The passing last week of our much loved Rabbi Avraham Tanzer, z”tl marked the end of an era in the history of our community. It was another sad loss for South African Jewry, yet even as we mourn the passing of this remarkable individual, we can also be heartened and inspired by what he accomplished during his more than half a century as a universally esteemed congregational rabbi, educator, and communal leader.
As Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein so aptly put it, “He was a builder par excellence, and the thriving institutions he left behind are eloquent testimony to everything he achieved”. That Rabbi Tanzer also made a deep imprint on global Jewry was further evident by the long list of eulogies delivered by acknowledged leading rabbis around the world.
From the very day he arrived in South Africa with his young family in 1963, Rabbi Tanzer committed himself heart and soul to his adopted community. For most people, building up Yeshiva College from what was then no more than a small boys’ high school into the vibrant campus it is today would have been achievement enough, but it was only one area in which he left his mark.
When the Glenhazel Hebrew Congregation was founded shortly after his arrival, he was appointed as its first spiritual leader, and served in that capacity for more than 50 years, becoming one of the country’s most respected congregational rabbis. Not content with this, Rabbi Tanzer was very much involved in many other aspects of Jewish communal work. Among other things, he was president of the Southern African Rabbinical Association, served on the executive of the South African Zionist Federation, was active on the United Communal Fund, and from 1965, was an executive committee member and eventually honorary vice-president of South African United Mizrachi. In 1987, he was elected to the Transvaal (later Gauteng) Council of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, and continued to serve in that capacity for the next 30 years, including a term as vice-chairperson.
Throughout this time, he was an unfailing source of guidance and support to successive generations of board leaders. Indeed, innumerable community members, from his colleagues in the rabbinical and teaching professions, to congregants and students looked up to him as someone who had profoundly influenced their lives, careers, and personal development. Speaking personally, I can say he was a much revered mentor, and I shall miss his frequent calls offering support and constructive advice.
One of Rabbi Tanzer’s most outstanding attributes was his ability to promote peace and resolve conflict. He epitomised ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in all his dealings with community members. This tolerant, accepting, and non-judgemental approach to all Jews, whatever level they were on, was central to the great success he achieved in building up Yeshiva College and the Glenhazel shul into the powerhouses they became. The success of our community has often been attributed to the prevailing spirit of unity, tolerance, and good fellowship. If so, Rabbi A H Tanzer was the embodiment of those special qualities. May his memory be for a blessing, and may the example he set be an inspiration to us all.
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