the monthly journal of the kwazulu-natal ... 2013/hashalom october 2013.pdfis abominable" said...

T H E M O N T H L Y J O U R N A L O F T H E K W A Z U L U - N A T A L J E W I S H C O M M U N I T Y

October 2013 Volume 18 No. 2 Established 1923

"Talit Over Safed" Ketti Camus

Contents

The views expressed in the pages of Hashalom are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board or any other organisation or religious body unless otherwise stated. Hashalom merely reflects views of that particular organisation or individual.

Hashalom Editorial Board:Chairman: Prof Marcus Arkin Editor: Prof Antony ArkinCommitee: Dr Issy Fisher, Ms Diane McColl, Mrs Lauren Shapiro.Production Manager/Secretary: Mrs Mikki Norton

Notice to Organisations/Contributors:All material to be submitted by email to [email protected] DEADLINE FOR THE NOV. ISSUE: 8 October 2013

AdvertisementsContact: Mrs. Mikki NortonP.O. Box 10797 Marine Parade 4056Tel: (031) 335 4451 Fax: (031) 337 9600 Email: [email protected]

Hashalom is published under the auspices of the Council of KwaZulu-Natal Jewry, the KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council and the Durban Jewish Club.

Typesetting Supplied.Designed by Flying Ant Designs, email: [email protected] Printed by Fishwick Printers

E D I T O R I A L

Editorial page 2In Perspective page 3 ISRAEL For African migrants in Israel, a life in legal limbo page 4 Uganda named as country to absorb Africanmigrants from Israel page 5 JEWISH WORLDDr. Mehmet Oz praises 'Coexistance' at Israeli Hospital page 5Foreign Policy by Whisper and Nudge page 6 COMMUNITY NEWSBubkes page 7Past Tense page 8South African Jewish Board of Deputies page 9Durban United Hebrew Congregation page 10DIVOTE page 11Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation page 12Netzer page 12Talmud Torah page 13Durban Kollel page 14Talmud Torah Generations page 14KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council page 15Umhlanga Jewish Day School page 16Durban Holocaust Centre page 17Moriah page 17Wotsup Wizo page 18Eden College page 19Hebrew Order of David page 19Young Israel Centre page 20Union of Jewish Women page 21Urgent Paradign Shift in treating HIV positiveAdolescents page 22Above Board page 23 Cooking with Judy & Linda page 23Social & Personal page 24Diary of Events page 24

Visit our website: www.hashalom.co.za

Prof Antony Arkin

2 HASHALOM October 2013

"SHOOT THE JEW"

The controversial struggle song "Shoot the boer" was adapted last month by protestors from Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) South Africa to "Shoot the Jew". Standing on the steps of the Great Hall at the University of the Witwatersrand they hurled insults at the capacity audience attending the jazz recital of the Daniel Zamir Quartet from Israel. They called for the destruction of the Jewish state - "down, down Israel".

The Wits concert was a response to the disruption of the recital of Israeli-born pianist Yossi Reshef in March. It was fully endoresed by the university leadership who have started disciplinary proceedings against the perpetrators of the Reshef concert.

As Ben Levitas writes in the Mail and Guardian "Rather than condemning the incitement against South African Jews and distancing his organisation from those calls Muhammed Desai, co-ordinator of BDS-SA, sought to justify it". As quoted by the Wits Vuvuzela Desai commented "The whole idea of anti-Semitism is blown out of proportion".

The group later did issue a statement calling the chant racism, but made no mention of Desai's comment. "We unequivocally distance ourselves from the singing of this song and its sentiments. Also, to tarnish all Jews with the Zionist brush is racism, regardless of who does it. Racism is racism ... and racism is abominable" said Prof Farid Esack quoted in the Times of Israel.

Those Jewish poster boys sympathetic to the BDS movement also denounced the incident, saying it was a setback for the movement. Professor Steven Friedman argued that "Shoot the Jew" is not "a remotely acceptable slogan". The organisation risked losing its moral power over the incident. Activists Nathan Geffen and Doron Isaacs also came out strongly against the song. "We are committed to the struggle for Palestinian freedom, equality and justice. It is an extremely difficult struggle waged against one of the most effective and dishonest propaganda campaigns in history" they said in Virashni Pillay's article in the Mail and Guardian. They went on to argue "anti-Semitism, besides being personally insulting to us, scores an own goal. It undermines the struggle for Palestinian freedom".

The National Chairman of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, Mary Kluk, condemned the statement in the strongest terms. "By allowing its members to make hateful and dangerous statements and subsequently defending them for doing so, BDS-SA has revealed its true colours". Kluk said the incident shows that BDS-SA's real agenda is not to stand up for the Palestinian cause, "but to incite hatred and possibly even violence, against Jewish South Africans".

These anti-Jewish slogans lay bare the hidden agenda of the BDS campaign, to destroy Israel, rather than propogate Palestinian rights. By obscenely linking Zionism to "murderers", "colonialists", and "racists" they disavow the right of Jews to live in their own state. This is a fundamental right enjoyed by every nation. By denying it to Jews, it is flagrantly anti-Semitic and racist.

October 2013 HASHALOM 3

I N P E R S P E C T I V E

Prof Marcus Arkin

PROPHECY IN ANCIENT ISRAEL

The prophets whose revelations have been transmitted to us in the Bible were only a small minority of the prophets who were active in Israel during the monarchy and first

centuries after the deportation. Jeremiah says that God has sent prophets from the day of the liberation of Egypt (XI: 7). Prophets were also active among the exiles in Babylon. "In the Messianic Age the spirit of prophecy will be poured out upon all the members of the elect People" ( Joel, III :1f).

Since the existence of the prophets was regarded as a privilege to Israel and a blessing for this time and for the ages to come, the disappearance of the prophets was considered as punishment and judgement. Amos says that days are coming when men will wander from sea to sea to seek the prophetic oracles but will not find them (VIII : 11f).

The authority enjoyed by the prophets among their people depended naturally on the fact that they were regarded as bearers of the divine word. The divine word gave information about obscure matters and was also an effective power to bring about good fortune or misfortune. As can be seen particularly from the history of Isaiah and Jeremiah, important prophets were often summoned by the Kings in critical situations. They could also appear before them on their own initiative, and thus could have great influence on political life if the king listened to them. Their main task however, was to preach wherever people assembled. Because the prophets were regarded as sent by God and as being in possession of His word, their persons were sacrosanct and it was dangerous to do violence to them (Jeremiah XXVI).

A prophet's task was not only to preach. He was also appointed to be "an asseyer and tester" (Jeremiah VI:27). He had to examine his people, distinguishing between that which was good and that which was evil. On the result of this examination the contents of the prophet's preaching depended. A prophet was also appointed a watchman to his people. He had to look out for what was to happen in accordance with God's purpose and then warn his compatriots.

Among the prophets Jeremiah is the supreme intercessor. In no other prophet do we find so many expressions of compassion for the people. It is noteworthy that this compassion is combined with a feeling of solidarity with the people in its sinfulness and guilt.

As effective intercessors in prayer the prophets were of course held in high regard by their compatriots and occupied an important position in Israelite society. As intercessors with God the prophets were not only God's messengers to the people, but representatives of the people before God. The prophets were specialists in prayer in the same measure as they were specialists in the delivery of divine oracles and the proclaiming of divine revelations. A balanced view of the prophetic commission must take both functions in account.

The question arises whether any of the great prophets were cultic prophets in the strict sense, that is were they permanently attached to a sanctuary and received their livelihood there.

Isaiah seems to have had an independent existance surrounded by a private circle of disciples and there is no evidence that he was attached to the Temple staff. Micah was a man from the countryside, perhaps a small freeholder. Hosea was undoubtedly a farmer. Jeremiah is shown living as a private man, working as an independent prophet. Ezekiel was called to be a prophet in Babylon where there was no Jewish temple. Neither Zephaniah nor Hagai seem to have been cult prophets. On the other hand, Nahum, Joel, Malachi and Zechariah belonged to the cultic staff. We know nothing about the life of Amos. Accordingly there were professional Temple prophets as well as independent ones.

Many passages in the books of the classical prophets contain sharp attacks on other prophets. The sharpest and most detailed attacks are to be found in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. That is not to say that they deny these prophets were really prophets, but they have not been sent by God. They had revelations and visions, they imparted regular oracles and they prophesized "in God's name". This claim was false according to Jeremiah, and instead they prophesied in the name of Baal and other false gods.

The task of a true prophet was to intercede for the people and to bring them to repentance and righteousness in order to save them from the wrath of God and secure their existence. This task was neglected by the false prophets. These prophets have nothing to expect but judgement and punishment.

A simple criterion by which people in general could conclude whether a prophet was really called and sent by God, or was a prophet without divine commission, was the fulfillment or non-fulfillment of his prophecies. The "false prophets" have often been identified with the cultic prophets attached to the sanctuaries. Such an opinion is without any foundation. Some cultic prophets were filled with true moral zeal, as can be seen from the cultic prophets whose revelations have been preserved in the Bible.

The marks by which one could recognize a true or a false prophet cannot be expressed in a formula. They were not dogmatically fixed. The general agreement of a prophet's preaching with God's will, thoughts, and purpose, guaranteed the fact that this prophet had been sent by God and had a true divine message to convey.

