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Day 1: 11th August Monday
Fly from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Settle into your comfortable guest house accommodations and enjoy dinner at a kosher restaurant in Cape Town.
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Day 2: 12th August Tuesday
We leave the guesthouse and head for the Jewish Museum and breakfast at Café Riteve where we will get an address from one of the Rabbis in the community about the keys to its success. We will visit the Holocaust centre as well as the oldest shul in South Africa which is part of the South African Jewish Museum. Upon our return to the guesthouse we will discuss the history of the Cape Town Jewish community with local community leaders over a delicious fish barbeque.
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Day 3: 13th August Wednesday
The morning is spent on a guided tour through three of Cape Town's most striking synagogues, before an afternoon flight to George. From George, we will drive down to Oudhtshoorn, and enjoy a dinner of local cuisine at a hotel near Oudhtshoorn with the local Jewish community.
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Day 4: 14th August Thursday
After breakfast we will visit the Queen Street Synagogue in downtown Oudtshoorn and hear the fascinating story of the Oudtshoorn Jewish community that immigrated to Oudtshoorn during 1881-1900 and built fortunes on ostrich feathers. The morning will include a visit to the so-called Feather Palaces as well as an Ostrich farm. In the afternoon, we will visit the world renowned Cango Caves which will take us on a scenic trip through the Swartberg Mountains. Night is spent back in Oudtshoorn.
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Day 5: 15th August Friday
We leave Outdtshoorn early to experience a Karoo desert sunrise famous for its striking and dramatic colors. On this leg of the tour we will drive through the beautiful Eastern Cape stopping at quaint towns such as De Aar and Beaufort West along the way that have been home to Jewish communities for the past century. Our guide will be Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft who spends his days visiting these communities. We arrive in Kimberley in the early evening in time for the Sabbath. Sabbath services and dinner will be with the local Jewish community.
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Day 6: 16th August Saturday
Shabbat services will take place in the beautiful Marrick game reserve where we are staying. Lunch will be with our gracious host Trevor Datnow who will regale us with stories about the Jewish community in Kimberley. In the afternoon there will be a guided walk through the reserve to enjoy the natural beauty of the area. Evening will be spent at Marrick looking at the stars and enjoying the hospitality of the reserve.
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Day 7: 17th August Sunday
In the morning, we hear about the Jewish community of Kimberley that was attracted to this town in 1870 shortly after the discovery of diamonds. We will learn about Jewish luminaries like Barnie Barnato and Harry Oppenheimer, and visit the Kimberley synagogue which is now an historic landmark. If time permits, we will also visit the Jewish cemetery and the famous Big Hole which is the largest man-made diamond mine in the world. In the afternoon, we fly back to Johannesburg, and enjoy dinner at the home of a member of the Johannesburg Jewish community.
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Day 8: 18th August Monday
Today, we spend time in Johannesburg being introduced to a well known Jewish historian who will engage us in a fascinating retrospective of the Johannesburg Jewish community. We will also meet several other Jewish community leaders and Rabbis who will share their insights on how their communities have thrived in uncertain times. The trip will culminate in a farewell dinner in which we will vote on an award that we will present to the Jewish community that has best exemplified faith and resilience in South Africa.