We are all winners

There weren’t any losers at the Investec Jewish Achiever Awards on Sunday night. We were all winners, and walked out of the Sandton Convention Centre feeling buoyed by the incredibly inspiring night we had and the phenomenal human stories we heard. 

It would have been an effort not to be energised and spurred on by the people who took home the awards. Every person who accepted an award spoke of the determination, commitment, and positivity in their careers – not sweating the small stuff and not taking no for an answer. 

Most spoke about how they had always considered others along the way, being conscious of not stepping on them but helping them out. Some of the award winners spoke of how they had defeated the odds stacked against them to get to where they are. 

Can you imagine being Benjy Rosman’s parents and being told that your baby isn’t going to amount to much because he was born with cerebral palsy? They didn’t accept it, and neither did Benjy. Today they are able to witness his career flying. They see him become the most recognised and respected expert on artificial intelligence on this continent. I can only imagine how his parents felt in the audience on Sunday night! 

I wonder how many people at school with Grace Harding thought she was going to become a success story. She spent time living at Arcadia Jewish Children’s Home as a little girl, and her childhood was tough. However, Grace was always someone who made a plan, and today the result of her plan feeds so many in South Africa and around the world and employs between 5 000 and 10 000 people. 

Khaya Lam is an organisation I believe few in our community had ever heard of. I certainly hadn’t. However, because of it, about 15 000 to 16 000 families who would previously not have been able to have their own house now own a home. The kind of people who dedicate their lives to helping empower and uplift people on this scale are nothing short of angels. Or so I would imagine. 

When they stood up to accept their award, it was obvious that they were such humble and genuine human beings who had simply found their way to helping others. 

Every single award-winner on Sunday night was an inspiration, however there was something that Howard Sackstein said in his speech that rang very true for me. Even we don’t recognise just how much this small community achieves, not just for ourselves, but the for greater good of South Africa and its people. 

We are in a difficult situation right now with the South African government and various organisations and individuals turning on us because, they claim, we align ourselves with Israel. As I have written so many times, as Jews, our past, present, and future is intrinsically linked to the Jewish state in the Middle East. A few years back, I really wanted to believe it was Israel they were critical of and not us as Jews. However, as time has worn on, it has become blatantly clear that anti-Israel is just a new form of antisemitism. It’s easy to couch hatred in criticism. 

Not every person who is critical of what Israel may have done is antisemitic. However, when it’s only Israel that is constantly lambasted for everything it does, and there’s no balance in perspective, we need to accept that when it “quacks like a duck …” 

My point here isn’t about antisemitism, which is an increasing problem globally, but more about, as Howard pointed out, how much South African Jews have done in this country. 

So, when he called on the government to recognise what we have achieved and not to ignore us and turn its back on us, I hoped those in government heard or would hear him. 

As he said, whatever we do in this country, we do because we are proud South Africans. We love this country, and want it to succeed always. We want to be able to be proud of our government and stand by it, but the ANC has made it really hard for us to do this. 

Nevertheless, we will continue to do our best because this is our country. Not for the ANC, but for South Africa. 

Shabbos Project 

This coming weekend is the Shabbos Project, which as most of us know, is the brainchild of the chief rabbi. This project, launched 12 years ago in 2013, has long captivated our community and Jews around the world. 

This year, I really resonate with the theme of switching off your cellphone for the hours of Shabbat. I don’t know about you, but my phone is at my side 24/7. And because of that, I’m always working. 

There’s something so beautiful about the peace one achieves simply by switching off your phone and putting it away for 25 hours. For some, it seems endless and unimaginable, but in truth, it’s just one day and night. Simply a day and night without communicating with the outside world. Being able to go inwards. Share precious time with family and community. 

I remember interviewing arguably the most powerful Jewish businessman in South Africa who keeps Shabbos. He told me back then that more than doing it for specific religious reasons, he is shomrei Shabbat to spend time with family and to be able to disconnect from work by switching off his cellphone. 

I have to say this makes extraordinary sense to me, and always has. Now, when we are all tired after a long and tough year, one weekend in which we all switch off our cellphones and take some precious personal time cannot be bad. 

One of the special aspects of the Shabbos Project is that it isn’t about calling on you to do something you hate or something you are going to have to train for. It isn’t a massive challenge either. It’s simply taking time out for Shabbat, something Jews have done for centuries and do all around the world. 

I honestly don’t need a prize to switch off my phone this weekend and take some personal time and time with my family. How about you? 

To all the Investec Jewish Achiever Award winners, we wish you a heartfelt mazaltov and thank you for all that you do! To all our finalists, kol hakavod to you! To everyone who joined us physically at the awards and online, thank you! 

If you would like to watch the Investec Jewish Achievers Awards 2025, you can find it on https://bit.ly/jaa2025watch. 

Shabbat shalom! 

Peta Krost 

Editor