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CONTENTSEditorial 03New Year Messages 04Out of Perspective 06Israel 07 Palestinians: The Difference between Us and Them 07 Atomic Threat 08 It’sofficial:tinyIsraelisgiantwhenitcomestoNobelprizes 08

Jewish World 09 HighHolyDays:LivingWithPurpose 09 Analysis:GermansareusingHolocauststreet 09 memorials to bash Israel

TheAmazingSagaofTwo-GunCohen 10

Community News 11Bubkes 11LetterstotheEditor 12PastTense 13UnionofJewishWomen 15Divote 16TalmudTorah 16UmhlangaJewishDaySchool 17UmhlangaJewishCentre 18DurbanProgressiveJewishCongregation 19Limmud 20DurbanUnitedHebrewCongregation 23CouncilofKwaZulu-NatalJewry 24Netzer 25YoungIsraelCentre 26DurbanHolocaustCentre 28WotsupWizo 29BethShalom 30AboveBoard 33CookingwithJudyandLinda 33SocialandPersonal 34DiaryofEvents 34

Over the past year it has become dangerous again to be a Jew. Israel, subjected just before the turn of the year to sustained missile attacks from Hamas controlled Gaza, discovered how hard it is to fight an asymmetric war against a terrorist group ruthless enough to place rocket launchers besides schools, hospitals and mosques. It found itself condemned by large sections of the world for performing the first duty of any state, namely to protect its citizens from danger and death. Abraham Foxman of the ADL has called this condemnation a moral travesty as nothing that Israel can do to stop this onslaught of rockets against its civilian population would be deemed legitimate by the international community.

This crisis in Gaza led to a huge spike in anti-Semitism as Palestinian suffering is used to demonize both Israel and the Jewish people. One hundred and twenty years after the Dreyfus trial, the cry “Death to the Jews” was heard again in Paris as Jews were targeted and murdered in a kosher supermarket. Seventy years after the Holocaust the call of “Jews to the gas” was heard in the streets of Germany. A Jewish community security volunteer was murdered protecting a Bat Mitzvah celebration in Copenhagen. In one of the most vicious incidents since the Nazi era, the Student Representative Council of the local Durban University of Technology demanded earlier this year that all Jewish students be expelled from DUT. While the vice-Chancellor denounced the demands as “totally preposterous, unjust, unfair, unreasonable and unconstitutional”, very little seems to have been done to inculcate the core values of civil rights and freedom of expression at the institution.

This year is also likely to see the finalization of the Iran Nuclear Deal.This will be the first time the US will have deliberately entered a pact with a country committed to annihilating another people. More than 70% of Israelis believe the deal is dangerous and will not block Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Israelis believe the stakes are higher for them than for anyone else. Brig-Gen (ret.) Michael Herzog argued in the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that Israel regards Iran as the most serious threat to its national security. This assessment is based squarely on Tehran’s extreme ideology, its call for eliminating Israel, its nuclear and regional ambitions and its heavily armed proxies on Israel’s borders (including Hizbollah and its 100 000 rockets). The deal allows Tehran to maintain its nuclear infrastructure and advance its nuclear technical capabilities with international help. Israelis do not believe there are sufficient safeguards in place if things go wrong.

Yet to place things in perspective we are not back in the 1930’s. For the first time in the almost four thousand years of Jewish history we have simultaneously independence and sovereignty in the state of Israel and freedom and equality in the Diaspora. Israel is strong. The success of the Iron Dome Missile defense is only the latest in an astounding line of technological advances; not just military, but also agricultural, medical and commercial, designed to protect, save and enhance life.

The unity Israel and the Jewish world have shown during and since the Gaza conflict has been profound. In an existential sense we remain one people. We share both a covenant of faith and a covenant of fate. That is a good state to be in as we face the Yamim Noraim, when we stand before God not just as individuals but as a people.

WELCOMING 5776Prof Antony Arkin

EDITORIAL

Message from the Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation

Message from the President of the CKNJ

RONNIE HERRRABBI HILLEL AVIDAN

This past year we witnessed further barbarity from IS and increased turmoil and human suffering in many parts of the Muslim World. Israel’s geographical location in the midst of

such an unstable region makes life increasingly hard for Israelis yet the Jewish state remains a beacon of relative sanity in a seemingly insane Middle East. Robert Fisk, despite his numerous criticisms of Israel, has been pretty fair in his condemnation of what has transpired in Israel’s neighbourhood. He has the harshest things to say about current Arab behaviour and he quite rightly points to the USA and Britain as complicit in that behaviour through their support of the Saudi regime and their interference in the affairs of Iraq, Libya and elsewhere. Those who do not understand the Arab mentality should keep their distance.

In all of the above we Jews are still so often the scapegoats, and heavily biased commentators like our own Ronnie Kasrils would like us to believe that if Israel were to disappear peace and calm would reign over the Middle East. I don’t think so.

During these imminent Days of Awe when we are bid to subject ourselves to honest self-scrutiny let us also ask our Merciful Creator for the fortitude which we need to carry us through these worrying times. Our precious Jewish State is by no means perfect but those who seek to destroy it are much further from perfection and we pray that the Almighty One will frustrate their schemes and protect our people in the ancient homeland and indeed wherever else they reside.

Shanah Tovah.

NEW YEAR MESSAGES

After 20 years and 200 consecutive columns, Prof Marcus Arkin has decided that the time has come for him to become a reader of the Hashalom and no longer a contributor to his “In

Perspective” columns always found on Page 3 of the Hashalom.

I for one and I am sure many readers will miss Prof Marcus’s columns and I take this opportunity to thank him for all the time and effort he has dedicated to the publication over the many years and I wish him well for the future. There is no doubt that the quality, both content and presentation, of Hashalom is unequalled in any community in South Africa. It not only keeps all readers up to date with local issues which affect the Jewish Community, but also deals with both National and International matters of interest.

The Hashalom has continued in this vein for the past ninety two years and we as the Durban Jewish Community are privileged to have a journal of this caliber devoted to our community. We pay tribute to the Editor and staff for providing us with this outstanding publication and we congratulate the entire editorial staff on another year of extraordinary service.

We appeal to you to support to this proud community effort by not only providing articles but also in the form of advertising. Just like anything else around us, the costs to produce the publication have escalated over the past years. Income is only derived through subscriptions which has declined, and by way of advertising. To ensure continuity for many years to come, please show your support of Hashalom.

The CKNJ wishes all readers L’Shana Tova Tikateivu V’Teichateimu and a meaningful Fast. May the New Year bring peace, good health and happiness to all.

Happy & Healthy New Year

Clothing for the whole family

Management and Staff wish the Community a


Do not murder! At the time of writing the world is appalled by the brutal murders of an 18 month old Palestinian baby carried out by a Jew in the name of God and by the death of

a teenage Jewish girl stabbed to death at the Jerusalem Gay Pride March.

The baby’s parents and four-year-old brother are fighting for their lives in an Israeli hospital, with burns covering 70 -90% of their bodies. Their firebombed home in the West Bank village of Douma had the words “Long live Messiah the King” and “Revenge” painted on the walls.

According to Alex Fishman from Ynet, the Shin Bet has been dealing in the past year, with a radical group of young messianic Jews who aim to destroy the “State of the Zionists” and replace it with a holy kingdom. The Shin Bet sees them as a terror organization, which is violently undermining the foundations of Israeli society.

The suspect in the murder of 16 year old Shira Banki, is an ultra-orthodox Jew, Yishai Shlissel, who carried out the attack just weeks after being released from a ten year prison sentence for the stabbing of participants in the 2005 Gay Pride March, in Jerusalem.

Writing in the Telegraph, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis argued that “the very notion that another human being could misappropriate the faith we treasure, for the sake of such murderous brutality left me feeling deeply embarrassed and despondent”. That Shabbat we read Parshat Va’etchanan, including the 10 commandments. Deuteronomy 5:17 says very clearly ‘Do Not Murder’.

As we approach the Yamim Noraim, one message resonates through these days “Life….” Remember us for life, King who delights in life, and write us in the book of life for your sake, God of life”. Almost at the end of his life Moses turned to the next generation and said to them “Choose life, so that you and your children may live”. Judaism demands then that justice and compassion have to be fought for in this life and not in the next.

On Rosh Hashana, “the anniversary of creation”, we read in the Torah and haftarah not about the birth of the universe but about the birth of Isaac to Sarah and Samuel to Hannah, to indicate one life is like the universe. One child is enough to show how vulnerable life is, a miracle to be protected and cherished.

In the words of Rabbi Lord Sacks “Never before have I felt so strongly that the world needs us to live this message, the message of the Torah that life is holy, that death defiles and that terror in the name of God is a desecration of the name of God”. Jews, who believe that Jewish tradition compelled them to murder, perpetrated these senseless acts of hatred and violence. Nothing could be further from the truth in Judaism. It is our task as Jews and Zionists to stand up in the face of this evil and hatred.

The State of Israel is the collective affirmation of the Jewish people. Emerging just three years after the Holocaust, Israel chose life. “I will not die but live”. May God inscribe all of us in the book of life. And may the day come, when the righteous of all nations, work together for the sake of freedom, peace and life.

Rosh Hashanah is a two day festival.

Chazal (our sage) speaks of the two days serving two purposes:

The first day is dedicated to introspection – our relationship with Hashem and how we acting as members of the Jewish people. In other words, “our personal religiosity”.

The second day is devoted to issues outside ourselves, our relationship with the world around us.

But it all starts with the family. Here we are to consider our obligations as a parent and a spouse, when it comes to the children.

We owe ourselves as to whether we are devoting meaningful time, or whether business and social matters are taking priority and it goes further to the point, where one asks, “Am I securing the continuity of their Jewishness?” “Can I be confident that my grandchildren will be Jewish, and am I providing the means by which this goal can be achieved?” “And as a spouse, one asks whether, “one is fulfilling ones duties to ones partner’. Chazal comes to tell us that the most important ingredient in a marriage is, shalom bayit and peace in the home. Is there the proper communication? Are you as a spouse putting yourself in the position of your partner?

