The Gardens Shul, formally, the Cape Town Hebrew Congregation, founded in 1841, located in the Cape Town Botanical Gardens, in the Gardens neighborhood of Cape Town

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...

, is the oldest Jewish congregation

Oldest synagogues in the world

The designation oldest synagogue in the world requires careful definition. Many very old synagogues have been discovered in archaeological digs. Some synagogues have been destroyed and rebuilt several times on the same site, so, while the site or congregation may be ancient, the building may be...

 in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

.

The congregation, known as "The Mother synagogue of South Africa," possesses two notable historic structures, the 1863 synagogue and the 1905 synagogue. The original 1849 building is no longer extant.

The congregation is particularly noted for its choir.

The synagogue grounds also house the South Africa Jewish Museum.

External links

• http://www.gardensshul.org/
• http://www.sajewishmuseum.co.za/home/
• http://www.fellnertravelinfo.com/capetown/index.shtml
• http://www.abigailsarah.co.za/myart/Festivals/greatsynagogue.htm