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Friday, 18 June 2010 / 6 Tammuz 5770
Volume 14 Number 22
Mixed reactions to Israel’s
Gaza flotilla inquiry
PAGE 3
FLYING THE
FLAG FOR
BAFANA
BAFANA
Well-known tax expert Michael
Katz joins in the celebrations in
Sandton before Bafana Bafana’s
first game against Mexico at
Soccer City last week Friday.
US Jews value Is the swastika being Rights activists win Shain review: Realpolitik SUPPLEMENT:
Turkey ties / 8 rehabilitated? / 4
Bronfman Prize / 5 in SA-Israel ties / 9
Sports Mad!
YOUTH / 14-15
SPORTS / 20
LETTERS / 12
CROSSWORD & SUDOKU / 16
COMMUNITY BUZZ / 7
WHAT’S ON / 16
20
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
Two-year ban for SA-born tennis player
SOUTH AFRICAN-BORN tennis player
Wayne Odesnik, who is now playing out of the
US, has been banned for two years, two
months after pleading guilty to importing
human growth hormone (HGH) into
Australia.
Although Odesnik denied using HGH and
never tested positive for the banned substance,
the International Tennis Federation suspended him for possessing a prohibited substance
“without a therapeutic use exemption”.
“Mr Odesnik did not in fact obtain or apply
for a therapeutic use exemption prior to
obtaining it,” the ITF said in a statement.
“Accordingly, Mr Odesnik’s possession of the
human growth hormone is an anti-doping rule
violation.”
Odesnik said he bought the drug to treat a
recurring injury and intended to apply for a
therapeutic use exemption.
He was stopped by customs officials on
January 2 when he arrived in Australia ahead
of the Brisbane International, a warm-up for
the year’s first Grand Slam event. Eight vials,
each containing six milligrams of the performance-enhancing substance, were found in
his baggage.
He pleaded guilty in March and was fined
more than $7 000 in Australia.
It was a kind of irony that had him caught
out as he arrived in Brisbane without his luggage, which set off a series of events that led
him to plead guilty to importing human
growth hormone, according to Australian
court documents.
When Odesnik’s misplaced bags were located at the Brisbane airport two days later, cus-
toms officers found eight vials of human
growth hormone and other medical paraphernalia in a routine search.
They interviewed the 24-year-old
American tennis player at his hotel room on
January 5, and charged him with importing
HGH on January 6.
Odesnik did not appear in person for a
March 11 hearing as he has been playing at a
Master Series tournament in Indian Wells,
California. He instructed defence lawyer
James Godbolt to enter a guilty plea on his
behalf.
Odesnik’s conviction was recorded by
Magistrate Graham Lee on March 25 and
announced by the Australian Customs and
Border Protection Service the next day.
In April Odesnik agreed to a voluntary
suspension from tennis. His ban was backdated to start on December 29, 2009 and will
end on December 28, 2011. All his results
from this year will be wiped out.
Odesnik was born in South Africa and
moved to the United States as a child. He
turned pro in 2004 but has never won an
ATP title, and his best ranking was 77th. He
has reached one ATP final, on clay in
Houston last year, and the highlight of his
Grand Slam career was reaching the third
round at the French Open in 2008.
Odesnik spends part of the year training
in Miami. He is coached by former top-10
player Guillermo Canas of Argentina, who
served a 15-month ban in 2005-06 after failing
a doping test.
After his ban, Odesnik released the following statement regarding the suspension: “I
Vuvuzelas irritate Israeli
World Cup viewers
ACCOMPANIED by painted faces, a blur of broadcasts by making the voices in the
yellow, and flags of different nationalities commentary louder.
being waved at the World Cup, is a sound
He said the vuvuzela tradition was part
that resembles a shofar mixed with the call of the South African culture and they
of an elephant: the raucous vuvuzela.
would not give up their ritual. “We have to
The South African plastic noisemaker in learn to live with it. I don’t believe they will
the shape of a long, thin, trumpet is over- stop the audience.”
powering the commentary at the 2010 Fifa
World Cup organising committee chairWorld Cup and causing mayhem for fans man, Danny Jordaan, told the BBC that a
across the world. It has been blasted - and ban would only be introduced if there were
defended - depending which side of the “grounds to do so”. That would involve disfence you sit.
gruntled fans using their instruments as
Many South Africans desperately try to missiles.
elevate the vuvuzela as an African cultural
“We have had some broadcasters and
instrument, but in fact its history only goes individuals (complaining) and it is someback two or three decades.
thing we are evaluating on an ongoing
Blogs on the internet have been inundat- basis,” he said.
ed by protagonists and detractors
alike, with many South Africans
having accepted the bothersome
“bees” with resignation - something they will just have to live
with for the duration of the World
Cup.
Portuguese football icon Christiano Ronaldo and mercurial
Argentine, Lionel Messi, have
both expressed their irritation
with the vuvuzela.
Many Israeli football fans have
entered the fray: “I feel like I can’t
understand or cannot focus on the
game because it sounds like a
bees nest,” Sassie Efrati, head of
the sports department for the
Israel Broadcast Authority, who
is attending the Cup in South
Africa, told the Jerusalem Post.
He said the IBA had received
hundreds of complaints about the
blasting noise. Efrati said they
were doing their best to minimise The ubiquitous vuvuzela. It has its “patriotic”
the sounds on the Channel One defenders as well as a host of irritated detractors.
accept the ITF’s decision regarding my sanction for being in possession of a banned substance. I made an honest mistake and I regret
the impact that my actions have had on the
sport of tennis; a game that I have loved
since childhood and one which has given me
many great opportunities and memories.
“The sole reason I was in possession of this
banned substance was under doctor’s advice
for treatment of a recurring shoulder injury.
I was unaware at the time that this would be
considered an anti-doping violation.
“I never have taken nor tested positive for
any banned substance in my career. Finally,
I want to thank all my family, friends, and
fans who have been so supportive of me
throughout this difficult time. During my
time away from tennis, I will try to give back
to the game in a positive way and use this
experience to motivate me to work harder
than ever.”
Odesnik came in for wide criticism from a
number of his fellow players, including former world No 1 Andy Roddick and James
Blake. “There’s nothing worse than that,”
Roddick said at the Masters event in Miami.
“That’s just plain cheating, and they should
throw him out of tennis. There’s just no
room for it.”
Roddick said he didn’t believe men’s tennis
had a significant doping problem. “We have
South Africanborn tennis
player Wayne
Odesnik has
been banned
for two years
after being
caught importing human
growth hormones into
Australia.
the most stringent drug-testing policies in
sports,” Roddick said. “We’re up there with
the Olympics. We can’t take Sudafed.”
Blake, who played World Team Cup with
Odesnik, said he didn’t get to know Odesnik
well, although he liked him. “It’s the same
thing you hear about the criminal next door he seemed like a nice guy until they found
something going on,” Blake said. “People look
for a way to get ahead, and that’s unfortunate.
“It’s something that’s frustrating. You want
to feel like you’re playing on a fair playing
field. I’m glad they caught him.”
18 - 25 June 2010
HOME SERVICES
SA JEWISH REPORT 19
GENERAL
PROPERTY FOR SALE
GENERAL
FLATS
REPAINT
Specialists in:
Painting, tiling, maintenance,
plumbing & gutters.
Industrial and domestic.
Michael Fehler
083-700-3025 or
(011) 648-0375
www.repaint.co.za
WAVERLEY
N/f 3 bed, 1 + 1/2 bathrooms
flat. Opposite Shul.
Tel: 082-881-7195
HANDYMAN MITCH
General repairs/carpentry/
household repairs.
Contact: Mitch
072-196-1939
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
PLUMBER
FOR SALE
CLOTHING
LAST JEWISH TAILORING
BUSINESS SEEKS
OBSERVANT PARTNER
To service community needs for
Barmi’s, Batti’s, Friday dresses,
weddings and all made to
measure tailoring services.
Proposed move to Sea Point
within eruv from existing shop in
Kalk Bay. All offers, including
from Jhb, will be welcome, will
consider move or branch in Jhb.
Contact Israel on
079-761-4673
SWITCH TO
PERFECTION!!!
AVAILABLE 24/7!!!
TO SHARE
Legal offices, reception, driver
and boardroom to share.
Please phone
Michael Dansky at
082-324- 8653
VACANCIES
EMPLOYMENT AVAILABLE
KOSHER LIVE-IN
CARE GIVER REQ
FOR PRETORIA.
Elderly Rabbi's daughter in
wheelchair requires a full-time
care giver for daily care and
post operative rehabilitation.
Position available immediately.
Please contact - Elma
082-557-9041
For C.O.C’s, bathroom
renovations, geyser
installations, electrical
distribution boards and
earth leakages
HONEST, RELIABLE
PRICING AND
PROFESSSIONAL
SERVICES
Call: (011) 656-3697
After Hours
Emergency:
(011) 884-3533
Lee: 082-425-6202
Tracy: 076-645-8349
Email: erinelectrical
@telkomsa.net
Shalom Chaveroth
BUSINESS & FINANCIAL
BUSINESS PREMISES
ERIN’S
ELECTRICAL
AND PLUMBING
SERVICES C.C
COMMUNITY COLUMNS
PROPERTY TO LET
TO LET / SHARE
EDENVALE (TO LET)
1 bed in house, communal pool,
garden. 1km from Greenstone.
(Available Immediately).
Contact: Geani
(+27) 73-713-7715
HIGHLANDS NORTH
Cottage to let.
Contact (011) 788-3686
(after 20:00)
HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION
UMHLANGA SANDS
DURBAN
2 x 4 sleeper units avail. 3 - 10
July, 2010. R10 000 per unit
Contact Linda
082-855-4131
RETIREMENT ACCOMMODATION
VACANCIES
Jewish Tailoring Business seeks
observant Jewess to service all
women’s made-to-measure
needs within the Eruv in Sea
Point. Basic salary plus comm or
partnership interest. Male owner
who can only assist “male
clientele”. Last Jewish tailor.
Contact Israel
079-761-4673
EMPLOYMENT WANTED
GARDENER AVAILABLE
My responsible, reliable, honest
gardener of 15 yrs is looking for
more work.
Call Barbi 082-557-4826
MARGARET MODIBA
57 years old - has been
employed for 35 yrs but we
have now retired.
She is extremely honest & reliable with a quiet friendly manner
& is an exceptional housekeeper
& a wonderful cook.
She seeks employment either
full/part-time.
For further info please
contact me, Mrs Rome
(011) 880- 6357 or
083-378-2116
VEHICLES
FOR SALE
VEHICLES FOR SALE
I have been a trusted
name supplying used cars
to the Jewish community
for the last 25 yrs. Try me
to secure the car you want.
Today’s special: 2009
Yaris 1300 T3, 5 door, Air
Con, CD player etc.
31000km.
Price R135 000.
New is R172 000
Gary 082-570-3695
WANTED
ARE YOU
IMMIGRATING
OVERSEAS AND
WANT TO SELL
YOUR VEHICLE?
Please Contact
Solly Kramer
082-922-3597
anytime
WIZO South Africa
Yvonne Jawitz
A column of WIZO South Africa
DREAMS ARE what sustain us
and nourish us as human beings,
but can we remember the dreams
we had as children? What did we
want more than anything else in
the world? Was it to be a ballerina? Drive a fancy sports car?
For the children of WIZO South
Africa’s Neve WIZO, their dream
is simple. All that they would like
is “one night in a hotel and the
opportunity to eat in a restaurant”!
We at WIZO are not just in the
business of taking care of those
who need it the most in Israel. We
are also fairy godmothers. It is
our pleasure to make the dreams
of our children come true.
Sometimes all a small child
wants is a nice blanket to keep
them warm. We believe that the
interaction between WIZO as a
whole has helped build an amazing support network for those we
care about. Thanks to Lilie Singer,
one of our volunteers, children at
one of our day care centres are
wrapped up and kept warm during Jerusalem’s cold winters.
This simple act is testament to
the fact that no matter how big or
small you feel your effort is,
every bit is appreciated. We value
everything that our volunteers do
to ensure that we live up to our
credo - for an improved Israeli
society.
If you plan to visit Israel, we
encourage you to see our projects. To quote our executive member Marion Brivik after her visit
“our projects and what we do are
unbelievable and amazing”. It is
always motivating to hear our
members so enthused.
With all that is said about
Israel’s hasbarah efforts, to witness the amazing spirit of volunteerism
that
is
pervasive
throughout Israel and our
extended WIZO family, is refreshing.
As observed, by Saron Marks
during his visit to WIZO South
Africa’s projects: “I never
realised just how much WIZO
does.”
Are you in line for RHVA restitution?
DAVID SAKS
THROUGHOUT the first half of
the last century, hundreds of Jews
worldwide, inspired by the Zionist
cause, invested in the then
Palestine. Many of them perished
in the Holocaust, as a result of
which their assets were never
claimed. The Restitution of
Holocaust Victims’ Assets (RHVA)
has now launched a campaign
across North America to inform
potential heirs of unclaimed assets
in Israel invested prior to the
Second World War.
RHVA was established by the
State of Israel in 2006 to “provide
historical justice to the victims of
the Holocaust and reinstate the
assets with their legal heirs”.
Its founding was a direct result
of the Assets of Holocaust Victims
Law, passed by the Israeli government the previous year. A private,
non-profit organisation, it has
been mandated by Israel to handle
the return of domestic assets
believed to have been owned by
Holocaust victims. It further
assists survivors and contributes
to Holocaust education and memorial efforts.
Some 55 000 Israeli-based assets
dating back 70 years and more,
remain unclaimed. They include
Watch this space for ‘cookery
book with a difference’
THE JEWISH Women’s Benevolent’s long-awaited cookbook is
to be launched in August.
The Benevolent said in a media
release: “Thanks to the very generous donations, sponsorships
and adverts received, this book
will soon become a reality
“The concept of ‘a recipe book
with a difference’ was warmly
received by all the caterers and
chefs we approached who have
provided us with wonderful
recipes which we look forward to
sharing with all of you.
“To date we have raised R144 000
and this will cover the cost of
printing 1 500 books.”
The Benevolent said it would
love to be able to print 2 000 books
and therefore were inviting individuals to also sponsor one or
more pages.
“This would mean that every-
bank accounts, untouched plots of
land and shares from the Jewish
Colonial Trust (the parent company of the Anglo Palestine Bank,
today’s Bank Leumi).
RHVA has compiled lists of these
assets in order to facilitate the
process of returning the belongings
to their beneficiaries. The organisation’s website is (www.hashava.
org.il/eng) contains further information on submitting an application
to request restitution of an asset
published on the Company’s list.
• For further information contact: Jeremy Ruden Media Services
- (972)-52-407-0775 or email:
Jeremy@jeremyruden.com
thing made from the sale of 2 000
books would go towards supporting
the
Jewish
Women’s
Benevolent Society, an organisation providing food, shelter, education and clothing for those who
are in need in our community.”
One-line sponsorships can be
made at R100 per line and electronic transfers or deposits can be
made to the: Jewish Women’s
Benevolent Society, Nedbank,
Siemert Road, account no 192 300
5359,
branch
code,
195205.
Reference to be used: Pivotals and
your name. To pay by credit card,
please call (011) 485-5234.
ORT celebrates 130 years with pride
LISA MORALEE
ORT SOUTH Africa in 2010 has double reason to celebrate. The one is of
course that it is the momentous
World Cup year, but the second reason - for us equally important - is
because it marks 130 years of ORT
“Educating for Life”.
This non-profit organisation had
its beginning in Russia in 1880, and
since then over three million people
have been trained and empowered
by ORT in over 100 countries. This
anniversary was celebrated from
May 24 - 28 at the annual Board of
Representatives
Meeting
and
Director’s Forum in St Petersburg
and Helsinki, respectively.
The ORT board of representatives
and trustees met in Russia, where
the organisation began “Educating
for Life”. In St Petersburg, Irwin
Lipworth (ORT SA chairman); Ricci
Lyons (ORT SA vice chairman); and
Nilly Baruch (ORT chairman Western Cape), attended the Board of
Representatives’ meeting, while
Martin Behr (ORT SA honorary life
president) attended the Board of
Trustees’ meeting. Various representatives from ORTs around the
world, gave presentations on the
achievements of the 130-year-old
organisation.
From the left: Irwin Lipworth (ORT
SA Chairman), Ricci Lyons (ORT SA
Vice Chairman) Nilly Baruch (ORT
Chair Western Cape) and Martin
Behr (ORT SA Honorary Life
President). (PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED)
Irwin Lipworth (ORT SA Chairman) showcased ORT SA’s various
work and projects. ORT representatives were especially taken by the
diversity of ORT SA’s programmes
and the fact that they are reaching
the broader community.
ORT SA’s Board of Representatives is pleased with the positive
feedback about ORT SA. “People
were impressed with the work that
ORT SA is doing,” says Lyons.
The future for ORT SA looks
bright, as their dynamic projects
continue to educate thousands of
South Africans each year. An
extraordinary goal for ORT SA is to
open an ORT school in South Africa.
Lyons indicates that the models
used by ORT in Italy and France
would suit the South African landscape.
Brad Rosmarin (ORT SA CEO)
showcased the work of ORT SA at
the National Directors Forum. He
said: “I believe that what the South
African ORT family has achieved in
the recent past and the commitment
shown, is outstanding.”
The National Directors Forum
was a great success, as ORT directors from around the world celebrated 130 years of achievement.
Rosmarin showcased ORT SA’s
work, projects and future plans.
“You can’t help but get excited
about the work ORT does when you
see the difference they make to individuals, not only in South Africa,
but around the world,” he said.
A large number of projects are
being executed by ORT SA’s core
departments, including educator
empowerment, skills development
and enterprise development. Over
1 100 learners are being trained by
skills development, while educator
empowerment is giving training and
support to 1 293 teachers. ORT JET
has also assisted 376 businesses
with the help of their 400 volunteer
consultants.
18 - 25 June 2010
18 SA JEWISH REPORT
Classifieds
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adverts sent via email to brittl@global.co.za will be accepted. 2. You will be advised on cost & payment details.
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NOTICES
CONSECRATIONS
BIRTHS
MAZEL TOV!
It’s A Baby!
Have Fun! Get Facts!
Antenatal classes by Des
Hoppenstein, medical doctor and mother.
• birth plan to suit you
• interactive and nurturing
environment
• comprehensive notes
• medical aid rates
Call Des on
082-680-5353
TEACHING PARENTSTO-BE FOR OVER
12 YEARS!
Cemetery Administrator –
Westpark Cemetery
Our Jewish Cemetery based in Westpark is looking for an administrator with a minimum of 2
years experience in an administrative role.
The candidate must be computer literate and
have a thorough knowledge of MS Word, Excel,
Powerpoint, email and internet. Accurate and
efficient typing skills are a key requirement for
this position. The incumbent must have strong
interpersonal skills, and the ability to handle all
calls in a diplomatic and professional manner.
Flexibility is a key requirement of this position
and the candidate must be able to work well
under pressure.
Only short listed applicants will be
responded to.
Interested candidates please forward
a current c.v. to hr@jhbchev.co.za, fax,
0866327774 or Private Bag X1,
Sandringham, 2131.
