Renewal everywhere

Summer has certainly arrived and with it a feeling of renewal and vitality throughout our special community. 

On Monday, at the first sitting of the newly elected South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) Gauteng Council, Danny Mofsowitz was unanimously re-elected as chair for the region. She took on the job at an extremely challenging moment, when few were prepared to step forward and fill this role. She has been exceptional, guiding this community with grace and poise, and I am certain that this trend will continue into her second term. She is joined by vice-chairs Sheri Hanson and Jonti Brozin. Hanson is serving her second stint as vice-chair, and Brozin his first. Our board in Gauteng is led by a truly dynamic young team, and I am so pleased that our future is in such capable hands. 

On Sunday, Habonim Dror officially opened its new bayit. My own history with Habonim is well known, having had two daughters who were active leaders in the movement. Habonim has a rich history in our community, and over the decades has produced a long list of leaders who have shaped not only Jewish South Africa but the society as a whole. It is wonderful to see the movement investing in its future, upgrading its home, and preparing for the work of educating and leading the next generation. Go up and fulfil. 

Also on Sunday, our Cape Board hosted the Great Mayoral Debate in partnership with eNCA, broadcast live on television. It was a fantastic event. The debate was lively and at moments quite adversarial, which is exactly what a debate ahead of a municipal election should be. Congratulations to the Cape Board on an event that encouraged active citizenship and election awareness, not only within our community but well beyond it. 

Last week, SAJBD national director Wendy Kahn attended the World Jewish Congress Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism conference in Dublin. The forum brings government-appointed antisemitism envoys together with Jewish community leaders and international partners such as the European Commission, International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and UNESCO. South Africa has no special envoy on antisemitism, so Wendy represented our country alone. 

Envoys and community leaders from 28 countries took part, along with executives from technology companies. Dublin was a deliberate choice. It allowed participants to visit the offices of Meta and TikTok and to build relationships with them and engage directly with companies that have an enormous influence on our daily lives, and on how antisemitism is spread and experienced. Our communal leadership has a particularly close relationship with our Irish counterparts, and we were glad to stand with the Irish Jewish leadership, at what is an extremely complex moment in their country. 

Leadership depends on people prepared to step forward and do the work, often when it would be easier to hold back. It’s about standing for strong ideology, about supporting fellow communities, about investing in the future. That is how a community renews itself, and on the evidence of this week, ours is in good health.