The South African Jewish Museum is hosting an exhibition, entitled Echoes of Parow – The Story of a South African Jewish Community. Taking the form of a creative audio-scape, it tells the story of the small, tight-knit Jewish community of Parow.
The full story of this community is told in a new book by historian Professor Richard Mendelsohn. The Jews of Parow charts the rise, evolution, and ultimate migration of Parow’s Jewish community. It is a little-known fact that much of Parow’s development is closely intertwined with the small Jewish community of the area. The book and exhibition explore this (until now) untold history.
The story told in the exhibition is not unique to Parow. The Jewish history of Parow could just as easily be the story of any one of the small-town Jewish communities across South Africa that played a major part in the development of their towns. A century or more later, the impact of these communities has mostly been forgotten.
The dusty main road of Parow in the early 20th century was home to many Jewish businesses. These general dealers, butchers, drapers, innkeepers, and others were the first generation of Jews, mostly immigrants from Eastern Europe, who made the village of Parow their home. The second generation, raised and educated in South Africa, became professionals, making the most of opportunities historically denied their forebears in Eastern Europe. Subsequent generations would eventually move on from Parow. The community’s upward mobility led them to seek homes in Cape Town’s more established neighbourhoods. They left in search of better educational or economic opportunities, a trend that was evident in small-town Jewish communities across South Africa.
By the late 20th century, the Parow Jewish community was well past its heyday. In 1993 its synagogue was deconsecrated and sold. That historic moment marked the end of Jewish life in Parow.
The exhibition has been sponsored by Cape Gate, a Parow-founded business, to mark the Company’s 95th Anniversary.
For more information please go to www.sajewishmuseum.co.za
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