Pharmacist –
Sandringham Gardens
We have a vacancy for a qualified Pharmacist
who has at least five years working experience.
Applicants must be registered with the
Pharmaceutical Council. Computer literacy, good
communication and people skills
are an essential requirement for this position.
Organisational and leadership abilities will be an
advantage
Only short listed applicants will be
responded to.
Please send a full comprehensive C.V.
to hr@jhbchev.co.za, fax 0866327774
or Attention HR Department, Private
Bag X1, Sandringham, 2131
Pharmacy Assistant
Sandringham Gardens , Home for older persons,
requires a qualified Pharmacy Assistant for our
pharmacy. The position requires someone who
has experience in stock control, and is skilled in
Excel, Word and Outlook. Good interpersonal
skills, is an important requirement for this position. Requirements include previous relevant
experience and registration with the Pharmacy
Council.
Only short listed applicants will be
responded to.
Interested candidates to forward a
comprehensive c.v. to
hr@jhbchev.co.za, fax, (011) 532 9688
or Attention HR Department, Private
Bag X1, Sandringham, 2131
PERSONAL
HEALTH & BEAUTY
SOULMATES
COUNTRYWIDE-MANY
GAUTENG AND CAPE MEMBERS!
20+ 30+ 40+ 50+ 60+ SINGLE,
WIDOWER, DIVORCED &
FUSSY?
MEET YOUR SOULMATE!
RESULTS; 181 COUPLES MARRIED! 261 COUPLES MATCHED!
MAZELTOV TO NICKY & BRAD
ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!
Beautiful/handsome singles seek
matches: Beautiful blonde attorney
24yr: handsome CA 29yr; goodlooking advocate (from France)
68yr; elegant slim pharmacist
52yr; beautiful airhostess 32yr;
handsome dentist 38yr; beautiful
bus owner 35yr; handsome doctor
42yr; handsome grad (shomrei)
31yr; handsome grad (owner large
co) 55; handsome (large co)
owner 72yr; pretty psychologist
26yr; pretty estate agent (own
bus) 43; stunning electrician 46yr;
beautiful model 49yr; good-looking
6ft pharmacist 55yr; pretty med
typist 45yr; handsome widower
(retired pharmacist); charismatic
prof gent 38yr; stunning model
35yr; good-looking vet 48yr; pretty
psychologist 36yr; beautiful blonde
attorneys 33, 49, 53yr; pretty
bookkeeper 45; handsome attorney 65yr; advocates 31, 45, 58yrs;
good-looking engineer 46; handsome pilots 62, 36yrs; handsome
surgeon 59yr; pretty hairdressers
26, 34, 58; handsome estate
agent (own bus) 60yr; pretty financial consultant 48yr; beautiful
beautician 55yr; good-looking grad
(owner huge co.) 36yr; charismatic, handsome co owner 67yr; stunning doctors 28, 30, 35, 43, 49, 58
62yr; handsome attorneys 29, 33,
38, 46, 56 68yr; etc, etc, etc.
MANY, MANY OTHER PRETTY/HANDSOME
PROF/EXEC/BUSINESS/
TRADE SINGLES ARE WAITING TO MEET YOU!
CALL SANDY
(011) 485-4034/
082-357-3616 NOW!
CHIROPODY TREATMENT
R120
Call Ruth Now
(011) 616-4305
SERVICES
HEALTH & BEAUTY
LIFTS
CHELSEA EXECUTIVE
CHAUFFEUR.
Legal, with permit from the
transportation board. Let me
chauffeur you safely.
Reasonable rates.
FOR A QUOTE CALL
ABE 082-574-9010
SPEECH AND DRAMA
Confidence building.
Presentation Skills.
CONTACT:
082-344-4921.
HOME SERVICES
HOUSE SITTING
HOUSESITTER
Competent, responsible individual avail to house sit from May
until September 2010
Contact me
on 072-851-9822/
housesitter247@gmail.com
AIRPORT SERVICE
JHB
Reliable,
Reasonable Rates!
Contact Arnold,
082-447-0185
011-454-1193
KIDS CORNER
AIRPORT SHUTTLE
----- R150 ---From Glenhazel / Senderwood /
Lyndhurst areas. Reasonable
rates from all other areas.
SAM (011) 728-5219
083-627-8516
CAMP TORAH TOTS
HELD AT TORAH ACADEMY NURSERY SCHOOL
ALL CHILDREN WELCOME
AGES 2 - 6 YEARS
8:00 – 13:00
FUN LEARNING, EXCITING ACTIVITIES AND
GOOD FOOD.
21ST JUNE UNTIL 9TH
JULY INCLUSIVE
R350 PER WEEK
R70 PER DAY
2 CHILDREN R500 PER
WEEK, R100 PER DAY.
HURRY PHONE NOW
TZIPORAH
083-334-5974
h) (011) 882-7298
LIFTS
A-TAXI SERVICE
Let Warren Pogorelsky chauffeur
you to your destination in Jo’burg
and back only R100 round trip.
Tel: 082-399-6187
BRIAN K LIFT
SERVICE & COURIER
“AIRPORT SPECIAL R140”
Secure, comfortable & safe.
Anywhere 24/7. (JHB – PTA)
Call Brian on
072-366-4262
EX ISRAELI SERVICEMAN
SPECIAL OFFER
JUNE – JULY
Avoid drinking and driving will
take you to and from functions
& parties. 24-hrs.
Lifts to Airport and Dr’s
appointments
Call Neil 072-050-9927
Experienced, reliable driver
available to lift you
anywhere/anytime. 24 hrs.
Call Paul 083-542-6480
IRENE'S SCHLEP
SERVICE
I will take you anywhere:
School, Shops, Doctor, Friends
and Airport. Honest and
Trustworthy
Schlepped by Irene
072-356-0282
Not on Shabbat
LIFTS AVAILABLE
For all age groups and to all
areas in JHB, Sandton and
Airport.
Contact Johnny
082-328-3070 or
082-876-9042
RAYMOND K'S LIFTS
A reliable lift service.
Specialising in lifts to & from airports, shops, appointments,
companion.
Call Raymond
076-481-1495
SMILE-LEE'S LIFTS
A reliable lift service.
Specialising in lifts to and from
airports, shops, appointments,
casinos and courier.
Call Charna 083-391-6612
KIDS CORNER
SCRAPBOOKING
CLASSES FOR KIDS &
TEENS
A fun, therapeutic
& creative way to preserve your
memories. Holiday & afternoon
packages available.
Contact Sherice
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sherice@alphacell.co.za
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Young Jewish gentleman is willing to distribute pamphlets at a
small, nominal fee in all areas.
Contact David
073-748-0195
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service
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Freelance editing (to PhD level),
writing, stats analysis & reports,
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(BA English; MA research
psych)
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
17
Conundrum of the
‘unrighteous gentiles’
DAVID SAKS
Cantor George Lindenblatt, known as “Laky” (left) and Colin Traub
meet in April for the first time since they played water polo against
each other at the Maccabi Games 49 years ago. On the television
screen are some of the members of the competing teams. “Laky” is in
the US shirt, Traub is kneeling in front on the right of the picture and
Edor Sorger is standing to the right of him. (PHOTOGRAPH: PAUL KAHN)
After half a
century - more
than a sporting
chance for the 2
MOIRA SCHNEIDER
CAPE TOWN
WHEN CAPETONIAN Colin
Traub celebrated his 70th birthday with his children in San Diego
three years ago, he had no idea the
visit would ultimately lead to a
meeting with a sporting adversary
he had last seen 49 years previously.
Traub was a member of the victorious South African water polo
team that won a gold medal at the
1961 Maccabi Games in Israel. In
the semi-final, they had narrowly
beaten the United States team,
which had included three players
who fled Hungary at the time of
the 1956 uprising.
During his 2007 visit to the
United States, Traub was introduced to his son’s best friends, a
young American couple named
Paul and Nicky. “We went out for
dinner one evening, when they
remarked how fit I was for my
age,” he recalls.
“Nicky went on to comment that
her father, a year older than me,
was a cantor in New York and still
kept very fit cycling virtually
every day. She also mentioned that
she was of Hungarian origin, that
her father had fled the country in
1956 and had subsequently represented the US in water polo at the
Maccabi Games.”
This set Traub thinking and he
calculated that if her father had
fled Hungary in 1956 as a young
man, it was “more than likely”
that he had participated in either
the 1961 or 1965 Games. An immediate phone call to New York confirmed that he had indeed been
part of the 1961 United States
team.
Though the two sportsmen had
“no recollection” of each other,
Traub maintains that Cantor
George Lindenblatt, also known
as “Laky”, was “still hurting” as a
result of the semi-final defeat at
the hands of the South Africans
all those years ago!
“He remembered the names of
Dennis Port, who he described as a
huge blonde man from Durban,
also Robbie Schwartz, a jeweller
from Johannesburg, as well as
‘The Animal’ - Stan Lipschitz, who
together with his brother Harold,
were members of our team.
“He vividly recollected the
unfortunate clash between our
two teams in a practice warm-up
game before the tournament started. One of the Hungarian stars
had committed a vicious foul on
Harry Lipschitz.
“Stan, his brother, was so
incensed that he jumped into the
water, although only a reserve at
that time, punched one or two
players and this eventually resulted in a full-blooded fight between
the two teams, the reserves, the
coaches and various supporters.
“Edor Sorger, the Israeli captain
originally from Hungary who was
present, also jumped into the pool
in an endeavour to pacify the players.
“This incident made the six
o’clock news in Israel that night
and from then on we were referred
to as ‘The jungle men from
Africa’,” Traub remembers.
Sorger, “Laky” and two other
Hungarians in the US team, had
all played internationally for
Hungary before the uprising.
When Traub visited his children
again in April this year, Nicky
arranged a meeting between him
and her father. To Traub’s surprise, the cantor produced a DVD
that he had had converted from a
cine film he had taken at the 1961
Games.
“The tension mounted,” Traub
recalls. “He displayed the DVD on
their huge television set and, all of
a sudden, there I was at the age of
24 with him, other players and
Edor Sorger, who now lives in
Cape Town. There were shots of
the entire South African team,
most of whom I still recognised,
even after the passage of 49 years.
“Our captain, Bram Fialkov,
passed away last year. One of the
US team members had also passed
away.
“We drank an emotional toast to
both of them and continued to
chat late into the night. What a
fantastic evening!”
Now that contact has been reestablished after all these years,
Traub plans to keep in touch with
“Laky”. “It is amazing that my
son, who was born in South
Africa, and his daughter, should
meet up,” he marvels.
On returning from the 1961
Games, Traub joined his father’s
law firm in Worcester and initiated water polo in the country areas.
Under his tutelage, the under-18
side won the Western Province
shield for the sport the following
year.
WE ARE familiar with the term
“righteous gentile”, primarily
used to refer to non-Jews who,
frequently at great personal risk,
saved Jewish lives during the
Holocaust. What, however, is one
to make of gentiles who similarly
rescued Jewish while remaining
decidedly unrighteous?
This was the central question
explored by Dr Harold Serebro in
his acclaimed 2008 book (co-written with Jacques Sellschop)
Beyond Redemption?
This told for the first time the
fascinating and profoundly disturbing story of Kurt Becher, a
senior SS officer who was instrumental in saving many Jews after
initially being heavily complicit
in the Nazi extermination programme, yet did so less out of
feelings of remorse than from
pure self-interest. Through turning from killer to protector,
Becher was able both to enrich
himself at the expense of those
he rescued and to subsequently
evade prosecution as a war criminal.
Serebro, a leading South
African businessman and noted
Holocaust scholar, has devoted
all the book’s proceeds to assisting victims of terrorism in Israel.
A significant donation has since
been given to one of the main
NGOs active in this field, One
Family Fund. Worldwide sales of
the book thus far have been substantial.
Earlier this year one of Israel’s
best-known war heroes, Doron
Levinson, presented a copy to
Doron Levinson presents a copy of Harold Serebro’s book, Beyond
Redemption? to former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau.
former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi
Yisrael Meir Lau, himself a
Holocaust survivor. Levinson is
the founder of Levinstein House
in Tel Aviv, which works to rehabilitate wounded Israeli soldiers.
Levinson himself was severely
wounded during the 1973 Yom
Kippur War.
Launches of Beyond Redemption? have already taken place in
Israel,
South
Africa
and
Australia and the book is soon to
be launched in the US, the UK
and Germany as well. The latter
were delayed through Serebro’s
donation of a substantial consignment of books to Yeshivas
Ahavas Torah - Baranovich in
New York to assist them in their
2009 Rosh Hashanah fundraising
appeal.
Eighteen months ago, Serebro
established the Serebro Sderot
Foundation, whose purpose is to
assist victims of Hamas missile
fire in Sderot near the Gaza border. Various functions are being
planned this year to take the
project forward. Those wishing
to participate in the project, are
invited to contact him.
SA blind bowlers win an
international tourney
ALISON MAY
A TEAM of South African blind
bowlers has just returned from
Israel having won an international test series against Israel,
England, Canada and Scotland.
An overjoyed May Homer, who is
partially sighted and won two
golds and a silver medal, says the
five players and their five directors were in Israel from April 30
to May 12.
Homer is Gauteng treasurer of
the National Association of
Blind Bowlers and said the team
played at different bowling clubs
in Ramat Gan, Ra’anana and
Haifa. Also playing was Cathy
Donaldson, who is president of
the national association.
Three categories of bowlers
took part: B1s who are completely blind, and B2s and B3s who
are partially sighted. Homer
explained that the bowlers use
directors to assist them in delivering the bowls properly.
Homer’s director is her husband Paul and she played in the
B3 category. When playing in the
mixed pairs competition, her
partner was Flippie Walker. In
the B2 category, South African
Jaco van Straaten teamed up
with Jessie Crate, a woman from
Scotland in her eighties.
Pictured are (back row) B1
player Machel Kruger; B3 player
Flippie Walker; B2 player Jaco
van Straaten; B2 director Johan
du Toit. Middle: B2 director Ron
Crate;
B1
director
Willie
Schoeman; B3 director Paul
Homer;
B1
player
Cathy
Donaldson; B1 director Karin
Gouws. Front: B2 player Jessie
Crate; B3 player May Homer.
16
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
WHAT’S ON
NOTE: Deadline for all entries is 12:00 on the Friday
prior to publication.
Key to organisations, venues, contact
details and cost:
• Beit Emanuel Progressive Synagogue, 38 Oxford
Road, Parktown.
• Beyachad Resource Centre/Library, 2 Elray St, Raedene, 2192. Norma Shulman (011) 645-2567, email:library@beyachad.co.za
• Bikkur Cholim - Jewish Society for Visiting the Sick,
7A Chester Road, Greenside East, Johannesburg.
Joy Gafin (011) 447-6689.
• CAJE - College of Adult Jewish Education, Sydenham Highlands North Shul, (011) 640-5021.
• CSO - Emergency phone number 086 18 000 18.
• ELBM - Emunah Ladies Beit Midrash. 60 Mejon St
Glenhazel. (011) 887-2910. “Lessons of our Lives”
course on Wednesdays at 10:00. R350 for the
course or R50 per shiur.
• FFHS - Friendship Forum for Holocaust Survivors,
Second Generation and Members of the Community
Affected by the Holocaust. Presentations at the Gerald Horwitz Lounge, Golden Acres, 85 George Ave,
Sandringham.
• HOD - Hebrew Order of David International. HOD
Centre Oaklands Road, Orchards. Office (011) 640
3017 - info@hodavid.org
• JAFFA - Jewish Accommodation for Fellow Aged,
(012) 346-2007/8. 42 Mackie Street, Bailey’s Muckleneuck, Pretoria.
• KDSF - King David Schools’ Foundation. King David
Alumni info@kdsf.org (011) 480-4723.
• Nechama Bereavement Counselling Centre - Room
A304, 3rd Floor, Hospital Wing, Sandringham Gardens, 85 George Avenue, Sandringham, 2192. Contact (011) 640-1322.
• New Friendship Ladies’ Group - A group for single
women - contact Lucille (011) 791-5226 or 082927-5786.
• ORT and ORT JET SA - 44 Central Street, Cnr 10th
Ave, Houghton. Contact (011) 728-7154.
• Preview Theatre - 9 Valerie Crescent, Bagleyston,
(011) 640-1061.
• Rabbi Cyril Harris Community Centre (RCHCC) and
Great Park Shul, Johannesburg. Contact Hazel, (011)
728-8088 or Rene Sidley (011) 728-8378. Cost usually R50, including refreshments.
• SAIJE - Sandton Adult Institute of Jewish Education,
Sandton Shul, e-mail: saije@sandtonshul.co.za and
tel (011) 883-4210.
• Second Innings, Johannesburg - Jewish Community Services - Donald Gordon Centre,
85 George Avenue Sandringham. At the Gerald
Horwitz Lounge, Golden Acres, 85 George
Avenue Sandringham every Sunday morning for
tea at 10:00 followed by the meeting at 10:30.
Contact Grecia Gabriel (011) 532-9718 for
information.
• Society of Israel Philately (SIP) - daniels@wbx.co.za.
Contact Maurice (011) 485-2293.
• SA Friends of Beit Halochem: Beyachad, 2 Elray St,Raedene,2192. Contact Leanne (011) 645 2553, e-mail:
beithalochem@beyachad.co.za
• South African Jewish Board of Deputies (Johannesburg)
- Beyachad, 2 Elray Street, Raedene. Contact (011) 6452500 or (011) 645-2523.
• South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), Johannesburg
- Beyachad, 2 Elray Street, Raedene. Contact Froma,
(011) 645-2505.
• The Israel Centre. Contact Debbie (011) 645-2560.
• The Jewish National Fund (JNF) Choir, Beyachad,
2 Elray St, Raedene. Contact Crystal Kaplan.
083-376-5999.
• The Jewish Outlook Team. Contact Ryan Cane, e-mail
info@jewishoutlook.org.za, website www.jewishout
look.org.za, support line: 27 76 215 8600.
• The Jewish Women’s Benevolent Society (JWBS) Sandringham Gardens, 85 George Avenue Sandringham 2192. Contact Carolyn Sabbagh. (011)
485-5232.
• The Simcha Friendship and Cultural Circle (SFCC),
Johannesburg - Sandton Shul. Contact Sylvia Shull,
(011) 783-5600. Meetings on 1st, 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of every month at Sandton Shul at 10:00, unless
stated otherwise.
• The United Sisterhood, 38 Oxford Road Parktown. Website: www.unitedsisterhood.co.za. Contact Marian (011)
646-2409.
• Tiyulim (Jewish Outdoor Club) - Contact Martin 082965-7419 or Greg 082-959-9026
• Union of Jewish Women (UJW), Johannesburg - 1 Oak
Street Houghton. Contact (011) 648-1053. Cost R15 for
the Friendship Luncheon Club and a R20 donation for
lectures, unless otherwise stated.
• Union of Jewish Women (UJW), Cape Town - (021)
434-9555, e-mail: info@ujwcape.co.za
• UJW Cape Town AED programme - Stonehaven, Albany
Road, Sea Point, 10:00 for 10:30. Entrance R15 (incl
refreshments).
• United Zionist Luncheon Club (UZLC), Johannesburg Our Parents Home. Contact Gloria, (011) 485-4851 or
072-127-9421.
