Shaun Zagnoev
For South African Jewry, we can also look back on and be grateful for another year of being able to live a full Jewish life, and indeed, to thrive, in peace and safety.
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the Jewish festival season, which lasts for just over three weeks and concludes on Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. It is a time of spiritual growth, celebration, goodwill and togetherness, for those in our immediate circles, and for the Jewish community as a whole.
As always, however, we have to be particularly aware around this time, of the need to be aware of our environment and to be vigilant against any possible threats.
For the Community Security Organisation, the Yomtov period is an especially busy time. As always, its professional and volunteer workers, working in conjunction with the police, can be relied upon to maintain the highest standards of vigilance and professionalism in protecting our community and its installations.
For our part, we must make every effort to co-operate with and assist the CSO to the greatest extent that we can, both by complying with the security recommendations they provide and by following their directives, particularly when travelling to and from shul.
In addition, we need to be constantly on the look-out for suspicious activity, particularly over this period, and to be sure to immediately report anything out of the ordinary to the CSO on 086 1800 018.
Those requiring any advice in improving the security of their installation, should e-mail jhbroutine@cso.org.za.
Milestones in the history of modern Israel
South African Jewry has always been an intensely Zionistic community, and this devotion to the ideal of the great Jewish national rebirth in the Land of Israel, continues unabated to this day.
For this reason alone, the latest issue of Jewish Affairs, the prestigious journal that has appeared under the auspices of the SAJBD since 1941, should be of wide interest, since it focuses on the important milestones in the history of modern-day Israel which are being remembered this year.
The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the 70th of the UN Partition Resolution which gave international sanction for the creation of a Jewish state and the 50th of the Six Day War and liberation of Jerusalem.
It is also the 120th anniversary of the inaugural World Zionist Congress in Basel. For non-subscribers to Jewish Affairs, printed copies can be obtained from our offices. Those happy to read it online can do so at http://sajbd.org/pages/jewish-affairs.
• Listen to Charisse Zeifert on Jewish Board Talk, 101.9 ChaiFM every Friday 12:00-13:00
