Generation Sinai inspires Jewishness for 15 years

The hall is packed to the rafters and filled with an ambient, static buzz. Small huddles of three or four are spread around the room, and small, intimate discussions are flowing freely. There’s a hush and a hum to the place. Something truly electric is happening here.

This is Herzlia Weizmann Primary School in Cape Town, one of more than 30 Jewish day school locations around the country taking part in Generation Sinai on 29 May.

Held annually just before Shavuot, the initiative involves thousands of parents and children, who gather in school halls and classrooms across South Africa to learn specially prepared Torah material.

Themes have run the gamut of daily Jewish life, including the Shema, Shabbat, bensching, mezuzah, and tzedakah.

Now in its 15th year, Generation Sinai is an office of the chief rabbi project. Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein launched the project in 2011 with a simple vision: to empower parents to participate actively in their children’s Torah education.

“Our community has the highest percentage of Jewish children in Jewish day schools anywhere in the world,” he says. “These schools are absolutely critical to the success and vibrancy of South African Jewish life.” But education, he says, comes alive when there’s a partnership.

“When parents become active, engaged partners in their children’s Torah education, the entire experience is transformed.”

It’s this dynamic collaboration that’s at the heart of Generation Sinai.

Behind the scenes, much of the initiative’s educational architecture is shaped by Ruhama Welcher, the educational director in the office of the chief rabbi.

“The materials are designed to spark conversation and connection,” Welcher says. “We also want to give parents the opportunity to visit their children’s learning environment and experience their Torah education firsthand.”

She notes that most of the time, parental involvement is limited to supervising homework – often while tired, distracted, or stressed.

“This is different,” she says. “There’s no pressure, no marks, no anxiety, just a pure, positive, and meaningful learning experience.”

Generation Sinai has become the best-attended school event in the Jewish school calendar, even eclipsing sports days and parent-teacher evenings. Many parents block out the date months in advance.

“It’s an incredible concept,” says Rabbi Ricky Seeff, the general director at the South African Board of Jewish Education. “It reminds us that the chain of transmission continues through parent to child, and that’s how our values and identity are passed on and our community is strengthened. The event itself is amazing, but it’s also about inspiring families to continue learning together at home.”

This year’s theme, Torah at the Table: Your Place to Connect, captures this ethos. Its focus is on how a simple dvar Torah can transform the Shabbos table into a hub of connection and meaning.

“The Shabbos table is where everyone is together, undistracted, and unhassled by life,” says Goldstein. “Even one Torah idea can shift the whole energy of a meal, bringing light, wisdom, and joy to everyone at the table.”

Each family will receive a beautifully designed pack of cards to take home, packed with Torah insights, conversation prompts, and games, including a playful eye-spy activity for younger children, all geared towards sparking fun but meaningful Shabbos table engagement.

“The Shabbos table is where we laugh, ask questions, tell stories, share our experiences, and relay our values. It’s where Torah becomes real. And it’s where the deepest connections are made – between parent and child and between generations. The Torah was given at Sinai, but it’s passed on in the home,” Goldstein says.

Generation Sinai, however, is about schools.

“It’s just really nice to sit with my child and learn something meaningful and inspiring,” says Johannesburg mother Yael Pollak. “The content is interesting, and pitched at a level my children and I can learn from. The material is beautiful, the classrooms are packed, everyone is excited to be there.”

For Taryn Gingell, formerly a teacher at King David Linksfield, the secret to the programme is its inclusivity. “Parents from less observant backgrounds can sometimes feel intimidated by Jewish learning,” she says. “But this is something any parent can do, and do well.”

Previous editions have included board games, Judaica, and illustrated children’s books gifted to participating families. This year, the cards have been designed to be used week after week.

“Generation Sinai invites us to step back into that sacred role, as parents, to become a link in the great chain of transmission that began at Sinai,” Goldstein says. “No pressure, no need for perfection, just presence. That’s all it takes to keep our story alive.”

But for many parents, like Johannesburg radio presenter Mandy Wiener, the magic lies in something simpler. “It was just a great bonding experience with my child,” she says.

Back in Cape Town, the allotted time is drawing to a close, and some of the administrators at Herzlia Weizmann begin glancing at their watches. Even so, the students don’t seem to notice, and the energy in the room shows no signs of abating.

A furrowed brow, a pair of eyes lit up. A pat on the head, a pinch of the cheek, an arm round the shoulder. Questions are asked, answers offered, thoughts shared, hearts opened. The electricity in the air is the sound of families connecting.

The sound of Jewish continuity.