• UOS- Union of Orthodox Synagogues (011) 485-4865,
e-mail, info@uos.co.za, fax 086-610-3442.
• WIZO Johannesburg - Beyachad, 2 Elray Street Raedene. wizopublicrelations@beyachad.co.za or contact
Joyce Chodos (011) 645-2548 or Sandy Kramer (011)
645-2515.
Today Friday (June 18)
• Cape Town Holocaust Centre is hosting Davis Lurie’s
photographic exhibition “The Right to Refuge” until
July 9.
• UZLC presents Beverley Goldman from the Media Centre on “The Media Team and the Flotilla etc, etc”.
Sunday (June 20)
• RCHCC is screening “Ballets Russes” by Dayna Goldfine
and Dan Geller at 19:30.
Sudoku Puzzle 12
(Medium, difficulty rating 0.58)
7
6
3
4
8
2
1
7
7
6
1
7
4
7
6
9
2
3
* Answer to follow
with next puzzle
Note to readers: Our bridge
column and our Sudoku
puzzle alternate week by week.
1
Answer - Puzzle 11
9
2
9
5
6
4
7
3
4
9
6
2
6
4
5
1
8
7
3
9
9
3
1
6
7
4
8
2
5
8
5
7
9
2
3
1
6
4
4
8
6
2
3
5
9
7
1
5
7
2
4
9
1
3
8
6
1
9
3
7
8
6
4
5
2
7
2
5
3
4
9
6
1
8
3
4
8
1
6
2
5
9
7
6
1
9
8
5
7
2
4
3
Barry Bilewitz carro@global.co.za
Monday (June 21)
on “Mandela - Leader, Comrade, Negotiator, Prisoner,
Statesman”.
• WIZO Johannesburg presents “The 60th AnniverWednesday (July 21)
sary of the Goodwill International Recipe Book”. Join
celebrity chefs Delores Fouche, Miro Dorin, Sharon
• SFCC presents Martine Schaffer on “Another View of
Glass and Sybil Smerkovitz at 09:00 for a 09:30
South Africa”.
breakfast/brunch.
Sunday (July 25)
Tuesday (June 22)
• WIZO Fortnightly Forum presents “Take Responsibility for Your Own Health!” with Devora Kur and
Shelley Geffen showing you how, 09:30 at Beyachad.
Cost R35.
• Join Team Chev on the 8km “Walk the Talk”. Minimum
donation R180. Contact Cindi Bobroff on (011) 5329698.
Wednesday (July 28)
Wednesday (June 23)
• Second Innings outing to Mount Grace Hotel. Cost:
R210, including lunch and the bus. Time: Meet the bus
• UJW Cape Town presents Dr David Sher on “Jack
at 08:30 sharp at The Oxford Shul parking.
the Ripper and the Jewish World”.
Sunday (August 1)
Friday (June 25)
• UZLC presents Ephraim Milner, president of the
Lions Shul, on “The History of the Lions Shul in
Doornfontein”.
• Second Innings Tea ‘n Talk presents Rolene Marks on
“Armaggedon? - The Iranian Threat”.
Monday (August 2)
Sunday (June 27)
• Morris Rutstein Ulpan course - registration. Venue:
Yeshiva College at 18:30. The course will run every
• Second Innings presents Graeme Joffe on “Joffers
Tuesday from August 3 to November 16 at Yeshiva Colmy Boy”.
lege. Time: 19:00 to 21:15. Enquiries: (011) 645-2531
(office hours).
Wednesday (June 30)
Wednesday (August 4)
• UJW Cape Town presents Dr Leon Geffen on “Planning for the Future”.
• SFCC invites you to join them on an outing to Constitutional Hill. Entrance R15, transport R25. Meet at
• Balfour Park Parkinson’s Disease Support
Sandton Shul at 10:00. Booking essential.
Group presents Andrea Millstein on “The Design
of a House for Physically Disabled People to Live
Sunday (August 15)
Safely and Comfortably”, in the Boardroom,
Randjes Estate, Randjeslaagte Road, Highlands • Second Innings Tea ‘n Talk presents Michael Sieff on
“The Chev in 2010”.
North at 10:00. Contact Rosemary Burke on (011)
640-3919.
Wednesday (August 18)
Friday (July 2)
• UZLC presents Ronnie Mink on “Polish Jewish Relations”.
• SFCC presents Dr Claudius van Wyk on “The Power of
Your Words in the Language of Healing - Activating
Your Mind for Wellness”.
Sunday (July 4)
Sunday (August 22)
• Second Innings Tea ‘n Talk presents Laura Siegel on • Second Innings Tea ‘n Talk presents a recital on ‘cello
by Misha Favis.
“One Tree - One Goal”.
• Second Innings outing to see “Carmen” at the Civic
Theatre. Time:Meet the bus at 13:30. Matinee starts at
• SFCC presents Professor Barry Schoub on “Pan15:00. Where: Oxford Shul Parking to meet the bus or
demics and Viruses - What is in Store for Us”.
the Civic, Mandela Theatre, Braamfontein. Cost: R180
per ticket; R50 for the bus.
• UJW Cape Town presents Lorna Levy on “Radical
Wednesday (August 25)
Engagements - Then and Now”.
Wednesday (July 7)
• Second Innings outing to Garden World - Honeydew.
Time: Meet the Bus at 9:00 at the Oxford Shul Parking.
• Second Innings Tea ‘n Talk presents Errol BraithCost: R90, including the Bus, entrance to the Kirstenwaite on “An Overview and Update of the Gautrain
bosch display and tea.
Project”.
Sunday (July 11)
Sunday (August 29)
Sunday (July 18)
• Second Innings Tea ‘n Talk presents Emilia Potenza
• Second Innings Tea ‘n Talk presents Beresford Jobling
on “A Sojourn in St Petersburg”.
CROSSWORD NO 168
BY LEAH SIMON
ACROSS
1. In the west, it is briefly about one’s faculties (4)
3. Southerner published - and ran (8)
8. Name of the period (4)
9. Destinies surround oil structure vessels (8)
11. Test suite and reform America (6, 6)
13. Good man to travel on horse - or walk (6)
14. I’m returning, right? I am - to Biblical figure (6)
17. Lengthy bit of grammar for those with convictions
(4, 8)
20. Respect residents and hide
1
2
ghostly apparitions (8)
21. Rest badly in Paris? Very much
so! (4)
22. Female changed - and hesitated
(8)
8
23. Change side in the middle of
March (4)
DOWN
1. Make a bosom buddy of the childminder! (3, 5)
2. Dog has the right to retire (7)
4. Kuala Lampur is told to hide one
who does things by the book (6)
5. Great one in at new way to curry
favour (10)
6. It returns to the church tax (5)
7. Political party silent - but will run
(4)
10. The middle of the cemetery (4, 6)
12. Rim seems damaged, so steeps it
in liquid (8)
15. Do reign somehow, though lacking knowledge (7)
16. Seen round about, being tranquil (6)
18. Notion of the pupil is perfect! (5)
19. From this time (2, 2)
SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD NO 167
ACROSS: 1. Knee; 3. The blues; 8. Chew; 9. Encumber;
11. Brain washing; 13. Clever; 14. Entice; 17.
Congratulate; 20. Midnight; 21. Euro; 22. Struggle; 23.
Feat.
DOWN: 1. Kick back; 2. Elevate; 4. Hangar; 5. Brushing
up; 6. Urban; 7. Spry; 10. Undergoing; 12. Relevant; 15.
Imagine; 16. Machel; 18. Order; 19. Imps.
3
5
4
6
7
9
10
11
12
14
13
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
YOUTH TALK
15
Alison Goldberg youthsajr@global.co.za
Beautiful soccer benches
as a World Cup tribute
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY
SHEVA MESSIAS
AT YIDDISH Folk Pre-primary School in Johannesburg, children got into the soccer spirit by decorating beautiful benches.
Each group decorated their
own bench and the photographs of each child was pasted onto wooden cut-outs.
Junior group children decorated wooden soccer balls,
senior group with hexagons
and the grade Rs had little soccer players. The benches were raffled and
the proud winners were Levi Maron from
Junior Group; Ricci Atie from Senior
Group; and Jake Shrock from grade R.
Incorporating everything
into our Torah world
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
Grade 6 life-size soccer players.
THIS PAST week Yeshiva College Primary
School held their annual art exhibition.
The theme was the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Each child in every grade had to produce three pieces of art work reflecting
different parts of the World Cup. The
biggest challenge was of course linking
this theme to our Torah world and that
challenge was achieved on a very high
level.
The big lesson learned was that one can
elevate anything we see in this world and
incorporate it into our Torah World. The
art on the whole was outstanding.
There were many different mediums
that were used and art was portrayed in
poster-style and even 3D. What an inspiring event this was for the Primary School.
All about relationships in
all their different guises
GITA LIPSCHITZ
PHOTOGRAPH: YAEL GORDON
THE GRADE 9 learners at King
David High School Victory Park
have participated in a workshop
entitled “Love Shouldn’t Hurt”. The
aim of the workshop is to make
learners aware of healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationships
and the fine lines between them.
Topics such as gender issues, Ariella Eschur; Sasha Donenberg; Gita Lipschitz
stereotypes about boys’ and girls’ Liza Gavson; Shaun Furman; Rafi Setzen; and
roles and expectations in relationRomi Blumeneau.
ships; what to look out for when
things get unhealthy; how to recogYudelowitz, a social worker in private pracnise an abusive relationship and how to get
tice and co-ordinator of the Domestic
the support and resources to get out of it.
Violence Project at Chevrah Kadisha
Good self-esteem is vital in preventing
Community Services, and her team of expeabuse.
rienced facilitators, in partnership with Gita
The workshop is the initiative of Roselyn
Lipschitz, the KDHSVP school counsellor.
KDVPP commemorates Soweto uprising
Dumi and Bearemy
cause lots of excitement
MORAH CHANA
PHOTOGRAPH:CLIFF SACKS
THE CHILDREN at Ohr Somayach
Sandton Nursery School had a fabulous
time as Dumi and Bearemy visited the
school. They taught the children the Diski
dance for the Fifa World Cup. We had so
much fun jiving to the funky moves!
Pictured are some of the children and
staff.
Our Somayach Sandton Nursery School
accepts children from the age of 15 months
- grade R - and caters for the individual
needs of your child. For more information
contact Gail Snaid on (011) 802-1210.
Mina Lopato young get
football fever ‘badly’
HILARY FRANKLIN
PHOTOGRAPH: ROZ BERZEN
MINA LOPATO Nursery School in
Greenside, Johannesburg, kicked off the
Fifa World Cup with loads of fun at our
recent soccer fun day, where parents,
teachers and children celebrated in true
South African style.
What a superb day we shared with soccer
games, arts and crafts and many other
activities, keeping both parents and children entertained!
The day started with Collen, our soccer
man, and his team leading the children
around the field to the tune of “Waka
Waka”, the air filled with bubbles from a
bubble machine, to the ecstatic delight of
the children.
Soccer activities were the main focus of
the day, but adults and children also loved
the tug-of-war and the little ones were
cheered on by all during their “black bike”
race.
Parents and children loved learning the
“Diski” dance and enthusiastically joined
in with the “Patta Patta” while the stalls
offering face painting, pebble painting and
decorating vuvuzelas were very popular.
“Mamelas Meals” gave the children the
opportunity to create their own masterpieces using boiled potatoes and fillings.
Having worked up an appetite on that
cold and busy morning, everyone was
The Mina Lopato girls joined enthusiastically in the tug-of-war
tempted by the mouthwatering aroma of
boerewors on the braai, served with pap,
gravy and “chakalaka” - food with a truly
South African flavour.
Prizes for the raffle were so generously
donated by parents including a week at a
holiday home at Boulders in Simon’s Town,
World Cup soccer tickets, soccer shirts
signed by Lucas Radebe and a bench painted in the colours of the national flag.
The children happily went home wearing
their Mina Lopato World Cup medals.
Tots enjoy an Alan Glass treat
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
THE PRE-NURSERY and Nursery Schools
of Yeshiva College in Johannesburg, were
given a real treat when they were enter-
tained by Alan Glass, one of the creators of
the CD series, “Beautiful Creatures”.
There was much enjoyment at sitting in
the Nursery School garden, under a perfect blue sky, and joining in with songs so
familiar to us all.
STACY FLEISHMAN
PHOTOGRAPH: LUCY SIMMONDS
ON THURSDAY June 10, King David
Victory Park Primary School held a
“Youth Day Assembly”. Wendy
Robertson and Adrienne Meltz wrote
the script and directed a play, together
with a group of learners who enacted
the story of Hector Pietersen and the
events leading up to the Soweto riots.
This year’s guest speakers were
Elana Afrika, a multi-talented radio
Shayna van Vuren in a scene from the play.
and TV presenter; and Tito Maleka,
After assembly, the grade 5 and 6 chilhead of security in the office of the presidren ran a mini-market to raise funds for
dency of the ANC and a prisoner on
charity.
Robben Island.
Alan Glass,
one of the
creators of
“Beautiful
Creatures”,
with the
Yeshiva
College PreNursery and
Nursery
Schools’
learners
14
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
YOUTH TALK
Alison Goldberg youthsajr@global.co.za
An explosion of soccer
patriotism at Yiddish Folk
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY SHEVA MESSIAS
JUST AS a human chain was formed
at 12:00 in Sandton last Thursday, the children of Yiddish Folk Nursery School in
Johannesburg, made a human chain around
the school courtyard.
They waved flags, blew vuvuzelas and
shouted support for Bafana Bafana, our
national team. The soccer spirit is just
exploding; the children are feeling so proud
and patriotic.
The grade 5 girls from Torah Academy Primary School adopted Nigeria as “their”
country for the Fifa World Cup.
Making the World Cup
one of learning and fun
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH: SUZANNE BELLING
THE 2010 Fifa World Cup provided Torah
Academy Primary School with a “golden
opportunity” for the event to increase the
general knowledge of their learners, deputy
principal (secular) Pam Yachad told guests at
the annual “Grandparents Day” at the
school.
Soccer was the theme of the day, with decorated classrooms and vuvuzelas abounding.
Each class had drawn a participating coun-
try which it “owned” and, through
research, art work, drama and study, had
increased the knowledge of the children for
their adopted participating country “by
leaps and bounds”.
The results of their efforts were showcased at “Grandparents Day”, with children
wearing the traditional dress of the countries whose teams they were to support during the World Cup.
Guest speaker at the function was
Rebbetzen Adel Kazilsky, herself a “new”
grandmother.
These youngsters did
not cry for Argentina!
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY
RENEE TOBIANSKY
SOCCER FEVER swept through
Eden Prep School in Johannesburg
at the beginning of the second
term.
Each class drew a country to support and had to decorate their
classes accordingly. The winning
class in the foundation phase was
the grade 3s with Argentina.
Makarapa: Getting into
the spirit of football
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
THE GRADE R learners at Yeshiva
College were very involved with the
theme of soccer in the lead up to the
World Cup. At the same time as
learning about their country South
Africa they each beaded their own
vuvuzelas coupled with their own
makarapas.
On Football Friday last week at
Yeshiva College’s grade R unit, the
learners were very excited to invite
their fathers to assist them with decorating their designer makarapas.
The MD of Yeshiva College, Rabbi
Laurence Perez, addressed the
fathers and acted as auctioneer for a
makarapa made by Morah Andi
Cohen to raise funds for the unit.
This added an exciting and special
vibe to the hype which has prevailed
throughout the school.
Dr Richard Friedland helping his daughter
Ariella with her makarapa.
The winning class decoration.
Simba causes tremendous
excitement among the young
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY
MOIRA NOCHUMSOHN
SIMBA THE Lion visited Sydenham
Hebrew Pre-Primary on “Football Friday”
last week. The children were very excited as
Simba spent the morning with the children
participating in all the activities.
Faces were painted and Simba enjoyed a
game of soccer with the boys. It was a roaring success!
Pictured
are Taylor
Seinker and
Adiv Blumenthal with
their painted faces.
Zoe Wein; Geena Bennun; Rowan Lange; Andrew Stead; Ricky Stoch; and Saul Musker.
KDVP does justice to its
high debating standard
ELIZABETH LEAVER
PHOTOGRAPH BY YAEL GORDON
KING DAVID Victory Park has long
enjoyed a reputation as the home of high
quality debating. This reputation is hardly
surprising, given that KDVP has either
won or been the runner-up in the SACEE
Senior Debating League for the past five
years.
Every year our debaters are selected to
represent Gauteng at the South African
National Championships. And for the past
five years our debaters have represented
South Africa at the World Debating
Championships.
Nor is our 2010 SACEE Senior Team letting the grass grow under their feet. So far
this year the team has been undefeated and
is riding very high in the league.
On May 9 the team won both its rounds,
including a gutsy win over last year’s
SACEE Champions, Parktown Girls High
School.
The team is very young, consisting of
Ricky Stoch and Geena Bennun (both
grade 11); Saul Musker and Zoe Wein (both
grade 10); and Rowan Lange (grade 9).
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
13
COMMUNITY COLUMNS
ABOVE
BOARD
Zev Krengel,
National Chairman
A column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies
BY THE time this column appears, the most
eagerly awaited sporting event in our country’s history will be underway. It has indeed
been inspiring to see how our Jewish community, whether at the organisational or
the individual level, has so enthusiastically
made itself a part of all the excitement.
We have all been doing much more than
merely enjoying an opportunity for our
country to host as prestigious an event.
Rather, it is our very South Africanness we
have all been celebrating.
We hope that this spirit of pride, purpose
and togetherness will remain with us long
after the final whistle.
Our AmaJuda makarapa
My sharing in the elation over Bafana
Bafana’s victory over Columbia two weeks
ago was heightened further by seeing a
number of spectators sporting our
“Amajuda” makarapa. As nearly everyone
will know by now, a makarapa is a safety
helmet gaudily decorated by football fans to
show support for their team.
I was delighted to see how our own community is now visibly involved in this aspect
of our vibrant footballing culture.
The Board commissioned the design and
production of a makarapa with a distinct
Jewish theme as part of a broad-based initiative aimed at involving and identifying
our Jewish community with the unfolding
Fifa World Cup experience. While individually handcrafted and painted, they are reasonably priced, the aim being simply to
cover our expenses. Both as something to
wear and display during the World Cup
itself and as a lasting keepsake of an espe-
World Cup 2010:
Rollercoaster ride
has begun!
cially memorable time in our history, it is
certainly something I recommend getting
hold of. Those interested in obtaining one
can contact Jenni (011) 645-2521.
In this Jewish Report issue, we are delighted to enclose our Jewish 2010 Fifa World Cup
wall chart, providing all the past and upcoming tournament fixtures.
Board’s response to ambassador’s recall
The Board’s immediate response to the temporary recall of the South African
Ambassador to Israel, as reported last week,
was to join with the SA Zionist Federation
and the Chief Rabbi in issuing a statement
expressing our dismay.
Media responses were followed by numerous meetings and communications with
members of government, in particular with
the Department of International Relations
and Co-operation (DIRCO).