I S R A E L


FOR AFRICAN MIGRANTS IN ISRAEL, A LIFE IN LEGAL LIMBO

Ben Sales

Hanging by his feet in a torture cell in the Sinai Desert, Dawit Demoz knew he had only one way to escape a nearly certain death: He would have to make good on his

captors' demand of a $3,500 ransom to buy his freedom.

Demoz, 23, tells a harrowing tale of escaping mandatory conscription in the Eritrean Army and following a desperate journey through Sudan, Libya and finally Egypt, where a human trafficking gang captured him in 2010 as he made his way toward the Israeli border.

For three weeks, Demoz claims, he was beaten, electrocuted and hung from the ceiling until his family was able to come up with the money to buy his freedom.

Demoz then was smuggled across the border into Israel, following a path that tens of thousands of Eritreans had followed before. He had hoped his struggles might finally be over. But as soon as he crossed the border, he was thrown in jail.

“I heard that Israel is a democratic country with Jewish people who know what a refugee is because they suffered before,” Demoz said. “So I thought Israel could save our life. But it’s not what I expected.”

Demoz is one of an estimated 62,000 migrants who have illegally crossed into Israel since 2006 -- most of them Eritrean men driven from their homeland by an oppressive dictatorship that drafts them into the military as teenagers and can keep them there indefinitely. According to the United Nations, there are more than 300,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers worldwide.

In Israel, they live without fear of torture and death. But their rising numbers have led to a backlash here, prompting a government crackdown that has nearly eliminated the cross-border flow. In July, Israel sent 13 detained Eritreans back home and has been urging others to self-deport for more than a year.

But though the influx has stopped, nearly 55,000 migrants remain in Israel, most of them in Tel Aviv. The government affords them limited rights and services, but does not recognize them as refugees, instead giving them temporary IDs they must renew every three months.

For these migrants, who arrived in Israel with no money, no Hebrew and no work permit, daily life often is a challenge.

“These are people who are here five years, and when they go to the Interior Ministry, they don’t know what will happen,” said Orit Marom, director of public activism for Assaf, a nonprofit that helps illegal migrants receive social services. “They’re always temporary.”

Like many Eritreans who have crossed into Israel, Demoz spent his first three months in jail while Israel determined his status. Upon his release, the army took him to Beersheva and gave him a one-way bus ticket to Tel Aviv.

His first three nights were spent with other Eritreans in a park across from the Tel Aviv bus station. But then a friend from back home found Demoz and took him into a one-room apartment he shared with three other men. It’s crowded, Demoz says, but better than sleeping outside.

“Some don’t have a place to sleep,” said Nordin Ishag, a Darfurian who came to Israel in 2007 and last year founded Darfur Friends

Association, a social service organization. “They were sleeping in the park, the street. We cannot let them sleep outside. They are human beings.”

Despite its refusal to grant them permanent residence, the Israeli government provides a range of services to the migrants. Children receive free education through high school and infants get free medical care. This year, the Health Ministry opened an emergency medical clinic for migrants at the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, and a Tel Aviv municipal program provides child psychiatric services and access to government services to the migrant population.

An array of community nonprofits also have sprung up to help.

The Schoolhouse provides English classes and helps migrants qualify for employment, while the Darfur Friends Association offers legal advocacy, health care and English classes funded almost entirely by local Darfurians. Ishag estimates the organization receives monthly donations of about $25 each from 300 donors.

For many, $25 is a significant sum. Demoz’s first job in Israel, working seven days a week at a metal shop, paid him just about $6.50 an hour. He has found each of his subsequent jobs -- pool cleaning, building platforms for construction and working at a Herzliya hotel -- through employment contractors in south Tel Aviv. The contractors match asylum seekers with jobs and pay their salaries -- often with fees attached, ostensibly for taxes.

“There is one big problem here -- we have no ID, no papers, no life,” said Sammy, 32, an Eritrean who worked 14 hours a day, seven days a week as a restaurant dishwasher before he was fired, with no severance, after three years.

Sammy was interviewed recently at a health clinic for asylum seekers and migrant workers run by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. The clinic, staffed by volunteer doctors with specialties ranging from gynecology to physiotherapy, treats 7,000 people a year. For many of them, it is their only realistic way to get health care.

“It’s difficult to get a doctor beyond the human rights doctors,” said Ananwuna, 41, who said he owes nearly $10,000 to an Israeli health care provider for the 2010 removal of a uterine tumor.

Some Eritreans have managed to achieve a measure of success. Habton Mehari, 31, who came here in 2007 and calls himself “the luckiest refugee in Israel,” is on a full scholarship at Ben-Gurion University.

As of last year, he's also a father, but the Interior Ministry won’t register his son in his name. He is also $3,000 in debt from his wife’s labor, he says, and often faces racism when he leaves campus.

For Demoz, the future remains uncertain. He hopes to be able to return home at some point. Until then, he wants the Israeli government to recognize him as a refugee.

“I want to be here and for the Israeli government to treat me like a human being,” he said. “All Eritreans who live in Israel want to go back to Eritrea, but we can’t go back now. These people have no other option.”

Acknow. JTA


J E W I S H W O R L D

UGANDA NAMED AS COUNTRY TO ABSORB AFRICAN MIGRANTS

FROM ISRAELBen Hartman, Lahav Harkov

Uganda is the African country that has agreed to accept thousands of African migrants scheduled to be deported from Israel, it emerged on Thursday after the military

censor lifted a gag order.

Uganda will also allow migrants to use its territory as a transit point to return to their home countries or go elsewhere.

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar had announced that Israel had finalized an agreement with an unnamed African country and that deportations would begin after the High Holy Days.

He made his announcement at a meeting of the Knesset Interior and Environment Committee, and said that Eritrean and Sudanese migrants would be given a grace period to leave voluntarily, after which they will face punitive measures, including the cancellation of residency permits and penalties against them and their employers.

Sa’ar, on Thursday night, touted his efforts to stem illegal migration from Africa, saying that “someone who crosses the border illegally goes to a detainment facility, not the fast track to Tel Aviv or Eilat.”

According to Sa’ar, migrants “are not refugees. Everyone who requests refugee status must go through me, but over 90 percent don’t even apply.

This is purely economic migration, because the quality of life is much higher here than in Africa.”

Although the process is complex and will take a long time, Sa’ar promised the illegal migration will end.

“We are humanitarians, we follow international law, but we are also committed to protecting Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” he said at a pre-Rosh Hashana event in Tel Aviv with party activists.

On Thursday, a joint statement was issued by a number of Israeli human rights organizations, including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the Hotline for Migrant Workers, Physicians for Human Rights – Israel, ASAF, Amnesty Israel and others.

According to the statement, “For years, the [Interior Ministry] has been talking about a third country that will take the asylum-seekers from Israel in exchange for arms and money, and even Uganda was previously mentioned.

But it turned out that Uganda is no longer a safe country and that there is no way to ensure the safety of those deported to it.”

The human rights organizations said the announcement of the deal with Uganda is intended “to pressure asylum- seekers in Israel into asking to leave Israel in any way they find, even if it means risking their lives.”

Acknow. jpost.com

DR. MEHMET OZ PRAISES ‘COEXISTENCE’ AT ISRAELI HOSPITAL

Viva Sarah Press

Television sensation Turkish-American cardiothoracic surgeon joined his friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on a tour of the Holy Land.

America’s favorite physician, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, recently wrapped up a 10-day tour in Israel that included all the main tourist sites and a stopover

at the world’s largest and most advanced “fortified hospital” at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.

Dr. Oz, the Turkish-American cardiothoracic surgeon who hosts The Dr. Oz Show, toured the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital and Rambam’s state-of-the-art shock-trauma ward, prior to hosting a public lecture on health, morality, religion and culture.

Upon entering the underground hospital, Dr. Oz said that it “speaks to how we need a holistic place for healing, which means a hospital’s commitment to giving [patients] peace of mind in all conditions, including wartime.” He added, this facility “also means giving you peace of mind when you go to the hospital in wartime that you are in a healing environment.”

Led by Prof. Karl Skorecki, Rambam’s director of medical and research development, Dr. Oz and Rabbi Boteach toured the 2,000 bed facility.

“I learned about Rambam several years ago and its rich tradition in innovation,” Dr. Oz said. “Rambam is entrenched with a culture of a heterogeneous mix of Arabs and Israelis – a microcosm of what it should be like in the whole world… Rambam is a model of coexistence,” Dr. Oz told hundreds of medical specialists and fans.

During his much-hyped visit to Israel, Dr. Oz — who first came to prominence on The Oprah Show, also met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I was encouraged by how passionate the Prime Minister was about Israeli-Turkish relations and how insightful he was about the need for these two countries to become closer allies. He has a true heartfelt affinity and deep respect for Turkey. Working together, Israel and Turkey can help stabilize the Middle East and build bridges towards prosperity,” he said in a statement.

Dr. Oz’s 10-day itinerary also included visits to the Western Wall, Masada, the Dead Sea, the Dome of the Rock, and the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

“I am delighted to travel to Israel, especially being accompanied by my wife Lisa and my four children and my son-in-law. Being of Turkish and of the Muslim faith, I have always appreciated the deep ties and friendship between the Turkish people and the Israeli people. Being an American I appreciate Israel’s friendship with the American people and my own close friendship with the American Jewish community. I am grateful to my dear friend Rabbi Shmuley for organizing this trip and equally grateful to Miriam and Sheldon Adelson for their unparalleled generosity in helping to facilitate this trip and making it possible,” he said in a statement.

