World's Apart : The Re-Migration of South African Jews - Colin Katz, Peter Arnold, Gillian Heller

World's Apart : The Re-Migration of South African Jews - Colin Katz, Peter Arnold, Gillian HellerIf the 19th and 20th centuries witnessed the greatest migrations in the history of the world, then the story of the exodus of Jews from Lithuania to South Africa and then on again to other parts of the world is one of the most extraordinary. For the first time, migrants, family and friends can discover the fascinating details of what led to the migration and re migration of so many thousands of people. Worlds Apart is a study of a unique double

If the 19th and 20th centuries witnessed the greatest migrations in the history of the world, then the story of the exodus of Jews from Lithuania to South Africa and then on again to other parts of the world is one of the most extraordinary.

For the first time, migrants, family and friends can discover the fascinating details of what led to the migration and re-migration of so many thousands of people.

Worlds Apart is a study of a unique double translocation. It follows the footsteps of Lithuanian and Latvian-descended Jews (Litvaks) from their ancestral European homes to South Africa and then again, just a century later, to Australia and New Zealand.

The authors describe the life of the forebears, both in Lithuania and in South Africa, the so-called 'South African way of life'; the antisemitic forces there which might have propelled migration much earlier, but didn't; and the political unrest that finally led to this 'second Diaspora' to the Antipodes and other parts of the world.

Worlds Apart examines the patterns of recent emigrations, and the real and ostensible reasons for leaving.

Based on hundreds of responses to a detailed questionnaire and dozens of interviews, Worlds Apart presents an unforgettable picture of how life for Lithuanian Jews was, what it became, and what it is today in new lands with new hopes for the future. It examines how and why Jews continue their millennia-old quest for a new and peaceful land, and how twice-removed Jews feel today, not just about their new homes, but about the trials and tribulations of their ancestors.

The authors are ex-South African Jewish émigrés: two are of the early 1960s vintage and one arrived in Australia in the early 1980s. Colin Tatz is a social scientist and historian; Peter Arnold is a medical practitioner turned editor and genealogist;

Gillian Heller is a professor of statistics.

Rosenberg Publishing 2007, softcover