The Board assisted with and participated
in SAUJS’ successful protest rally in
Pretoria, following which a petition was
handed over to DIRCO. Finally, National
Director Wendy Kahn received confirmation
from Saul Molobi, DIRCO public diplomacy
director, that the ambassador would definitely be returning to Israel within the next
couple of weeks.
We were relieved to learn this and now can
only hope that this uncharacteristic stance
taken by our government will prove to be no
more than a temporary aberration.
Last Friday, Wendy also attended a reception to meet with US Vice President Joe
Biden, one of the few international statesmen who addressed the objective facts of the
Gaza flotilla incident rather than simply
indulging in knee-jerk emotionalism.
She spoke with him and was very encouraged by his warm expressions of support.
Israel Now Media
Tour a great success
FED FOCUS
Avrom Krengel
Chairman
A column of the South African Zionist Federation
LAST WEEK’S demonstration in Pretoria,
which was organised by SAUJS and assisted
by the SAZF to protest the recall of South
Africa’s ambassador to Israel following the
Gaza flotilla incident, was, despite the myriad
official obstacles confronting the students, a
great success.
In the shortest possible time, they managed
to secure buses, arrange a closed venue when
the metro police refused to allow them to hold
their meeting in the public domain, gather a
good representative body of communal leaders, university and school learners, politicians,
rabbis and many members of the Christian
Zionist community, and present their memorandum to a representative of the Department
of International Relations and Co-operation.
Our congratulations to the SAUJS organising committee for taking and carrying through
this important initiative. It was a privilege to
work with you all.
***
The 16th Israel Now Tour which returned
from Israel last week, was accompanied by
journalists from various national media.
The tour managed successfully to alter
many stereotypically negative and distorted
perceptions of Israel, which till then had mirrored that of the general populace, resulting in
the usual hostile and vitriolic coverage so
offensive to those for whom the truth matters.
This was a very different tour from the previous ones, not only because of the inclusion of
these media persona, but because of the places
they visited and the people they met.
For the first time they understood the security fence was necessary because of armed
attacks against Israelis, in ways not compara-
ble to what had happened in South Africa.
They met with representatives not only of
the Israeli government and Zionist organisations, but also of the Palestine Liberation
Organisation and the Palestinian Economic
Council for Development and Reconstruction.
They visited Jerusalem and Ramallah; they
spoke to Jewish West Bank settlers,
Palestinian and Israeli journalists, historians
and archaeologists. And they acknowledged,
in the articles they have written, that there
are no easy answers to this intractable problem; that the complexity of the situation
defies any one-size-fits-all solution; and that
peace remains elusive until both sides are
ready to agree to talk.
For journalists from the Citizen, the Times
and the Sowetan, Beeld, People Magazine and
Cape Talk/Radio 702 among others, this trip
was a revelation, an eye-opener, exposing
them to “an extraordinary number of individuals and organisations - effective community
leaders - not only willing to share this troubled land, but actively striving to make peaceful co-operation a reality”. (Martin Williams).
There was a general consensus among
them, in the words of Thabo Leshilo, that “the
least that touring journalists can do is to avoid
having their naivety exploited in a way that
they become tools in the perpetuation of
either narrative or version”.
They were there during the Gaza flotilla
incident, and although critical of Israel’s public relations - a position with which many of
Israel’s strongest supporters agree they
understood that the flotilla was a publicity
stunt and not a humanitarian gesture, and
recognised the reality of the propaganda war
in the region, with Israel definitely the loser
in international opinion.
Their balanced and insightful reports will
hopefully go a long way to addressing the misconception so prevalent in our media today
that continues to paint Israel as the gravest
danger to world peace.
12
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
LETTERS
Guidelines for letters: Letters up to 400 words will get preference. Please provide your full first name
and surname, place of residence, and a daytime contact telephone or cell number. We do not publish letters under noms de plume. Letters should preferably be e-mailed. Letters may be edited or shortened.
AND THEN THE PALESTINIANS GOT MEDIA-SAVVY...
I READ Avrom Krengel’s Fed Focus column
in last week’s issue, “Israel again bears
brunt of selective morality”, with a sense of
sadness and futility.
This is not because Krengel is wrong. This
is not because he has no right to be outraged. My dismay lies in the fact that his
expression of the situation is redundant and
irrelevant.
Anti-Semitism largely informs the opinion of the older generations. Ignorance of
Jewish history, a failure to comprehend the
complexities that shape an instinct to survive and the propaganda success of painting
Palestinians as the ultimate victims, are
probably what inform the world’s younger
generations.
From the early 1970s onwards, the media
perception of Israel changed from courageous David to outrageous Goliath. This is
despite the outrageous terrorist acts perpetrated by the PLO and its allies; this despite
the PLO’s looting of aid money intended for
the Palestinian people; this despite the
counter-intuitive glorification of death.
I believe there were two factors that
resulted in this tragic change: first was the
PLO’s successful casting of helpless, poverty-stricken Palestinians, huddling in
refugee camps as the ultimate victims.
Second was the arrogant and yet naive
approach by Israel to the rest of the world.
The Israelis correctly understood that the
West did not understand that the nations of
the Middle East operated on a completely
different political, social and ethical paradigm to the West.
However, knowing this, Israel failed to
counter the falsities presented by this paradigm. Israel presented itself to the world as
not giving a damn what the world thought. If
it needed to do whatever it took, it would
protect its citizens.
Its spokesmen and politicians presented a
persona that was brusque, inarticulate and
aggressively defensive. The manner was:
“This is who Israelis are; take us or leave us.
We don’t care.”
This was all well and good, but while the
macho sabra image was being strutted, the
Palestinians were becoming media-savvy.
Wherever the gaps were, latent antiSemitism filled the vacuum.
Consequently Israel is damned if it does
and damned if it doesn’t. It doesn’t matter if
Hamas rains down rockets on Israel first, it
is the response that is “disproportionate” - a
charge ONLY levelled at Israel.
It doesn’t matter whether the key movers
on the flotilla had less than altruistic aims,
the Israelis fell into their trap. It doesn’t matter if Arab countries expelled hundreds of
thousands of Jews in the 1940s and 1950s.
Few outside the Jewish community know
about it.
The South African government recalls its
ambassador from Israel. It didn’t respond to
the sinking of a South Korean ship with the
loss of 46 lives by the North Koreans.
The world accepts the terrorism repeatedly visited upon the hapless citizens of Iraq
by murderous thugs. Five million killed in
the largest and dirtiest wars in Africa purely to serve greed and venality. Nothing.
Israel can swing from the chandeliers,
expressing outrage at the double-standards,
the anti-Semitism and media shallowness is
not going to change anything.
Spectator columnist, James Delingpole
said recently (inter alia) that Israel’s representatives must become much more tactical,
less emotional, more crafty and cleverer
than the rest. Israel used to be way ahead of
the pack. It has fallen behind. Israel must
also understand that its citizens currently,
ironically and yet appropriately, do not
experience the nasty daily anti-Semitism
that was crucial to the formation of Israel.
SC Weiss
Parktown North
Johannesburg
This letter has been shortened. - Editor
ONLY JEW LEFT IN GAZA IS GILAD SHALIT
PROF FARID Esack believes that only ending
the occupation will “do the trick”. What trick?
What occupation?
Is he perhaps referring to that vexing question of Israel’s occupation of Gaza? If so, he is
obviously unaware that Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005. In so doing every
Jewish person living in Gaza was removed to
make way for yet another Judenfrei Arab
country and as you should know Professor
Esack, the only Jew still in Gaza is Gilad
Shalit, the young soldier kidnapped by Hamas
on Israeli soil in 2006.
An infrastructure worth billions was left
intact by the Israelis in Gaza to assist the
Palestinians to build their new lives. What did
the citizens of Gaza do with the homes, buildings and hothouses? These self-same buildings became the launching pads from where
the Palestinians fired their rockets into Israel.
Since the withdrawal from Gaza, the rocket
attacks aimed at Israeli civilians living in
southern Israeli cities, escalated exponentially. Between 2001 and 2008, 8 165 rockets were
fired from Gaza with the express intention
of murdering as many men, women and
children as possible.
Hamas, the elected government of the
Palestinian people living in Gaza, has as
part of its charter the annihilation of all
Jews everywhere as you should also know,
Prof Esack.
So, to protect their citizens, the Israeli
government was forced to impose a military
blockade on Gaza. In so doing they are able
to check goods entering Gaza and prevent
the import of lethal weapons and other
items that are able to assist in the manufacture of such weapons.
Therefore, Professor Esack, the trick is:
Hamas must recognise Israel’s right to
exist, desist in its desire to murder Jews and
cease attacking Israelis. The blockade will
be lifted, and the Israelis and the citizens of
Gaza will live happily ever after.
D I Ossin
Glenhazel, Johannesburg
DENNIS DAVIS WOULD WIN AN ANNUAL AWARD FOR HUBRIS
MR JUSTICE Dennis Davis writes about
“The danger of Jewish divisions over Israel”,
but what he actually refers to is the danger of
the Jews not agreeing with the political opinion of Dennis Davis about Israel.
In a true democracy the right to dissent is
sacrosanct. Any person can disagree with
anyone else about anything he chooses and
he can express his dissent at will. The Jews,
however, are “Untermenchen” - for them dissent is dangerous, particularly when they
disagree with Dennis Davis.
You see Davis’ political opinion has been
endorsed by Asher Susser, so he must be
right. If there were an annual award for
hubris this would win it hands down.
What Davis did not tell you is that three of
the greatest gaonim of the last century, former Chief Rabbis Shlomo Goren and
Avraham Shapira, and the Lubavitcher
Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, devoted their lives to teaching their followers the
exact opposite of what Davis is now preaching.
Although they have now passed on, each
one of them individually still has well in
excess of 100 000 followers. When you consider the total size of the Jewish population
today, you realise that this in itself is no
small feat.
Davis also forgets to mention the fact that
right up to last month the majority of his
liberal establishment were not only happy,
but proud to be associated with Helen
(“Expel the Jews from Palestine and send
them back to Poland and Germany”)
Thomas. In fact some of them are still
defending her now. She was the doyen of
the liberal press corps - well-respected by
all of her liberal colleagues.
Davis can carry on saying and writing
whatever he pleases - it is his democratic
right. However, there is one simple truth
that everyone should understand - the day
that we throw our great rabbis under the
bus to concur with Davis and his liberal
establishment will NEVER come !
Irwin Gutkin
Jerusalem
The Editor, Suite 175, Postnet X10039, Randburg, 2125 email: carro@global.co.za
Disclaimer: The letters page is intended to provide opportunity for a range of views on any
given topic to be expressed. Opinions articulated in the letters are those of the writers and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the editor, staff or directors of the Jewish Report
BARACK OBAMA IS ‘A FOREIGN POLICY IMBECILE’
I REFER to Mr Justice Dennis Davis’ column, “The danger of Jewish divisions
over Israel”. It is interesting that a Jewish
South African jurist sees persistent gentle
prodding by (US President Barack)
Obama as a legitimate path to some resolution of Israel’s challenges.
Those of us expatriate South Africans
who reside in the US [and vote in the US]
recognise that Obama is a foreign policy
imbecile.
He has no concept of global geopolitics
and his transparent superficial neophyte
approach to the most challenging foreign
policy issues of the day is more and more
apparent as the post-messianic fervour
that heralded his election, wanes rather
rapidly.
Whatever sanitising effect (staff members) Emmanuel, Axelrod, Ross and
Indyck may have provided at some point,
has evaporated.
His true colours are obvious and blatant and he has lost his legitimacy as an
objective foreign policy broker in all arenas.
Peter Beinart is eloquent but not that
convincing. I would suggest everyone
watch Fareed Zakaria GPS, (which has
been on) from Sunday, June 6, where
Beinart was no match for Elliot Abrahms
on every issue.
Ron Levin
San Diego
US
CRITICISING ISRAEL DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE ONE ANTI-SEMITIC
IN RESPONSE to much of the diatribe evident in some of the letters recently published in the Jewish Report, I’d like to
remind your readers that there’s a vast difference between satire and propaganda.
Zapiro is South Africa’s foremost satirical cartoonist who ridicules people and
groups in this country as well as in the rest
of the world, not just in Israel.
Readers should realise that his job as a
satirist is to point out failings and make
them think more deeply about issues. The
mode of reaction of so many who revile him
and his cartoons shows a bigotry and
closed-mindedness that reflect badly on the
Jewish community in this country.
In general, they should stop attacking the
person (Zapiro, Goldstone, Kasrils as examples) but rather try to engage in an intellectual debate on issues.
Furthermore, the letter writers who mock
intellectuals and academics, are reminiscent of the purges elsewhere and not so long
ago against such thinkers who raised issues
that others found uncomfortable.
They should also remember that one is
not automatically anti-Semitic if one speaks
against Israel and its policies. Israel is part
of the Jewish ethos; not the whole of it.
Finally, to those engaging in a tirade that
“anti-Zionists equal anti-Semites”, stop
being hypocritical by attacking the political
left only, but reserve equal vitriol for those
Jewish arch-religious types, including those
in Israel itself, who work against the country and are outspoken in their views that
Israel doesn’t deserve to exist.
Prof Stephen Finn
Pretoria
GOLDSTONE’S SILENCE IS NOW DEAFENING
MR JUSTICE Richard Goldstone reiterated
time and again just how conscience and
truth were the driving force behind acceptance to head the now infamous Goldstone
Report.
Given the events of the past week and
more as well as Goldstone’s now vested
interest in the region, his silence on this
issue is deafening. Truth, which was his
motivation then, should now resonate from
his office, instead it’s been thrown out of
his window.
Predictably his answer, if questioned on
this topic will be to question why Israel will
not agree to an International enquiry - if he
doesn’t know the answer to this now, he
will never get it. However, if ever there was
an opportunity to claw back some semblance of credibility he has missed the
“flotilla”.
Allan Wolman
Norwood
Johannesburg
LIBRARY NEEDS SPACE WITH ACADEMIC GRAVITAS
RECENT CALLS for the closure of the
Beyachad Library, should be a worry to the
community as a whole. Certainly at SAUJS
we would be sad to see the library go. Our
offices are across the way and often we
make use of its resources. Members of our
committees use it for their campus activities, to sharpen their knowledge and for
research purposes.
Consequently we would like to add our
voice to those who don’t want to see it
closed. However while efforts to rescue the
library are laudable they seem mainly to be
missing the point.
Thus we hear sentiments that it should be
“saved”, or that it needs a “new business
model”. While these are no doubt important
considerations, they don’t answer the
broader question. This is fundamentally
about the strategic importance of such a
library to Johannesburg Jewry in the first
place.
As other letter writers have pointed out,
despite its smaller size, the Cape Town community has a thriving Jewish culture industry. On the Highveld there is quite simply,
nothing. In evaluating the future of the
library we need to be asking what role it
could be playing in bridging this gaping
abyss.
What exactly do we want it to be doing?
There are many possibilities; how about a
place for Jewish scholarship, for educating
youth, supporting school curricula, or
training for the Zionist Quiz? Perhaps it has
a role for informing the elderly, or for generating new media?
To start this off, why don’t we look at
where it is currently situated. Beyachad, an
administrative centre, is not really ideal.
What is needed is a space with a more academic gravitas, a place of thinking, not
working.
We have never really had such a Jewish
space before in the city. The creation of the
new Holocaust Centre is perhaps a step in
the right direction. After visiting the centre
there may be an interest from visitors in
broader Jewish issues, thus creating for a
sustainable customer base that the library
needs. The centre would also have the correct atmosphere.
This is only one idea of course, there are
many other options. What needs to be
changed first is the concept that somehow
the library is a liability, in an age of information; there could not be a more dangerous a notion - one which will cost us dearly
in the long run if it doesn’t change.
Benji Shulman
SAUJS, Johannesburg
WHY ARE WE FLYING THE FLAG FOR SA?
IT MAKES me wonder why we as
Jews/supporters of Israel are currently
waving the South African flag outside our
homes and on our cars, when, after the
flotilla episode the South African government has recently recalled its ambassador
to Israel, clearly showing where it stand.
Not that this is news, nor is this a revelation
that it is biased against Israel and that it
aligns itself at every turn with our sworn
enemies, the Islamic Arab terrorists.
Ari Woznica
Johannesburg
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
11
TAPESTRY
ART, BOOKS, DANCE, FILM, THEATRE
Intensely sad, yet at Traditional access
times uproariously to Ngatane’s work
funny as well
“Ephraim Ngatane: A Setting
Apart”, by Rory Bester, Natalie
Knight and David Koloane.
Blank Books, Johannesburg.
R300.
With my Lazy Eye by Julia Kelly
(Quercus, R174)
He was respected as a good
learner and an independent
thinker, and was colloquially
known as “Hogarth of the
townships”,
like
George
Pemba before him.
The book’s highlight is not,
however, the essay, but the
works. Photographs of the
paintings are printed with fine
technical
purity.
They’re
grouped by medium rather
than chronologically. This
may enhance the beauty and
flow of the publication, but
detracts from its value as a
research tool.
REVIEWED BY ROBYN SASSEN
REVIEWED BY GWEN PODBREY
GROWING UP in a dysfunctional family is always an ordeal, robbing victims of the sense of normality which
they observe in their peers. In many
cases, the loneliness of the experience
forces victims to turn inwards and
draw on their creative gifts by way of
escape.
For Lucy Bastomne, however, the
feeling of alienation which began in
early childhood will continue until
well into adulthood.
Born and raised in Dublin,
Bastomne is the middle child of a
large family headed by a father with a
comparatively affluent council position. But the luxuries he can provide
for his wife and offspring cannot compensate for his emotional indifference
towards them. Nor can they induce a
sense of order into the havoc which
makes their home a dirty, noisy incubator for domestic arguments, insecurities and a pervasive sense of being
“different” to other families.
In this setting, Bastomne - born
with a visual defect, a “lazy eye”,
which gives her face an unbalanced
look - expresses her neediness by
boisterousness, bullying her siblings
and acquiring a reputation as a troublemaker at school and in the neighbourhood.
Her mother, dressed in garish, inappropriate outfits and seemingly
insensible to the pain of her children,
sees nothing particularly disturbing
in their tantrums, nor does she note
the alarm of visitors who come to the
occasional dinner party, never to
return.
In one of her most vivid passages,
Julia Kelly describes Bastomne’s parents preparing to host one such social
evening: “With the inevitable delayed
for as long as politely possible, not
having wanted to throw a party in the
first place, my father went downstairs
- a last thunderous purge of his nose
along the way - quickening his step
for the final flight to portray enthusiasm and so that his guests would hear
him as he made his entry...
“Mum sat her dressing table
pulling dead dyed hairs from a brush.
With eyes shut, she sprayed Elnett
about to make her hairstyle set... She
put on a salmon-coloured crimplene
trouser suit with a pea-green waistcoat beneath. Something was missing.
She rummaged about in her drawer
for a scarf. A scarf finishes an outfit
off, she says.”
Bastomne grows up with a pervasive sense of being soiled. Having
realised early on that her mother will
never muster the emotional acuity to
help her, it is her father to whom she
turns - again and again - demanding
some affirmation of her worth.
Invariably, though, these encounters end in brawls, with Bastomne
roaring abuse at him, being slapped
for her insolence, and the father
retreating into his own unhappiness.