And then there is the question of one’s treatment of parents, especially when they are elderly and in need of care. The Torah itself poses the question, how far do you observe the 6th Commandment, and make time to look after their welfare?

Moreover the questionnaire ought to be more onto one’s relationship with the congregation. The pivotal question here is, “Am I only expecting to receive benefits or am I prepared to give of my time, effort and resources?”.

Is the Shul used purely for personal smachot, and yahrzeit or am I prepared to play an active part in the life of the congregation and community? How much more is our input needed, when numbers have dwindled? One area requires particular attention, is Shul attendance. Our contribution both locally and that of Medinat Yisrael is our obligation to continue growing, strengthening of our Jewishness.

And we can go even further to ask ourselves as to our participation in Tikkun Olam, the betterment of the world. “Are we fulfilling the Torah precept of loving one’s neighbor as oneself, concerning oneself with the less fortunate, and protecting the environment against pollution”.

Indeed, it seems that there is a huge task ahead, the two days of Rosh Hashanah comprising of Yom Arichta (one long day) are just to reflect upon them and to find ways of working on it throughout the year.

May Hashem give us the wisdom and discernment to achieve to the best of our ability, the optimum in our role as a Jew, a family member, a congregant and a cog in the wheels of the world.

Message from the Chairman of the KNZC

Message from Durban United Hebrew Congregation

Murder before the High Holy Days

ANTONY ARKINRABBI P ZEKRY

NEW YEAR MESSAGES

RONNIE HERR

6 HASHALOM █ September 2015

S ince I wrote the August column, I was invited to a fundraiser, with the beneficiary being the IDF Widows & Orphans Organisation. Over NIS 20K was raised, which went towards sending children of fallen soldiers to summer camps. Feel free to visit https://www.idfwo.org/homePage.htm for more details.

Seeing as the Rugby World Cup is under way this month, I thought it apt to reminisce 20 years ago, when I was sixteen turning seventeen, my penultimate year at school. A couple of months back, June 24, marked the 20th anniversary of the RWC 1995 Final, with that iconic pic of Madiba and the captain, Francois Pienaar, holding the Webb Ellis trophy immortalising the occasion. It was a watershed moment in S.A.’s modern history, the sport symbolising the Apartheid society and culture embraced by the most-famous political prisoner and anti-Apartheid symbol. And it was made into a pretty good Hollywood film too – Invictus. The anniversary was marked by the team reuniting exactly twenty years later at Ellis Park, and reliving the event via Twitter online. (As an aside, can you name the Jewish players on the field in the final on that day? Answer at the end of the article).

We are just over a month away from another watershed moment here in Israel. On 4th November 1995, Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated as he left a Peace Rally. It is nearly 20 years since that terrible evening that shocked Israelis: the Nobel Prize-winning, legendary ex-chief of Staff turned politician and Prime Minister gunned down by one of our own, a religious Jew, no less. 1995 twenty years ago: same time, but vastly different places. Since then, in South Africa, a whole generation of born-free children has grown up and was eligible to vote for the first time in the 2014 general election last year.

In Israel, a whole new generation of children born in the shadow of Rabin’s legacy has grown up and now serve in the IDF. They were preschoolers when Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, they started kita aleph amongst a wave of suicide attacks during the second intifada (the Oslo War), turned 10 when Sharon led the disengagement from Gaza in 2005, and were a year older when Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev (of blessed memory) were kidnapped, sparking the 2nd Lebanon War in 2006. They had just celebrated their bar/bat mitzvahs when Operation Cast Lead was undertaken at the end 2008/beginning 2009, and were busy preparing for their bagrut (matriculation) exams with the second Gaza operation – Pillar of Defense in 2012. Then they left school and enlisted – and some were killed. Amongst the fallen soldiers in last year’s Operation Protective Edge were a handful of 18 and 19 year-olds. I have a distant (but close) cousin, Yaacov Bloch, born just before Rabin was killed, currently serving in the field.

I remember two years ago that Galei Zahal (Army Radio) ran a series called “Born on the 4th of November”. It consisted of interviews with then 18 year-olds who were born on that fateful night. They spoke of their parents’ feelings of joy mixed with despair. I am certain these parents did not raise their children thinking about the spectre of ongoing wars and armed conflicts, but rather of a real opportunity that a peaceful future may be attainable after the optimism surrounding the peace accords signed in the early nineties. However, given the realities on the ground the post-Rabin generation has experienced as described above, I tend to agree with the off-the-record opinion of a close friend of my boss (the gentleman in question is a former Chief of Military Intelligence and Director of a respected Security and Strategy Institute): there is more chance of winning the lottery than achieving peace with the Palestinians. Not exactly scientific, but indicative of where we are currently. At least the legacy of the man lives on through the work of the Yitzhak Rabin Centre. Over the past two decades, Israel’s school curriculum has developed and now includes teaching about Rabin’s life and the peace he tried to strive for. There are programmes through this Centre for university students, soldiers and educators to promote tolerance and understanding, and to develop a cadre of leaders equipped to deal with the unique problems facing Israel.

We hope and pray for peace in our time soon – not in another twenty years in 2035 when my children may still be enlisted in the army or serve in the Reserves, or by when the “Born on the 4th November” generation will be middle-aged at 40. And, of course, we hope and pray for a Bokke victory now in the RWC 2015 which concludes next month! (As Israel is ranked 47 in World Rugby rankings currently, there is probably more chance of winning the lottery than seeing her at the RWC).

And now for the answer to the question regarding Jewish players on the field in the final back in the day in 1995: Flyhalf, Joel Stransky, who kicked all the winning points – of course, though some may question this halachically as only his father is Jewish. Josh Kronfeld, the openside flanker of the All Blacks was the other. That monster AB left wing, Lomu, despite sharing the name of our famous prophet, Jonah, whom we read about on Yom Kippur, has no Jewish roots.

OUT OF PERSPECTIVE

Remembering 1995… of Rugby and Rabin

DAVID ARKIN


Palestinians: The Difference between Us and Them

BASSAM TAWIL - GATESTONE INSTITUTE

ISRAEL

I cannot count the number of times that I heard from Israeli Jews the phrases “I’m ashamed” and “I’m sorry” in response to the horrific crime that claimed the life of Palestinian toddler, Ali

Dawabsha, in the West Bank village of Duma last week.

The strong response of the Israeli public and leaders to the arson attack is, truthfully, somewhat comforting. The wall-to-wall Israeli condemnation of this crime has left me and other Palestinians not only ashamed, but also embarrassed - because this is not how we Palestinians have been reacting to terror attacks against Jews - even the despicable murder of Jewish children.

Our response has, in fact, brought feelings of disgrace and dishonor. While the Israeli prime minister, president and other officials, were quick to strongly condemn the murder of Dawabsha, our leaders rarely denounce terror attacks against Jews. And when a Palestinian leader such as Mahmoud Abbas, does issue a condemnation, it is often vague and equivocal.

Take, for example, what happened after last year’s kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Palestinians in the West Bank. It not only took President Abbas four days to issue a statement condemning the terror attack, but even then, the condemnation was at best a tentative: “The Palestinian presidency... condemns the series of events that happened last week, beginning with the kidnapping of three Israeli youths.” Abbas then went on to denounce Israel for arresting dozens of Hamas members after the abduction and murder of the three youths.

Later in 2014, when Abbas did condemn a Palestinian terror attack that killed five Israelis in a Jerusalem synagogue, Fatah official Najat Abu Baker, a few days later, explained that Abbas’s condemnation was made “within a diplomatic context... [he] is forced to speak this way to the world.”

Abbas’s condemnation of the attack at the synagogue in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood apparently came only under pressure from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who telephoned the Palestinian leader twice to demand that he speak out against the killings. Abbas’s statement said that the Palestinian leadership condemns the “killing of worshippers in a synagogue and all acts of violence, regardless of their source.” His statement then also called for an end to “incursions and provocations by settlers against the Aqsa Mosque.”

Abbas’s ambiguous, half-hearted condemnations of attacks by Palestinians against Israelis are only intended for public consumption and are primarily aimed at appeasing Western donors, so that they will continue channeling funds to the Palestinian Authority (PA). In addition, his condemnations almost always seek to blame Israel for the Palestinian terror attacks - presumably an attempt to justify the killing of Jews at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.

In contrast, Israeli leaders who condemned the murder of the Palestinian toddler sound firm and unambiguous. Here is what Prime Minister Netanyahu said after visiting the murdered baby’s parents and brother, who were wounded in the arson attack and are receiving medical treatment in Israeli hospitals: “When you stand next to the bed of this small child, and his infant brother has been so brutally murdered, we are shocked, we are outraged. We condemn this. There is zero tolerance for terrorism wherever it comes from, whatever side of the fence it comes from.”

Netanyahu’s strong and clear condemnation left me and other Palestinians wondering when was the last time we heard similar statements from our leaders. I cannot remember ever hearing Abbas or any other Palestinian leader express shock and outrage over the killing of a Jew in a Palestinian terror attack. Nor can I remember the last time we heard of a Palestinian official visiting the Israeli victims of a Palestinian terror attack.

The Israeli leaders’ condemnation of the baby’s murder is a sincere voice that reflects the views of the overwhelming majority of the Israeli public. In contrast, the Palestinian leaders’ denunciations of terror attacks do not reflect the general feeling on the Palestinian street. Each time Abbas reluctantly condemns a Palestinian terror attack, he faces a wave of criticism from many Palestinians.

Unlike the Israeli public, many Palestinians often rush to justify, and even welcome, terror attacks against Jews. This was the situation just a few weeks ago, when an Israeli man was shot dead near Ramallah. Several Palestinian factions and military groups applauded the murder, calling it a “natural response to Israeli crimes.”

This is the huge difference between the way Israelis and Palestinians react to terrorism. The murder of Dawabsha saw thousands of Israelis hold anti-violence rallies to condemn the horrible crime. But has anyone ever heard of a similar rally on the Palestinian side whenever terrorists kill innocent Jewish civilians? Is there one top Palestinian official or prominent figure, who dares to speak out in public against the murder of Jews, at a rally in the center of Ramallah or Gaza City? Has there ever been a Palestinian activist who dared to hold a rally in a Palestinian city to condemn suicide bombings or the murder of an entire Jewish family?