Acknow. ISRAEL21c



FOREIGN POLICY BY WHISPER AND NUDGEThomas L. Friedman

If you follow the commentary on American foreign policy toward Egypt and the broader Middle East today, several themes stand out: People in the region argue: “Whatever

went wrong, the United States is to blame.” Foreign policy experts argue: “Whatever President Obama did, he got it wrong.” And the American public is saying: “We’re totally fed up with that part of the world and can’t wait for the start of the N.F.L. season. How do you like those 49ers?”

There is actually a logic to all three positions.

It starts with the huge difference between cold-war and post-cold-war foreign policy. During the cold war, American foreign policy “was all about how we affect the external behavior of states,” said Michael Mandelbaum, the Johns Hopkins University foreign affairs expert. We were ready to overlook the internal behavior of states, both because we needed them as allies in the cold war and because, with the Russians poised on the other side, any intervention could escalate into a superpower confrontation.

Post-cold-war foreign policy today is largely about “affecting the internal composition and governance of states,” added Mandelbaum, many of which in the Middle East are failing and threaten us more by their collapse into ungoverned regions — not by their strength or ability to project power.

But what we’ve learned in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Egypt and Syria is that it is very hard to change another country’s internal behavior — especially at a cost and in a time frame that the American public will tolerate — because it requires changing a country’s political culture and getting age-old adversaries to reconcile.

The primary foreign policy tools that served us so well in the cold war, said Mandelbaum, “guns, money, and rhetoric — simply don’t work for these new tasks. It is like trying to open a can with a sponge.”

To help another country change internally requires a mix of refereeing, policing, coaching, incentivizing, arm-twisting and modeling — but even all of that cannot accomplish the task and make a country’s transformation self-sustaining, unless the people themselves want to take charge of the process.

In Iraq, George W. Bush removed Saddam Hussein, who had been governing that country vertically, from the top-down, with an iron fist. Bush tried to create the conditions through which Iraqis could govern themselves horizontally, by having the different communities write their own social contract on how to live together. It worked, albeit imperfectly, as long as U.S. troops were there to referee. But once we left, no coterie of Iraqi leaders emerged to assume ownership of that process in an inclusive manner and thereby make it self-sustaining.

Ditto Libya, where President Obama removed Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s top-down, iron-fisted regime, but he declined to put U.S. troops on the ground to midwife a new social contract. The result: Libya today is no more stable, or self-sustainingly democratic, than Iraq. It just cost us less to fail there. In both cases, we created an opening for change, but the local peoples have not made it sustainable.

Hence the three reactions I cited above. People of the region often blame us, because they either will not or cannot accept their own responsibility for putting things right. Or, if they

do, they don’t see a way to forge the necessary societal compromises, because their rival factions take the view either that “I am weak, how can I compromise?” or “I am strong, why should I compromise?”

As for blaming Obama — for leaving Iraq too soon or not going more deeply into Libya or Syria — it grows out of the same problem. Some liberals want to “do something” in places like Libya and Syria; they just don’t want to do what is necessary, which would be a long-term occupation to remake the culture and politics of both places. And conservative hawks who want to intervene just don’t understand how hard it is to remake the culture and politics in such places, where freedom, equality and justice for all are not universal priorities, because some people want to be “free” to be more Islamist or more sectarian.

“With the traditional tools of foreign policy, we can stop some bad things from happening, but we cannot make good things happen,” noted Mandelbaum.

For instance, if it is proved that Syria has used chemical weapons, American officials are rightly considering using cruise missiles to punish Syria. But we have no hope of making Syria united, democratic and inclusive without a much bigger involvement and without the will of a majority of Syrians.

And too often we forget that the people in these countries are not just objects. They are subjects; they have agency. South Africa had a moderate postapartheid experience because of Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk. Japan rebuilt itself as a modern nation in the late 19th century because its leaders recognized their country was lagging behind the West and asked themselves, “What’s wrong with us?” Outsiders can amplify such positive trends, but the local people have to want to own it.

As that reality has sunk in, so has another reality, which the American public intuits: Our rising energy efficiency, renewable energy, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are making us much less dependent on the Middle East for oil and gas. The Middle East has gone from an addiction to a distraction.

Imagine that five years ago someone had said to you: “In 2013, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and Iraq will all be in varying states of political turmoil or outright civil war; what do you think the price of crude will be?” You’d surely have answered, “At least $200 a barrel.”

But it’s half that — for a reason: “We now use 60 percent less energy per unit of G.D.P. than we did in 1973,” explained the energy economist Philip Verleger. “If the trend continues, we will use half the energy per unit of G.D.P. in 2020 that we used in 2012. To make matters better, a large part of the energy used will be renewable. Then there is the increase in oil and gas production.” In 2006, the United States depended on foreign oil for 60 percent of its consumption. Today it’s about 36 percent. True, oil is a global market, so what happens in the Middle East can still impact us and our allies. But the urgency is gone. “The Middle East is China’s problem,” added Verleger.

Obama knows all of this. He just can’t say it. But it does explain why his foreign policy is mostly “nudging” and whispering. It is not very satisfying, not very much fun and won’t make much history, but it’s probably the best we can do or afford right now. And it’s certainly all that most Americans want.

Acknow. nytimes.com


B U B K E S

Lauren Shapiro

“ “Sometimes I wonder why Hashem put our eyes in the front of our heads,

because it seems like the natural function of the human psyche to look backward.

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

There are certain things you can count on. For example, at any Shabbos table, on any Friday evening, anywhere in the world, you can bank on the following being up

for discussion: the outrageous price of kosher chicken (or any kosher food) (or any food at all); the terrible job the current government is doing; whose second cousin twice removed is dating whose sister-in-law’s uncle (or who should be set-up in similar shidduchim); and the standard classic – how much better life was in the Good Old Days.

Ah, the Good Old Days. Be it Apartheid South Africa, Czarist Russia, Communist South America, the United States during the Cold War, or Israel’s chalutzik splendour (despite any of the wars), somehow everyone harks back to the past with a tender nostalgia I cannot always fathom. Perhaps I’m yet too young, but I just don’t get it.

Ask any bobba or zeida and they’ll tell you life was better in their youth – at least on the important issues. I’ll bet their bobbas and zeidas said the same. And their bobbas and zeidas before them.

For Jews, I find this hankering for the past even more surprising, considering our history. Right from the start, we’ve had nothing but tzuris. The Flood – sure, that was a real hoot. Slavery in Egypt – what a lag. Being lost in the Wilderness – ah, such good times.

And then it doesn’t end there – the Crusades, the Inquisition, the pogroms, the Holocaust… the Good Old Days just seem to get better and better!

Of course that’s not to say that there weren’t good times in the past; I just find it interesting that when people look back, they are often able to overlook all the (at times overwhelming) bad bits in order to see only the good.

It seems to be a human phenomenon. In fact, sometimes I wonder why Hashem put our eyes in the front of our heads because it seems like the natural function of the human psyche to look backward.

We all do it. For example, we all look back with frothy nostalgia on our childhoods, even though we must have had times when we fell and grazed ourselves, got lost, faced tests, were punished, etc. Yet when we look back, all we remember are the good parts. I guess that’s not such a bad thing.

It’s the same on a grander scale, I suppose. As the Children of Israel, we’ve also had our moments when we fell from grace, lost our way, were tested and even punished. But each time Hashem was there to help us through the bump, and each time we came out better and stronger than we were before.

It’s nice to remember the good bits, as long as we don’t get too stuck in the past. Dare I say we need to get past the past? What about looking towards the future?

There’s that old cliché that if you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going. Geographically, this is true. Otherwise we might turn back down the path from

whence we came, heading backwards and not forwards on our journey. Spiritually, it’s true as well. It’s vital that we know where we’ve come from and where we’re going, lest we be destined to repeat history until we get the point and turn to face a new path in life.

Past, future, oy vey! All this back-and-forthing is making me a bit dizzy. I’d better sit down and have a cup of tea. And maybe a slice of cheesecake (not that they know how to make real cheesecake anymore – oh dear, I’m doing it too…) And while I’m at it, I have a final point to make: the Good Old Days are called that because they’re good for something. And that’s for learning lessons from them.

Here’s where Hashem is so brilliant – He’s given us this passion for the past, but He’s also given us the Torah and its wealth of literary appendices so that we can learn its lessons by reading about them, rather than reliving them. Modern day examples abound too – we have books, museums, and websites to commemorate and celebrate the events and achievements of

the past. Whether it’s a Holocaust Centre, a book on nineteenth century farm life or a web page dedicated to fashion through the ages, it’s all there, all preserved, all waiting for us

to learn from it. And that can only be good.

This obsession with the past is more than just some passing fad. Some things, like silver bell-bottoms, are best left in the past. Other things, like rose-tinted spectacles, it seems will always be in fashion.

So I say let’s honour the past and its lessons, but let’s also embrace the future. The Good Old Days are great up to a point, but only in informing the Great New Days to come. And that’s how it should always be, as sure as there’ll be challah on a Shabbos table. Until next time.


