An Old South African Synagogue and Its Members Still Thrive

As an immigrant who grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, in the seaside suburb of Muizenberg, I would like to point out to Ted Botha (“Cape Town’s Double Delights,” Special Travel Issue, Oct. 13) that while I applaud his article and welcome the beautiful photographs of the town of my youth, his information is not quite correct.

The well-maintained synagogue of which he speaks still has an incredible community made up of core members such as my parents, Abe and Pearl Davis, who have been members for more than 50 years. While the membership has dwindled substantially, it has been revived by the migration of Jewish families from various parts of South Africa to the False Bay seaboard, and the small group of regulars play a vital role in the city’s Jewish life.

The women’s guild is known throughout South Africa for its incredible catering, and the men have formed the most beautiful choir. Some illustrious members of the world’s Jewish community have worshipped there, thanks to the membership of a prominent person in the World Jewish Congress who has a home in the nearby enclave of St. James. So let it be known that Jewish tourists will be enchanted and welcomed into the Muizenberg Hebrew Congregation’s midst should they attend a Friday night or Saturday morning service at the synagogue that Botha mistakenly believes is devoid of a congregation.

Marlene Davis Stanger

San Diego