As many as 22% of all Nobel prizes have been awarded to Jews. These include prizes for peace, literature, chemistry, medicine, physics, and economics.
Of all movie directors who have won Academy Awards, 38% have been Jews.
Thirteen percent of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards have gone to Jews.
Jews have created nearly two-thirds of Broadway’s longest-running musicals. As many as 10% of the world’s master architects have been Jewish.
All this for a people far better known for their business acumen and excellence in medicine, law, and professions other than the arts and sports.
Jews punch way above their weight, both in South Africa and globally. And every year, it’s obvious that when Jewish talent does emerge, it makes its mark. At the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards, we celebrate this attribute of our community and the stars in our midst.
For most people, if you consider South African music, the name Johnny Clegg and his signature sound comes to mind. Clegg was awarded the SA Jewish Report Arts Award at the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards in 2007. Clegg, who was fondly known as the White Zulu, was proud of his Jewishness.
Consider satire and humour, and the name Pieter-Dirk Uys will inevitably spring to mind. Not your most Jewish-sounding name, but this Absa Jewish Achiever Award 2008 Arts winner is also proudly Jewish.
Think surfing over the decades and Shaun Tomson’s name is sure to surface. Tomson was the 2016 winner of the Absa Jewish Achiever Award for Art, Sport, Science, and Culture. No matter how many years have passed since this world champion made his mark, surfing conversations still feature this Jewish mensch.
The same goes for Formula One motor racing and the name Jody Scheckter, who was our 2020 winner of the Art, Sport, Science, and Culture Award.
Then there’s Bryan Schimmel, whose name is synonymous with musical direction and arrangement in South Africa. In fact, this Absa Jewish Achiever Awards 2017 Art, Sport, Science, and Culture Award winner is widely regarded as one of the top music directors, arrangers, and orchestrators in South Africa. He’s a King David Linksfield alumnus.
Think major music, theatre, and other international stars who’ve performed in South Africa, and the name Hazel Feldman comes up. This winner of the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards 2018 Art, Sport, Science, and Culture Award is the doyenne of the showbiz industry in South Africa, and the biggest producer of local shows and international talent. The list of international shows she’s produced here is long, including Chicago, We Will Rock You, Rent, Dreamgirls, and Jersey Boys. She also brought out and produced Pavarotti, The Rolling Stones, The Three Tenors, Queen, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, and Rod Stewart, to name a few.
In the run-up to this year’s Absa Jewish Achiever Awards, nominate those phenomenal folk who should be winning this year’s Art, Sport, Science, and Culture Award. Go to: bit.ly/jaa23nom