PAST TENSEPundit

75 YEARS AGO. HASHOLOM – OCTOBER 1938

THEY SPEAK OF JEWRY “The attack upon the Jew, therefore, cannot be treated as merely an attack upon a given religion or a given race. It is an attempt to conquer democratic civilisation by dividing its forces. The Jew, as an identifiable mark, is the first to suffer. Anti-Semitism has always been the first weapon of tyranny and reaction – the first simply because it is the handiest… When the Jew is persecuted, there is no longer any safety for freedom, tolerance or intelligence among the members of any race or the adherents of any faith” – President Roosevelt

THE SOUTH AFRICAN STAGE dealt with recent items of political news of interest to Jews:

• Mr Eric Louw had in the course of a recent anti-Semitic speech in Parliament accused Jews of organising a German Trade boycott.

• The end of the Parliamentary session had been marked by a “burst of activity by the S.A. Fascist organisations particularly on the Rand”

• A Jew, Mr A.H. Youngelson had been elected to the Durban Town Council but Dr.A.Broomberg, another Jewish candidate, had not been successful in the election.

• The Jewish community of Springbokfontein had been excluded from the festivities to meet the Voortrekker wagon on September 30th. The only English-speaking citizens to whom invitations were those “professing the Christian faith”.

NEWS OF THE WORLD – JEWISH NOTES FROM HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE

• The Rumanian Government had recently made promises to minorities as laid down in the Nationalities Statute but the semi-official Government organ “Romania” had now asserted that those promises applied only to Germans, Hungarians and all other non-Jewish minorities. The measures taken against Jews will remain in effect.

• Henry Ford’s acceptance of a Nazi decoration had received considerable censure in the Press and the U.S. Jewish War Veterans (JWV) had declined an offer from Henry Ford’s son to place a fleet of cars at its disposal for its conference next month because of Henry Ford’s action. Eddie Cantor at an Hadassah luncheon vigorously assailed Mr. Ford, calling him “a damned fool for accepting a decoration from the world’s biggest gangster. The German papers reporting it say that all America is behind Nazism. I question Ford’s Americanism and his Christianity”

• One of the leading Turkish dailies “Tan” in a recent leading article deplored the spread of anti-Semitism in Europe and stated: “In Turkey anti-Semitism does not and cannot exist, and we have no sympathy whatever with such a movement”.

OBITUARY

The passing of the late Mr. C.P. Robinson, a former President of the Durban Hebrew Congregation and up to the time of his death, an Honorary Vice-President of the Council of Natal Jewry was memorialised both by The Bellboy IN THE FOYER and in a separate obituary. Mr. Robinson had been a member of Parliament for over 30 years and was justly named “the Father of the House of Assembly”.

IN TOWN AND OUT

• Congratulations were extended to Mr. and Mrs. Reub Abrahams, and to Mr. and Mrs Cyril Davidson, on the birth of sons and to Mr. and Mrs Henry Franks on the birth of a daughter who was described as “their first income tax rebate”.

• Congratulations were also extended to Mr. and Mrs. J.Moshal on their recent golden wedding anniversary and to Miss Sybil Jacobson and Mr. Lionel Abrahams who had recently announced their engagement.

50 YEARS AGO. HASHALOM – OCTOBER 1963

The first major report in this month’s issue was of the Mock Wedding produced by Mr Harry Friedland. It must have been a hoot.

The members of the cast in order of their appearance in the report of the wedding were:

• The four “beautiful Bridesmaids were Martin Sternberg, David Levinson, Roger Fine & Jack Kaplan;• the Maid of Honour – Allan Zulman;• the Shammes (wearing gum boots) – Sonny Falcke;• the Rabbi – Roy Cohen;• the Cantor – Aubrey Schaffer;• the Bride – David Schotter;• the groom – Max Fiddel;• the Shadchan – Aubrey Josephson, who “was given the honour of reciting the ‘Shivering Bochas’”;• Speechmakers – Gerald Linder, Esmond Jacobson and Eric Shandel;• Pageboy – Harry Strous;• Poleholders – Doryce Isaacs, Goldie Shirken, Jenny Kaplan & Wendy Friedman;• Mother of the Bride – Muriel Schaffer;• Parents of the Groom – Les Shirken & Jennifer Levinsohn;• Best Man – Sidney Schultz.There were also three “wedding photos”.

We should inundate the Editor with demands to re-publish the whole story including the photographs.

Bellboy in IN THE FOYER told a slightly off-colour “Yom Kippur Story.”

A father who feared that his son who was at University in Cape Town might forget Yom Kippur, wired him a few days before as follows: “REMEMBER YOM KIPPUR SATURDAY. LOVE, DAD” The following day he received the following wire “THANKS FOR THE TIP DAD BUT WHICH RACE?’.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS:

• wished Mazeltov to Yvonne and Robbie Lurie, Denyse and Barry Blumenfeld and Wendy and David Friedman on the birth of sons and to Brenda and Alan Magid, Josephine and Chookie Woolfson, Jennifer and Jack Kaplan, Goldie and Les Shirken and Rev. and Mrs Weiss on the birth of daughters;

• congratulated Mr Robert E Levitt on his election as Mayor of Westville;

• congratulated Rene Aires of Springs and Jack Strous and Roslyn Price and Melvin Rael on their engagements;

• congratulated Elys Cohen, daughter of Laura and the late Dave Cohen, on winning the Solo Piano Class at the Natal Eisteddfod for the third successive year.

A moving obituary to the late Sol Harris, who had long served the Durban community as a City Councillor and had suddenly passed away at a relatively youthful age, was illustrated with a very good photograph of him.



C O M M U N I T Y N E W S

SA JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES 47th NATIONAL CONFERENCE AND GALA DINNER Both the SAJBD National Conference and Gala Dinner were held amidst a wonderful spirit of celebration and goodwill. The Board leadership and the Professional Staff’s tireless efforts were rewarded with events that were memorable, impacting and resounding successes. Esteemed guest speakers and facilitators provoked stimulating debate and interaction, enhancing the conference, which took place at the Sandton Sun Hotel. Messages were brought to the gathering by World Jewish Congress Secretary General Emeritus Michael Schneider and Eliseo Neuman, representing the American Jewish Committee (Africa Institute).The opening session, Creating “Open Spaces” in South Africa, was facilitated by Tony Leon, former DA leader and SA Ambassador to Argentina. The discussion was hard hitting with provocative questioning by members of the audience to the panelists, Prof Rob Moore (Wits Deputy Vice Chancellor), Joan Fubbs (ANC MP) and Mary Kluk (Chairman SAJBD). Prof. Moore responded to questions with regard to the Yossi Reshef concert issue which negatively thrust Wits into the political limelight. Ms. Fubbs emphasized that effective social cohesion can only come about through consultation and participation and answered numerous questions on government policy in her capacity as Chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio on Trade and Industry. She ensured all present that government would not sit by idly when safe spaces for dialogue were being compromised. Mary Kluk spoke on “creating free space in our community”The second session, ably chaired by Stephen Grootes, host of Midday Report, Talk Radio 702, was entitled "Imagine a World without Hate". Panelists included Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Jeff Radebe, Michael Whine, an authority on combatting hate crimes in the UK and EU, Mervyn Smith, past president of the SAJBD and Gauteng Board Chairman Jeff Katz. Radebe assured all present that government recognized that hate crimes constituted a particular category of offence and that this needed to be reflected in the way they were dealt with by the courts. He also praised the Jewish community for its intrinsic involvement in the fabric of anti apartheid activism in SA and to the delight of the audience sang a rendition of John Lennon's song "Imagine", in the hope of being able to realise the dream of living in a world governed by peace.Later in the day, representatives of six African countries came together for the 15th conference of the African Jewish Congress. Countries represented were South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Mauritius Lesotho and Botswana. A special AJC Distinguished Service Award was bestowed in absentia to Zimbabwe's representative Sam Bentar by the AJC Spiritual Leader Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft. Israeli Ambassador Arthur Lenk, whose brief also includes Mauritius, Lesotho and Swaziland participated in the discussion and pledged assistance where necessary. Mrs. Ann Harris, widow of Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris z'l reported on the building of a Holocaust Museum in Mauritius. Tribute was paid to the late Harold Pupkewitz, a founding member and Vice President of the AJC who passed away in Namibia last year. Elected were President AJC Mervyn Smith and Vice Presidents, Sam Benetar (Zimbabwe) , Richard Lyons (Botswana), Jeff Ramokgadi (Swaziland) and Mrs. Ann Harris.