At school, as at home, her efforts to
excel at something - anything - always
end badly. It is, she muses, as if the
smell of despair lingers around her,
driving others away.
Watching Alison Hampton, the
lithe, confident, pretty girl next door
play a game of tennis, Bastomne
reflects: “A different sun shone over
the Hampton house, a soft and perpetual one. They didn’t need to look for
it...”
As adolescence turns into adulthood, Bastomne leaves home for
London, where she finds a job proofreading research documents for a
travel agency. But, to her dismay, she
finds that her sense of ineptitude and
isolation has followed her.
Unkempt, clumsy and unsure of
what her duties entail, she spends
most of her working days trying to
look busy. A brief, but disastrous
affair with her boss further entrenches her misery.
It is only when her father falls ill,
forcing her return to Dublin, that
Bastomne begins to understand his
real value - and her own. She also
begins to realise that however impeded or imperfect its manifestation,
there has been love - in plenty - keeping this family alive.
Bastomne’s “lazy eye” - the endlessly critical, censuring view of family
and the world that has distanced her
from others - has corrected itself.
The novel may appear to be lacking
in originality and, is indeed, predictable: but it is the quality of Kelly’s
writing which stamps it as extraordinary.
Her ability to segue episodes from
different periods in Bastomne’s life,
so that they flow seamlessly into one
composite narrative, shows her masterful control.
Bastomne’s despairing and critical
eyes on the world around her through which we gaze with her switch frames from one age to the
next throughout her troubled childhood.
The pace is fast - indeed, perhaps
too fast, at times, creating an almost
dizzying montage of images - but,
then, this is exactly how dysfunctional children see the world: as an
inchoate series of impressions which
wound and confuse, eroding more
and more the fragile sense of entitlement needed to enjoy being alive.
Yet, while the novel is intensely sad,
it is also occasionally uproariously
funny.
And far from being a simple coming-of-age story, it is also a powerful
comment on the rigid class barriers
within Irish society, entrenched all
the more by residual prejudices of
religion, ethnicity and education.
Overshadowing them all is the icy
scowl of England, and its centuriesold contempt for the provincialism of
its Gaelic neighbours.
It is for her skill at locating, and
skilfully interweaving, these strands
that Julia Kelly has been hailed as the
next Edna O’Brien: a plaudit she fully
deserves.
DESIGNED TO coincide with
the Ngatane exhibition, curated by Knight at the Standard
Bank Gallery earlier this year,
this monograph on Ephraim
Ngatane works as a self-standing entity. It accessibly opens
up traditional access to the
artist’s life and work. He died
at the age of 32, from a car
accident.
Judging by his prolific body
of work, Ngatane could have
been among the country’s
foremost painters. The 80 represented works in this square
format book bears acute testimony to the uniqueness in his
approach, as does the financial success he attained during his life, with sold-out exhibitions.
Ngatane was educated at the
Polly Street Art Centre during
the 1950s, under Cecil Skotnes.
A book ‘thwarted
in its continuity’
“Mmakgabo Mmapula
Mmangkato Helen Sebidi” by
Juliette Leeb-du Toit, with photographs by Ben Law-Viljoen.
David Krut Publishers,
Johannesburg. R150.
REVIEWED BY ROBYN SASSEN
THIS, THE 14th Taxi Art Book,
celebrates the life and work of
Helen Sebidi with Juliette Leebdu Toit’s thorough, thoughtful
research and a body of new
monotypes. Hyperbole in the
introductions
by
Eunice
Maluleke and Andries Oliphant
lend the book unnecessary effusion, making it ad hominem
rather than art historical in
aim.
Visually, it is magnificent,
Swan Lake
reworked for
Grahamstown
Dada Masilo brings her
reworked version of “Swan
Lake”, a production which
earned itself standing ovations
and full audiences during this
year’s Dance Umbrella.
The work was co-sponsored by the
Israel Embassy and Tararam and
promises to warm up the Alec
Mullins Hall in Grahamstown, where
it will be performing during this
year’s festival, in spite of predictions
of freezing weather in the Eastern
Cape.
See www.nafest.co.za
but most of Sebidi’s images are
so amorphous, numbing sameness is evident. Once the ultimate in local art, Sebidi slipped
from public scrutiny during the
1990s. After she achieved prizewinning status, her work hit a
developmental hiatus.
The book is thwarted in its
continuity: Leeb-du Toit’s
material is interrupted contextually with snatches from conversation between Sebidi and
David Koloane, subverting the
logic of one narrative, leaving
the other without context.
Leeb-du Toit engages with
Sebidi’s work through the neglected era of art heralded by
Bill Ainslie. She tears strips
from the feminist approach
used since the 1980s to tiptoe
around Sebidi’s work.
These are proud images,
Leeb-du Toit argues. They’re
not about being downtrodden.
Leeb-du Toit’s contribution to
the discipline is important,
accessible and relevant.
10
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
TAPESTRY
ART, BOOKS, DANCE, FILM, THEATRE
ARTS MATTERS
COMPILED BY
ROBYN SASSEN
Call 084-319-7844 or
info@frodo.co.za at
least one week prior to
publication
Baxter Theatre, Cape
Town: “Romeo’s Kiss”,
danced by Bovim ballet and
featuring Kirsten Isenberg
and Marc Goldberg, until
June 20, (021) 685-7880.
Circa on Jellicoe, Rosebank: “Is it our goal...? And
other issues”, pastel drawings
on paper and photographs by
Zwelethu Mthethwa until
July 8, (011) 788-4805.
Fugard Theatre, District
Six: “Aesop’s Fables” performed by Isango Portobello,
directed by Mark DornfordMay, until July 10, (021) 4614554.
Joburg Theatre,
Braamfontein: In the
Mandela, Andrew LloydWebber’s “Boys in the
Photograph”, until July 11,
(011) 877-6800. In the People’s
Theatre, “Cinderella”, until
August 1, (011) 403-1563.
Johannesburg Art Gallery,
Joubert Park: William
Kentridge’s “I am not me; The
Horse is not Mine”, a film
installation based on
Shostakovich’s opera “The
Nose”, until August 1. Also on
show is “Without Masks”, an
exhibition of contemporary
Cuban art, until August 29,
(011) 725-3130.
Market, Newtown: In the
Main Theatre, Brett Bailey
and Third World Bunfight
present “House of the Holy
Afro”, until July 11, (011)
832-1641.
National Children’s
Theatre, Parktown:
“Seussical Jnr”, musically
supervised by Rowan Bakker;
artistically directed by Joyce
Levinsohn, and featuring
stage debuts by Adam
Pelkowitz and Sihle Ndaba,
until July 10, (011) 484-1563.
Old Mutual Theatre on the
Square, Sandton:
“Drumstruck” returns for a
season, until July 10. The
Friday lunchtime concert features pianist Wessel van Wyk
playing Chopin, Liszt and
Spanish Fireworks on June
18, and “The Magic Drum and
Other Tales”, by Litzy Katz
during the day for kids, June
21 - July 10, (011) 883-8606.
RCHCC, Oaklands: An exhibition of paintings by Anton
Uys and André Naudé opens
June 20 (011) 728-8088.
Standard Bank Gallery,
Johannesburg: “Halakasha”,
a soccer exhibition, curated
by Fiona Rankin-Smith, until
July 17, (011) 631-1889.
UJ Arts Academy, Auckland Park: “James and the
Giant’s Aerial”, a reworking
of Jack and the Beanstalk, for
children, co-created by Liz
Meiring and Alby Michaels,
June 28 - July 9, (011) 559-3058.
Timeless play still a huge hit
with the young (at heart)
Show: Cinderella, People’s Theatre,
Braamfontein, (011) 403-1563
Directors: Jill Girard and Keith
Smith; musical direction by
Cathrine Hopkins
Cast: Surika Green, Kieran
Harriman, Tshepi Mashego, Claire
Scheepers, Sarah Terry and
Stephan van der Walt
Design: Marius Boshoff (set),
Linda Wilson (costumes), Sizo
Tshabalala (lighting), Gareth
Kelbrick (sound)
Until: August 1
REVIEWED BY ROBYN SASSEN
PHOTOGRAPHS: JACQUI WHYTE
ONCE AGAIN, the People’s
Theatre is hosting this well-loved
European extrapolation on marriage that draws from so many
sources. Once again, it is playing to
fresh audiences, many of whom
have not been to a theatre before.
The rumpus of young voices in
heightened excitement, gets instantly shushed as the light begins
to shine from the disco ball on the
proscenium.
“She’s lying,” one young voice
exclaimed, sotto voce, to no one in
particular, reflecting on the meanness of the ugly sisters, Poison and
Ivy.
Seven-year-old grade one learners Gehane Neuhoff and Christopher Leisewitz from St David’s
Marist Brothers, were unanimous
in their support for the excellence of
this play, arguing that it could not
possibly be for girls only; Christopher carefully explained that poor
Cinderella’s bad stepsisters are bullies, explaining the term as “someone who hurts you and calls you
names”.
Pondering, Gehane felt that if he
had a fairy godmother of his own,
he would wish for everything in the
whole wide world, but Christopher
was more strategic, opting to ask
the godmother in question for
another two sets of fairy godmothers and godfathers, but also for
“cleverness and kindheartedness”.
Dotting all the i’s and crossing all
the t’s in terms of schmaltzy feel
good emotion, the production is
pared down and while the words are
not always as enunciated as they
could be and the transitions are
long enough to get the excited young
voices piping to themselves between
acts, the yeses and no’s in tussling
with the presence of good and bad on
stage rise like roars across the auditorium, and the children learn to lie
in the face of potential danger to the
beloved protagonist, played by Claire
Scheepers.
There are several children’s productions on the boards over the
extended school holidays, due to the
Fifa World Cup, including:
• “Seussical Jr”, directed by Joyce
Levinsohn, back by popular demand
and with rejigged musical direction
and choreography and a couple of
new performers, at the National
Children’s Theatre, in Parktown,
until July 17, (011) 484-1584.
• “Beautiful Creatures” directed
by Hazel Feldman, based on the runaway success of the production’s CD
by Alan Glass and Ed Jordan, featuring
choreography
by
Vicky
Friedman, at Teatro, Montecasino,
until July 4, (011) 511-1988.
• “James and the Giant’s Aerial”
co-created by Liz Meiring and Alby
Michaels, offers a spin on a more traditional Jack who dealt in beans and
golden geese, and performs at the UJ
Arts Academy, Auckland Park, June
Fairy tale magic: Cinderella’s fairy
godmother, (Tshepi Mashego) is
flanked by the happy couple,
Prince Charming (Kieran Harriman)
and Cinderella (Claire Scheepers).
28 - July 9, (011) 559-3058.
• “The Magic Drum and Other
Tales” by Litzy Katz will run in tandem with “Drumstruck” at the Old
Mutual Theatre on the Square,
Sandton, June 21 - July 10, (011) 8838606.
• “Aesop’s Fables”, performed by
Isango Portobello and directed by
Mark Dornford May, is at the Fugard,
District Six, until July 10, (021) 4614554.
Thrilling combination of 2 timeless Viennese classics
Concert: Johannesburg
Philharmonic Orchestra (Linder)
Conductor: Bernhard Gueller
Soloists: Kelebogile Boikanyo
(soprano), Veramarie Meyer (alto),
Stéfan Louw (tenor), and Otto
Maidi (bass)
Choir: The Gauteng Choristers
Programme: Music by Schubert
and Beethoven
REVIEWED BY PAUL BOEKKOOI
TWO OF the greatest Viennese
classics, Schubert’s “Unfinished
Symphony”
and
Beethoven’s
“Choral Symphony”, were thrillingly combined in this, the final concert of the JPO’s Second Symphony
Season of 2010.
With principal guest conductor
Bernhard Gueller, it became an
artistic and emotional reconnection with both works. The
Beethoven hasn’t been performed
locally by a professional orchestra
in this century.
Notwithstanding many attempts
by various people to finish the
“Unfinished” (often adding fragments from others of Schubert’s
completed works), the Symphony
no 8, as it stands in its two-movement
structure, wins the test of time.
In a single sentence one could say
that Gueller gave us a superbly
moulded Schubert, sensitive in every
detail, and bringing out the fullest
depth of Schubert’s Romanticism.
But there was more: He drew polished playing from the JPO, especially impressive for wind solos, but also
brought out the mystery which especially the opening movement of this
B minor work can regularly conjure
up.
The rapturous lyrical flow from
the strings and woodwind alike was
balanced by the great drama of the
tuttis. Attention to minute details
also impressed in the Andante con
moto. Here, for example, the calls by
the horns between the two dynamic
markings pp and ppp were clearly
differentiated.
Beethoven’s Symphony no 9 - the
“Choral” - is a far more challenging
animal to tame. One could hear from
certain technical insecurities that
the JPO has never performed it in its
10 year history. Gueller nevertheless
gave us a real interpretation.
The primary characteristics of his
Beethoven are generosity of spirit,
FELDMAN
ON FILM
Peter Feldman
PICK OF THE WEEK
Broken Embraces
Cast: Penelope Cruz; Lluis Homar; Blanca
Portilla; Rossy de Palma; Kiti Manver; Chus
Lampreave; Lola Duenas; Angela Molina
Director Pedro Almodùvar (Spanish with
English subtitles)
Spanish master director Pedro Almodùvar
tends to make fascinating films and it’s often a
treat watching the many intricacies of his plot
unfold.
This time around he again employs the services of the sensual Penelope Cruz, and his shots
caress her figure with loving care. It’s an elegantly made film, but the story doesn’t quite
deliver on its resolution at the end.
Still, he manages to provide his viewers with
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 1827), painted by Joseph Karl
Stieler in 1820. (WWW.FCOM.US.ES)
breadth of musical and extra-musical vision, and a degree of nervous
energy one would perhaps expect
from a conductor half his age.
Gueller managed to suggest a
primeval, mystical feel to the opening bars of the first movement. At
the first outburst one intuitively
knew that he would add enormous
energy to the dotted rhythms - tight
as a drum, one could say. As impressive was the fugal writing which lies
at its centre and sounded granitic
a heady mix of euphoria and devastation, amusement and dismay - a scenario that bears a strong
Hitchcock-type undercurrent.
His story is about a blind filmmaker, Mateo
Blanco (Lluis Homar), who recounts the events
leading up to his present predicament.
Set in 2008, the character, a mild-mannered
intellectual, recounts his past and the film then
flits between the past and the present. It’s like a
jigsaw where the resolution to some of the
unknown aspects of his past is told in flashbacks
to the year 1994.
The narrative sails along in both timelines,
freely switching back-and-forth. It’s an interesting
device, but there are a few problems along the
journey, mainly involving plot contrivances and
some twists worthy of a soap opera in its melodramatic thrust.
This once vibrant and virile filmmaker was
blinded in a motorcar accident while on holiday on
the island of Lanzarote. In the accident he not only
lost his sight, but also the “love of his life”, Lena
(Penelope Cruz).
Recovering after the accident, Blanco decides to
create a pseudonym, Harry Caine, under which
name he continues to live his life of darkness.
Almodùvar ensnares you with his graceful style
and purposeful. It was also exhilarating to discover Beethoven’s preechoes of Bruckner’s style.
The Scherzo lacked some of the
potential buoyant energy it needs to
remain gripping. Some performances can attain a Bacchanalian intensity of sorts. With a tempo which was
at the higher side of moderation, the
conductor opened the Adagio molto e
cantabile with a breathtaking calmness, with the following variations
seamlessly interwoven. Especially
the minutely attentive phrasing of
the “Lo stresso tempo” variation
reflected lots of Innigkeit.
In the choral finale one palpably
felt the zeal coming for everyone who
was on the Linder’s stage. It’s the
make or break movement of this
colossal opus. The soloists were all
excellent, apart from some less
rounded sounds from the soprano in
her highest register.
But even this was not serious,
since Gueller allowed them as well as
the fabulous resonant and burnished
voices of the Gauteng Choristers the
time and space to get round the most
difficult passages with composure.
Beethoven’s “divine madness” bore
its fruit.
and the superb rapport he has with Cruz, an
actress with whom he has worked so successfully in the past.
The camera loves Cruz who manages to exude
a sensual aura of mystery that is spellbinding at
times. The images he creates in the film are horrifying and healing, giving viewers a visual and
emotional experience.
There are many layers to the film and
Almodùvar peels them away with practised ease.
He is aided by a uniformly good cast.
Jose Luis Gomez plays Lena’s jealous elderly
lover, the rich and powerful Ernesto Martel who
produces Harry’s final film in which Lena stars.
He is unaware of Harry’s obsession with her.
Other characters include Harry’s sometime
protégé, Diego (Tamar Novas), who becomes his
audience when Harry unburdens himself by
relating his entire sordid story, and his production manager, Judit (Blanca Portillo), a combination of mother, nurse, housekeeper and lover.
Finally, there’s also the mysterious Ray X
(Ruben Ochandiano), who knows Harry’s past
and wants to exploit it for reasons that are not
immediately apparent.
Overall a compelling exploration of the
human spirit.
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
OPINION AND ANALYSIS
AROUND
THE WORLD
FORUM FOR DIVERSE VIEWS
Self-interest always trumps
altruism in foreign policy
Sasha Polakow-Suransky, The
Unspoken Alliance: Israel’s Secret
Relationship With Apartheid South
Africa, Pantheon Books,
New York, 2010.
REVIEWED BY PROFESSOR
MILTON SHAIN
INSPIRED BY Klemens von Metternich
and his dexterous diplomatic balancing
acts at the Congress of Vienna in 1815,
the early 19th century writer and politician Ludwig von Rochau, coined the
term “realpolitik”. While the word was
new, that which it denoted was not.
“Realpolitik” indeed had a lengthy
pedigree. Put simply, self-interest
invariably trumps altruism when it
comes to foreign policy. “Nations have
no permanent friends or allies, they
only have permanent interests” was
the way Lord Palmerston, the British
foreign secretary, put it some decades
after Von Rochau had introduced his
appellation.
Should we be surprised then that
Israel, albeit created in the eyes of
some as a “light unto the nations”,
supped with the apartheid devil? After
all, countries on both sides of the Iron
Curtain, as well as a number of Arab
states traded, in one way or another,
with apartheid South Africa. Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and
Iran were largely responsible for providing South Africa with oil, notwithstanding the embargo.
Yet, the Jewish State did not initially
have close ties with South Africa. David
Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir did their
best to steer clear of the “apartheid
regime” and instead worked hard to
establish ties with newly independent
states in Africa. Israel was quite prepared to condemn in world forums
South Africa’s racial policies, even if
this incurred the wrath of Pretoria and
compromised the South African Jewish
establishment.
Indeed, South African Jewish funds
destined for Israel were frozen in the
early 1960s after the Jewish State had
consistently railed against the racist
policies of the National Party.
Things changed dramatically in the
wake of the Six Day War in 1967 and the
rapid collapse of Israel’s longstanding
diplomatic initiatives in Africa.
In the years before and after the Yom
Kippur War of 1973, state after state in
sub-Saharan Africa severed links. In
November 1975 most of these supported the UN resolution equating Zionism
with racism. Arab money proved too
enticing for the newly liberated
African nations. They were happy to
change their allegiances.
These developments drew Israel closer to an increasingly isolated South
Africa. The two countries strengthened
their diplomatic relations, significantly
upgrading the status of their respective
missions.
