Students at King David High School Linksfield and King David High School Victory Park brought the Israel Quiz trophy home for the sixth consecutive year on 5 October. The quiz, hosted by the Israel Centre South Africa, is participated in by students from Jewish high schools around Johannesburg.

Following a preliminary round, King David proudly filled nine of the 10 finalist places. Mazaltov to Romy Zeifert in Grade 10 at King David Linksfield, who won first place. Mazaltov to Liana Wes – second place (Grade 9, KDHVP); Megan Gruzd – third place (Grade 11, KDHVP); Daniel Kapeluschnik – fourth place (Grade 9, KDHVP); Dina Levy – fifth place (Grade 10, KDHL); Saul Gelbart; Hannah Evan; Gilana Rubinstein; and Dina Scop.

King David schools welcome the opportunity for our students to participate in events like these which educate and instil a love of Israel, perpetuating the Zionist values of our schools.

The tension was tangible as Yeshiva College Grade 10 pupil Avigal Rogoff went head-to-head with nine other finalists in the nail-biting finale of the Israel Quiz on 5 October after weeks of preparation. The competition was fierce, but that didn’t stop Avigal from doing Yeshiva proud.

South Africa belongs to all of us, yet how much do we know about our fellow South Africans? King David Linksfield’s awareness and advocacy committee recently decided to bring the colours of our rainbow nation together for a “heritage swap” in celebration of Heritage Month.

More than 100 students from King David and Bona Comprehensive High School in Soweto came together on 3 October to learn about each other’s traditions, culture, and heritage. The day started off on a literal high note, as students from Bona Comprehensive got off the bus singing and dancing, dressed in colourful traditional costumes.

With the help of Robyn Smookler, the girls baked challah and the boys were given some insights by Rabbi Ash. We were then shown how to make Dombolo, an African traditional bread. Then onto the sports field, where we played volleyball, soccer, and netball in integrated teams. The day carried on with Bona Comprehensive students learning Israeli dances, which they did with ease. Admittedly, it took a little longer for King Davidians to master their traditional dances, but our efforts were valiant. We spent the rest of the day getting to know each other and discovered that, as diverse as our differences are, there’s far more that unites us.