Linda Nathan

The Gala Dinner celebrated the 110th Anniversary of the SAJBD and was attended by an impressive guest list, including Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, former cabinet minister and current chair of the African Union Commission who was the keynote speaker, Israeli Ambassador Arthur Lenk and his wife Judy, Western Cape Premier Helen Zille, Minister of Home Affairs Naledi Pandor, Governor of the Reserve Bank Gill Marcus, representatives of twelve embassies and a range of leaders from other faith communities. In her address, Dr. Dlamini Zuma complimented the Board and the community for the role they continue to play in the fields of job creation, education and skills development, striving to create a brighter future for South Africans across the spectrum.South African Zionist Federation Chairman Avrom Krengel brought a message, assuring that Jewish leadership will continue to lead with dignity, passion and dedication to our community, to the Republic of South Africa and to the State of Israel.The Eric and Sheila Samson / Mendel Kaplan Award was presented to Prof. Michael Katz and to Ms.Isla Feldman who have served the SA Jewish Community with devotion for many years.Well known journalist Benjamin Pogrund, was honoured with the SAJBD Humanitarian Award for the role he played during apartheid as a journalist in his pursuit of justice as he championed the cause in the fight to create democracy and equality for all. Pogrund was described as "a man who is powerful, principled and who worked tirelessly to expose and denounce the atrocities of apartheid to the world."Pogrund responded, speaking of the pessimism on the current round of Israeli - Palestinian peace talks and the lack of trust between the sides. He spoke of his career in journalism, paying tribute to those journalists who during apartheid had significantly affected how news got out, despite government intervention to silence it.The evening ended with the singing of Nkosi Sikelele Afrika and Hatikvah, accompanied by Buskaid, who had entertained the audience throughout the evening.

Sue McNamara, John F

McNamara (Counsellor for Political Affairs

US Embassy Pretoria), Ronnie

Herr, Linda Nathan

Zev Krengel, Dr Nkosazana

Dlamini-Zuma, Mary Kluk

Rahle & Steve Lurie, David Simpson, Helen Zille, Li Boiskin



Michael Greenbaum

Rabbi Lazer Brody: Making The Next Generation StrongerThe DUHC was recently privileged to host the vibrant Rabbi Lazer Brody, the multi-talented author, speaker, composer and spiritual guide, who recently gave an inspirational series of shiurim to the Durban community. Rabbi

Brody came to Israel from the USA in 1970 after graduating from the University of Maryland’s College of Agriculture. A decorated Israeli Defence Force combat veteran of two wars and military missions on both sides of Israel's borders, he survived a near-suicidal mission to Beirut during the Israel-Lebanon conflict of 1982. He said he could no longer ignore the hand of G-d in his life and left his mountaintop farm in Samaria to study Torah in Jerusalem which eventually led to his rabbinical ordination in 1992 after nine years of demanding Talmudic, ethics and legal studies. He spent another two years studying personal and family counselling methods and served as rabbi and spiritual rehabilitation director at an Israeli prison.

Today, Rabbi Brody dedicates his time to Jewish Outreach, giving invaluable advice around the world on personal and spiritual growth based on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslev. Rabbi Brody writes for the award-winning Lazer Beams weblog and is the English-language editor of Breslev Israel web magazine. In addition, Rabbi Brody’s has composed a collection of flute melodies entitled Calming Waters. He also hosts the weekly Lazer Beams podcast on Israel National Radio.

Rabbi Brody is most well known as an author of numerous books. His first book “Pi Habe'er”, a contemporary commentary of Torah based on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman was widely acclaimed, and he went on to write "Nafshi Tidom” and his first English book “The Trail to Tranquility”. Rabbi Brody's newest book, “The Garden of Emuna”, a translation of a book written by his Rabbi and spiritual guide Rabbi Shalom Arush, has become an international best seller.

In Durban, Rabbi Brody gave well-attended men’s and women’s shiurim as well a communal lecture at the Perling Hall where Bradley Meltz introduced Rabbi Brody who spoke on the topic “How to make the next generation stronger”. With humour and wisdom, Rabbi Brody gave his ideas on how a parent should raise a good Jewish child by cleverly using the six letters of the word “P-A-R-E-N-T”, saying parents should set a Personal example to their children who learn and follow their ways; every child should receive special personal Attention; family members should Respect each other; children should be taught to have Emunah, faith and hope in Hashem; parents should encourage a child’s Natural abilities and not force their own personal expectations; and finally Rabbi Brody said children will learn from parents who show Thanks and gratitude for each other and for the good things in life.

After this exceptionally informative lecture, Rabbi Brody made

his books and CD’s available for sale and he personally signed copies for those who purchased his books. Rabbi Brody then gave a short second session in which he gave the audience a useful practical guide to personal prayer.

The DUHC thanks Rabbi Brody for including Durban in his busy world-wide speaking schedule and hope to welcome him again to the community in the future. The DUHC also extends thanks to Bradley Meltz for coordinating Rabbi Brody’s visit and to the generous sponsors of the event.

Rabbi Brody, Bradley Meltz



Cheryl Unterslak

I recently returned from an extremely successful trip to Israel where I delivered packets of brand new Yomtov clothing to hundreds of children around Israel. It was wonderful to have my son Moshe coming with me every day to meet the families and to see their incredible happiness when receiving new clothing for the Chagim and to receive all the love and support that comes with it. Moshe told me that even though he had heard his whole life about the happiness of the children when they receive the gift , only now when he witnessed for himself how excited and happy the children were did he understand it properly. He was wonderful with the children and received many thank you hugs and kisses.

Every single child appreciated their new clothing enormously and it was wonderful to see the children admiring and kissing each item and some even tried on their outfits and modelled them for us. Those who received winter jackets were so excited to have a lovely warm jacket for the winter.

In the photos you can see a few of the children who received clothing from the DBN community as well as from children in the Jewish Schools around the whole country.

Thank you to everyone who gave these children the opportunity of having the dignity and happiness of having something new to wear for the Chagim. You received many brochas and many wishes for a Shana Tova.

I am busy doing the reports and many of you who bought outfits will receive photos and letters from the children thanking you. Some children do not want to be photographed and we respect that.

Shana Tova to everyone, and please G-d this year will be peaceful!



Diane McColl

This picture was taken at a wonderful ceremony when Paddy Meskin was honoured by the Induna and members of the Mavela Community for the wonderful work she has done for this hard working self reliant community over the years.

Mazaltov, Barbara!Kol Hakavod to Barbara Lipschitz who was recently presented with the “Rotary Ann of the Year” award from the Durban Rotary Club.

Her sons, Michael (of blessed memory) and Stanley have both previously been recipients of the prestigious “Paul Harris Fellowship” award, which is the highest honour that Rotary International bestows on those who contribute to society. Certainly a hat trick for the Lipschitz family who are the embodiment of the Rotary motto, “Service above Self”.

Barbara Lipschitz with the Rotary Ann of the Year trophy.

Rosh Hashanah at Temple DavidThe DPJC was very fortunate this year to have had Limmud presenter and cantor, Advocate Warren Bank sing during the services for Rosh Hashanah. Warren’s musical knowledge and beautiful voice enriched the services. Warren and Sharon Bank were the guests of the DPJC at the communal Rosh

Hashanah dinner and will be back in time for Warren to sing at Temple David for the Yom Kippur services.

Netzer has lauched its publicity campaign for its summer camp, this year called Machaneh Nettivim. Nettivim means pathways, and this year the camp will focus the young campers’ attention on the choice of paths that they will be taking for their future. The pathways of the past are just as important as they have shaped who these young people are. The camp will explore the idea that each of us is the shaper of our own destiny. The Nettivim that lie ahead are exciting, full of challenges, are a product of what has come before, are waiting for us to carve them out, and are ours to create. Camp runs from 9th – 23rd December 2013.

For further details contact Kendyll Jacobson [email protected]

www.djc.co.za

Troy Schonken

Mazaltov Paddy



Talmud TorahOn Sunday the 1st of September Talmud Torah and Chabad hosted a fantastic Rosh Hashana play! Rachel and Michal came all the way from Johannesburg to sing and dance and to teach the lucky attending children all about Rosh Hashana. The children had to help the Rosh Hashana bee fill up the mizvot bucket on the scales of judgement. On the way they learnt all about giving tzeddaka (charity), doing teshuva (saying sorry) and Teffila (prayer). Everyone had a great time! Watch the press and don’t miss out on our next function!

Shlomo talking to the kids about the Shofar

Gil Dogan getting ready to blow the

Shofar.

Dani Friedman, Daniel Cohen and Netanya

Dogan

Dani Friedman and Jade Blum searching for Mitzvot with the Rosh Hashana bee.

Daniel Cohen putting his mitzvah in the

scale.

"And you shall inscribe these words upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gates."(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

The children ran into the classroom filled with anticipation and excitement. Shlomo arrived with a surprise in each of his pockets. Firstly, he pulled out the beautiful mezuzah donated by John Moshal for our classroom door. He explained what it was and its significance. He let each child feel the klaf, explaining that it was made from the hide of a kosher animal. He then pointed out the words of the Shema that were inscribed on it by the Sofer, After that, Shlomo showed them some mezuzot that were not considered kosher ; one had been damaged by water getting in, while another was just a printed copy of the Shema cut out of a Siddur!

Shlomo then explained the position on a door where the mezuzah should be affixed. He gathered the children around, and then recited the blessing before affixing it.

Like a magician, Shlomo then dug into his other pocket and pulled out a shofar. He explained that during the month of Elul, it is a custom to hear the Shofar every day. After calling out the different notes, the beautiful sounds resonated throughthe school. The children’s eyes grew bigger and bigger as the last tekiah gedolah seemed to carry on forever ( and Shlomo’s face grew redder and redder).

It was a beautiful, moving ceremony and I thank Shlomo, John and Cheryl for making it possible.

Helene Cohen



Talmud Torah Generations

Jessica Stout

On Sunday 1 September Talmud Torah: Generations held their term 3 Quiz! Can you believe how time has flown! We had a great turn out for the term end!