While Israelis have been holding rallies to condemn terror attacks against our people, we have been celebrating the killing of Jews. How many times have we taken to the streets to hand out sweets and candies in jubilation over the killing of Jews? Such sickening scenes of men and women celebrating terror attacks against Jews, on the streets of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which have never been condemned by our leaders. These scenes have become commonplace each time Palestinian terrorists carry out an attack against Jews.

These scenes stand in sharp contrast to the public statements and rallies in Israel in response to terror attacks against Palestinians. Our leaders need to learn from Israel’s President, Reuven Rivlin, who said he was “ashamed” and “in pain” for the murder of the Palestinian toddler. When was the last time a Palestinian leader used such rhetoric to condemn the murder of Jews? The laconic statements issued by Abbas’s office in response to anti-Jewish terror attacks never talked about shame or pain.

We have failed to educate our people on the principles of tolerance and peace. Instead, we continue to condone and applaud terrorism, especially when it is directed against Jews. We want the whole world to condemn terrorism only when it claims the lives of Palestinians. We have reached a point where many of us are either afraid to speak out against terrorism or simply accept it when it claims the lives of Jews.

The Israeli president has good reason to be ashamed for the murder of the baby. But when will we Palestinians ever have a sense of shame over the way we are reacting to the murder of Jews? When will we stop glorifying terrorists, and naming streets and public squares after them, instead of strongly denouncing them and expelling them from our society? We still have a lot to learn from Israeli leaders and the Israeli public.

Bassam Tawil is based in the Middle East.


ISRAEL

T his Shabbat we pause to consider the impact of atom bombs dropped by the United States over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945. The effect was far more devastating than

anyone could imagine, as Robert Lewis, the co-pilot of the Enola Gay, exclaimed: “My God, what have we done?”

While the debate as to necessity continues 70 years later, we understand the global threat of nuclear arms. In 1981, Israeli jets destroyed nuclear reactors creating weapons in Iraq, and today Congress debates the nuclear capability of Iran, especially as it affects Israel.

We fear for Israel, and we fear for the world.

In 1947, only two years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Albert Einstein said that he did not know for sure what weapons would be used in a third world war, but he could safely predict those to be used in a fourth world war: sticks and stones!

A decade after Hiroshima - in 1955 - Einstein issued a “Manifesto” with Bertrand Russell, the philosopher and mathematician, to stir the conscience of humanity: There lies before us, if we choose, continual progress in happiness, knowledge and wisdom. Shall we choose instead death because we cannot forget our quarrels? We appeal as human-beings to human-beings. Remember your humanity and forget the rest. If you can do so, the way lies open to a new paradise. If you cannot, there lies before you the risk of universal death.

Jewish Tradition teaches us to appreciate the sanctity and preciousness of human life. Our Sages taught that for sake of saving a single life, all the mitzvot may be suspended. Since nuclear war threatens all human life, the greatest act of lifesaving might very well be the effort towards eliminating the possibility of nuclear war.

In the Midrash we are taught to think of the world we will hand to the next generation (Kohelet Raba 7.28): When God encountered the first human couple, He took them before all the trees in the Garden of Eden and said, “See how lovely and excellent My works are. All that I have created, I have created for you. Consider this carefully. Do not corrupt or desolate My world. For if you do so, there will be no one to set it aright after you.”

As human-beings we have the power of life and death in our hands. Like Robert Lewis, we can exclaim, “My God, what have we done!” We can look and see that we have not hurt, but healed; we have not hated, we have loved; we have not destroyed, we have built. The hope of the world rests in our hands.

God gave us ears; God gave us eyes; God gave us minds; May God grant us the strength and the wisdom To hear, to see, and to remember, So that our children will not live the horrors of our world today. AmenShabbat Shalom.

Like proud parents, Jews around the world have long kvelled about the fact that Israel punches far above its weight when it comes to Nobel Prizes.

But now it’s official: Times Higher Education this week ranked the country fifth best in the world for overall Nobel performance this century. The table takes into account the prestige attributed to different awards and the number of Nobels received by citizens of each country - but not the differences in population size, which makes Israel’s performance all the more remarkable.

In a separate table ranking global academic institutions by their Nobel Prize winners, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology came eighth, beating Harvard and every British university.

Often called the “Israeli MIT”, the Technion came just one place after Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Technion’s most recent winner, Dan Shechtman, attracted particular attention as his discovery, “quasi-crystals”, flew in the face of accepted scientific knowledge and initially earned him ridicule. Israelis Arieh Warshel and Michael Levitt, who both studied at the Weizmann Institute of Science, were awarded the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The Technion’s president, Peretz Lavie, said that the ranking was especially meaningful because the institute did not have the budget to recruit promising scientists and its success stories tended to be homegrown.

“This is unlike the institutions with huge legacies that can identify stars that are the potential future laureates,” he said.

Phil Baty, editor of the rankings, said: “This list gives a snapshot of universities at the very top of their game; those attracting and nurturing the very best faculty in the world and those willing to give their academics the freedom and support to fulfill their potential.”

Atomic ThreatRABBI RICK SHERWIN

NATHAN JEFFAY- THE JEWISH CHRONICLE ONLINE

It’s official: tiny Israel is giant when it comes to Nobel prizes.


JEWISh WORLD

HigH Holy Days: Living With PurPose

analysis: germans are using hoLocaust street memoriaLs to bash israeL

I have a calling. I am living my best life. I am fulfilling my life’s mission. I am living with purpose. As we approach Rosh Hashanah and the celebration of the Creation of the World, now is an appropriate time to reflect upon the deep Jewish roots of the quest for a life of personal mission.

The notion of a personal calling is grounded in the creation story. In Genesis 1, humans are created “in the image of God,” and tasked with filling the earth and mastering it. Humans are assigned the role of God in the world. Just as God rests after six days of shaping the world, humans will undertake creative labor for six days and rest on the seventh. Just as God creates life and rules over God’s creation, humans will procreate, build families and govern societies. The story of creation is the story of human empowerment.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, the 20th century leader of Modern Orthodoxy, focused on the theme of human empowerment in many of his writings. In particular, Rabbi Soloveitchik argued that God’s creation of an imperfect world was a deliberate act of love to leave room for human action. God invites humans to assume the role of partners in finishing the tasks of creation. Humans are agents of God in the world.

Human agency is a central concept in Jewish law. A shaliach is a

messenger or agent who carries out a mitzvah on behalf of another. For example, a shaliach tzibbur, or prayer leader, recites blessings on behalf of the community. A shaliach serves as the representative of another and is able to fulfill religious obligations on behalf of that person. So, too, Rabbi Soloveitchik argued, every human being serves as a shaliach for God. The fact that every human is created in God’s image implies that every human has the ability to serve as God’s agent in the world.

Being created in God’s image teaches the lofty responsibility of serving as God’s representatives in the world. It also proclaims the uniqueness of each person and his or her mission in the world. While every other living species is formed in multitudes, the Mishnah notes that God’s creation of humanity starts with a single person, Adam. The Sages hold that this particular aspect of creation signifies the miracle of human uniqueness: “For man stamps out many coins with one seal and they are all alike, but the Holy One stamped each person with the seal of Adam, and not one of them is like another. Therefore, every person is obligated to say, ‘The world was created for me’ ” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5).

If each and every human being is radically unique, then each and every human being is uniquely responsible to fulfill a mission for God in the world that only he or she can accomplish.

BERLIN – There is an increasing tendency among Germans devoted to commemorating the Holocaust, to turn Jewish victims into a whipping boy to criticize Israelis and advance the Palestinian cause.

The ongoing debate in Munich over whether the Bavarian capital, should allow “Stolpersteine” (brass plaques which name the Holocaust victims) to be embedded into sidewalks and streets, is a salient example of this. In late July, the Munich city council voted to ban the so-called “stumbling block” memorials. Charlotte Knobloch, the former president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and current head of the Munich Jewish community, has long opposed the Stolpersteine and has called it an insult to the victims. Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor, said it is “intolerable” for passers-by to step on the names of Jews that were murdered in the tragedy.

There are six “stumbling blocks” outside the residence of this reporter in Berlin. One of them reads: “Hans Simson. Date of birth: 1913. Deported on 28.6.1943. Murdered in Auschwitz.”

The left-wing weekly Jungle World, widely considered to a be a pro-Israel weekly, reported in a commentary by Dora Streibl that a co-founder of the “stumbling blocks” memorial in the city of Kassel, Ulrich Restat, declared at an anti-Semitic demonstration in 2014 that “death is a master today from Israel” and that he wished that there would be “stumbling blocks” for the murdered Palestinians. The commentary also noted the anti-Zionist sentiments of the co-founders of the Munich “Stolpersteine” initiative.

Retast’s reference was an allusion to the famous Holocaust poem from the Jewish poet Paul Celan, a German-speaking Holocaust survivor, who wrote about the Hitler movement: “Death is a master from Germany”

In her commentary, Streibl criticized Restat and others who use the Stolpersteine as a form of alleviating their pathological guilt about the crimes of the Holocaust by turning modern day Jews into perpetrators. She added that: “the Stolpersteine appear as a comfortable, discreet form of remembrance: One did something.”

Others have argued that German Holocaust memorials, including the main memorial in Berlin’s central government district, are not about preserving the memory of Jewish victims, but rather about making Germans feel good. Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s statement in 1998 captures the emptiness of this ritualization process. He said that the Holocaust memorial should be a place “where people like to go.”

There are no memorials in Germany for Palestinian, Hezbollah, and Iranian lethal anti-Semitism committed against Jews and Israelis. When an attempt was made years ago to show Israeli victims in train stations, there was uproar and the plan was quashed.

The German artist, who started the “Stolpersteine” project, is Gunter Demnig. According to Reuters, ”there are 45,000 Stolpersteine in Germany and 16 other European countries. Berlin alone has 5,500 of them.”

