Waverley Shul and Chabad of Savoy team up

Waverley Shul and Chabad of Savoy have taken the first step towards a potential merger, signing a Memorandum of Understanding that could see the two Johannesburg Jewish communities join forces. 

Though the details are still being worked out, the proposed merger could lead to the creation of a community campus bringing together prayer, learning, social activities, and other communal initiatives. 

Rabbi Gabi Bookatz, the rabbi of Waverley Shul, explained that this began as an idea many years ago, but, given the changes in the Johannesburg Jewish community, this was the time for the two shuls to join forces. 

“We’ve seen the changing dynamics of Johannesburg Jewry, and South African Jewry as a whole. We’ve seen many people making aliya and the challenges facing our community. We feel that if we bring our resources together, we can achieve far more together than we could separately. 

“I said to Rabbi [Eitan] Ash the other day that it reminded me of the verse in Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, which says, ‘Two are better than one.’ Two groups working together can achieve more than they could apart. It means shared resources, shared manpower, shared vision, and shared responsibility. 

“Rabbi Ash and I have also been good personal friends for many years, long before any of this came about, and our children have been friends. So, we’re excited about the possibility of working together.” 

Rabbi Bookatz explained that Chabad of Savoy has a large youth population and is outgrowing its current campus. The parents of the younger Chabad of Savoy members attend Waverley Shul. So, it seemed like a no-brainer that they join forces to build a possible community campus. 

“We proposed it a few years ago as something that could potentially happen in the future. Chabad of Savoy is bursting at the seams. They’re doing very well; they have a strong youth presence, but they’re limited in terms of infrastructure and resources because of their location. 

“We have the resources and facilities, so there’s an opportunity for us to work together for the benefit of the wider community. There’s also a lot of crossover between the two communities – parents may come to us while their children go there, or vice versa – so it’s in everybody’s interests,” he said. 

Rabbi Bookatz explained that he and Rabbi Ash would like this to become a flagship model of how different, diverse communities can work together for the benefit of Johannesburg Jewry. 

“The vision is to create a community campus, not just a shul. We want it to be somewhere people can pray and socialise, where students can learn in a safe environment, and where communal meetings and other activities can take place. There are quite a few ideas about what this wider community centre could become, but at this stage, those details are still up in the air,” he said. 

The next steps will involve working through the legal, registration, and administrative requirements, followed by meetings between the leadership of both communities. Various options will then be presented to members for their input, with an emphasis on ensuring that the community helps shape and ultimately takes ownership of the merger.