As always, everyone who attended received a present, and everyone who gets 100% will get a gift voucher! Just listening to the discussions going on around the room over each question I know the marks will be high!

The final term will start again on Sunday 13 October. This is the last term to get in as many entries into the end of year draw for 2 tickets to Israel!

The Meltz family going through their quiz.

Rabbi Jarrod Garber

Kollel NewsThe Rabbonim of Kollel Otzer Chayim were recently privileged to participate in the Annual Rabbinical Conference.

It was a truly uplifting experience and it was inspiring to see the quality of leadership and their care for the South African Jewish community.

A major focus of the conference was the Chief Rabbi's "Keeping it Together" Shabbos initiative which involves the entire South African community keeping one Shabbos according to its Torah laws. A date has finally been set for this amazing project, and it will be on the 11 / 12 October 2013

For more information please visit:http://www.theshabbosproject.org/

There was a special shiur held in preparation for the high Holy Days in order that we might enter this important time better prepared. Topics included some laws of the Shofar blowing, "Why is davening so long?", amongst others. Although entitled "High Holidays for Dummies" the questions asked were in fact very challenging and deep.

Besides the many shiurim on offer, the Rabbonim are available and eager to study with the community. If you have not yet contacted them with a request for a lesson on a Torah topic, DO SO!

Currently available shiurim are:Advanced Jewish Law, Halachah: Rabbi Ariel Garber, Sundays 6 pm at the Izinga Beit Midrash

Advanced Gemorah Shiur: Rabbi Ariel Garber Thursdays 7pm (Please call for venue)

The weekly Halachah expounded: Shabbos morning after the Brocha on alternate weeks. Izinga Shul.

Assorted topics Rabbi Mark Friedman Sundays 8.45am D.U.H.C.

Teen shiur and Q and A: Rabbi Mark Friedman Sundays 7.30 pm Friedman residence Durban

Path of the Just Shiur (Messilat Yesharim): Rabbi Mark Friedman Wednesdays 8 pm Friedman residence Durban.

Parshah Shiur: Rabbi Mark Friedman. Shabbat morning on alternate weeks. D.U.H.C.

Ladies Parshah and Halachah Shiur: Rabbi Jarrod Tuesdays 7.30 pm Durban (Please contact for venue)

Path of the Righteous Shiur: Rabbi Jarrod 5.40 pm Friday afternoon before shul. Izinga Shul

The weekly Halachah expounded: Rabbi Jarrod. Shabbos morning after the Brocha on alternate weeks. Izinga Shul.

Israel's population grows slightly to 8.081 million

The population in Israel rose to 8.081 million - 148,000 more than on the eve of Rosh Hashanah a year ago.

According to data released by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, the population grew by 1.8 percent, with 75.1 percent of Israel's population, or 6.066 million people, listed as Jewish. Arabs made up 20.7 percent of the population. There were no significant changes in either group. Those listed as others made up 4.2 percent of the population, including Christians and people without religious affiliations.

Last year, 163,000 babies were born and 40,000 people died. In addition, there were 16,968 new immigrants to Israel in the Jewish year 5773, as well as more than 6,000 Israelis who returned to the country after living abroad.

The most popular names for boys were Itai, Daniel, Ori, Yosef and Noam; for girls they were Noa, Shira, Tamar, Talia and Yael.

Acknow. JTA



Grant Maserow

Kasim Hafeez recently visited South Africa and amazed audiences with the account of his transformation from an anti-Semite and enemy of Israel to becoming a proud Muslim Zionist. In Durban the KNZC and WIZO hosted him for a very successful function. He explained how he was raised to hate Jews and Israel and he was fed so much propaganda that he felt driven to make an impact, going to the extreme measures of attending terrorist camps and learning to fight. His goal was to go to Israel and kill Jews. He was consumed by hatred and grew up a very angry adolescent. What had aided this belief was that he had never met any Jews and in his mind Jews were able to be dehumanized. They were just an evil concept.

His views were turned on their head when he bought Alan Dershowitz’s book: “A Case for Israel”. Initially he was amazed that the Jews could concoct a story so detailed that it could be compiled into such a thick book. Upon further reading and investigations he began to doubt the lies he had been fed and decided to travel to Israel to see the country for himself. There he encountered the antithesis of his expectations. He saw Jews, Muslims and Christians interacting, going about their daily business, using the same public transport, shops, universities etc. He expected to see the “apartheid” that has been falsely portrayed in the media. This caused an internal struggle, having to come to terms with his long-held, firm beliefs of the “evil Jews” and his enemy, Israel not being what he was taught to believe. He asked himself if he is to close his eyes and carry on as if everything is as it was, or admit the truth and move forward. He had to reconcile extremism, anger and disappointment and the knowledge that lies had blinded him with facts that he had come to see in Israel. He was frustrated and angry, not at just believing these lies, but also with propagating them. After two years of research and reading and visiting the Holy Land, his epiphany occurred at the Kotel, of all places, making him realize that he is to stand up for humanity, stay true to human values, speak the truth and deliver a message of peace.

Kasim says that while we can recognise that there are problems in Israel, as there are everywhere in the world, supporting the Palestinian cause does not imply that one cannot support Israel. That is his message in his support for a two-state solution. True peace comes with acceptance of each other. When speaking to Jews, Kasim generally finds that they are pleased to hear a Muslim voice in favour of Israel, but they do not expect to see peace. When speaking to Muslims, he says that they generally think that there is the idea that he is being used by the Israeli government to repeat Israeli propaganda. He did find, however, that with South Africa being a multi-cultural society, that there is a little more willingness to understand both sides of the story. Kasim was a breath of fresh air, for the Jewish people to know that there are Muslims out there who support Israel. He now considers himself a proud Zionist.

We were privileged to have Kasim visit Durban and were especially pleased to have so many people attend his talk.

FROM ANTI SEMITE TO PROUD ZIONIST

Grant Maserow, Antony Arkin, Kasim Hafeez, Laurienne Baitz The audience



Mark Friedman

UMHLANGA JEWISH DAY SCHOOL

Approximately half way through the first school term, Umhlanga Jewish Day School embarked on a new school project - visiting the residents of Beth Shalom. Once every two weeks approximately 25 students make their way to Beth Shalom along with their teachers and family members. The visit takes place on a Friday afternoon at 1.30pm and its purpose is to bring a little extra light and love into the lives of the residents.

Each resident receives a "goodie bag" which contains a small slab of chocolate, a roll of sweets, chips and a packet of biscuits. This packet is always extremely appreciated but is by no means the main reason for our visit. The primary purpose of our visit is to provide care, companionship and encouragement to those in need.

This project is associated with and has been modeled on a very successful Johannesburg based initiative called Project Smile :), a project of the Charity Trust for the Aged.

A very positive spin off that has come from these visits is the effect they have had on the volunteers. Many of them experience a deep appreciation for the many blessings that they take for granted. In addition to this, they become inspired by experiencing first-hand the difference they can make in the lives of others. It really is impossible to explain to people who haven't seen it for themselves how appreciated these visits are. Accordingly we invite and encourage anyone who is interested to please join us in giving a little back to those who have given us so much.



Alana Baranov

Hate Crimes Workshop with Durban MagistratesFor the first time at the DHC, we were delighted to hold a workshop on the important issue of hate crimes with a group of Durban magistrates from across the KwaZulu-Natal province.

The idea of the workshop was to allow the Magistrates to spend time at the DHC and become sensitized to the way in which society can unravel if hate crimes go unchecked.

Judge Alan Magid conducted a session for the delegates who were then guided through the permanent exhibition and later enjoyed reflecting on the morning over lunch at the Circle Café.

Following the meeting, the booklet ‘The Criminal Justice System and You’ will be distributed from our Centre to raise awareness on the role of the criminal justice system in South Africa and how it can assist refugees and migrants in our country.

Investec Diversity Training WorkshopThe DHC recently held another highly successful 'Corporate Diversity Training Workshop' with members of the Investec Durban Team.

EXPERT ON THE HOLOCAUST IN FRANCE VISITS THE DHC Save The Date – October 28th

We are thrilled to announce that renowned expert on the Holocaust in France, Tal Bruttman, will be hosted in Durban this month by the DHC in partnership with the French Institute and the Victor Daitz Foundation.

Bruttman will be speaking exclusively at the DHC on the evening of Monday October 28th at 7.30pm.

For more information and to reserve your seat, please

contact Maureen at our offices on [email protected] or call 0313686833.

Shelli Strous



Norma Bloch Gary Budlender

Shalom,

If you walk through the Eden grounds in the early mornings you will hear the gentle chanting of prayer, punctuated every now and then with the harsher tone of a Shofar. These are the sounds of the month of Elul – a time of repentance or teshuvah in spiritual preparation for the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

“Davening this month has been going fantastically!” reports Mrs. Jessica Stout who leads us in prayer. “Since it is the month of Elul we have heard the Shofar blown every morning. On Wednesdays, after davening everyone is treated to chocolate milk and doughnuts, and of course Fridays is a special time when both groups sing and daven together. Shkeiach to all of the students who have shown such commitment.”

Meanwhile in the Jewish Studies Department we are fully immersed in our preparations for the chag. Our younger pupils will once again host an assembly for all Eden Primary children, in which they will perform the rituals and present the meanings of these days of Awe.