The preoccupation with memorialising dead European Jews in Germany has taken bizarre new directions. A fitting update to the famous sarcastic line from Israeli psychoanalyst Zvi Rex, could be that “The Germans will never forgive the Israelis for Auschwitz.”

Benjamin Weinthal is a fellow for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

by Lauren Berkun - Shalom Hartman Institute

by Benjamin Weinthal - The Jerusalem PostThere is an ongoing debate in Munich over whether the Bavarian capital should allow “Stolpersteine” (brass plaques which name the Holocaust victims) to be embedded into sidewalks and streets.


JEWISh WORLD

In November 1947, the United Nations was considering the creation of a Jewish state in parts of Western Palestine and a new Arab state in the other parts.

The hopes of the Jews rested in large part on China. The five-member Security Council had to approve putting the resolution before the General Assembly, but China, one of the five, was threatening to veto it.

The head of the Chinese delegation was approached by a hero, of the Chinese campaign against the Japanese during World War II, a man who had been a general and senior adviser to President Sun Yat-sen. The general persuaded the delegation to abstain. The Security Council voted approval and the Partition Resolution was sent to the General Assembly, where it was passed. Modern Israel came into existence.

The general who persuaded the Chinese not to oppose the resolution was not Chinese himself – but, in fact, a Jew born in Poland in 1887. Morris Abraham Cohen was brought to London from Poland, when he was still a toddler and grew up in the impoverished East End of London. By the time he was 12 he had become a skilled boxer and a pickpocket. He quickly amassed a police arrest record and his family sent him to reform school until he was 16.

Once released, he went to Canada to work on a farm in rural Saskatchewan, near some Indian reservations. The farming bored him; he preferred work as a carnival barker and con man. This got him arrested yet again and he did some jail time.

While wandering the Canadian West, he became friendly with the local Chinese. Cohen liked Chinese cuisine (what Jew doesn’t?) and the Chinese outlook on life.

One day Cohen wandered into a Chinese eatery and realized the owner was being robbed. Cohen beat the robber to a pulp. The Chinese were so impressed; they embraced Cohen as one of their own. He joined the local chapter of Nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen’s political movement and started to pick up some basic Chinese. Cohen raised funds for Sun’s movement and helped procure arms.

After serving in World War I as a Canadian soldier, Cohen headed off in 1922 to China with plans to work as a railroad developer. But once in Shanghai he found work as a writer on the English-language newspaper, associated with Sun Yat-sen’s movement.

The Chinese called him Ma Kun (“clenched fist”), which was as close as they could get to Morris Cohen. He procured arms for a warlord of Canton in the 1920s and was adviser to Wu Tiecheng, the Canton police chief who later became mayor of Shanghai. Cohen began to serve as part of Sun’s guard force, and eventually commanded the entire 250-man presidential bodyguard unit.

Always armed, Cohen managed to defend Sun from more than one

assassination attempt. After Cohen’s hand was wounded while driving off one group of assassins, he started carrying a second pistol and local Westerners immediately dubbed him “Two-Gun” Cohen, the nickname he carried with pride for the rest of his life.

Eventually he was appointed head of the Chinese secret service. His sidekick was another Jew, an anti-Soviet Russian, named Moses Schwartzberg, who had been part of a plot to assassinate Lenin in 1918.

Because of the importance of the Schwartzberg-Cohen pair, Yiddish became one of the three languages of the Chinese secret service, after Mandarin and English. Schwartzberg would later organize a regiment of 1,200 Jewish volunteers to fight for Israel in its War of Independence.

After Sun Yat-sen died, Two-Gun Cohen was named commander of the Chinese 19th field army. He worked for a while for Chinese President Chiang Kai-shek. He led Nationalist troops in fighting against both the Japanese and the Chinese communists. He was the only European ever to serve as a Chinese general.

When the Japanese invaded China in the 1930s, Cohen worked for British intelligence. Just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong was invaded by the Japanese. Two-Gun got Sun Yat-sen’s widow out safely on one of the last planes to escape. Cohen himself was captured by the Japanese and thrown into the Stanley Prison Camp, where he was beaten and mistreated.

After the war, he lived in Canada where he helped the Zionists obtain arms for Israel’s War of Independence. He eventually returned to England, where he died in 1970. On his tombstone in Manchester his name appears in English, Hebrew, and Chinese characters. His funeral was attended by representatives from both Chinas, which were still at war with each another. It was the only thing in the world, on which they could agree.

There is a special entry about Two-Gun in the Spy Museum in Washington. Two books have been published about Two-Gun’s life and Rob Reiner is working on a movie about him. Two-Gun’s cousin, the journalist Marion Dreyfus in New York City, tells me her family still has many scrolls and silks that Two-Gun sent them from China. She found a plaque on the wall of the Shanghai synagogue commemorating Two-Gun as one of the ten most important Jews in Chinese history.

When Cohen returned to Manchester after the war, he and his cousins went into the raincoat business, the weather in England being ideal for such a venture. Two pistols and a Chinese Generalship notwithstanding, Two-Gun was a proud Jew – and he could even get you a raincoat, wholesale!

Steven Plaut is a professor at Haifa University. His book “The Scout” is available at Amazon.com.

by Steven Plaut - The Jewish Press.com

THe amazing saga of

tWo-gun cohen


THe amazing saga of

tWo-gun cohen

Bubkes

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 10 Sept Sale at @FavShop! Just bought stunning Yom Tov outfit. Now need 2 brk in shoes arnd the house. Writers don’t get much walking done at work.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 11 Sept Sheer genius: wear socks over new shoes to protect them from kitchen splatterings and toddler’s generous gifts of mud pies. You’re welcome.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 13 SeptChallah disaster. Instead of beautiful, pouffy spirals, I have produced burnt, raisin-flecked cow pats. Better head for the shops...

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 13 SeptThank you @mashgiachDBN for the delish challah and great Yom Tov selection. You guys don’t get enough cred.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 13 SeptOMG the queues! Has every Jew in Durban left their Yom Tov shopping to the last minute? If ur still heading out, pack a hip flask.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 13 SeptAah, nothing beats the aroma of carrot tzimmus wafting from my oven. Bringing back such #HappyRHmemories

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 14 SeptRepentance. Prayer. Charity. #Machzorhighlights

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 15 SeptTime for Tashlich. Let’s all go tell our sins to jump in a lake.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 16 SeptLet the #YKcountdown begin!

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 17 Sept#YKcountdown creeping up! No time to visit your begrudged? Join FB group http://facebook.com/groups/apologies

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 18 SeptHello, this is the kaparot chicken tweeting from Lauren’s device. Please tell the man in the big hat to put me down. Just kidding...

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 18 Sept4 days to go… R U ready? #YKcountdown

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 19 SeptShabbat Shuva is the best reminder - & opportunity - to return to our Source. #HosheaProphecy

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 20 SeptTwo more sleeps… #YKcountdown

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 20 Sept@everyone-I’ve-offended-this-year: sorry. #COPOUT!

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 21 SeptTomorrow’s the big day – wishing you all a gmar chatimah tova! #YKcountdown

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 22 SeptWhite clothes - tick. Tackies - tick. Candlesticks - tick. One more last, final energy bar - tick. Bring on Yom Kippur.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 22 SeptMost moving Kol Nidrei service since Zaide spent the High Holy Days on a cruise. Srmn sure hit the sweet spot. Read http://rabbisblog.com/sermons/yomkippur5776

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 23 SeptTummy starting to grumble. Just realised why they call it breakfast.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 23 SeptSo hungry I could eat my machzor. Do you think it’s kosher? #Whatyourereallythinkingaboutonyomkippur

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 23 Sept@Hashem: Pls 4giv me 4 sins under duress&willing; 4 sins thru hardness of heart; 4 sins in public&private...http://yom-kippur-amidah/al-chait

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 23 Sept@Kohein: nice tallis, but your socks don’t match.

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 23 SeptNeilah is finally underway. We’ve made it so far; now we just need to get to the sho-far. Is that rustling of chocolate wrappers I hear?

Lauren Shapiro @Bubkes 23 SeptIt’s official, peeps: the shofar’s been sounded! Thank the Lord, we made it through another year. Now, bring on the kichel! Until next time.

Welcome to the cutting edge of reason: Twitter. For those of you who still think a tweet is an

ornithological onomatopoeia, allow me to enlighten you. A tweet is a post made on the social media website Twitter (www.twitter.com). Using a maximum of 140 characters (including punctuation marks and spaces; excluding web links), composing a tweet has become an art form. In a sense, tweets are the new haiku.

Tweets have developed their own communication conventions, the most ubiquitous being the hashtag (#). This little symbol elevates a word (or group of words) from a topic to a trend. It tags the keyword/s in a way that allows other twits (sorry, I mean tweeters) to join the conversation thread. So you might tweet: “You know what makes me REALLY HAPPY? #Cheesecake”, and your followers (those people who read your twitter posts) can contribute to the convo with “Ever tried #cheesecake with strawberries, salted caramel, crushed crunchies and chocolate chips? Check out recipe on http://cake.com/recipes/mutant-cheesecake” or “I had the best #cheesecake in the world at @CircleCafe”.

This brings us to our next peculiar Twitter praxis, the strudel (yes, that’s really the name for the squiggly @ sign). Placing @ before a name allows one to refer to or even address other tweeters directly. Take, for example: “Hey, @ChiefRabbiSA, can’t you please just make the entire Mr Delivery menu kosher?”

Scarcity of space necessitates abbreviations for all by the most terse of authors, so Rosh Hashana becomes RH, sermon might become srmn, and numerical substitutions like 4give, 2gether and contempl8 abound. As a writer, some of these conventions offend me to my very core, but in order to communicate in the 21st century one needs to speak the language (as it were).

One real bonus is that Twitter allows journos (or anyone else for that matter) to provide a blow-by-blow, moment-by-moment account of events, straight from their smart phones. Tweets can be pithy, thought-provoking, or supply useful information to the following public. For instance, if I were to supply a Twitter feed over the Yamim Noraim (the Ten Days of Awe beginning with Rosh Hashana and culminating with Yom Kippur) – and let’s assume for the purposes of fancy that it would be halachically permissible to do so – perhaps it would look something like this:

Lauren shapiroAll a-Twitter


Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

This is definitely fan mail! The new addition to the magazine, ‘Out of perspective’, is a wonderful; heartfelt; relevant article by David Arkin.