Visits were exchanged at a senior
level. Trade expanded exponentially,
with Israel helping South Africa on
occasion to bypass economic sanctions.
Most importantly, military and scientific ties were established in defiance of
the imposition of an international
arms embargo on South Africa in 1977.
South Africa was an ideal partner. It
had uranium and presented an opportunity for Israel’s nuclear experts, who
had themselves been the recipients of
French help, to jointly develop military
weapons in South Africa.
Over the course of 20 years, maintains Sasha Polakow-Suransky, military trade between South Africa and
Israel amounted to $20 billion.
The so-called Pretoria-Jerusalem
axis has been the subject of considerable scholarly and journalistic attention. Now, courtesy of PolakowSuransky, we know infinitely more. He
has combed the South African
archives, gained access to numerous
de-classified documents, and has spoken to key players.
We now know that the relationship
between Israel and South Africa was
driven by the defence ministry in
Israel, rather than the foreign ministry, and that it was supported with
relish by at least by some political
heavyweights.
This was particularly the case after
Menachem Begin’s Likud came to
power in 1977.
An ideological affinity rather than
simple “realpolitik”, argues PolakowSuransky, drove the relationship, aided
initially among others by South
African-born, Harry Hurwitz.
“The ideological prescription provided by Revisionist Zionism and
Afrikaner nationalism was the same:
use military force to ensure national
survival,” explains Polakow-Suransky.
Over and over again he demonstrates with compelling evidence how
important
Israeli
policy-makers
empathised with South African whites
in general and Afrikaners in particular.
Essentially, however, the relation-
ship grew out of mutual needs. South
African arms purchases breathed life
into a struggling Israeli economy and
South Africa needed Israeli expertise,
especially after her cordon sanitaire
collapsed in Mozambique and Angola
and Cuban troops had arrived in
southern Angola in the mid-1970s.
Advice, however, went beyond the
border threats; it also addressed internal repression. In the 1980s Israel even
flirted with the “Homelands”, those
fetid figments of the apartheid imagination.
Such behaviour was hardly in
accord with Israel’s Independence
Proclamation, which informed the
world that the Jewish State “will be
based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew
prophets”.
Polakow-Suransky reveals a great
deal about the sordid axis. He is
wrong, however, to suggest that
Afrikaner anti-Semitism in the 1930s
was informed by Nazism. While this
ensures a greater stench around the
Jewish State’s actions, it needs to be
noted that South Africa has a longer
history of hostility towards Jews.
It resulted in the Quota Act of 1930
which effectively curtailed easternEuropean Jewish immigration. Polakow-Suransky notes this legislation
but fails to appreciate the way in
which it contradicts his assertions.
But this is to quibble with a minor
aspect of an enthralling, lively and
convincing study of a powerful relationship, woven within the context of
South African, Israeli, American and
international politics.
By the mid-1980s progressive voices
in Israel were increasingly audible,
calling for an end to the relationship.
By then Israel was well out of line in
terms of international opinion. She
stood to lose too much. Yet existing
arms contracts and the sharing of
expertise withstood the imposition of
international sanctions against South
Africa in 1987.
Polakow-Suransky’s account is
replete with insights and excellently
crafted. Making good use of oral testimony, he tells the story with great
verve. This is a classic tale of
“realpolitik”. Israel did lose its moral
compass in tying itself to South
Africa. But “realpolitik” is precisely
that.
We see this vividly of late in
Turkey’s foreign policy shift. Thwarted at the gates of the European Union
and recognising new opportunities in
the Near East, Turkey has turned eastwards, seemingly willing to scuttle her
well developed relationship with
Israel. Morals do not enter decision
making when it comes to foreign policy; only interests of state operate.
Professor Shain teaches in the
Department of Historical Studies and
is Director of the Isaac and Jessie
Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at
UCT.
NEWS IN BRIEF
AMBUSH ATTACK LEAVES ISRAELI
POLICEMAN DEAD
JERUSALEM - An Israeli policeman was
killed and three were injured in what is being
described as an ambush on a police vehicle
near Hebron.
The officers were being driven on Monday
morning from Beersheba to take up their
posts in the Hebron area. The attack took
place near the West Bank settlement of Beit
Haggai.
Sgt-Maj Yehoshua Sofer, 39, who had been
serving in the Hebron region for 14 years, was
shot in the stomach and died. Two other
police officers were shot in the stomach and
chest.
An unknown group calling itself the
Freedom Flotilla Martyrs, claimed responsibility for the attack.
"Our response will continue, and we will
never lay down our weapons as long as the
Zionist army remains on our land, nor will we
recognise any ceasefire," read a statement
issued by the group, Ynet reported Monday
afternoon.
Israeli army troops set up roadblocks and
were searching the area for the attackers.
Eighteen checkpoints have been removed by
the Israeli army in the Hebron area in the
past year, Ha'aretz reported. (JTA)
KOSHER VENDOR SUING METS
NEW YORK - A kosher-food vendor is suing
the New York Mets baseball team.
Kosher Sports Inc, the owner of three
stands at Citi Field that sell hot dogs,
sausages, knishes, hamburgers, beer and
other food, claims that it has lost half a million dollars in profits because the team does
not permit it to sell food on Friday nights and
Saturday afternoons, the New York Post
reported last Sunday.
The vendor claims in its lawsuit, which
seeks $1 million in compensation, that it
received permission from kosher-certifying
authorities to open the stands to sell food
items on the Sabbath.
But Rabbi Shmuel Heinemann, who oversees kashrut for the Kosher Sports company,
told the Post that he did not give the company
permission to make sales on Shabbat. If such
sales took place, the rabbi said, the stands
could not be kosher.
The Englewood, New Jersey-based company filed the lawsuit last week in Brooklyn federal court. The company signed a 10-year deal
with the Mets last year, according to the Post.
(JTA)
THOUSANDS OF ISRAELI YESHIVA STUDENTS TO LOSE STATE GRANTS
JERUSALEM - About 10 000 yeshiva students
will lose their grants under a ruling on state
aid by Israel's Supreme Court.
The court on Monday voted 6-1 that allocating assured income to married yeshiva students was illegal since it did not apply to all
students, and ordered the item to be removed
from the 2011 state budget. A similar grant for
secular higher education students was eliminated from the budget in 2000.
About 10 000 students qualify for the grant,
which applies to families without other
employment and three or more children.
The case was in response to a petition filed
in 2000 by then-Jerusalem Councilman Arnon
Yekutiel, who died nine years ago.
Interior Minister Eli Yishai of the religious
Shas Party decried the ruling, saying that the
Knesset would enact legislation to counter the
ruling. (JTA)
9
8
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
OPINION AND ANALYSIS
FORUM FOR DIVERSE VIEWS
On judges, ‘cellists
and Bafana Bafana
ALTHOUGH IT was six years ago that Fifa
announced that the 2010 World Cup would take
place in South Africa, for much of the time since
then, people were still somewhat detached from
what it meant, despite bold pronouncements from
government and other bodies of the implications.
Even with the evidence of major construction
works in preparation, it took a while for South
Africans to get into the spirit of it.
But they have now done so in full force, particularly after the Bafana Bafana draw against the
highly rated Mexican team last Friday. We have
been given a patriotic boost not seen since the
Springbok rugby team’s victory in the 1995 Rugby
World Cup, which then President Nelson Mandela
publicly used to drive home his message of reconciliation and unity.
What distinguishes this time is that contrary to
1995 - when it was Mandela who served as a unifying icon - this time all creeds, colours and walks of
life from the top to the bottom of society - have
responded spontaneously with fervour. It has
become a huge national celebration.
Stories are doing the rounds of excited crowds in
mainly
white
restaurants
in
northern
Johannesburg, standing up and singing the
national anthem before the game began; the same
with mainly black crowds in restaurants in
Soweto; and the same with mixed crowds all over
the place.
It is no small thing after the racial anguish this
country has been through historically, that both
whites and blacks in absolute abandon danced
around unselfconsciously after Simphiwe
Tshabalala scored the humdinger of a goal which
will go down as one of the best of the entire tournament.
At last Thursday’s concert of the Johannesburg
Philharmonic Orchestra at the Linder Auditorium
in Johannesburg, packed to the rafters with rather
conservative classical music-lovers, the conductor
took a moment before the orchestra began performing Schumann’s Unfinished Symphony, to
ask the audience to stand while it played the
national anthem in support of our team. Cellists
and violinists had little South African flags mounted on their music stands.
Even in the Supreme Court in Johannesburg,
one of the most senior judges, in closing the court
for the day, took off his black robe to reveal - to
wide applause - a yellow Bafana Bafana jersey
underneath.
In another court in the days prior to the game,
with the end of the corruption case involving former police commissioner Jackie Selebi drawing
near, the presiding judge announced there would
be no sitting of the court on the Friday, adding
light-heartedly that he didn’t know where the
other participants in the case would be, but he
intended to be watching Bafana Bafana play their
opening match against Mexico.
As with all other groups in South Africa, Jews
have embraced the exuberance and been caught
up in the whole atmosphere. The Jewish Report
has been literally flooded with positive World Cup
stories from Jewish sources - even in primary or
pre-primary schools the key focus is soccer.
Historically, Jews have played a not-insignificant role in soccer in this country, both on the field
and in administration. Given their small numbers
in the overall population, they have punched well
above their weight.
In celebration of this once-in-a-lifetime event
which is the 2010 Fifa World Cup, the Jewish
Report has published a special supplement - in this
issue - in tribute to Jews of yesteryear who helped
lay the foundations of organised soccer in South
Africa. The names sprinkled through the supplement will ring bells for many South African Jews
and others.
As we move into the second week of the tournament, South Africans can celebrate the fact that
we as a country have pulled it off. It is going ahead
smoothly in our magnificent stadiums, to the
cacophonous sounds of the thousands of vuvuzelas, giving it an absolute raucous African flavour.
We hope the goodwill engendered among South
Africans by this extravaganza will be enduring,
even though after it is over we must return to our
challenges and problems, which are many. And it
is not to be taken lightly that we have also made a
lot of new friends from this.
Baltimore Jews rally in support of Israel, June 4, 2010. (REBECCA GARDNER / BALTIMORE ZIONIST DISTRICT)
US Jews, though
reeling, look to
preserve Turkish ties
RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON
US JEWISH leaders talk in pained,
hushed tones about the “red lines” in the
Turkey-Israel relationship - the ones
they say the Turkish leadership has
crossed and the ones they say they won’t.
The fragile consensus emerging from
the establishment Jewish organisational
leadership is that the relationship it has
cultivated over the decades with Turkey
is worth preserving - at least for now.
“There are lines that mustn’t be
crossed, and we have seen over the last
weeks those lines aggressively crossed,”
said Jason Isaacson, director of international affairs for the American Jewish
Committee, a group that has taken a lead
role over the decades in outreach to
Ankara. “The dilemma is to honour the
legacy of Turkey’s hospitality and integration of its Jews in its society.”
Isaacson and others referred to
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s likening last week of the Star
of David to a swastika.
“It is going to be a challenge for them
to walk back into a zone of responsibility
- but they must, and we will continue to
make that case very forcefully to our
Turkish contacts,” Isaacson said.
The Turkey-Israel alliance reached
breaking point on May 31, when Israeli
commandos intercepted and boarded the
Mavi Marmara, a Turkish-flagged ship
that was part of a flotilla that aimed to
breach Israel’s embargo of the Gaza
Strip, which is controlled by the Hamas
terrorist group.
Nine Turkish passengers, including
one Turkish American, died in the subsequent melee. Seven Israeli soldiers
were injured. Conflicting accounts - each
backed by video outtakes - blame each
side for starting the violence.
Turkey-Israel tensions have been
brewing since Israel’s 2009 war in the
Gaza Strip.
Erdogan condemned Israel’s invasion
and upbraided Israeli President Shimon
Peres at an economic conference in
Davos, Switzerland, in January of that
year. Turkish state television subsequently ran a TV series that depicted
Israelis as bloodthirsty.
Daniel Pipes, a conservative who
directs the Middle East Forum, says the
roots of the crisis date to Erdogan’s election in 2003. Erdogan’s Islamist AKP
Party is challenging the military, the
redoubt of secularism in Turkey, Pipes
says, and that when Israel is depicted in a
negative light, the AKP weakens the military.
“It appears they no longer fear the military, and they are now unleashing their
might,” Pipes said of the AKP. “We must
not give up on Turkey - AKP is the problem.”
Turkey’s behaviour also has taken hits
from the left of the pro-Israel spectrum,
which otherwise had criticised Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for its handling of the raid.
Turkey “has been too quick to try to
make political gains for themselves at the
expense of regional stability”, Jeremy
Ben-Ami, who directs J Street, told JTA.
Israel’s oldest Muslim ally, Turkey in
recent years has buffered the Jewish
State - and Western interests - against
Iranian expansionism in the region.
Israeli combat pilots are able to practise
drills in Turkish airspace that would not
be possible over Israel’s compact territory, and Israel’s navy counted on Turkey
as an alternative harbour in case of allout war.
In return, Turkey has benefited from
the deep, broad reach of Israel’s intelligence services, particularly relating to
the activities of the PKK Kurdish terrorist group. It also has relied on the
American Jewish community to make its
case in Washington; the Turkish Diaspora
has never matched its Greek and
Armenian counterparts for sustaining
nationalist passions overseas.
A critical test for Turkey’s Jewish proxies in Washington has been their successful effort to quash recurring resolutions
that would recognise Turkey’s Ottomanera massacres of the Armenians as a
genocide, as most experts already do.
The Armenia resolution is a rare
source of tension between Jewish lobbying groups, which stymie the measure to
protect Israeli and US interests in the
region, and Jewish Congress members,
who recoil at denial of a genocide.
But pro-Israel insiders, speaking off the
record, say now they are considering
keeping their hands off the resolution.
The version currently circulating in the
US House of Representatives, has passed
the Foreign Affairs Committee.
It stands little chance of reaching the
floor, however, as long as Representative
Nancy Pelosi is the House speaker; Pelosi
has closely heeded directives from the
Obama and Bush White Houses to bury
the resolution as long as Turkey remains
a key US ally in the region.
Passage would be disastrous, said
Soner Cagaptay, a senior fellow at the
Washington Institute for Near East
Policy who tracks Turkey, as Erdogan
would be able to make his Islamist, antiWestern case to the Turks with an “I told
you so” argument.
“We would lose the Turks,” Cagaptay
said. “And we have not lost Turkey - we
have lost the steering wheel.”
Already the relationship is fraught:
Turkey cancelled planned joint military
exercises with Israel in the wake of the
flotilla raid, and on Monday it dismissed
Israel’s planned query into the incident
as a sham.
With the exception of the Zionist
Organisation of America, which has
called for an investigation into Turkey’s
role in the fiasco, pro-Israel groups in
Washington are not willing to take commensurate leaps and directly target
Turkey. Instead, they are targeting the
Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, or the IHH, the charity with ties
to Erdogan’s AKP that helped fund the
Mavi Marmara excursion.
In the House, Representative Ron
Klein (Democrat Florida) wrote to
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asking her to list IHH as a terrorist group
because of its alleged affiliation with
Hamas.
Five House members from New York
accepted a petition on Monday demanding the same action that had been organised by the Jewish Community Relations
Council of New York and garnered
20 000 signatures.
The Senate leadership of both parties
is gathering signatures for a letter to
President Barack Obama asking him to
consider such a designation. Placement
on a terrorist list freezes a group’s US
assets and makes it illegal to fundraise
in the United States.
By not targeting Turkey directly,
Jewish groups want to avoid antagonising the entire Turkish political establishment; Erdogan may yet be vulnerable because of his mishandling of the
important US relationship, among other
reasons. And there are still redoubts of
friendship to Israel, in the military and
Foreign Ministry.
Another factor is Turkey’s Jewish
community.
“American Jews who have been longtime supporters of Turkey, must keep
alive the people-to-people dialogue, considering that over 20 000 Jews live in
Turkey today,” said a lobbyist who has
represented both Jewish and Turkish
interests and still travels frequently to
Turkey.
Cagaptay warned that the relationship, while worth salvaging, would
never be the same.
“The days of Turkey watching Israel’s
back in a tough neighbourhood, and of
Turkey counting on Israel to represent
its interests in Washington, are over,” he
said. (JTA)
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
COMMUNITY BUZZ
LIONEL SLIER
082-444-9832, fax: 011-440-0448,
lionel.slier@absamail.co.za
MOLTENO
Molteno is a town 300 km northeast of East London, which became
a municipality in 1883. It was
named after Sir John Molteno, the
first prime minister of the Cape
Colony, who took office in 1872 and
remained there for six years.
Mark Kopman concludes this trip
around the Eastern Cape:
“As you arrive at the outskirts of
Molteno, you can virtually smell
the legendary Ouma Rusks being
baked at the farm Vredenham.
“A discrepancy appears in
‘Jewish Life in the Country
Communities’ Vol 3 (published by
Beit Ha’tefutsoth) regarding the
current whereabouts of the
Molteno Synagogue foundation
stone, which I discovered hidden in
the back of the building in 1984
(then in use as a trading store
owned by a Mr Kannegieter).
“With the assistance of the local
attorney, Piet Scholtz, and Cantor
Stuart Serwater of Cape Town, the
stone was railed to Cape Town and
given to the Jewish Museum there.
“In the ‘Country Communities’
book, mention is made that the
stone was located in 2006 at West
Park Cemetery in Johannesburg
among other foundation stones collected by the SA Jewish Board of
Deputies. Could there have been
two cornerstones commemorating
different milestones of the community?
“The next and ‘blitsvinnige’ (very
quick) stop, would be at Sterkstroom (literally strong stream)
after negotiating the dirt road
through Boesman’s Pass - very
hairy - in the 1 300cc Kadett.
“Alas, the Jewish community
which started circa 1925, had used a
private residence to worship in and
even with Torahs, Oren Kodesh and
the like, no synagogue had ever
been built, nor a cemetery proclaimed. The deceased were laid
to rest in the Dordrecht or
Queenstown Jewish cemeteries, so
there was nothing here to investigate.
“Fellow congregants in Queenstown had mentioned to me there
was one surviving Jewish man at
the time, a Mr Lutrin, whom I was
forewarned could be difficult to
communicate with. I did not get to
meet him - certainly an opportunity lost.
“Seeking out lost Jewish communities was an interesting hobby that
I had started when I attended a
chuppah in Philipolis in 1982.”
Mark Kopman is vice-chairman,
United
Hebrew
Institutions,
Krugersdorp.
CAPE TOWN
From Colin Plen:
“Living in Cape Town as I do, I have
spent quite a lot of time in the
South African Jewish Museum
here. The museum is an excellent
one, showing so many aspects of
Jewish life in our country and
there are many aspects where Jews
were involved.
“One of things I noted, that perturbs me, is the absence of any
mention of the East and West
Rands. Maybe it is because I was
born and bred there, but I think
that the Jews of the Rand were a
very strong and valuable section of
South African Jewry as a whole,
and for them to be completely
ignored in a museum which purports to be the South African
Jewish Museum, is wrong.
“I approached a director of the
museum who told me that the family who so generously met the
major costs towards the museum,
ruled that nothing can be added to
or removed from the museum. But
doesn’t a museum, like any place of
education, grow?
