Op-eds

Exchange with Ramaphosa gives SAJBD conference unique relevance

Nov 22, 2018 Go comment!

This year, as previously noted in this column, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies’ Gauteng conference is, for the first time, being held in two parts. The first, held on 7 October, comprised the necessary formal, procedural components of such gatherings, and was aimed mainly at our affiliate organisations. The second, aimed at the broader community and organised around the availability of President Cyril Ramaphosa, will take place this Sunday. We are already fully booked, but thanks to the wonders of modern technology, everyone can participate via live streaming (for details, see our Facebook page).
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Respect my values; I’ll respect yours

Nov 22, 2018 Go comment!

The story which went viral in Jewish circles last week (reported on page 14) about chaos on an El Al flight to Israel which was delayed due to a snowstorm, would have been funny to an outside observer. It would be like a scene from a British comedy, with black-coated Haredim running up and down aisles shouting, and secular passengers cowering in their seats. But for Jews, it captured the poisonous antagonism among them about religion. The plane, which left New York late, landed in Athens instead of Tel Aviv to avoid desecrating Shabbat.
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People getting nasty in November

Nov 22, 2018 1 Comment

Maybe it’s just me, but I am finding people more angry than usual at the moment. I am not sure if it’s the insane and unpleasant heatwave that has hit Johannesburg that is causing this rattiness. Perhaps it’s because it’s November. The year is almost done, schools are winding-down, December holidays are in sight, and people are tired. Really tired and really depleted.
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Trump, Trumpism, and the danger of words

Nov 15, 2018 1 Comment

“The president is not directly responsible for acts of domestic terrorism, but he should be more careful with his language.” That’s the way the Economist headlined its report on the horrific Pittsburgh killings just more than two weeks ago.
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Right to protest enshrined in our constitution

Nov 15, 2018 Go comment!

Taking the knee - or kneeling in protest during the singing of a national anthem - achieved international prominence earlier this month in the United States National Football League. It all started when the San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, went down on one knee during the singing of the national anthem in 2016 to protest against racial injustice. Since then, many more players have done so during Super Bowl week to protest against police brutality against minorities.
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Populist nationalism and Jews, an incompatible mix

Nov 15, 2018 Go comment!

It is almost six months since the passing of Phillip Roth, America's foremost Jewish novelist. In the deeply sad aftermath of the massacre of Jews in a Pittsburgh shul, one of Roth’s most famous novels seems to possess an almost uncanny contemporary resonance.
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The Shabbat morning kiddush food frenzy

Nov 15, 2018 Go comment!

Seventy-five years after the Holocaust, there are certain aspects and defining features that we need to relinquish slowly. Letting go is never easy, but given that we are now three generations post-Holocaust, we should probably accept - no matter how anxious it might make us - that we are no longer in danger of starving to death.
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Must women be naked to be heard?

Nov 15, 2018 Go comment!

In light of United States President Donald Trump’s reputation for lewd remarks about women, it is fitting that a bare-breasted woman chased his motorcade on the Champs Elysées in Paris on Sunday. He was en route to events marking the centenary of the World War I armistice. The words “Fake Peacemaker” were written on her chest.
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Restorative, not punitive, justice

Nov 15, 2018 Go comment!

Last week’s issue reported an especially upsetting anti-Semitic incident in the form of a voice note sent to a young community member by a Treverton College pupil. The message quickly went viral, generating much outrage.
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Do women want a women’s officer?

Nov 08, 2018 Go comment!

“The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer in spite of my 30 years of research into the feminine soul, is, ‘What does a woman want?’”
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Tackling teen antisemitism – who’s to blame?

Nov 08, 2018 1 Comment

Most of Tuesday was consumed by United States politics, and the South African Parliamentary circus. In the US, name calling had reached crescendo, and personal and hurtful insults were traded and dismissed as standard electioneering. In South Africa, a fight almost broke out in Parliament. Guards needed to be called after Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba waved his baby finger at the Economic Freedom Fighters, crudely suggesting that their “manhood” was somewhat underwhelming. Gigaba, of course, had provided documentary evidence of his own.
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The arts: not yours to fiddle with

Nov 08, 2018 Go comment!

Three weeks ago, Israel approved a draft law giving Culture Minister Miri Regev the authority to cut funding from cultural institutions that “contravene the principles of the state”. This is known as the “loyalty-in-culture bill”.
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Save the date – SAJBD Gauteng Conference

Nov 08, 2018 Go comment!

As previously reported, this year’s Gauteng Council conference is being held in two parts. The first took place on 7 October. In order to comply with the constitutional requirement that conferences must be held no later than 24 months after the previous event, the second conference will take place on 25 November.
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The PR client no-one wants to talk about

Nov 01, 2018 Go comment!

Let’s call it like it is for once, shall we? No tiresome beating around the bush.
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Attack on Pittsburgh shul is attack on Jews everywhere

Nov 01, 2018 Go comment!

Last Shabbat, the United States Jewish community suffered its worst-ever anti-Semitic attack, when a lone gunman invaded a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and fatally shot 11 worshippers. The perpetrator, Robert Bowers, is a far-right white supremacist who blames Jews for the influx of refugees into the country. The cyber-sphere is awash with like-minded individuals who regularly post material accusing Jews of seeking to bring about the demise of the white race by promoting miscegenation, multiculturalism, and unrestricted immigration. What made Bower different was that he eventually took it upon himself to do something about it.
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Beware the danger at the gate

Nov 01, 2018 Go comment!

South Africans may see something of their own history in Robert Bowers, the killer of 11 Pittsburgh Jews in their synagogue on Saturday. He shouted that he “can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered”. For him, Jews are outsiders coming to take over his beloved America.
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Moral courage isn’t easy, but it’s right

Nov 01, 2018 1 Comment

I am a member of a gym that offers its patrons fruit and vegetables at no charge. The idea is that after a workout (or before), they will be able to snack on an apple, banana, or carrot. It’s a great idea, and encourages healthy eating.
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In memory of the late Yitzhak Rabin

Oct 25, 2018 Go comment!

This week, we’re commemorating 23 years since the murder of then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
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Who will follow in the steps of Chief Rabbi Mirvis?

Oct 25, 2018 Go comment!

The South African-born Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth and the UK (United Kingdom) Ephraim Mirvis is leading the charge against prejudice and homophobia in orthodox Judaism. Now is the time to challenge our own communities and leaders to follow his example.
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Why Roseanne Barr and Shmuley Boteach need each other

Oct 25, 2018 Go comment!

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach may or may not be America’s most famous rabbi. But among Jews, at least, he may be its most polarising rabbi.
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