From Mosenthal to Mandela ... ... a FRESH look at the story of the Jews in South Africa . Jewish migration to South Africa began as a trickle at the beginning of the 19th century and became an exodus by its end. Always a minority in the European population of what eventually became South Africa, the Jews who emigrated there from Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries have played a disproportionately large role in the country's development. Often escaping from repression and hostility in Europe, they arrived in a country which was no stranger to oppression. From the jail-breaker to the soap-maker who became Senator, from the dentist who made noodles in Cape Town to a man imprisoned for defying apartheid: Adam Yamey tracks the story of Jewish settlement in South Africa, illustrating it with the stories of members of his family to exemplify landmarks and trends in this fascinating history.