“The museum shows the growth
of shuls in Johannesburg, from the
south to the north-west and the
north-east. It shows platteland
towns where there were Jewish
populations.
“Krugersdorp built its first synagogue in 1903 and according to
the Encyclopaedia Judaica, communities had been formed before
the end of the 19th century in
Germiston, Boksburg, Roodepoort, Randfontein and Springs,
along with a number there of later
growth, in Benoni, Brakpan and
Nigel.
“Jews were important enough in
several of these towns where Jews
were mayors, provincial councillors, and town councillors.
“I think it is so wrong that so
many Jewish pioneers are overlooked.”
JOHANNESBURG
At least Cape Town has a Jewish
Museum, something which Johannesburg does not have. Soon, too,
Johannesburg will no longer have
a Jewish library if plans to close
down the one at Beyachad, are
realised.
Meanwhile there is a deafening
silence as to what is happening to
the Beyachad Library. It seems
that Beyachad is awaiting a white
knight sponsor to save the library.
The Cape Town Jews, meanwhile,
are laughing all the way to the
shul!
JOHANNESBURG
A letter from Ghita Epstein about
Dr Edward Epstein:
“In the British Army during the
Second World War, Dr Epstein
visited prisoner-of-war camps
(where captured German soldiers
were kept). He had spectacles
made for a young German soldier
so that he could get binocular
vision.
“Forty five years later a Dr
Rommel visited Dr Epstein in
Johannesburg in order to thank
him. He was that prisoner and
(after the war) he was able to
become a thoracic surgeon.
“Dr Rommel’s father was a first
cousin to Field Marshall Erwin
Rommel.”
• Field Marshall Rommel, the
“Desert Fox”, was best known for
his spectacular early victories as
commander of the German
“Afrika Korps” in North Africa in
1941/2.
His troops overran Tobruk, in
Libya, in June 1942, when many
South Africans were captured.
However, the Allies under Field
Marshall Montgomery defeated
him at El-Alamein in Egypt in
October/November 1942. Rommel
returned to Germany and was in
charge of the defence of the
French coast in expectation of an
Allied invasion.
He became involved in an antiHitler plot and, when discovered,
took poison in October 1944.
PERTH, WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
Dr Karin Margolius from Germiston has topped off an already
prolific career with another
award: the “Medal of the Order of
Australia”, given at this year’s
Australia Day ceremony in Perth
for her services to “clinical forensic medicine, education and work
in supporting people with cancer”.
Karin has been a clinical forensic pathologist at the Western
Australia Centre for Pathology
and Research since 1980.
Moving from South Africa to
Australia, Karin is or has been a
member of several medico-legal
commissions, boards and committees and was honoured as
“Woman Achiever WA” in 1998
and “Western Australia Citizen of
the Year for Community Services”
in 2008 and 2009.
She was instrumental in developing a questionnaire for nurses
to perform at the scene of a child
death - now an accepted document
to help a coroner make recommendations on preventing such
fatalities.
Karin also holds the honour of
being the first female to become a
forensic pathologist in Western
Australia.
She explained: “I entered the
field by default. When I came
here from South Africa I was a
routine pathologist but there was
a position of forensic pathologist
and I was asked if I would do it, so
I said yes.”
She added that the Western
Australia medical system was
open and welcoming to doctors
from across the world, particularly women.
“While I was doing forensic
pathology, I (also) did law so it
gave me opportunities to do things
outside (of) forensic pathology.
“I went to Murdoch University
in the evening and ended up being
a lawyer and it was a fantastic
opportunity because forensic
pathology and law go together.
“When I go to law, I understand
the procedure better and what the
defence and prosecution are getting at. The more knowledge you
have the better it is.”
AROUND THE WORLD
NEWS IN BRIEF
GROUPS OUTLINE WAYS TO REDUCE HEALTH GAPS IN ISRAEL
JERUSALEM - Five civil society
organisations in Israel have created
a position paper outlining a social
policy to reduce gaps in health status
and health services.
In the paper released on Monday,
the organisations - the Adva Centre;
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel;
the Association for Civil Rights in
Israel; the Galilee Society-Arab
National Society for Health Research
and Services; and Tene-Briut for the
Promotion of the Health of
Ethiopian Israelis - called on Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ini-
tiate a multi-dimensional national
programme to reduce health gaps.
According to the paper, significant
health disparities have been found
between Jews and Arabs, between
longtime residents of Israel and
newcomers from Ethiopia and, within each of these groups, between
those receiving income support payments and others.
Gaps have been found also
between the centre and periphery of
the country, and between the population groups residing in these areas.
The disparities have been increasing
rather than decreasing, the paper
asserts.
The paper calls for an annual
Health Gaps Report to be presented
to the Knesset, including an update
on health disparities, a delineation of
the official goals for the reduction of
the disparities, and the progress that
has been made by the various ministries.
The report looks at the health disparities in various populations for
four common illnesses: diabetes,
heart disease, breast cancer and
depression/anxiety. (JTA)
7
6
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
SOCIAL SCENE
Rita Lewis jont@global.co.za
The inside of the
new The Greenside.
Marge Kaplan; Lily Mer; Dorann Ben David who headed the revamp;
and Anne Freedman.
Lot of ‘new’
kick in this
old girl yet!
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RITA LEWIS
THE GRAND opening of the revamped “The Greenside”
in Chester Road, Greenside East, shows what can be
done to an old venue if one uses a little foresight, decorative ability and flair.
Of course an artistic and imaginative eye is also needed as is a team of interested people who will ensure that
the project can be paid for and is carried out successfully from its inception until the finished product.
Under the watchful eye of Dorann Ben David and her
husband Ari who is also chairman of the shul, all these
factors were present - with the result that the new
Greenside (which was previously the hall of the
Greenside Shul and will be providing revenue to it) is a
luxurious venue for anyone to hold a largish function.
Some 450 people attended the opening at which
Dorann Ben David thanked those who had given her
their support.
She said she had enjoyed heading the project which
had taken some seven months to complete - with just
renewing the floors and ceilings alone taking three
months.
Hanging the heavy curtains had also been a mammoth task as the ceilings of the hall are extremely high
and the massive curtains hang down from the ceilings to
the floor between angled pillars.
Despite the enormous, decorative chandeliers and the
entire ambiance being one of luxury and good taste, if
one would be asked: “What is the most spectacular part
of the renovation?” the answer would have to be that the
piece de resistance has to be the ladies’ toilet!
With its wine-red crystal chandeliers, its bright red
settees and the matching decor and finishes to die for,
who needs to go into the hall when one can stay and chat
to one’s female friends in such a plush boudoir-type
atmosphere?
Stan and Pete are the resident caterers and Len Kay
was the mellow-voiced soloist who sang to the music of
The Swingtones. Due to the cancellation of the singing
group, the Black Tie Ensemble, ably stepped in to give
the gathering a taste of classical operatic songs.
Comedian Mel Miller had toned his jokes down to suit
the audience, but they were still quick, on the ball and as
usual, more than a-laugh-a-minute and much enjoyed
by the gathering.
• For more information or to make a reservation, contact (011) 880-5720 or e-mail info@thegreenside.co.za
Rebbetzen Aviva Rabinowitz with
Caron Rauff.
Barbara and Geoff Rothschild.
Yitzchak and Mayane Steel.
Part of the Swing Tones Big Band with Len Kay (partly hidden on left)
Robbie Egnos and Francois Conradie.
ChaiFM’s Moshe and Gittee
Wegener.
Mayane Steel and Rene Cronje.
Ari Ben David with Greenside shul’s
Rabbi Mendel Rabinowitz.
Len Kay; Tania Leurquain; and Bill Keenan.
Carol Berkowitz with Ari Ben David.
Cyril Green; Ari and Alice Nathan; and Jacqui Green.
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
Meet Cape Town’s last Jewish tailor
MOIRA SCHNEIDER
CAPE TOWN
PHOTOGRAPH: JANETTE ADAMS
THE LAST Jewish tailor in Cape Town,
Israel Transfeldt, has spent 36 years plying
his trade. Now part of a dying breed, his
story begins with his parents’ escape from
Nazi Germany to Britain where they joined
the armed forces, later meeting in
Singapore.
After the war, the medical specialists
made their way to the Jewish State where
their only child, Israel, was born. When he
was two, the family moved to Zimbabwe and
later to Bloemfontein, where the young boy
attended Grey College.
Tragedy struck, however, while he was
away at a Jewish youth camp, changing the
course of his life: he learned that his parents
had been killed in a car crash. “It was the
year of my barmitzvah,” he recalls sadly.
The commissioner of social welfare in
the Cape happened to be a Jew, who
arranged for a co-religionist in this city to
foster him. She knew that he sewed and had
entered his drawings in a competition
which the 14-year-old won, the prize being
to study tailoring at the Ipswich
Polytechnic in London.
Once more through the auspices of the
Jewish community, it was organised that he
board with members of the Chassidic community in Harrowgate. Their kindness
helped a lot in filling the gap left in the
young orphan’s life, he remembers.
Nevertheless, “I missed my Dad - he
never gave me the ‘tallis’, the ‘siddur’, those
things that are so important to a young
boy,” he remarks wistfully. Eight years ago,
Transfeldt noticed that the tailoring trade
was “disappearing”, took his meagre sav-
ings and found himself in the Queens area
of New York, where he spent four years living among the religious community.
“Absolutely fabulous!” he says of his
experience. “It was healing and so lovely to
be included - it’s very difficult for Jewish
orphans at any time of year because there’s
no ‘mishpochah’. My heart used to break
every time it was Rosh Hashanah, every
time it was Pesach,” he sighs.
Returning to South Africa, he settled in
Cape Town, setting up shop as Tzaddik
Tailors in Kalk Bay. One day, Mandy
Yachad, former Springbok cricketer,
walked in and the next thing Transfeldt
knew, he was being presented with tefillin.
“It has been on my heart for many
decades and I have asked Hashem to do
something about it. Look what He did!” he
CONTACT
GLENHAZEL Corbel Crescent
Mapendo and Freedom Now
founders win Bronfman Prize
JACOB BERKMAN
NEW YORK
THE FOUNDERS of two human
rights organisations have been
named the winners of the 2010
Charles Bronfman Prize, an annual
$100 000 award presented to an individual (or
team) age 50 or younger, engaged in humanitarian work.
The prize committee has announced that
this year’s winners are Sasha Chanoff, the
founder and executive director of Mapendo
International, an international relief agency
that helps relocate African refugees, and
Jared Genser, the founder and president of
Freedom Now, a group that provides legal
help to international prisoners of conscience.
Each will receive $100 000 for their organisations.
Named for the Jewish philanthropist
Charles Bronfman (pictured), the prize was
established in 2004 by his children to honour
his 70th birthday. An internationally recognised committee of panellists engaged in philanthropy and human rights work - that
includes a Canadian Supreme Court Justice
and a former head of the World Bank - awards
the prize following a nomination and voting
process.
It marked the first time the committee has
named two winners in the same year.
“We look for people who are making a difference in the world, who are doing things,
who are passionate about something,”
Stephen Bronfman said. “We can help them
with the contacts the Bronfman family has,
and they can help us by elevating the idea.”
Through Mapendo, Chanoff has established a network of volunteers and professionals who scout Africa looking for at-risk
refugees of war and tribal conflict and then
helps get them into the refugee resettlement
programmes of other governments, primarily in the United States.
Genser’s organisation, Freedom Now, has a
team of volunteer lawyers, including himself,
that defends those who have been imprisoned
by oppressive governments because of their
political views. Among those Freedom Now
has supported is Nyi Nyi Aung, who was sentenced to three years of hard labour in a
Burmese prison for promoting democracy.
Chanoff and Genser both do their work far
from the mainstream of Jewish life. Still, both
exclaims.
“He sent Mandy Yachad, a Jew who’s got
the heart and the ‘tzedakkah’ to come to a
humble Jewish tailor and do what my
father wasn’t there to do. How awesome is
Hashem!
“That is why I want to go to Sea Point,” he
explains of his intended move across the
Peninsula. “I keep kosher, which I find
extremely difficult to do here - it distresses
me that I can’t find kosher food.
“I also want to be within an eruv,” something that is in the process of being set up
in the Sea Point area.
He says that he has “wonderful” Jewish
customers who appreciate the fact that he is
an “old-fashioned tailor” and master pattern-maker. He sews for both men and
women, including wedding dresses and
alterations.
“I feel that my business and my life would
be more fulfilled if I were to move,” the 56year-old says hopefully.
Trevor Stamelman: 082-608-0168
Tel: (011) 885-3742
trevor@stamelmanproperties.co.za
www.stamelmanproperties.co.za
Cape Town’s last
Jewish tailor, Israel
Transfeldt, at work.
say that their Jewish ideals play
heavily into their nonsectarian
humanitarian work.
Chanoff first became involved in
working with refugees in the late
1990s while with the Jewish
Vocational Service in Boston, an affiliate of HIAS-the Hebrew Immigration Aid
Society.
The JVS helped a number of refugees from
places like Bosnia, Somalia and Iraq resettle
in Boston through the US resettlement programme, which allows as many as 80 000
refugees to move to the United States each
year.
Chanoff started Mapendo in 2004 by setting
up a medical clinic with a Kenyan doctor to
help refugees in Nairobi. The group now has
a staff of 30 - five in Boston where it is headquartered, and 25 stationed around Africa and has helped some 10 000 refugees resettle
in safer countries over the past six years.
He recalls the stories his great-aunt used to
tell him about marauders who would attack
her Jewish village in Kiev, Ukraine, and the
story of their escape to the United States.
“There is something very visceral about seeing people who have lost their homes, their
families and sometimes everything that
means anything to them in their lives,”
Chanoff said. “This just struck me as something I was supposed to be doing. It connected me to my past and to my great-grandparents and my grandmother and my family.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South
African Nobel Peace Prize winner, sits on
Freedom Now’s board, as do two rabbis Jamie Cowland and Danny Schonbuch who Genser describes as close advisers and
mentors.
Genser said he did not have Jewish values
in mind when he started Freedom Now, but
Cowland, a British rabbi who now lives in
Israel, and Schonbuch, who Genser met in
Israel but now lives in New York, have helped
him understand the Jewish values inherent
in the work that he is doing.
“When I first got into this, we started talking about this from a Jewish perspective,”
he said. “To my surprise I found, from a
Jewish perspective, this is called ‘pidyun
shivuim’, the redemption of captives. It is
one of the categories of work that can even
be performed in violation of the Sabbath.”
(JTA)
5
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GLENHAZEL: 3 bed, 2 bath, garden duplex, walk to
shops, shuls and schools. R1,3 mil.
BAGLEYSTON: 3 beds, 2 baths, 3 recep, pool,
garden and cottage. R1,4 mil.
GLENHAZEL/LYNDHURST: 4 beds, 2 baths,
3 recep, pool, garden, cottage. R1,4 mil.
SILVAMONTE VILLAGE: 2 beds, 2 baths, large unit with
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SYDENHAM: 3 bed, 2 bath, 3 recep, garden and
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Mid-R1 mil.
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GRESWOLD: Various 2 bed units. From R699 000
4
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
A library is
Is the hateful swastika being
much more
‘legally’ rehabilitated?
than a collection
of books
LIONEL SLIER
MAURICE SKIKNE
A FRESH crisis has become very apparent in the community of Johannesburg - but it has actually been ongoing for
a number of years. The management committee of the
Beyachad community hub, inter alia representatives from
the SA Jewish Board of Deputies, the SA Zionist
Federation, the Israel United Appeal and fulltime employees, in their “wisdom” have concluded in their deliberations to close down the library at Beyachad in Elray Street.
Allow me to quote some of the reasons for this move by
management. The facts (as I understand them) are that:
1. The land and building was originally purchased by the
Kaplan Foundation and Eric Samson. It has been ceded and
is actually owned by the Jewish community at large.
2. The library is quoted as costing approximately
R250 000 per annum to run.
3. The library - not including the archives - funded by the
SAJBD, and Beit Ha’tefutzot - occupies some 200 square
metres. This space can be let to other organisations.
4. The library is used or consulted about 800 to 1 000
times a month on a regular basis, despite being closed over
weekends and Yomtovim. In addition, it is being very specialised, for instance it’s only used for items of Judaic
interest. It therefore does not get the traffic of a standard
normal library.
The reasons advanced (to close it):
1. It costs about R20 000 per month in salaries.
2. Management wishes to let the 200 square metres to tenants. (This covers about 1/8 of the floor space of each
storey of the building) - approximately 1 600 square metres.
Thus 1 600 x 3 = 4 800 square metres = say 5 000 square
metres for argument’s sake. Thus, 200 divided by 5 000 x 100
= 4 per cent of the total floor space. If this is rented out at
say, R100 per square metre = R20 000 per month.
Pray, who will be willing to pay such rental stuck at the
back of the first floor? Any such Jewish organisation will
NOT have the capital or income to warrant such rental.
A commercial firm? Who in their right mind would want
to spend this kind of money - again stuck in the middle of
Jewish community activity.
This is tantamount to the suggested R800 per hour to rent
an auditorium for two hours for the SA Jewish
Genealogical Society, causing that organisation to go into
limbo for the time being.
My prediction is that this space will eventually stand
empty.
3. Jews are meant to be the “People of the Book”. We have
always been associated with learning and study.
As understood, the library was started many decades ago
and thus contains some 18 000 tomes of which many are out
of print, and could be rare Jewish Africana. In fact, in
terms of intrinsic value, this library can be rated as being
absolutely priceless.
4. Now, what is the intention of management? If the
library is closed down, how will the collection be stored, or
will it be sold off or donated?
Will it wind up on the shelves of the Jewish Book
Depository in Amherst, Massachusetts in the US? This is
what was the fate of another valuable book collection some
years ago, when the SA Jewish Board of Education, donated to the University of Austin, Texas.
How can such a collection of Hebraic and Jewish history
be sent to another world, when the Board could have had it
housed in one of the King David school libraries? Would it
go to the Department of Jewish Studies in Cape Town,
which has limited access to the majority of researchers up
here in Gauteng, and I opine would see very limited and
distinctly biased writing, with due respect, from that quarter.
A library’s value is pegged in terms of its usage and contribution to the community it serves. One CANNOT measure its value in monetary terms, despite the so-called trend
of a “media system” only, as expounded by one of the socalled experts in management.
Enquiry at the University of Johannesburg’s main
library, reveals that libraries are still the mainstay of all
educational activity. The solutions are many, one of them
being to form a society with an annual membership and
make the complete library a wholly independent organisation with no association to Beyachad or its current main
tenants.
This is a distinct possibility, given that the most senior
management person at a recent meeting, consented to
donating the entire library to an organisation that would
run it. This writer would predict that the archives and Beit
Ha’tefutzot, will in a short while suffer the same fate.
Eventually Beyachad, which should be “by the people for
the people”, will stand semi-empty, a relic of commercial
brilliance!
Of course one could also emulate Nazism, as in 1938, and
BURN ALL THE BOOKS!
THE SWASTIKA, for most people, is a
symbol of hatred, torture and fear,
made infamous by the Nazis, who
carried it as an emblem symbolising
death and destruction throughout
Europe during the 1930s until the end
of the Second World War in 1945.
