contemporary South African politics as well as an overview of the Jewish community’s contribution to all its aspects of South African history and conscience.
A small room in the museum houses over 200 carvings created from wood, ivory, staghorn, and bone. These miniature sculptures, called Netsuke, are ceremonial carvings that were worn by wealthy male merchants during the time of the Samurai. They were both functional (they held containers for tobacco, money, and other objects) and decorative as a form of expression of the artist. The works included history, mythology, religion, popular humour, and any other aspects of Japanese life.
88 Hatfield St, Gardens
