CHARISSE ZEIFERT
Yet, how accurate is this narrative? Professor Adam Mendelsohn questioned its authenticity while speaking at the regional Nahum Goldmann Fellowship (NGF) in Saldanha Bay last year.
He argued that economic factors rather than persecution were the main driving forces behind emigration (pogroms were, in fact, a rarity in areas from which South African Jews originated), and while most Jewish immigrants did indeed come from Lithuania, a sizeable number were from other parts of Eastern Europe, including Poland, Belarus, and the Ukraine.
These facts were important, Mendelsohn said, because the stories we tell ourselves about our past are bound to have an impact on our future, and hence they need to be constantly revisited and re-evaluated. Historical narratives are rarely clear-cut and straightforward.
The NGF is one of the flagship projects of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, which promotes Jewish peoplehood by supporting and developing the next generation of scholars and leaders in Jewish communities around the world. Its aim is to engage young Jews to think seriously about what it means to be Jewish, and certainly, as far as many of us can relate to the above story, questions about Jewish identity are never simple.
From that weekend in Saldanha Bay alone, it is clear that our Jewish community is more heterogeneous than many people realise. Using the “safe space” provided by the forum, participants from a wide array of backgrounds discussed the issues facing South African Jewry, as well as their own Jewish journeys.
Some of the personal stories included that of a woman from the Indian community who has since recently completed her conversion to orthodox Judaism. She spoke about why she had chosen Judaism over her religion of birth, and the reaction to her decision from her family and our community. Another woman shared her tale of coming from a mixed marriage, with a Jewish father and Christian mother. Never feeling accepted by the mainstream community, she became involved in extreme anti-Israel movements, and found herself confronting community members who were attending Zionist functions. She began to feel increasingly isolated, and although she maintains many of her views, she is seeking to come back into mainstream Jewry.
An orthodox participant shared his concern about the insular nature of religious South African Jewry, and how hard it is in certain forums to advocate more liberal approaches to Jewish issues. Many shared personal struggles to fit in, and said that what was lacking in our community were forums in which people felt comfortable sharing their stories with one another.
Yet, amidst all the gripes, there was recognition of the warmth and cohesiveness of South African Jewry.
Jews in this country are proudly heterogenous. We have communities within communities, and a whole host of sub-groups. They all have their own unique history and can only enhance our collective Jewish identity. Once we break down barriers, we may find that while we may not agree on every aspect of religious or Zionistic affiliation, we still have an underlying commonality that unites us.
- Charisse Zeifert heads up the communications department at the SAJBD, and hosts a show, ‘Jewish Board Talk’, on Chai FM. She will devote time on her show to this topic. Please feel free to contact her at charisse@sajbd.org