Regards,Deb Findlay

Dear Editor, My name is Susan Kahan (nee Ashberg). I have been living in Australia with my family for the past 30 years. The late Milton Kirkel was my late mother Helen’s brother. My mother died over 40 years ago and I last spoke to Milton nearly four years ago, on the day that he died. The only contact details I had for him were his mobile telephone number and his work email. I had corresponded with his PA, whose name I recall was Grace, via email, but no longer have those details. I would like to contact Grace, or anyone who had contact with Milton and or Penny. It appears, through reading your past newsletter, that Penny died in 2013. I remember that there were some relatives of Milton’s, who were also Kirkels, living in Durban, but do not know their first names, or have contact details for them. It would be appreciated if you could confirm Penny’s passing and if possible, put me in touch with anyone who knew my late uncle. Kind regards,Sue Kahan.Mobile no: 0403 351 753 or email: [email protected]

COMMUNITY NEWS


PAST TENSE

and the Social Problem”, Manfred Nathan on “Jewish Association with the Boers’, Professor Norman Bentwich having “A Glimpse of Italian Jewry”, Louis Golding’s humorous story “Lhevy and Cohen” and Cecil Ruth’s article on Yom Kippur called “Closing The Gates” and Joan Freed’s enquiry “National Characteristics –do they exist.”

The rest of the issue- only five of forty-eight pages consisted of reports of the Club and Community activities, liberally sprinkled with photographs of Durbanites on active service, Cadet Officer L.S. Ditz, Sergeant Roy Fenhalls, Private Harry Friedland, and Captain N.Menachemson (of the DUHC) who had been appointed Chaplain to the South African Jewish Forces in the North. In addition, of course, there were group photographs of the Club Council and Executive.

When you are told that the Rosh Hashanah annual of HASHOLOM was published on extra-large foolscap paper, you will realize that it contained an enormous amount of good reading matter. But no IN TOWN AND OUT!!

HASHALOM - September 1965 - Extracts

This issue did not call itself a Rosh Hashanah Annual.

It started with New Year messages from, in order, The President (Mr S.L.Abrahams) and Chairman (Mr P.A.M Magid) of the Club, the President of the S.A. Jewish Board of Deputies (Dr. T. Schneider), Rabbi Dr. A.T. Shrock, Chairman S.A Zionist Federation (Mr. E.J. Hortwitz) and Rabbi Dr. M. Miller.

A Guest Editorial on “Judaism In The 20th Century”, (the writer is not identified) concludes that “The leaders of Jewish religious thought must re-convene in Israel the Sanhedrin and give to the Jewish world the guidance which it so eagerly awaits.” Fifty Rosh Hashanah’s later, we’re still waiting.

Then follow the statutory group photos of the DJC Council and Executive. The first of the Club Sections to report is the Youth section, accompanied by a group photo of its Executive. I found it interesting that the 5 young men were seated and the 5 young women were standing in the rear. Even more interesting, but very sad, is that not one of the ten young people is still in Durban. Their names are: G.M. Ditz, W. Brewer, R.D Friedman (Chairman), P.L Stange (Vice-Chairman), A. Sudar, Miss B. Frank, B. Brewer, L. Franks, S. Abelson, and H. Henry (Secretary).

Then there’s Circle Country Club, also with a photo of the Committee of whom all, except Peter Ditz (Durban), Reg. Berkowitz (Johannesburg) and Peter Jacobson(Sydney, Australia), are now dead.The Circle Bowling Club proudly produced a photo of Barney Gamsy and Dave Stange, winners of the Natal Pairs Bowls Championship.

After a few more sectional reports, there is a humorous article entitled “Sermons for Sportsman” by Arrie Silbermann, and a learned exposition by Reuben Musiker on “Jewish Composers On Broadway”, and one of Norman Edinburg’s comic stories describing his near-fatal motor accident. A book “A Soho Address” by Chaim Lewis (editor of the Zionist Record) was very amusingly reviewed by Harry Abrahams, which left me with the impression that the review was more interesting than the book itself.We are enthralled with full reports accompanied by photographs of virtually all Durban’s communal institutions including the Council of Natal Jewry, but still no “IN TOWN AND OUT”!!

HASHOLOM- ROSH HASHONAH ANNUAL 1940- Extracts

EDITORIAL- “Out of the Crucible” After a careful analysis of the serious situation facing the world in the conflict between totalitarianism and democracy, the editor concluded on an optimistic note:“We face the coming year confident in the outcome of the war; determined to do our utmost to continue towards the victory of decency over darkness; and sure that in the better days to come, Jewry will again be able to offer its share towards the advancement of mankind.’’

“Per Aspera Ad Astra” was the title of a lengthy philosophical analysis of basic meanings of Rosh Hashanah by the Chief Rabbi Prof. Dr. J.L. Landau.

Then Dr. A.H. Fraenkel, Rector and Professor of Mathematics at the Hebrew University described the activities of the University’s Science faculty illustrated with photographs.

Rabbi A.H. Friedman summarised “Israel’s Challenge”:-“And where, if not in the religion of his ancestors, shall he, the Jew, find the moral values to help build a new world order where peace will not be merely a temporary respite before a new reign of violence?” Next under the bold title ‘1940’, we find a black and white sketch of the horrors of war, accompanied by a moving poem by DJC Poet Laureate NEA with an inspiring last stanza:-

“Striking with strength for libertyIn Freedom’s ranks, with courage high,We shall go forth united, strong,To smash completely and for ayeThe curse of the one man’s will.”

S.A. Jews In Other Wars by Eric Rosenthal starts with a brief life of one Gaspar da Gama, who led an extremely interesting life, but how he can be described as a South African Jew is beyond me. According to various sources, he was born a Jew, converted under extreme pressure to Islam and, after meeting Vasco da Gama in India, was tortured and converted to Catholicism. Oh, by the way, he returned to Portugal with Vasco da Gama and touched at the Cape on the way. In 2015, Pundit’s increasing readership can check this all on Google. Illustrating the article are portraits of Colonel Sir David Harris, K.C.M.G, V.D and Lieut. F.A. de Pass, who won the first V.C in the First World War.

Dr Walker J. Fischel, who is described as “of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem”, describes “The Jews Of Teheran- Some Impressions of a recent Journey” in a review of the centuries. The article is illustrated, and a photograph of “The Chief Rabbi of Teheran” reveals a man with an uncanny resemblance to Osama Bin Laden- except that the man in the picture has a pleasant smile.

“Native Policy In South Africa” is a careful analysis by Ellen Hellman of a topic, whose title would now be regarded as politically incorrect and which was treated from a liberal point of view, which in 1940 was nearly non-existent in South Africa.

In addition, Rev. I.H. Levine B.A.Ph.D wrote “The Jew has Taught”, E.Jokl had his say with “Some Historical Remarks On The Hatikvah”, liberally illustrated with tonic sol fa, crotchets, quavers and semi- not to mention semi-demiquavers, followed by Dr. H. Sonnabend on “Herzl


WITH BEST WISHESTO OUR COMMUNITY

JAKAMaR


COMMUNITY NEWS

UJW 77th AGM

In her report presented at the very well attended, 77th Union of Jewish Women (UJW) AGM, Bev Levy, Executive Chair, spoke about functions the UJW had in store for the months ahead. As guest speaker, Lynne Raphaely, National President UJW South Africa, provided insight into the vital role played by the UJW on a National basis. Mary Kluk, National Chairman, SA Jewish Board of Deputies, then enlightened everyone on the current state of anti-semitism around the world and, closer to home, in South Africa. The Durban Holocaust centre proved an ideal venue for both the meeting and the lunch attended by the UJW Executive Committee.


COMMUNITY NEWS

During my next trip to Israel I will be delivering backpacks filled with numerous gifts for the injured soldiers, some in hospital and some at home, as well as for their children and siblings who have suffered the trauma of a loved family member being injured during the war and all the changes and complications that come with it. All the bags have also been filled with letters of support and gratitude from children around the whole country. There is just so much more that DIVOTE hopes to do for the injured soldiers and we will also continue to distribute the DIVOTE gift bags to the soldiers in the rehab, hospitals and clinics. These are always hugely appreciated by the soldiers and their families. Sadly, there has been an increase in terror attacks in Israel, and we receive more and more names of those that have been killed and injured in drive-by shootings, stabbings, being run over by cars and by having Molotov cocktails thrown at them. DIVOTE has given a number of children in Israel, affected by terrorism, the opportunity to go to a fun summer camp and to be able to have fun with their friends, and to give them some happiness. DIVOTE continues to show the heroes of terrorism and war that the South African Jewish and Christian community support them through our various projects. If you are interested in showing these heroes some support and sending them some happiness please contact me on: [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who has “grabbed” the opportunity that DIVOTE gives, to do an act of chesed for these special children and to show them that you care. I really appreciate everything that everyone does when participating in this mitzvah!

by cheryl unterslak

A photo of a young girl recently burnt by a Molotov cocktail thrown by a terrorist in Israel. She is reading her letters and admiring her gifts of love and support form children in Johannesburg

Talmud TorahIt has been an unbelievable experience this year and an absolute privilege to have been blessed with this opportunity of being involved in the Jewish education of the children at Eden and the Talmud Torah programme.

As the Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches, the importance of a good Jewish education is like planting and taking care of a seedling, which will eventually grow into a mature fruit bearing tree. Therefore, the efforts to ensure that the seed is planted in the best conditions and cared for tenderly will result in high quality produce. So too with Jewish education. As the Rebbe says “the reward for every activity in Chinuch (Jewish education) is greater than the reward of any other Mitzvah inasmuch as the effects are lasting and cumulative and reproduced from generation to generation”.

