Cape Town Jewry unites in hope for a new day

The Cape southeaster may have blown the Cape Town Marathon off course, but it couldn’t keep the Jewish community away from the 7 October commemoration “A New Day Will Rise”. Nearly a thousand people filled the Albow Centre in Gardens on Monday evening, 20 October, coming together to remember, weep, sing, and, in the end, dance again. 

It was an evening that captured the full emotional range of the past two years since the horrors of 7 October 2023. As Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the mother of slain Israeli-American hostage Hersh Golberg-Polin, so poignantly put it on the day the hostages were released, “There is a time to sob and a time to dance, and we have to do both now.” That was the spirit of this remarkable gathering. 

It was an important moment of unity, bringing together the full spectrum of Jewish communal life including Bnei Akiva; Habonim; Netzer; Diller; BBYO; Herzlia Schools; Cape Town Torah High; the Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies; the Israel Centre, South African Union of Jewish Students; Women’s International Zionist Organisation (WIZO); Elevate; The Base; and the Jewish National Fund South Africa. Each organisation contributed to the evening’s narrative of remembrance and renewal, reflecting the strength and diversity of Cape Town Jewry’s connection to Israel. 

The programme, compiled by the South African Zionist Federation Cape Council, opened with haunting images of the 1 200 lives lost on that black Saturday. Prayers were led by Cantor Ivor Joffe and the Marais Road Shul choir, followed by video messages of thanks and support for the Cape Town Jewish community from President Isaac Herzog; Ifat Ovadia-Luski, the chairperson of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund; and Israel’s Christian allies. 

The highlight of the evening was a stirring violin performance by Agam Berger, a survivor of Hamas captivity who spent 482 days in Gaza. Her music, from Yerushalayim Shel Zahav to Habayta to Hallelujah, carried the audience through her journey from pain to hope. Her quiet strength silenced the hall, and many in the crowd wept as her violin gave voice to what words couldn’t express. 

The focus then turned to resilience and renewal as Tamara Davidson, the vice-chairperson of the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) Cape Council, reminded the community that hope isn’t passive. “Hope is sustained by community and rooted in memory and passion, directing us toward action.” 

She spoke of Jewish resilience. “The story of the Jewish people, and the story of Israel, has many chapters of pain. But each chapter is meticulously bound together with thread forged in resilience, and a stubborn, luminous insistence on rebuilding, on singing, on choosing life.” 

Davidson paid tribute to South African heroes who have “held the line”, from CSO volunteers to parents returning their children to Jewish schools, saying that this collective strength embodies the covenant between faith, community, and action. 

The JNF SA and The Base community were also recognised for their ongoing work to support returned hostages, bringing them to South Africa for rest and recovery. Their initiatives, along with WIZO’s public hostage-awareness campaigns on the Sea Point promenade and outside Parliament, as well as SAZF Cape Council Chairperson David Cohen’s 26-day solidarity run along the Israel Trail, showcase the deep sense of shared purpose that has characterised the Jewish response since 7 October. 

Reflecting on the evening, Rabbi Aharon Zulberg of The Base said, “It was heartwarming to see the pride the Cape Town Jewish community has for the work its members and organisations have done to support Israel during this challenging time. It’s been wonderful to partner with so many people who have such a strong love for Am Yisrael.” 

As the Herzlia Vocal Ensemble closed the evening with A New Day Will Rise and Hatikvah, the message was clear: Cape Town’s Jewish community may have gathered in mourning, but it left renewed – united in hope, faith, and an unbreakable bond with Israel.