Today its display is banned in many
countries - most of Europe.
Surprisingly a court in Klapedia,
Lithuania recently ruled that the
swastika was not exclusively a Nazi
symbol but that it had “reputably”
existed long before the Nazis expropriated it for their despicable ends.
At an independence parade a few
weeks ago, four students displaying
the symbol, were arrested and
charged for doing so. The court ruled
in favour of the four and said the
“image” was part of the country’s
historic legacy and not a Nazi symbol
per se; it was a centuries-old symbol
representing the sun and could be
found on numerous historic artefacts.
A witness for the defence insisted it
was not a Nazi attribute but a valuable symbol of Baltic culture, an
ancient sign of their ancestors, which
had been stolen from them and
“treacherously used by other people”.
It was also argued that previously
the swastika had been displayed on
May Day parades and, on one occasion, in front of the presidential
palace in the capital, Vilnius.
The judge ruled that what the four
students had done, had not been a
political act and neither had there
been any malicious intent.
Understandably the court’s finding
shocked many people in the country
as they had always believed that the
public display of the swastika was a
criminal offence.
“I wanted people to think outside
the box,” said Miluydas Juskauskas,
one of the parade organisers. That’s
why I decided to look for a symbol
which would urge them to do so and I
chose the ancient symbol of light, fire
and the universe, as a perfect match.
“The swastika, once a sacred symbol (in ancient times), is now being
misinterpreted and humiliated.”
A professor of archaeology, a
Professor Tukhanas, said the swastika had been in use for thousands of
years in both China and Europe and
therefore what the students had done,
could not be considered an illegal act.
The swastika was an ancient,
sacred symbol whose significance
had long been established. In fact, it
had been very popular in their
(Lithuanian) part of the world. There
were old buildings in Lithuania
which had swastikas as part of their
iron lattice decorations.
Even the first bank notes issued by
the Soviet regime after the Second
World War, had small swastikas in
their design.
CT eruv a reality after
10 years in the making
MOIRA SCHNEIDER
CAPE TOWN
VISITING FRUM Fifa World Cup soccer fans may be among the first to benefit from Cape Town’s new eruv, a
development that has been over 10
years in the making. What has caused
the long delay since the idea was first
mooted?
David Cohen, project co-ordinator,
says there have been issues relating to
“sensitivity to the environment” and
halacha that have had to be satisfactorily dealt with. The Sea Point area,
where the eruv is to be situated, is a
premier tourist destination and this
gave rise to concerns on the part of the
city council, whose permission had
been necessary for the move.
It tasked landscape architect Tarna
Klitzner to perform an impact survey
on how an eruv would affect the “visual” of the area. “That’s been the sensitivity all the years - that’s been the
problem,” Cohen explains.
“It’s taken so long because we’ve
been trying to find a solution. For
example, if we wanted to plant poles
next to a wall, we would have to go to
the owner of the house to get permission.”
But this and other matters have
been satisfactorily resolved and
about a month ago, the council gave
the go-ahead. He adds that it is in no
small measure due to Klitzner’s professionalism that this stage has been
reached.
“It took a lot of time - finding ways of
not having to build anything. We’re
only putting up seven proper poles in
the whole area, which is huge.”
Together with Cohen and Klitzner,
Stan Grusd completes the project committee.
The eruv runs from the sea to the
mountain, from Three Anchor Bay to
beyond Saunder’s Rocks, incorporating part of Victoria Road, Bantry Bay.
The area is served by five Orthodox
synagogues.
The silver poles and wire strung across them in the foreground, mark a
perimeter of the Sea Point eruv. (PHOTOGRAPH: ALAN LEVIN)
He said researchers had found that
the swastika design went back 3 000
years and that the word itself was
from Sanskrit. It was also very popular in India and in festivals a swastika
design was often seen in decorations.
It was a common sight in temples
and houses, facing to the left and to
the right. The Nazi swastika faced to
the left.
Some year ago, Selwyn Klass from
Johannesburg, visited the ancient
Cochin Jewish community in India, a
community dating back to 587 BCE,
the time of the destruction of the
First Temple.
The Cochin Jews live in an area
called accurately and not unkindly,
Jewtown. He told how he saw
swastikas decorating the iron work in
the upper storeys of some of the
buildings. He explained that these
were ancient Hindi symbols for wellbeing and sanctuary in the buildings.
Indians say the sign Om is the foremost religious symbol in Hinduism,
followed by the swastika. The origins
of these symbols are lost in the mists
of time. They lamented the fact that
today the swastika has become
known as the Nazi symbol and that it
has been besmirched by them.
Meanwhile, many people in
Lithuania believe that the court ruling means that anyone can now draw
or paint a swastika freely without
fear of prosecution and that in fact
hidden fascists can now come out of
the woodwork into the open.
The question is: Has the court
given these closet and “un-closeted”
Nazis a legal green light to hide
behind the ancient history and symbol of the swastika?
“It’s all about Shabbat and Yom
Kippur,” Cohen says of the eruv’s purpose. “On Pesach, Shavuot and Succot,
it’s not a problem to carry.
“In your own home, you can carry
(on Shabbat and Yom Kippur) - it’s a
private domain, the so-called ‘yachid’,”
he says, listing the “halachic” categories. “Then there’s the ‘carmelit’,
which is in-between a public area and
the ‘yachid’.
“You can convert a ‘carmelit’ by
means of an eruv to a private domain.
Then you can carry,” (as well as push
prams and wheelchairs).
A public area - “r’shut rabim” - is
defined as one that is traversed by at
least 600 000 people a day, he says. Sea
Point does not reach that target, making it possible to convert it.
The eruv creates an area in which
the Jewish community has a right of
use. And that has to receive the council’s blessing too.
The final step before it is operational
will entail Rabbi Anton Klein of the
Johannesburg Beth Din who is in
charge of that city’s eruvim, carrying
within the eruv’s boundaries on
Shabbat, described by Cohen as “a
kind of roof-wetting. He’s been our
halachic authority and has been down
to Cape Town numerous times to assist
us in solving problems.
“Our biggest problem at the moment
is raising money,” he points out, referring to the “first budget” of R230 000.
That amount includes building costs,
architect’s fees and the establishment
of a maintenance fund - the eruv has
to be checked every week.
Cohen, when asked whether he
thought its establishment would lead
to an increase in visitors to this city,
said laughingly: “Please G-d, and
maybe an increase in property values it happened in Johannesburg.
“And certainly Johannesburg people buying property here will be more
encouraged - there will be more
demand.”
• Individuals wishing to donate to
the Sea Point eruv fund should contact
the Union of Orthodox Synagogues on
(021) 461-6310, for account details.
18 - 25 June 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
3
There’s mixed reaction
to Israel’s flotilla inquiry
STAFF REPORTER
ISRAEL’S CABINET has unanimously approved a commission of
inquiry into the interception of a
Gaza-bound flotilla that left nine
passengers dead on May 31.
Reaction ranged from cautious
approval by the US, to a scathing
editorial denunciation by Ha’aretz and of course the expected Iranian,
Turkish and Palestinian excoriation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu announced that two foreign observers would be part of the
commission. Netanyahu said during Monday’s meeting to approve
the independent public commission, that its establishment “will
make it clear to the entire world
that the State of Israel acts according to the law, transparently, and
with full responsibility.
“I am convinced that the commission’s uncovering of the facts will
prove that the goals and actions of
the State of Israel and the IDF were
appropriate defensive actions in
accordance with the highest international standards.”
Retired Israeli Supreme Court
Justice Jacob (Yaakov) Turkel will
head the commission. The other
members are international law professor Shabtai Rosen, winner of the
Israel Prize for jurisprudence and
the Hague Prize for International
Law; and Maj-Gen (ret) Amos
Horev, a former Technion president.
The two eminent foreign
observers with experience in the
fields of military law and human
rights, are Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lord William David Trimble
from Northern Ireland, and international jurist, Ken Watkin, former
judge advocate general of the
Canadian Armed Forces.
Lord Trimble, the former Ulster
Unionist leader, won the Nobel
Prize for his role in the 1998 Good
Friday Agreement, which brought
an end to the worst of the political
violence in Northern Ireland.
The Obama administration said
the commission, as outlined by
Netanyahu, had the potential to fulfil its earlier demand for a “full and
credible” probe, but added that it
was reserving judgement until it
saw results.
“Israel has a military justice system that meets international standards and is capable of conducting
a serious and credible investigation, and the structure and terms of
reference of Israel’s proposed independent public commission can
meet the standard of a prompt,
impartial, credible, and transparent investigation,” a White House
statement said.
The commission will be entitled
to call the prime minister, defence
minister, other government ministers and the Israeli army’s chief of
staff to testify. It also can request
military documents and sum-
maries of investigations currently
being undertaken by a military
investigative team headed by former National Security Council
head Maj-Gen Giora Eiland. The
commission will, however, not
interview soldiers.
The commission will inter alia
consider how the nine Turkish
activists died after their ship was
boarded by Israeli commandos and
it will also adjudge whether Israel’s
naval blockade of Gaza is allowed
under international law.
“The (UN) Secretary-General
(Ban Ki-moon) takes note of the
Israeli announcement on their
inquiry,” UN spokesman Farhan
Haq told reporters.
But Haq added that Ban’s “proposal for an international inquiry
remains on the table and he hopes
for a positive Israeli response”.
Iranian President Mahmoud
Abbas said the inquiry would not
meet demands made by the UN
Security Council.
Turkey was quick to rule that the
Turkel commission would be “completely unable to hold an impartial
investigation”. Ankara reiterated
its demand for a UN-led probe.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud
Abbas, speaking in Paris, said the
inquiry “does not correspond to
what the Security Council asked
for. Israel must lift the blockade.
That is our principal and permanent demand.”
The International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) has described
Israel’s blockade of Gaza as a clear
violation of international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, Middle East peace
envoy and former British Prime
Minister Tony Blair, said he hoped
Israel would allow more humanitarian items into Gaza.
Speaking to the BBC before briefing European Union foreign ministers, Blair said Netanyahu had
agreed in principle to a “significant
change” in the way the blockade
was organised.
“The Israeli inquiry is obviously
a significant step forward,” the
Jewish students
happy with
outcome of protest
DIANE WOLFSON
LAST TUESDAY, the South
African Union of Jewish Students
(SAUJS) took the fight for fairness
in the Middle East to the gates of
government in Pretoria itself.
As proudly South African
Jews, backed by a multitude of
supporters from across the political spectrum, we presented a
memorandum to Saul Molobi,
spokesman for the Department of
International Relations and Cooperation, expressing our utter
dismay and outrage at the deci-
Times quoted Blair as saying.
Ha’aretz in an editorial slamming
the commission (which it called a
committee), said: “Unfortunately,
neither the committee’s membership nor its authority is suited to
meet the challenges posed by the
affair.
“The committee should have been
asked to examine the facts and hold
responsible those who caused the
incident to end as it did, thereby
allowing Israelis and their government to implement the lessons that
need to be learned.
“Instead, the Cabinet created a
panel aimed at appeasing the world,
in particular the United States. Its
authority is too limited to conduct a
real investigation, and its makeup
raises the suspicion that it is
designed more as a public relations
tool than to properly examine the
events and reveal the responsible
parties.
Meanwhile, in the US calls have
been growing for the US to open its
own investigation of the flotilla
affair.
More than 23 000 people have
signed a petition urging the US
State Department to investigate
passengers on the Mavi Marmara
who are expected to visit New York
on a speaking tour later this week.
Organised by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New
York, the petition asks the US government to look critically at those
applying for visas to enter the country, particularly those affiliated
with IHH.
The petition cites a 2006 report by
the Danish Institute for International Studies, which documents
a link between IHH and al-Qaida
and “global jihad networks” in the
1990s.
“We have a responsibility to make
certain that all those who come to
New York are in no way associated
with terrorism, its ideology or its
tactics,” JCRC president Janice
Shorenstein said on Monday at a
news conference in Times Square
with several members of Congress
present.
sion of the South African government to recall the South African
ambassador to Israel(an extreme
political protest and diplomatic
censure).
Tuesday was a victory for Jews,
South Africans and all those concerned with creating a human
rights culture in South Africa.
Molobi said the ambassador
would be back in Israel within two
to three weeks. We will be keeping
a vigilant eye on this claim and if
necessary will be back to make our
voices heard again.
We will continue to defend the
State of Israel and the cause of
human rights around the world.
2
SA JEWISH REPORT
18 - 25 June 2010
SHABBAT TIMES
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It’s never going to happen
“THEY’LL NEVER finish the stadiums in time.” “The Gautrain
won’t be ready!” You surely
remember the flood of pessimism
about our country’s ability to host
the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the
suggestions that Fifa needed a
backup host-venue in case.
As the countdown ticked over
on electronic billboards and in the
media, many doubted the beautiful game would really make it to
our shores.
Then, at 12:00 on Wednesday
June 9, hundreds of thousands of
South Africans toyi-toyed, blasted
their vuvuzelas and exuberantly
welcomed the world’s greatest
sporting event to Africa.
Our nation exploded into a cascade of yellow-and-green, streetdancing and delirious chaos.
South Africans had witnessed the
impossible happen.
Chukat, the Torah portion this
week, details the laws of the red
heifer, a completely red cow that
was used in Temple times to
cleanse a person of spiritual impurity.
PARSHAT
CHUKAT
Rabbi Ari Shishler
Chabad of Strathavon
Johannesburg
When the Rambam (Maimonides) discusses the red heifer laws
in his magnum opus, Mishneh
Torah, he includes an interesting
historical note on this practice:
“In all, there have been nine red
heifers from the time this mitzvah
was commanded until the destruction of the Second Holy Temple.
The first was rendered by Moses,
the second by Ezra the Scribe, and
seven more between the time of
Ezra and the destruction.”
And then he concludes: “The
tenth red heifer will be rendered by
Moshiach, may he be speedily
revealed, Amen, may it be Your
(G-d’s) will.”
His last words seem out of place.
Why did the Rambam include a
prayer for Moshiach in the middle
June 18/6 Tammuz
June 19/7 Tammuz
of a legal work?
Maimonides is renowned for his
carefully measured words and his
precise language usage. We derive
many practical implications just
from his choice of expression. It is
completely out of character for him
to detour from legal formulation
into a wistful wish for the future.
You could argue that Maimonides
wanted to teach us how important it
is to pray for Moshiach. But, if that
was the case, the Rambam would
likely have inserted this prayer into
the final section of his Halachicencyclopaedia, where he enumerates the laws of Moshiach.
The Rambam wanted to teach us
something unique. He knew that we
Jews have hoped, prayed and looked
forward to Moshiach’s arrival for
most of our history.
He appreciated that we would
begin to become disillusioned and
wonder if our nation’s impossible
dream could ever come true. So, he
chose to emphasise that whenever a
Jew encounters even the slightest
mention of Moshiach, he or she
should become inspired.
He wanted to show us that when
we hear a hint of Moshiach, we
should feel optimistic and echo his
Chukat
Starts Ends
17:06
17:26
16:46
17:07
16:58
16:51
17:58
18:21
17:39
18:00
17:52
17:45
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Durban
Bloemfontein
Port Elizabeth
East London
prayer that Hashem should speed
up Moshiach’s coming.
Here in South Africa we’ve just
had a whiff of what Moshiach will
be like. We have just witnessed
how an impossible dream can
come true. We have seen the sceptics proven wrong and we have
watched cynicism morph into celebration.
At 11:59 last Wednesday, life in
South Africa was routine. A
minute later, it was transformed.
One minute before Moshiach’s
appearance, life will be routine too.
Then the great “vuvuzela” will
sound and everything will change.
We sometimes doubt it will ever
happen, but G-d guarantees it and
we believe it will come soon.
Amen, may it be His will.
Former Israeli Chief
Offering
Sephardic Rabbi Mordechai something extra
to soccer visitors
Eliyahu dies at age 81
MOIRA SCHNEIDER
CAPE TOWN
STAFF REPORTER
PHOTO SUPPLIED
RABBI MORDECHAI Eliyahu, a former
Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, died on
Monday June 7 in Jerusalem at the age of
81, following a long illness. He was laid to
rest at the Har Menuchot Cemetery
(Mount of Final Rest) in Jerusalem.
Born into a prominent rabbinic family
in Jerusalem in 1929, the son of Rabbi
Salman Eliyahu, a well-known Jerusalem Kabbalist, he was appointed
leader of the Sephardic Rabbinate of
Israel in 1983, a post he held for 10 years.
In the 1950s, Rabbi Eliyahu played an
important role in a radical group that
advocated the establishment of a Jewish
theocracy in Israel. He was sentenced
and served 10 months in prison for various activities related to this.
One of his well-known positions since
leaving the post of chief rabbi was when
he spoke out against the Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, particularly Israel’s 2005 evacuation of the
Gaza Strip, led by then Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon.
In 1962 he was ordained as a religious
judge, becoming the youngest person to
serve in this capacity in Israel. During
his life as a religious leader and one of
the key spiritual leaders of the religious
Zionist movement in Israel, he authored
dozens of books on Jewish religious law
and also created organisations and
groups to disseminate the message of
Jewish law throughout the country, particularly aiming his teachings towards
secular Israelis.
In 1950, he was among the founders of
“Brit HaKanaim” (“Covenant of the
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, has died at
age 81.
Zealots”), which aimed at imposing
Jewish religious teachings in the life of
Israel. His ultimate goal was to establish
a halachic state. In 1983 he was named
Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel - a position he held until 1993.
In April this year he suffered a heart
attack and underwent emergency bypass
surgery. After many setbacks following
this operation, he passed away at the
Shaare Zedek Medical Centre in
Jerusalem.
After his death, Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu hailed him as “a
leading spiritual leader of religious
Zionism and a loyal disciple of our people”.
THE CAPE TOWN Holocaust Centre is to offer
morning and afternoon guided tours for the duration of the World Cup. These tours, which started
on June 14, will carry on until Friday July 9. The
times are 11:00 and 15:00. On Fridays, there will be
morning tours only. Tours last an hour and a half.
“We have not often offered such tours to the general public in the past, largely because of the
demanding schedules of our personnel, but
because of the Fifa World Cup and the long school
and university holidays, our team has more time to
be able to offer them,” said Richard Freedman,
director of the South African Holocaust
Foundation.
The Centre is anticipating more international
visitors than usual because of the World Cup, a factor that has already become evident over the past
few days with visitors from Germany and Uruguay.
It has developed additional panels for the exhibition which focus on the impact of Nazi laws on
Jewish sportsmen and -women.
Also opening at the Centre:
On June 15 a temporary exhibition opened at the
Centre. It is entitled “The Right to Refuge” and features the photographs of David Lurie taken in the
refugee camps in the Western Cape, the poetry of
Patricia Schonstein featured in her newly published work “The Unknown Child - poems of War,
Love and Longing” and additional text by Professor
Stephen Robins of the University of the Western
Cape.
The exhibition is contextualised in the history of
the Jews who fled Nazi Germany to make their
homes in South Africa in the 1930s.
• Booking for the guided tours is not necessary.
For further information, contact the Cape Town
Holocaust Centre on phone number (021) 462-5553
or admin@holocaust.org.za