On 9 August 2017, the SAJM opened a unique exhibition, Letters of Loss & Refuge.

Based on Professor Shirli Gilbert’s book From Things Lost, this exhibition tells the story of Rudolf Schwab, a German-Jewish refugee who fled to South Africa in 1936. Schwab’s extraordinary trove of letters, discovered in a Johannesburg garage, spans almost four decades and five continents. At over 4000 pages, it is not only one of the largest collections relating to the Holocaust, but is especially rich and valuable as Rudolf preserved both sides of the correspondence.

The SAJM invites you to experience a journey of loss and refuge, as told through Schwab’s unique and moving collection.