The Durban Jewish Club and The Durban Holocaust & Genocide Centre – a haven of history, culture and education, writes Katrine Anker-Nilssen.
The DHGC, brainchild of director Mary Kluk, opened in March 2008 in response to the inclusion of the study of the Holocaust into the National High School Curriculum in 2007. “Within three years the centre had become an educational and cultural landmark in our city, and an important member of the SA Museums Association in KwaZulu-Natal,” says Communications & Marketing manager Tanya Altshuler.
Over 14 years the facility has established a reputation as a centre of education with a focus on human rights, racism and xenophobia.
“We were incredibly fortunate to have the expertise of two outstanding creators. Mike Jackson, who at the time had recently retired from manufacturing theatre props, immersed himself in the production of the centre’s permanent exhibition. Linda Bester, a creative genius who also designed the Cape Town Holocaust Centre, travelled to Durban to personally oversee the design and construction,” says Altshuler.
The result was a world-class facility with a permanent exhibition that was recently upgraded to include precious artefacts, many of which were looted by the Nazis during Kristallnacht. It also features stories on Holocaust survivors who landed up settling in Durban.
History is about so much more than memorising facts. The centre makes sure learners hear the stories behind the facts by guiding them through the museum as part of a formal education programme. There is a focus on the story of Anne Frank, the Holocaust, and the 1994 genocide targeting the Tutsi in Rwanda. Each year about 5 000 learners visit the centre.
Kluk said the Holocaust happened to Jews, “but it is not only a Jewish story. It’s a story about man’s inhumanity to man, and how we can change that reality for future generations.”
The beautiful centre also houses the Circle Café set in the tranquillity of a remembrance garden. The cafe offers delicious food and is reputed to have the best cheesecake in town.
In the same complex as the centre is the Durban Jewish Club, which is separately managed.
The only institution of its kind, the DJC was founded in 1931. It boasts a strong community foundation which all began with a dance in 1919, says Hayley Lieberthal, Media Liaison at the South African Jewish Board of Deputies KwaZulu-Natal Council.
In 1919, returning World War I servicemen saw a gap between the older and younger generations of the Jewish community. To show gratitude for the warm welcome from the older generation, these young men banded together again and invited the entire Jewish community to a dance. The success of the event led to the formation of a literary and music club called The Circle.
In 1928 a three-acre site, situated in Old Fort Road was secured. The dream became a reality a few years later with the construction of a single-storey structure that still stands today.
The Club was placed at the disposal of His Majesty’s and allied forces as a canteen in World War II and in that time two million members of the services – of all faiths and nationalities – made use of the premises. A canteen, hot and cold showers, billiards, tennis, squash, and reading and writing rooms were available.
The Club also had its share in the struggle against apartheid. One such event was when iNkosi Magosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi addressed the Durban Jewish community in 1968.
Today this space is still a hub of activity, offering a venue for hire and catering to a multitude of various functions such as launches, ceremonies, team building, bridge clubs, and more.
“The Club is the heart and home of all of our Jewish affiliated outreach. From soups and sandwiches to wheelchairs. The Club will always be a centre where good stems from, a centre from where chesed (kindness) and tzedeka (charity) reach out to the greater community,” said DJC President Jeremy Droyman.