As I reflect on the past eight months, my appreciation of Norma Bloch’s many years of teaching experience and her dedication to her students, as well as working with Cheryl Unterslak and her Talmud Torah team, seeing their devotion and unique ability in educating children of all ages, has motivated me in my growth, to continue in these ideals that the Rebbe has taught. Whether at a Purim event at Eden for the whole school; a Pesach Seder experience where Talmud Torah and Eden children join together in song and unity or starting the day off with davening and giving Tzedaka strengthens their connection to Hashem.

I have truly enjoyed preparing for the different classes and also appreciated the challenge of questions that the children asked. Bonding and interacting with the children informally though chat, crafts, games and song has left me encouraged.

As I embark on a new journey to further my studies at a Seminary in Israel, G-d Willing, I want to thank everyone who warmly welcomed me, guided me and gave me these wonderful opportunities. May the Blessings of Hashem continue to be seen in the Durban and Umhlanga community.

by chani Weiner


COMMUNITY NEWS

by gilad Friedman

Umhlanga Jewish Day SchoolBaruch Hashem term three has begun with a flying start. I hope that everyone has had a restful holiday and has returned energised and ready for the new term.

A core principle of sustainability is dealt with in our parasha as we begin the book of Devarim. Moshe begins a speech which lasts for 5 weeks, he tells this over in 70 languages, in order that the Jewish nation will not find themselves in a distant land and not be able to know their heritage.

The Limmudei Kodesh Jewish Studies department is the heart and soul of UJDS. The values, teachings and heritage that we gain all help us to navigate our way to developing our Jewish identity.

I am delighted to share with you a number of exciting happenings in Limmudei Kodesh! We have consolidated our Limmudei Kodesh department. Morah Shani and Morah Tracey together with Morah Jess will teach L.K from Grade 000 through till Grade 3.

I would also like to welcome Mr Yitzchak Tobias as a locum teacher this term. Mr Tobias

and I will be teaching the older grades in the school. In concretising the curriculum, we have adopted a united yeshiva learning approach in the older grades. A four or five year cycle will enable all the learners from Grade 4 or 5 to complete a syllabus by Grade 9. It also allows UJDS to maintain a unified learning of the same Parasha and Mishna across the older grades. This term Grades 4 - 9 will be learning Mishnayot Bava Metzia – currently chapter two and in Chumash Grades 4 – 9 have started Parashat Beshalach. We encourage parents who have the necessary background in Ivrit Hebrew to review the learning with the children at home. Any extra reading, be it in the siddur, birkat hamazon bentchin after meals or learning from sefer book, can only help your child to improve their Ivrit literacy.

I am delighted to announce that from Grade 2, learners will now benefit from a more intensive and thorough Ivrit Hebrew program developed by Rabbi Yossi Orkin, which will add on to our existing program. The learners will learn the constructs and rules of Ivrit Hebrew through the Chumash. This term the Grade 3s will also experience this wonderful program which will be taught by our own L.K teachers,

who have undergone specialised training in this new and exciting program over the past number of months.

Thank you to Mrs Plen who will be teaching Grade 4 Nach this term whilst Morah Jess is on maternity leave and to Morah Meltz for all that she adds to the department, whilst teaching the play group.

Morah Dina who teachers Ivrit Hebrew to the older grades and who runs the well-known Bentzi – Ivrit conversational program with the younger grades, completes the Limmudei Kodesh Jewish Studies department.

A number of parents have shared with me over the past few weeks…My child loves UJDS and we are so happy to be giving our child a Jewish education.

As we enter the month of Elul - when we will begin to blow the shofar daily in preparation for Rosh Hashana. At a time like this it is heart-warming to reflect on the Torah that is learnt at the UJDS. The UJDS is the soul of the Umhlanga Jewish Centre. May we all continue to grow from strength to strength.

Farewell to Miss Butler Siyum time Shabbat with Morah Tracey

SiyumThe Levitans at UJDS

www.djc.co.za

Troy Schonken


Umhlanga Jewish Centre

COMMUNITY NEWS

by gilad Friedman

On Wednesday the 9th of July Velvy Bokow led a new initiative called Jewish Lifeguard Training Camp. The course was designed to train a diverse group of brave individuals to qualify as surf / beach lifeguards. Over and above the incredible and noble lifesaving and first aid skills learned, the candidates had to train on a physical fitness and stamina level to develop themselves for the physical exertions and trials they would potentially face in rough seas and challenging tides.

Although all the candidates are from Johannesburg and not often by the beach, their skills and knowledge are put to use around swimming pools and other hazardous environments, ensuring greater levels of safety in any situation they may find themselves in. Many of the candidates will be providing services to the various Jewish end of year machaneh camp programs.

A massive thank you to the hosts, Umhlanga Jewish Centre, for the beautiful accommodation and shul facilities and for their part in enabling us to further ensure the safety and wellbeing of the community.


COMMUNITY NEWS

The congregants of the DPJC recently held a celebratory dinner to honour their much loved congregational rabbi, Rabbi Hillel Avidan, who came to Durban from Johannesburg in 2005 to serve the congregation.

Born in London in 1933, Rabbi Avidan spent much of his youth in Australia; New Zealand and Tasmania but came briefly to South Africa in 1939. He entered the Leo Baeck College in London in 1960 and during his studies worked as a student rabbi at Glasgow New Synagogue, in Scotland. After he received his Smicha in 1965 he served as rabbi of that congregation until he moved to Israel. In 1970, Rabbi Avidan underwent his basic training in the Israeli Army (Golani Brigade), and in 1973 saw active service in the Yom Kippur War (Northern Sector). On returning to the UK, he served as congregational rabbi in several synagogues before coming back to South Africa in 1992 to work at Bet David in Sandton. Rabbi Avidan is the Rabbi Emeritus of that congregation. He has held numerous honorary positions such as a seat on the Executive of Jews Against Apartheid, Chairman of the ULPS Rabbinic Conference, Chairman of Southern African Association of Progressive Rabbis and an Executive member of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies. Rabbi Avidan is an ardent environmentalist, and has published widely on that and other subjects. Rabbi Avidan is married to Ruth, is a proud father, grandfather and doting great-grandfather.

The DPJC records its gratitude to Rabbi Avidan for his commitment to the community, his deep knowledge of all things Jewish and his wry sense of humour.

DPJC CELEBRATES RABBI’S 10TH ANNIVERSARYby Diane mccoll

From Left- Allan Gershanov, Pearl Hall, Ida and Hadley Epstein

celebrate with Rabbi Avidan

Ruth and Rabbi Avidan flanked by DPJC co-chairs

Lorna Harris and Ken Duveen

David Simpson in conversation with Ken Duveen

Wishing Rabbi Avidan l’chaim are Judi Rosen and Sheila Schulman

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1st FLOOR, CLIFTON PLACE, 19 HURST GROVE, DURBANP 0 Box 50896 Musgrave 4062

Tel: 031-2011040 * Fax: 031-2015651E-MAIL: [email protected]

[email protected]


Eden Schools

Eden Schools wishes you and your family a happy sweet New Year & well over the fast!

www.edenschools.co.za | [email protected] Johannesburg - 011 445 3900 | Durban - 031 205 3357

RHadhashalom.indd 1 2015/08/17 10:08 AM


Holocaust Memorial Plaque

Stellawood Cemetery Redhill Cemetery Central Path

Redhill Cemetery Stellawood Cemetrey Ohel

by michael greenbaum

COMMUNITY NEWS

Founded in 1893, the DUHC Chevra Kadisha has devotedly served the Jewish community of Durban for more than a century, performing Judaism’s important mitzvah of Chesed v’Emet (kindness and truth, a true act of kindness). The attribute of Chesed v’Emet is learned from the Torah where Jacob asks his son Joseph to “do kindness and truth with me” on his death by not burying him in Egypt. This then became the term for the mitzvah of ensuring the proper burial of the dead. Of all the benevolent acts that a person can perform for another, this duty has often been described as the only truly selfless act of giving in Judaism, as there is no possibility of the recipient repaying the deed.

Unlike Chevra Kadisha organizations in other South African centres, the DUHC Chevra is composed entirely of dedicated volunteers who ensure that each and every member of the community will be cared for at the appropriate time with equal consideration and dignity. Chevra members assist and advise the bereaved in all aspects of death, burial and tombstone consecration, as well as taking care of processing all the necessary government forms and documentation. A special mention of merit must be made of the women of the Chevra Kadisha who perform their work with quiet dignity and low-profile discretion.

The Chevra Executive Committee, under the current leadership of Chairman Jeff Isaacs, manages the daily activities of the Chevra and the maintenance of Redhill and Stellawood cemeteries which are always admired by both the local community and visitors. The Chevra also maintains the historic Brooke Street Cemetery, in central Durban, where the victims of the Ladysmith Train Disaster were laid to rest in 1899. These peaceful and holy cemeteries are carefully maintained as a sign of respect to passed loved ones. As a cemetery is holy consecrated ground, this mark of respect is extended to the dress code requirement that men cover their heads and women dress modestly when attending a funeral or unveiling service and when visiting a cemetery. Casual beachwear for men and revealing clothing and trousers for women are discouraged. The Chevra is currently working on ongoing projects to restore Stellawood Cemetery while maintaining both the Redhill and Stellawood cemeteries with a full time maintenance staff at both locations. Members are urged to voluntarily give their generous financial and personal support to the Chevra Kadisha to ensure that the Chevra Kadisha has the continued necessary financial resources, to perform its holy work.

An option, to honour deceased loved ones, is to purchase an individual engraved memorial plaque in the Great Synagogue, while for those whose loved ones’ graves are situated elsewhere, the DUHC has provided the opportunity to set up a permanent memorial stone along the beautiful palm-lined central path at Redhill Cemetery. Your contribution will ensure the continuation of the admirably high standards achieved by the Chevra Kadisha in Durban.

