Accolades to a Jew of worth surpass narrow dogma

Geoff Sifrin

Taking Issue

Last week Thursday, at the annual memorial lecture in tribute to the late educationist and liberal humanist Franz Auerbach, the keynote Jewish speaker was Mr Justice Dennis Davis, a sitting judge of the High Court who describes himself as “an adherent to modern Orthodoxy”. The event was in a Progressive synagogue.

Davis’ key point was that while many Jews were activists against apartheid, most did it without reference to Judaism, whereas Auerbach premised his activism against all social systems which reject the “other”, explicitly on Jewish tradition.

Auerbach, who came to South Africa as a young refugee in 1936 to escape Nazi Germany, knew from personal experience what can happen when one group of people demonise another. In his vocal opposition to apartheid, when many other Jews were silent, he fought for his belief in tolerance towards people with different identities.

It was inevitable that at last week Thursday’s lecture controversial topics would be raised, including the “kol isha” issue which has shaken SA Jewry recently due to the interpretation in conservative parts of the religious community that men should not listen to women singing alone.

Davis described to the delight of those present how in various other countries that he visits, devoutly Orthodox Jews are regularly seen – bearing their kippot and tzitzit – at great opera performances where female sopranos and others are dominant.

Why is it that in this community the most narrow and restrictive interpretation of Jewish teachings is adopted, when other equally legitimate interpretations allow Jews to revel in the expressiveness of a female voice? Even at Yom Hashoah.

At Auerbach’s funeral in 2004, attended by eminent anti-apartheid activists of all faiths and conducted by a Progressive rabbi, former Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris was a prominent figure, despite being a high-profile Orthodox rabbi (he had already retired as chief rabbi).

According to the Orthodox rabbinate’s policy which rejects Progressive Judaism’s legitimacy, his presence there was not looked upon kindly by many colleagues.

While endorsing the seriousness of the Orthodox view, Harris found the way to justify being present throughout the Progressive rabbi’s eulogy in the ohel prior to the procession to the grave. He stood boldly in front of the crowd alongside the podium so everyone could see him. He did not participate, nor go to the grave for the religious burial ceremony – that would have been pushing the envelope too far.

Later that day he was interviewed by the writer of this column at his home for an article. When asked how he would defend attending a Progressive funeral as an Orthodox rabbi to his colleagues, he replied with his characteristic smile and a firmness in his voice: “He was a very great guy, Franz. I’m sure I’ll get phone calls tomorrow – ‘what the hell was I doing there’? We were very close, and I couldn’t not go his funeral… whatever kind of funeral it was.”

In this era of increasing fundamentalism, people like Auerbach and Harris, who with a generous smile will cross lines of divisiveness, are like gold. The divisions in South African Jewry are poisonous.

It would be a healthy gesture for this community if next year’s Auerbach lecture was attended by an Orthodox rabbi – not for the religious aspect, since it is a secular event, but for the man himself. Or if that would be going too far, that at least a greeting could be sent to be read out there.

Read Geoff Sifrin’s regular columns on his blog sifrintakingissue.wordpress.com