We were also privileged this month to listen to an inspiring and thought-provoking shiur delivered by Rabbi Kornblum in which he drew parallels from the story of Adam and Eve to the choices we make in our lives, which can reshape our destinies. It is always an honour for us to host this knowledgeable and passionate teacher.

And finally, Les Sol, our matric pupil, wrote trials last month. We wish him much success.

Shanah Tova Umetukah.

Oren Cohen blowing Shofar Rabbi Kornblum

The 42nd biennial conference of the Hebrew Order of David International was held on Saturday evening 27th July and Sunday 28th July at the HOD Centre in Johnnesburg.

Barry Alice and Eddie Cohen represented Lodge Jaffa, Durban, at the conference, at which representatives from Lodges from around the world were present. Wor Bro Stan Klaff was re-elected Grand President of the Hebrew Order of David International for another two-year term of office. Wor Bro Mike Margolis of the London Lodge was elected Deputy Grand President. This means that for the first time there has been a shift to an overseas lodge for one of the two presidential positions, which may well result in the Grand President being from the UK in two years' time. It is indicative of the growth of membership in the lodges of the UK, the USA and Canada.

The Shield of David is the most prestigious award offered by the Hebrew Order of David, and this year it was presented to Wor Bros Stan Klaff and Phil Gerson. Mike Krasner, a regular visitor to Durban installations, was made an honorary life member of Grand Lodge.

Lodge Jaffa, Durban, was nominated as the "Premier Lodge of the Order" in South Africa, which is the first time our Lodge has received this prestigious award. However, we must not rest on our laurels and keep up the high standards expected of a premier lodge of the Order.

Jenny Russell, who is branch manager of Diabetes SA, was the guest speaker at the July Open Lodge meeting. Her talk on the causes and effects of diabetes was of interest to all.

Anthony Zambelli, who is a member of the HOD and a veterinary specialist, was festive board speaker in June. He addressed brethren on Rabies, and the prevention of this terrible disease.

Laurence and Julie Levy hosted a braai for residents of Jewel House at their home on 23rd July. The guests were treated to kosher burgers and salads.

Donations from funds raised last year were recently made to local organisations.

We were saddened by the recent passing of Mike Levitan, a former active member of the HOD. We wish his wife Sharon, son Elion, daughters and the rest of the family a long life.

Eddie Cohen and Barry Alice represented Lodge Jaffa at the

HOD biennial conference

Mike Krasner was awarded honorary life membership

of Grand Lodge



Jessica Stout

August was a very busy one at the Young Israel Centre! We started off the month with Kendyll from the KNZC having a fabulous Maccabi games afternoon.

We were delighted to host not one, but two youth lunches, both with fantastic turn outs! On Sunday 25 August Bnei Akiva had an absolutely fantastic tochnit with the grade R’s to 6’s where they made bee honey bottles and ate toffee apples! We also had two Bnei Akiva madrichim staying with us for the weekend!

We were also privileged to host the CSO teams for a toast before the hard work of the chaggim start. Well done to you all and we wish you a happy and safe year!

On Tuesday 27 August DHSA hosted a community shiur by Rabbi Kornblum, a vistor all the way from Israel, who also stayed with us!

Our fantastic committee has already started meeting and planning! We are looking forward to organising many more fun filled activities at the Young Israel Centre!

Daniel Cohen with his bee bottle

Netanya Dogan with her bee bottle and toffee apple!

Galia Meltz with her bee bottle

Some of the girls getting their sweets to fill their bee bottles

Kiera Keates with her bee bottle

Masada invites you to visit their newly renovated shop. They have an exciting new range of taleisim, yarmulkes and Judaica as well as:

* Siddurim, Machzorim, Childrens Books* Personalised stickers, cards, serviettes

* Shabbat & Yahrzeit candles * Kiddush Wine

We look forward to seeing you soon.Hours 8.30a.m.-2.30p.m. Monday to Thursday. Friday 8.30a.m. – 12 noon.

Tel: 031 202 3419 Sandra Getz/Sandy Wolfe


Marvelous Market Magic!Mazeltov to Wizo for another outstanding YOMTOV Market .It was a pleasure to play our part in the success of this annual fundraiser. The Union's pink, black and white delicious gourmet gifts, teiglach, recipe books ,cards and bridge scorers were again well received. We thank our community for supporting our stall. Thank you to our hardworking committee for the numerous hours spent in the kitchen, pickling and cooking and for their tireless work setting up on the day of the market. The wonderful array of jars and delicious goodies bore testament to your efforts.

Durban Childrens Home VisitDurbans childrens Home in Glenwood was the beneficiary of Mandela Day and received winter clothing as well as stationery collected from Umhlanga Jewish Day School and Beverly Burne of Guru Girl. Due to an outbreak of measles in the home over Mandela Day our actual visit to the home had to be postponed and the 14 August saw a group of Union ladies, laden with fluffy toys ,bats and balls and toys visit the home. It is amazing what joy and happiness new faces and a few bubbles can bring to children.




Alana Baranov

URGENT PARADIGM SHIFT IN TREATING HIV POSITIVE ADOLESCENTS

“What is needed is a paradigm shift in how we treat adolescents”, says Professor Mark Cotton, the Director of Children's Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit at University of Stellenbosch. Just one of the impressive presenters at CHIVA South Africa’s recent Masterclass, Cotton continued, “This gathering is ground-breaking as adolescent health has been severely neglected. Work in HIV will open the way for improved health facilities for all”, he continued. Adolescents, defined as those aged 10 and 19 years old, contribute significantly to shaping the future course of the HIV epidemic. In South Africa, an estimated 334 000 children under 15 are living with HIV.

Entitled ‘The clinical management of adolescents living with HIV’, the Masterclass was convened by CHIVA South Africa, together with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, and was held at the KwaZulu-Natal Research Institute for Tuberculosis and HIV, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine on August 21st.

CHIVA South Africa is an NGO that focuses on providing critical training and support in paediatric and adolescent HIV treatment and long-term management for health professionals fighting the AIDS crisis in Southern Africa. Over the past eight years, the organisation has sent more than 150 volunteer teams of medical practitioners from the UK to help train nearly 20 000 South African health professionals in all aspects of the long-term treatment of children and teenagers living with HIV. As a result of this remarkable collaboration, more than 70 000 children in KwaZulu-Natal are now on lifesaving anti-retroviral treatment. In response to the growing need, CHIVA South Africa launched their dedicated Adolescent Programme in 2008, together with the KZN Health Department and Nelson Mandela School of Medicine. This program develops and delivers workshops aimed at healthcare professionals treating adolescents in KwaZulu-Natal and supports potential strategies to address the health system challenges in providing services to adolescents living with HIV.

One of the most striking points made during the presentations, which covered a variety of topics on the issue including the long-term complications of anti-retroviral therapy; neurocognitive development; and new policies on adolescents living with HIV, as well as the latest research in adolescent HIV, which showed that currently no adolescent health specialists exist. In South Africa and around the world, hospitalized adolescents are placed amongst adult patients in the wards and this can be highly problematic - adolescents living with HIV bring unique challenges in which paediatric and adult services have limited experience. This growing population of HIV infected young people must learn not only to live with a chronic illness but also deal with the emotional and psychological issues of having a highly stigmatised infectious disease and the impact of this on their sexual health, relationships and emotional wellbeing.

Attendees on the day consisted of senior doctors and nurses, all clinical providers who are working with young people. One of the most popular sessions of the day was the on ‘Viral resistance and ARV management in adolescents’ by Professor Deenan

Pillay, a Professor of Virology who is the Head of the Research Department of Infection & Honorary Consultant Virologist at University College London. This topic generated an outpouring of questions and elicited an interesting debate from the floor. “The Masterclass was incredibly informative and I learnt a lot from it – CHIVA South Africa really equips us for the challenges we face in dealing with adolescents and other young people with HIV”, said Dr Lebo Gumede, one of the participants who took part.

Juliet Houghton, the Director of CHIVA South Africa, describes the Masterclass as the beginning of the next stage of the journey, and ultimately the success, of the CHIVA paediatric HIV programs. The increase in access to and the life-prolonging effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) means that more children who were infected through mother to child transmission are surviving into adolescence and adulthood. At the same time, the increased availability and uptake of testing has allowed more adolescents who have been infected during adolescence, to know their status. “As children infected with HIV are growing up, it has become vitally important that they are enabled to move forward in a healthy way into adulthood. It was also crucial that the lessons learnt from CHIVA South Africa’s programs in KwaZulu-Natal could be shared and put into practice in other provinces”, Houghton said. CHIVA South Africa is currently working on replicating its successful model from KwaZulu-Natal into the Eastern Cape and Northwest Province.

The founder and executive director of CHIVA South Africa, Dr Karyn Moshal, summed up the essence of the event and the critical focus for CHIVA South Africa going forward, “There is however, yet another challenge. Instead of dying of AIDS, children with HIV are now growing up-once a life has been saved, there is a responsibility to make it one worth living. In the face of adversity these young people are breath-takingly thoughtful and devastatingly realistic about what life has in store for them, and yet they remain full of hope-they deserve the best and most compassionate care we can offer”.


Above BoardMary Kluk, National Chairman

A column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies


WHAT A TART!!