Congregants are advised that if an Orthodox Jewish person passes on, the Chevra can be contacted day or night. During office hours, the Shul office ((031) 201-5177) can be contacted or the following Chevra members can be contacted anytime day or night:

Jeff Isaacs 082 822 8855 (Cell) (031) 208-7111 (Work) (031) 208-3416 (Home)

Stan Hart 082 856 0060 (Cell) (031) 261-6659

Marcel Nathan 082 855 4134 (031) 205-2035

Louis Gordon 083 272 4024 (031) 777-1586

Graham Kluk 083 788 4118 (031) 572-7603

Aubrey Nathan 082 333 9991 (031) 207-2845

Cemetery Hours:

Stellawood Cemetery: Sunday-Thursday 7h00 - 15h00 Friday 7h00 - 12h00

Redhill Cemetery: Sunday-Thursday 7h30 - 15h30 Friday 7h00 - 12h30

Closed on Shabbat and Yom Taivim.

The DUHC Chevra Kadisha is always in need of new members. If you would like to join the Chevra Kadisha, please contact Jeff Isaacs at the numbers above. For more information on joining the Chevra Kadisha, making contributions, setting up a plaques in the Great Synagogue or a memorial stone at Redhill Cemetery, please contact the Shul office on (031) 201-5177.


COMMUNITY NEWS

by alana baranov

Every individual has the power to achieve whatever they set their mind to and together we can change the course of history. These inspiring ideas were at the heart of Dr Taddy Blecher’s outstanding keynote address at the Council of KwaZulu-Natal Jewry’s 84th AGM entitled “How one Jewish boy is changing South Africa for good”.

Dr Blecher is a pioneer of the free tertiary education movement in South Africa and has helped to create six free access institutions of higher learning, as well as inspiring the creation of two other institutions. As a result, over 14,250 unemployed South Africans have been educated, found employment and moved from poverty to the middle-class.

He founded the broad-based BEE fund: Imvula Educational Empowerment Fund; Impact Sourcing Academy and Invincible Outsourcing together with the Rockefeller Foundation; as well as the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship which he co-founded with Sir Richard Branson.

Dr Blecher was the 2002 World Economic Forum “Global Leader of Tomorrow” awardee; a 2005 World Economic Forum “Young Global Leader of the World”; a Skoll Global Social Entrepreneur winning a $1 million prize for his work; an Ashoka Fellow; and has been honoured with two honorary doctorates. In 2009 he was named by author Tom Peters as one of his top 5 most influential entrepreneurs in the world over the last 30 years.

He shared his remarkable story of success in the education and entrepreneurial sectors at the AGM, which was held on Thursday August 6th at the Durban Jewish Centre and brought together community members and leadership to reflect on the accomplishments of the CKNJ over the past year. In the presence of a captivated audience, Dr Blecher spoke of his belief in first developing the minds and consciousness of young South Africans before focusing on their academic education. He attributed this building of solid foundation of self-esteem as the key to his students’ achievements and encouraged those present to find ways in which they could address the problems in our society and make a difference to the lives of others.

The evening also included messages from Honourary Life President John Moshal and South African Jewish Board of Deputies Chairman Mary Kluk, as well as SAJBD National Director Wendy Kahn. Each speaker praised the CKNJ for its work within the local Jewish community as well its endeavours to build proactive and engaging bridges between Jewish South Africans and the broader KwaZulu-Natal society. In particular, the CKNJ’s relief efforts and advocacy work in the aftermath of the xenophobic violence which gripped the province earlier this year was highlighted.

The CKNJ’s President Ronnie Herr was elected for another term of office and is joined by 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents Jeremy Droyman (IUA UCF) and Alana Baranov (Media and Political Liaison) respectively. The rest of the Executive Committee includes Honorary Life President John Moshal; Honorary Treasurer Gary Baranov; and Immediate Past President Linda Nathan, Mary Kluk, Chairman of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies, and Sidney Lazarus represent the Past Presidents on the exec. Other elected members include FMC Chairman David Simpson; Clive Bernstein; Susan Abro; John Patlansky; KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council’s Prof Antony Arkin and CSO representative Jason Stout.

The CKNJ is the umbrella representative body of the KwaZulu-Natal Jewish community and works to create unity within the community as well as protecting Jewish civil liberties. The CKNJ is also concerned with protecting the human rights of all South Africa and fights against racism and discrimination whilst building interfaith, government and civil society relationships.

Changing South Africa for the good – Dr Taddy Blecher at the CKNJ’s 84th Annual General Meeting


COMMUNITY NEWS

NetzerOn the 6th of June, Kendyll Jacobson ran an activity for the Cheder kids. It was an activity in honour of Unity Day. A day that we remembered the three Israeli Boys Kidnapped from us and a day that we embraced the fact that we all need to come together to create change and work together. The cheder kids loved the morning and it was a great turnout!

The 28th June – 3rd July bought all our older Netzerniks together in Maligiesburg ( just outside Johannesburg ) for our annual Winter Camp. This year our Winter Acharai was about learning and following the current Madrachim footsteps.

We all battled the freezing weather in the morning and evening but somehow kept our energy for all the growing and learning that took place. There was a visit from Rabbi Schell who spoke to the kids and spent afternoon with us. We all enjoyed having a Rabbi on the site, even if it was for a few hours. The kids bonded and together figured out problems that someday they will have to face. They learnt about Netzer’s Ideology and what makes Netzer what it is today.

All the Madrichim on Winter Camp went home knowing our future leaders have it in them to run this movement one day and knowing they all took something away with them too!

by amy groer

Eden College

Shalom

On the 9th day of Av, the Jewish people witness the destruction of the First Temple and hundreds of years later on the very same day, the Second Temple suffers the same fate.

These are just two examples of the long list of disasters that have befallen the Jewish people throughout the centuries – all on the 9th day of Av. So severe were these catastrophes, that Hashem set aside Tisha b’Av as a day of mourning and reflection.

Along with the Jewish community throughout the world, we had a truly meaningful Tisha Bav ceremony which will be etched in our memories for years to come. The day began with Shlomo explaining its seriousness and the need to abstain from pleasurable activities, including the wearing of comfortable leather shoes. Chani and I then helped the children cut out, draw and decorate slippers to wear for the occasion. We participated in the ritual seudat mafseket with hardboiled eggs and bread.

Proudly wearing our slippers we entered the darkened synagogue and in keeping with the laws of mourning, sat on the floor while Shlomo gave a shiur about the sadness and seriousness of the day.

Until next month.

Decorating slippers Parents participating in function Shlomo giving shiur

by norma bloch


COMMUNITY NEWS

CHEDER IS CHEDER IS MAKING BIG MAKING BIG CHANGES!!!CHANGES!!! STARTING SUNDAYSTARTING SUNDAY

18 OCTOBER:18 OCTOBER:

• 8:30 – 9:15am Beginners Hebrew

starting with the Alef Bet, learning to read and write.

• 9:15 – 10:00am Intermediate Hebrew

More advanced lessons for children who can already read and write.

Lessons will start with 10 minutes of Davening.

Contact Jess on 083 557 6595 or [email protected] for more

i

Young Israel Centre


COMMUNITY NEWS

On Thursday July 23rd the DHC hosted a fascinating illustrated lecture and art exhibit entitled ‘Plungyan: A Lithuanian Shtetl’.

Abel and Glenda Levitt, originally from Cape Town but currently living in Kfar Sava in Israel, shared their journey of discovery and commitment to Holocaust memory and education with a packed audience.

In 1998 Abel and Glenda made their first visit to Lithuania and the village of Plunge where Abel knew that his father’s brothers, sisters and their families together with his grandmother had been murdered in the Shoah. Since that first visit 17 years ago and about 20 subsequent visits, Abel and Glenda have been involved in memory and education in the small Lithuanian town of Plunge/ Plungyan. The amazing power point art exhibition they presented was the work of non-Jewish Lithuanian High School

children which highlighted their sensitive grasp and understanding of events during that tragic period of history.

The audience, many of whom had close family connections to similar Lithuanian shtetls, were engrossed in the presentation and afterwards had a chance to engage with the presenters and each other, sharing family connections and recounting their own stories and ties to Lithuania. One of our guests that evening, Bernice Letschert, shared with us that her late husband Peter’s family hailed from Plungyan.

We would like to thank Glenda Bernstein for her generous donation of chairs in our auditorium. So many people commented on what a difference it made being able to sit comfortably and listen to our interesting guest speakers. There is no longer an excuse for you not to attend our functions in future!

Our newly created ‘Anne Frank Workshops’ for younger learners in Grades 4 to 7 are growing in popularity. This interactive programme focuses on Anne Frank’s experience in the Secret Annex and encourages learners to make connections to their own lives. It teaches these young people to express their feelings, as Anne did, by writing their thoughts in a journal. It also focuses on issues of identity, social responsibility and relationships.

Grade 5 learners from Holy Family College recently visited the DHC and found the workshop highly engaging.

Abel and Glenda Levitt, with Maureen Caminsky and Mary Kluk.

Bernice Letschert and Mary Kluk

Issy and Denise Movson with Lynn Matisonn

Grade 5 learners from Holy Family College visit the DHC and participate in our Anne Frank Workshop.

Plungyan: A Lithuanian Shtetlby alana baranov

ENGAGING YOUNGER LEARNERS IN OUR ‘ANNE FRANK WORKSHOPS’

www.facebook.com/dbnholocent @ DbnHoloCent

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COMMUNITY NEWS


COMMUNITY NEWS

Oneg Shabbat Dinner

Beth Shalom hosted its annual Oneg Shabbat Dinner, on the 17th July 2015.

This was another successful evening, with wonderful food, good company and very happy guests. Our kitchen staff delighted once again and brought honour to Beth Shalom. A big thank you to the ladies of the community, who decorated the tables beautifully for the theme for this year: ‘Outrageous’. The atmosphere was electric and it was an outstanding evening.

Mandela day

Our residents and staff really enjoyed Mandela day at Beth Shalom. Carers provided lots of fun and entertainment and a lovely morning of being pampered with delicious eats, music and dance were enjoyed by all!

Beth Shalom Annual Concert

Beth Shalom held a wonderful concert at the Jewish Club on Sunday 2nd August 2015, to give Tribute to Vera Dubin who is turning 90 this month. This is so fitting as August is Women’s month, here in South Africa.

