Discovery & Exploration

The first services at Kimberley Synagogue took place in 1869.

More than 500 years ago, around the time of the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, the first Jews set foot in what is now called South Africa. They worked as directors of the Dutch East India Company and as cartographers for Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama.

While it took time for more Jews to follow, the footsteps of these pioneers paved the way for thousands of Jewish settlers. In fact, the early patterns of Jewish South African history have striking similarities to the history of the Jews in the United States. While on a smaller scale, Jews were involved in the period of early discovery and settlement from the late 15th century to the early 19th century.