APPLE PIZZA TARTPastry: 125g soft butter 1 egg lightly beaten 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 200degC. Grease a 28/30 cm pizza tin or quiche pan with removable base. Cream butter and sugar well, then mix in the egg, flour, baking powder and cinnamon. When a nice dough is formed, press into the greased pizza tin or quiche pan.

¼ cup castor sugar 2 cups flour ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Topping: 1 kg Golden Delicious apples 1/3 cup sugar

Peel, core and thinly slice apples into crescents. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of mixture over the pastry. Arrange apple slices in concentric slices onto the pastry, starting from the outside edge. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar/cinnamon mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Towards the latter part of baking time, heat the honey and vanilla which must be brushed over the apples as soon as they come out of the oven.

2 Tablespoons honey¾ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon vanilla

NUTTY COCONUT QUICHEPastry: 125g soft butter 1 egg, lightly beaten finely grated rind of 1 lemonPreheat oven to 180degC. Grease a 22/24 cm quiche pan. Cream butter and sugar well, then mix in the egg, lemon rind, flour and baking powder.Press evenly into the greased quiche pan. Prick pastry all over with a fork or line with foil and fill with dried beans to par bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Cool for a bit.

¼ cup brown sugar 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder

Filling: 1 cup desiccated coconut ½ cup brown sugar 100g macadamia nuts 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

Spoon coconut onto a biscuit pan and toast in the oven until lightly browned. Remove then do the same with the macadamia nuts and pecans/walnuts. Sprinkle the nuts evenly over the pastry base. In a small saucepan, melt butter, stir in sugar and stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, coconut milk and vanilla. Using a whisk, add the melted butter and sugar and the coconut. When well combined, pour this into the prebaked pastry lined tin over the nuts. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool in the tin on a rack.

100g pecan or walnuts 1/3 cup coconut milk60g butter 1 teaspoon vanilla

PEACH PIE Also good with nectarines, apricots or pineapple Pastry: 125g soft butter 1 egg lightly beaten 1 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 220degC. Grease a 24/25cm tart dish. Cream butter and sugar well, then mix in the egg, flour, baking powder and ginger. Press evenly into the greased tart dish. Prick all over with a fork and parbake for 5 minutes. Cool.

¼ cup castor sugar 2 cups flour ½ teaspoon ground ginger

Filling: 1 kg fresh peaches, sliced ½ cup flour ¾ cup sugar

Mix peaches, sugar and tapioca. Combine flour and brown sugar- cut in butter then add pecans. Sprinkle one third of this into the pastry lined dish, then the peach mixture then remaining flour mixture. Bake 220degC 10 minutes, then 180degC for 20 minutes.

¼ cup brown sugar 100g pecan nuts, chopped 2 Tablespoons tapioca or sago 60g butter

Grand Celebration of the Board’s 110 Years

On 25 August, the Board held its 47th national conference and post-conference 110th anniversary gala dinner. Both were the culmination of many months of hard work and I pleased to report that both were very successful. The dinner was a wonderful celebration both of what the Board has achieved over the past eleven decades, and of what it is doing in the here and now, on behalf of the Jewish community and for the wider society. What made it additionally special was how many of our good friends outside of the community – in the political arena, media, academia, interfaith realm, diplomatic fraternity and other sectors – were there to celebrate with us. It enabled us to reciprocate the friendship that we have received from them over the years.

The main conference tackled the tough issues of creating safe spaces for freedom of expression and how to deal with hate crimes in South Africa. Given concerns over what has transpired at Wits University, delegates much appreciated the input of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Rob Moore and to receive from him the unequivocal assurance that Wits is as committed as ever to the principle of freedom of expression on campus. Joanmarie Fubbs provided us with many enlightening insights into how our Constitution allows for participatory democracy, thereby allowing the public to have input into public policy. Minister of Justice Jeff Radebe shared with us his Department’s envisaged new strategy for dealing with incidents of hate crime, which he defined as a crime committed on the basis of the victim’s “inherent characteristics or membership of a particular group”.

Following the conference, Zev Krengel and myself were elected to serve a second term as National President and National Chairman respectively, while David Simpson, Li Boiskin and Doron Joffe will serve second terms, as the Vice-chairmen from Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg. Raymond Goss has replaced Gerald Leissner as National Treasurer, after Gerald had held that position with the greatest distinction for many years. We are all looking forward very much to the challenges that lie ahead, just as I look forward to sharing with you how we, as the body representing the Jewish community, are doing to address them.

Winning back Wits

On 28 August, the Daniel Zamir jazz quartet from Israel entertained a crowd of over a thousand in the Wits Great Hall. In addition to its intrinsic artistic worth, the concert was an unequivocal demonstration by Wits of its support for the principle of freedom of expression. In March, a recital by Israeli pianist Yossi Reshef was shamefully disrupted by anti-Israel radicals, led by members of the then Student Representative Council. This resoundingly successful follow-up event represented a forthright rejection by the Wits community of this kind of behaviour.

The one negative outcome of the concert was that some of the demonstrators chanted ‘dubula e juda’, meaning ‘shoot the Jew’. As Jews and as South Africans, we cannot tolerate this kind of inflammatory discourse. Indeed, the Equality Court has already ruled that publicly chanting this slogan when it refers to Afrikaners should be regarded as prohibited hate speech. The Board is gathering as many of the facts of the situation as it can to determine how best to proceed.


Social & Personal


BIRTHSMazaltov to Debbie Horesh on the birth of a grandson, a son for Jason and Justine in Australia; to Meryl and Basil Ostilly on the birth of a great grandson, a son for Adina and Itzi in USA.

BAR/BATMITZVAHMazaltov to Paul and Doreen Abelman on the barmitzvah of their grandson Tommy Abelman in Canada.

MARRIAGESMazaltov to Jenna Reinbach and Gil Lewinsky on their wedding.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARYMazaltov to Marcia and Bernard Saul on their 50th (Golden) wed-ding anniversary; to Alex and Vivienne Zingol on their 40th wed-ding anniversary.

BIRTHDAYSMazaltov to David Rogoff on his 80th birthday; to Harold Raikin on his 80th birthday; to Kenneth Gitlin on his 70th birthday.

CONDOLENCESDeepest sympathy to Sharon Levitan on the passing of her husband Michael, to Elion Levitan on the passing of his father Michael and to Marion Levy on the passing her brother Michael; to Solly Rudansky on the passing of his sister Minnie Brickman; to Marie Sack on the passing of her husband Joe.

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].

All times and venues correct at time of going to press

October 2013

Diary of Events

November 2013

1 7.30p.m. KNZC - Israel Film Club DJ Centre

2 9.30a.m. UJW Friendship Club Beth Shalom

9 6.30p.m. KNZC/CKNJ host the Israel Ambassador Arthur Lenk DJ Centre

15 6.30p.m. DUHC "Grill the Rabbi" Perling Hall

16 9.30a.m. Sisterhood Friendship Club Beth Shalom

21 7.30p.m. HOD Lodge Jaffa DJ Centre

26 WIZO Oneg Shabbat Perling Hall

28 7.30p.m. Durban Holocaust Centre DHC

Tal Bruttman, Expert on Holocaust in France

5 7.30p.m. KNZC - Israel Film Club DJ Centre

9 9.30a.m. UJW Friendship Club Beth Shalom

BARCELONA SOCCER STAR LIONEL MESSI VISITS WESTERN

WALL ON 'PEACE TOUR'Bringing Israelis and Palestinians Closer Is 'Goal'

Popular Argentinian soccer star Lionel Messi visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem and met with Israeli leaders. Messi was in Israel with the Spanish soccer team Football Club Barcelona as part of the team’s “Peace Tour,” which included hosting skills clinics and games with Israeli and Palestinian children in order to promote peace.

The Barcelona team after arrival traveled to the West Bank to meet with Palestinian leaders and children. The next day, the team donned yarmulkes to visit the Western Wall. While in Jerusalem they posed for a group photo with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. The team also met at the President´s Residence in Jerusalem with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “It’s a great honor to host Barcelona in a holy city like Jerusalem, with this visit a dream come true for Israeli and Palestinian children. They have two dreams: To score in Camp Nou (FC Barcelona’s soccer stadium) and peace between the two sides. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and the rest of the players, I hope you teach us the tiki-taka style so that we learn how to score a goal for peace,” Peres said.

Recently Messi sent a message to the Argentinian Maccabia team. “Very good luck to all of the team members participating in the games in Israel,” said Messi in a prerecorded video, aired in a farewell ceremony held in Buenos Aires. Messi also participated in 2011 in a campaign for justice and memory of the victims of the 1994 AMIA Jewish center bombing.

Acknow. JTA

Soccer superstar Lionel Messi leaves note at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

THANK YOU To the wonderful community of Durban. On behalf of my children, Justine, David, Elion, Raylene and Kayli, my beloved grandchildren and all my extended family - I would like to thank you most sincerely for the incredible love and support that you have shown us on the passing of our precious Mikey. Our lives are changed forever, but the light and joy that Michael brought to our world will never be forgotten.

Sharon Levitan

THANK YOU

On behalf of my family I extend thanks for all the condolence messages received on the passing of my beloved father Morris Berman z’l

Sincerely Evelyn Cohen.

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