Dogs, art & lovers // The life of Peggy Guggenheim
As the sun radiates this summer, we shine a light on South Africa. Waves of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania arrived there at the end of the 19th century and built thriving societies. Some even became involved in anti-apartheid activities, such as Barney Simon, founder of Johannesburg's Market Theatre, and Joy Coplan, who began her activism as a teenager. Read about their exploits, meet members of the present-day communities and discover the food and art coming out of the country. We also have a special Long Read on our cover star Peggy Guggenheim, renowned American heiress and art collector. Dr Vera Fine-Grodzinski examines her compelling life and we hear from Guggenheim’s granddaughter Karole Vail, director of the Venice museum that celebrates her legacy. Elsewhere, Etgar Keret introduces his new MA course inspired by Jewish storytelling; Jessica Duchen takes a look at Dame Myra Hess, the musician who played through the Blitz; and much more… READ MORE
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© Courtesy of Kenneth Bonert
From Lithuania to Africa, a family story
Growing up in 1980s Johannesburg, Kenneth Bonert didn’t fully grasp that his grandmother was part of a unique but fading world of Lithuanian immigrants who had settled in South Africa in the early 20th century. Here he reflects on the legacy of these distinctive pioneers © Courtesy of Kenneth Bonert
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PASSPORT series
Start exploring the world with our Passport series. Here we visit countries and cities to do in-depth studies of Jewish communities across the globe: from Brighton to Brazil, via Burma and Bulgaria. If you have links to a particular place, or are interested in reading about their people, visit our Passport page to browse through the list of places we have covered, or have a quick search below.
THE PLACES WE'VE COVERED SO FAR
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2025: South Africa (2) | The Channel Islands | Iceland
2024: Philadelphia | Singapore | Argentina (2) | Romania
2023: Germany’s East | Scotland | Brazil (2) | Italy (2)
2022: Lithuania (2) | 100 Years of Modernism | Hong Kong | Afghanistan
2021: South London | Japan | Ireland (2) | Prague
2020: Washington DC | Northern England (2) | Northern England (1) | The Caribbean
2019: Oxford | Turkey (2) | Melbourne | Belgium
2018: Mexico | Vienna (2) | Cambridge | Catalonia
2017: Hungary | Gibraltar | The Netherlands | Russian Revolution
2016: East Africa | Greece | Brighton & Hove | Venice (2)
2015: Ukraine (2) | Portugal | Jewish Radicals | Iran (2)
2014: Britain's South Africans | Paris | World War I | Kraków
2013: Britain's Israelis | Italy (1) | Montreal | Uzbekistan
2012: Brazil (1) | Burma | Berlin (2) | Yorkshire
2011: Rome | India (2) | Georgia USA | St Petersburg
2010: Manchester | Slovakia | Provence | Turkey (1)
2009: Wales | Croatia | Tel Aviv | Munich
2008: Ireland (1) | Spain | Rosh Pinah | Liverpool
2007: Vienna (1) | Denmark | Ethiopia | Jamaica
2006: Hackney | Bulgaria | Morocco | The West Country
2005: Cuba | Lithuania | Libya | China
2004: Glasgow | South Africa | London's East End | Iran (1)
2003: Australia | Salonika | Argentina | Egypt
2002: Venice (1) | India (1) | Ukraine (1) | Leeds
2001: Berlin (1)
SEPHARDI RENAISSANCE
In every issue of JR you'll find our unique seven-page section called Sephardi Renaissance. Here we focus on the Sephardi world throughout the UK and beyond. Read interviews with those from places such as Sudan, Morocco and Egypt and hear about their colourful traditions. Learn about ancient Jewish culture across the Islamic world; listen to the voices of young Sephardim today; and uncover the culture of communities stretching from Shanghai, to Bukhara to Venezuela.