We had the Curro Hillcrest IP Marimba Band play first. It was a wonderful experience for the guests to see them in action as they have just won a gold medal overseas, in a competition with over 2000 schools. The second act was Elena Kerimov who played the Violin; Boris Kerimov who played the Cello and Liezel-Maret Jacobs who played the piano. ‘Many Hands On One Piano’ was the third act where three pianists played lovely music. This was followed by ‘Platform Jazz’, who were outstanding and the crowd thoroughly enjoyed this act. The main act and highlight of the show was the KZN Philharmonic Orchestra, who delighted the audience with its musical genius.

The concert on a whole was outstanding and a worthy Tribute to a beautiful lady inside and out. On behalf of our President, Mr Stan Liansky; our Management Committee and the Residents of Beth Shalom, we wish you Mazeltov, Vera Dubin.

Beautiful tables at Oneg Shabbat Dinner

Carers at Beth Shalom entertaining

our residents

Goldie Kahn with her carer, on Mandela

Day, at Beth Shalom

Residents enjoying Mandela day

Vera with her daughter and everyone signing

happy birthday her

Chefs who prepared the lovely eats for the concert. Anton, Lloyd,

Claude and supervisor Freddy

Curro Hillcrest IP Marimba Band

The Conductor of the Orchestra

Full house at the Concert

Vera Dubin and Alan Benn at the concert

by sylvia collins

Rosh HashanahOn behalf of the Residents, President and Committee Members of Beth Shalom we would like to wish you Shana Tova Tikateivu V’Teichateimu and well over the Fast Vera Dubin.


www.picknpay.co.za. Customer Care 0800 11 22 88. Toll free landline only. Cellphone rates apply.

Wishing all our Jewish customers Shana Tova and well over the fast


HashalomAdPATHS.indd 1 17/07/2015 13:22


2 onions, chopped 1 kg filleted line fish ½ cup oil 500g filleted hake 4 carrots, sliced 3 eggs

½ cup parsley sprigs 2 Tablespoons matzo meal 2 level teaspoons salt ¼ cup cold water few shakes of pepper 2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup light mayonnaise 3 Tablespoons finely sliced celery2 Tablespoons red horseradish 3 Tablespoons finely sliced spring onion

Juice of a lemon 3 Tablespoons finely chopped pickled cucumber

1 kg herring fillets 1/3 cup cream or substitute1 cup diced pickled gherkin Small tin tomato paste1 cup diced apples

¾ cup white vinegar1 cup diced onion ½ cup sugar1 cup mayonnaise Dash of tomato sauce

3 eggs 3 cups white flour ½ cup oil 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 cup sugar

100g almonds, coarsely chopped1 teaspoon vanilla essence ½ cup toasted flaked almonds1 teaspoon almond essence 1/3 cup pine nuts

Ideas for Rosh Hashanah and Breaking of the Fast

Lovely for Breaking of the Fast - makes about 50

A GOOD YEAR TO YOU!

Above BoardMary Kluk, National Chairman

A column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies

The SAJBD’s role combines protecting the civil rights and security of SA Jewry with involving the community in public affairs. At both the individual and organisational level, we have much to contribute in terms of skills, knowledge and resources, and the Board is always looking to facilitate this. It is inspiring to see how much community members want to contribute to their society, and the varied and innovative ways in which so many are already doing so. The Board’s Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg branches were all recently involved in activities aimed at achieving these goals. Locally, CKNJ vice presidents Alana Baranov and Jeremy Droyman met with the leadership of the ANC’s Harry Gwala Regional District at their Ixopo offices. It was an extremely warm and constructive meeting, with various possible ways in which the Jewish community in the province could work with the branches and wards of the ANC in social upliftment projects were discussed. Particular interest was expressed in the work of the Durban Holocaust Centre and its work in promoting tolerance and anti-racism in KZN. That same week, our Cape Council held another uplifting Black-Jewish Entrepreneurs’ Network event. B-JEN is a networking forum for Black and Jewish entrepreneurs to share experiences and discuss potential business opportunities. In Johannesburg we were privileged to host Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago at a dinner, where he addressed and engaged with Jewish business leaders. Such initiatives help strengthen relationships between our community and important government portfolios, and we will continue to look to host similar events in future. Limmud – Respect for Diversity This year’s long-awaited Limmud festival of Jewish learning in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town was again a resounding success. Board members, both professional staff and lay leaders, featured on the programmes at all three centres. I spoke on a panel on Holocaust education, and again enjoyed being part of this rich, diverse and rewarding initiative. While I firmly believe in promoting learning, it is with the important proviso that it not entail denigrating the deeply-held beliefs of others. Discussion around all issues, particularly with regard to religious practices and beliefs, must be managed sensitively and respectfully. So long as Limmud continues in that vein, I remain one of its most whole-hearted supporters. Young SA Leaders say ‘No’ to Intimidation Last month, the CKNJ hosted a report-back for participants in the SA Young Leaders Trip to Israel, at the Durban Holocaust Centre. It was a great success, with young leaders sharing their first hand impressions on Israel and Palestine with our community. I was heartened by the way participants stood up to attempts to bully and even bribe them into withdrawing. In a forthright and unapologetic media statement, they strenuously defended their right to access information, consider other viewpoints and come to their own conclusions. The statement also made observations on the realities of the Israel-Palestine situation that significantly challenge the simplistic, black-and-white narrative assiduously propagated by the anti-Israel lobby. It is, of course, precisely this kind of exposure to views and information that contradicts their propaganda that BDS-SA and its allies are so anxious to prevent.

BAKED GEFILTE FISH LOAF

DELICIOUS DANISH HERRING

MANDELBROT

Horseradish Sauce

Preheat oven to 170degC. Grease a 22cm loaf tin or 2 smaller ones and line base with paperFry the onions in 1 Tablespoon of oil until almost soft but not brown Place in a processor with the carrots and parsley and process until well minced. Transfer to a bowlProcess all the fish, a few cubes at a time until well ground then mix in with the carrot mixtureAdd eggs, remaining oil, matzo meal, water, sugar, seasoning till well blended Spoon mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top Place in a roasting pan then pour in hot water to about half way up. Bake for 1 hour until firm to the touch. Cool then chill.To serve, loosen sides with a spatula, invert loaf onto a nice plate and serve with the horseradish sauce.

Slice each herring fillet into 4 to 6 pieces and combine with gherkins, apples and onions.Mix mayonnaise, cream, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar and tomato sauce and combine with the herring.Place herring in a tightly sealed glass jar or a plastic container and refrigerate until needed.

Preheat oven to 170degC. Grease a large baking trayBeat eggs until thick then add the oil, sugar, vanilla and almond essenceCombine flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt then add it to the egg mixture.Mix well then gently add the almonds and pine nuts. Divide dough into 3 or 4 equal rolls about 25cms long then lightly flatten the tops. Place on the prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes.Remove from the oven. Cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 120degC. Slice 2 – 3 cms wide, return to the pan, cut side down and bake for 20 – 25 minutes to dry out.

COMMUNITY NEWS


Hashalom is not responsible for errors and omissions. Please submit your information in writing to The Editor, PO Box 10797, Marine Parade 4056 or fax to (031) 3379600 or email [email protected].

PHOEBE JACKMAN (LEVY) With grateful thanks and appreciation for the many phone calls, messages of condolence and acts of loving kindness received following the passing of our beloved Mom, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Sister and Aunt. The Alice, Levy, Christensen and Lipschitz Families.

Batel Yehezkel was born and raised in Israel where she began chalk and pastel still life drawings as well as acrylics on canvas. After moving to the United States, she was introduced to painting with oils using brushes, pallet knives, plaster and gold leaf on canvas. She finds great inspiration for her art in her faith, culture, family, environment and her travels. Her goal is to spread Judaism through her art.

Batel has a beautiful range of paintings, which can be viewed on her website: http://www.paintingsbybatel.com

On our cover: ‘Shofar at Sunset’by Batel YehezkelAcrylics on canvas 24” x 30”

BIRTHS

We wish a hearty Mazal Tov to Mervyn and Terry Kaplan on the birth of twin grandsons born to Tammy and Shane Giddens.

BAR/BATMITZVAHS

Mazal Tov to Alan and Helene Cohen on the Barmitzvah of their son Daniel and Terry & Betty Levene and Maureen Cohen on the Barmitzvah of their grandson; to Keith and Clare Gild on the Barmitzvah of their grandson Gavriel, son of Rabbi and Mrs Tuvia Gild and to Kenny and Arline Foreman on the Barmitzvah of their grandson Joshua, son of Michael and Lauren.

ANNIVERSARIES

Mazal Tov to Paul and Doreen Jacobs on their 67th wedding anniversary; to Aubrey and Wendy Josephson on their 64th anniversary and to Hymie and Rhona Goodman on their 50th anniversary.

BIRTHDAYS

Mazal Tov to Paul Jacobs on his 97th birthday; Vera Dubin on her 90th birthday; to Aubrey Josephson on his 89th birthday, Dr Issy Fisher on his 87th birthday; to Doreen Jacobs on her 88th birthday; Dr Phil Frankel on his 86th birthday and to Jenifer Kaplan and Roland Lewis on their 80th birthdays.

CONDOLENCES

Our deepest condolences to Val Alice, Derrick Levy and Leslie Christensen on the passing of their mother and Barbara Lipschitz on the passing of her sister, Phoebe; to Shirely Goldstein on the passing of her husband Phil and to Philip Levy on the passing of his brother David.

Date Time Event Venue

2 11.30am Friendship Club - UJW Beth Shalom

9 7.00pmThe King David String Ensemble – KNZC

DJCentre

16 10.30am Friendship Club - Sisterhood Beth Shalom

September 2015

12180_SAS_Rosh ad_ Hashalom_210 x 297_P.indd 1 2015/08/05 12:49 PM


Shana Tova

Baby City and Toy Zone Management and staff would like to wish all their friends, family and customers

and well over the fast

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www.babycity.co.za www.toyzone.co.za

september 2015 establishe d 1923 volume 20. no 1hashalom.co.za/hashalom 2014/hashalom september...

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