Op-eds

Best wishes to the SAZF for its conference

Jul 25, 2019 Go comment!

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) are often described as “sister organisations”, although, to take the sibling metaphor a bit further, the SAZF is technically the board’s elder brother, having been founded several years before it.
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English Jews thrilled at winning World Cup

Jul 25, 2019 Go comment!

There was a spring in the step of cricket fans in local English shuls on Shabbat last weekend following England’s dramatic win in the World Cup final the previous Sunday – the first time they had won the tournament.
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More sensitivity needed in house of mourning

Jul 25, 2019 Go comment!

One is not supposed to speak in a shiva house unless the mourners speak first - for very good reason.
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Mandela Day can be the new normal

Jul 18, 2019 Go comment!

Mandela Day is a special day in many of our lives when we reflect on the values Nelson Mandela stood for. But, it also allows us to ascribe to values beyond those he might necessarily have thought of.
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Kruger Park wake-up call

Jul 18, 2019 Go comment!

I woke up this morning to find that my family had left me. It was 05:20, and it was clear that they had exited in a hurry. Beds were hastily made, the kitchen was a mess, and my wallet lay open at the entrance table. All visible cash had been removed. They couldn’t have been gone long, as the kettle was still hot to the touch.
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Zuma appearance shows tenacity of SA’s legal system

Jul 18, 2019 Go comment!

South Africa’s legal system has shown its effectiveness through the dignity and thoroughness of the commission of inquiry into state capture. This should be noted by people who feel uncertain about where the country is headed. Among the many South Africans who have left the country over the years because they lack confidence in its future, there is lots to think about. Perhaps some might even consider coming back.
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Preserving the heritage of SA Jewry

Jul 18, 2019 Go comment!

South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) National Director Wendy Kahn and Parliamentary Liaison Officer Chaya Singer last week attended several budget speeches in Parliament, including treasury and the departments of international relations, public enterprises, and home affairs. It was encouraging to note that the comments by International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor on the Israel-Palestine issue were measured and balanced, and that overall, debate on the subject was much less vitriolic than in previous years. Hopefully, this will be the case when the subject comes up for discussion in the future.
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Sexual orientation can’t be learnt, inclusivity can

Jul 11, 2019 Go comment!

I have spent more than 25 years of my life teaching and engaging with teenagers. My sole agenda is to ensure the social and emotional well-being of the children in our community.
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Modifying approach to LGBT – a life-saving priority

Jul 11, 2019 1 Comment

The recent tragic death of Adam Seef is a wake-up call for the Jewish community in South Africa to examine its attitudes to LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people. According to his family, in his final note, Adam revealed that a significant part of his feelings of alienation and loneliness related to his sexuality. The question we need to grapple with in this regard is not “what was wrong with Adam?” but “what is wrong with us?”.
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Visionary advice prevented collapse of SA community

Jul 11, 2019 Go comment!

People around the world last Shabbos commemorated the 25th yahrzeit of my saintly teacher and mentor, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory. Everyone from chief rabbis and Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin to supermodel Naomi Campbell weighed in. They praised the rebbe as a colossal scholar, thinker, moral voice, and a pioneering activist for what he did to transform the Jewish world after the Holocaust.
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Limmud strengthens, not dilutes, Jewish identity

Jul 11, 2019 1 Comment

A few years ago, then Commonwealth Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks described Limmud as “the jewel in the crown of Anglo-Jewry”. While American research organisation, the Pew Report, has pointed to patterns of decline in Jewish communal participation, Limmud has remained an outlier, growing in numbers. It’s now thriving in more than 80 countries around the world, and attracting thousands of people to its events, including that sought-after millennial demographic.
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Nurturing Jewish leadership

Jul 11, 2019 Go comment!

The recently concluded Nahum Goldmann Fellowship Programme (NGFP), this year held in Israel, once again brought together a broad range of up-and-coming young Jewish leaders from around the world for an intensive period of Jewish learning, discussion, and sharing of experiences and perspectives.
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Don’t shoot the messenger

Jul 11, 2019 Go comment!

I hated last week’s SA Jewish Report. I hated the fact that it covered the alleged fraud of a religious Jew. I hated that the lead was about the suicide of Adam Seef, and that the paper gave me the news that Mooz had closed. I hated being reminded of the cost of kosher meat, and the fact that the paper continued to cover the spat between the Beth Din and Limmud.
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Pillow talk of the power hungry

Jul 11, 2019 Go comment!

What would the contents of your dustbin tell a stranger about your life? There has been much talk in South Africa lately about the rubbish of major politicians, and whether it is morally permissible to rummage through it.
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Chief Rabbi addresses the Limmud issues

Jul 04, 2019 5 Comments

I would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts and some important context to the decision taken by South African rabbis more than ten years ago not to speak at Limmud. It was a very difficult decision to make then, and it remains difficult for us today.
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We need to address our homophobia

Jul 04, 2019 4 Comments

It’s time for us to stop avoiding the conversation about homosexuality and orthodox Judaism. Children are dying while we pretend that there is no need to talk about it.
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Billionaire behind Israeli politics is a Hollywood kingpin

Jul 04, 2019 Go comment!

The ongoing saga about the possible indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for fraud and breach of trust has surprising tentacles, some connected to SA.
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New era beckons for SA country communities

Jul 04, 2019 Go comment!

As reported elsewhere in this issue, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies’ restructuring of its country communities department has taken an encouraging turn. At a special stakeholders meeting on Sunday, it was agreed to proceed with the establishment of a new independent body to carry out this important work in future.
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Taking anti-Semitism seriously

Jun 27, 2019 Go comment!

At the time of writing, I am in Israel with Zev Krengel, the national vice-president of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD). We have participated in a number of high-level meetings aimed at providing updates on the political developments in South Africa, sharing information about our community, and getting perspectives on the political situation in Israel.
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Beth Din has right to express its view

Jun 27, 2019 Go comment!

The collective gasp from the community could be heard the moment the SA Jewish Report rolled off the production line. “Beth Din reinforces prohibition on rabbis attending Limmud” was the lead headline. With the ink still “smudgeable”, the outrage began. It was swift, cutting, and mostly critical of the Beth Din’s decision.
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