June 2013 Established 1923 Volume 17 No. 9

MOSHIACH'S HARP by Michoel Muchnik

THE MONTHLY JOURNAL OF THE KWAZULU-NATAL JEWISH COMMUNITY EDITORIAL Contents

Editorial page 2 In Perspective page 3 THE DISGRACE ISRAEL Zulu King marks Israeli Independence event in SA page 4 AT THE WALL Israel sends Noah's Ark of animals to Turkey page 6 Israelis cycle Mount Everest page 6 Prof Antony Arkin

JEWISH WORLD ast month's confrontation at the Western Wall between What Boston hospitals learned from Israel page 7 members of Women of the Wall and haredi Jews appeared Oil-rich Qatar pushing to make its name as a Lin every major newspaper and television service throughout mideast peace broker page 8 the world. Women of the Wall are best known for fighting for Past Tense page 9 the rights of women from all Jewish denominations to pray aloud, read from the Torah and wear tallitot and tefillin, all of COMMUNITY NEWS which is permitted by halacha. Praying women were spat on and Bubkes page 10 cursed by thousands of haredi worshippers at the Kotel, some Durban United Hebrew Congregation page 11 of whom threw stones, garbage and coffee at them. It was a DIVOTE page 12 hillul Hashem, a desecration of the name of God, of the Jewish Chabad of the North Coast page 13 people and the State of Israel. Eden College page 14 As Jeremy Sharon wrote in the Jerusalem Post "Now the Women Durban Holocaust Centre page 14 of the Wall issue has risen to the top of Israel's national debate Durban Kollel page 15 and political agenda, in conjunction with ... an ever sharpening Moriah page 15 dispute about the role of religion in public life". Umhlanga Jewish Day School page 16 The Kotel symbolizes for world Jewry their collective Talmud Torah page 17 identification with Jerusalem. Its liberation in 1967 symbolized Talmud Torah Generations page 17 finally the coming home to Jerusalem as a free people. The Letter to the Editor page 17 paratroopers of 1967 liberated it for the whole Jewish people. KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council page 18 -19 The first mass pilgrimage to the Wall in 1967, on Shavuot, mere Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation page 20 days after the end of the war, was a spontaneous outpouring Council of KwaZulu-Natal Jewry page 20 of hundreds of thousands of Israelis, without any separation Wotsup Wizo page 21 between men and women, secularists and haredim. Union of Jewish Women page 22 But the decades since have created a haredi lock on the Kotel Above Board page 23 plaza. Police have occasionally arrested members of the Women Cooking with Judy & Linda page 23 of the Wall for their activities, arguing they violate a 2003 Social & Personal page 24 Supreme Court decision barring them from wearing tallitot and Diary of Events page 24 reading from the Torah, because those actions deviate from the Orthodox "tradition of the site", upset other worshippers and cause disturbances. An April 25 decision by the Jerusalem The views expressed in the pages of Hashalom are not necessarily District Court ruled however that the Supreme Court decision those of the Editorial Board or any other organisation or religious did not warrant arrests of the Women of the Wall activists. This body unless otherwise stated. Hashalom merely reflects views of was a significant victory for the group. that particular organisation or individual. The rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, called for calm and Jewish unity. "The Western Wall is the one uniting place Hashalom Editorial Board: we have left". A credible solution does exist for accomodating Chairman: Prof Marcus Arkin Editor: Prof Antony Arkin Commitee: Dr Issy Fisher, Ms Diane McColl, Mrs Lauren Shapiro. non-Orthodox forms of prayer at the Wall. Jewish Agency head Production Manager/Secretary: Mrs Mikki Norton Natan Sharansky recently presented a plan, backed by the government, which would create a dignified, ample space for Notice to Organisations/Contributors: egalitarian prayer. All material to be submitted by email to For the first time the government of Israel has committed to [email protected] building and subsidizing an egalitarian "synagogue". This is a historic DEADLINE FOR THE JULY ISSUE: 7 June 2013 victory for religious pluralism. As Yossi Klein Halevi of the Shalom Hartman Institute argued in the Jerusalem Post: "The Sharansky Advertisements plan is also a victory for Zionism. At its core, Zionism is an ideology Contact: Mrs. Mikki Norton of Jewish people-hood. The genius of classical Zionism was its P.O. Box 10797 Marine Parade 4056 Tel: (031) 335 4451 Fax: (031) 337 9600 Email: [email protected] ability to include almost every variety of Jewish ideology- from Marxist to capitalist, from anti-clericalist to theocratic - under a Hashalom is published under the auspices of the Council of KwaZulu-Natal shared, basic commitment. As modernity fragmented the Jews Jewry, the KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council and the Durban Jewish Club. into rival camps, Zionism insisted that those identities were mere Typesetting Supplied. adjectives, and that the unifying noun was "Jew". Designed by Flying Ant Designs, email: dtp@flyingant.co.za To be true to itself, the state that was founded by Zionism Printed by Fishwick Printers must accommodate all parts of the Jewish people. That is what Visit our website: www.hashalom.co.za Sharansky is offering.

2 HASHALOM June 2013 IN PERSPECTIVE

WAITING FOR THE MESSIAH Prof Marcus Arkin

here is a long-standing tradition in Judaism, beginning in the Messianic age. The word Messiah means "The annointed with the Biblical references, which emphasise the human, one" and so the holy oil would be used to annoint the Messiah, Tearthly, non-cosmic function of the Messiah and limits his who would then take the rod of Aaron with its ripe almonds and role to restoring political sovereignty under the kingship of a flowering blossoms. "scion of the House of David" (Jer. 30.9). The most profound way the rabbis found to diffuse the The reason for minimizing the importance of the person of the anarchistic elements in the messianic expectations of the people Messiah seems to have been to magnify God's direct involvement was to reinforce the ancient biblical view that redemption only in the Messianic drama. But the brutal Roman occupation added followed repentance. The teachings of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah fuel to popular speculation about the name and personality of and Jeremiah succinctly expressed by Rabbi Eliezer are that " God's chosen agent who would announce the impending end if they do not repent they will not be redeemed". Charity and of the world. repentance are singled out as the most effective qualities in By the second century CE the figure of the Messianic king had bringing the Messiah. become almost totally mythologised. The highly respected sage The most important belief about the Messianic age was Rabbi Akiva, whose choice of Bar Kochba who led the abortive that at that time all the dead would be reuntied in a general revolt against the Romans in 132-135 CE as the Messiah, taught resurrection and Day of Judgement in which final verdicts would that there are two thrones in heaven, one for God and one for be pronounced upon all persons. Learning, which languished the Messiah. during early messianic times, would be revived. The great These Rabbinic speculations are modest compared to the virtually academies of Babylonia would be transported to the Holy Land unrestrained mythological elements found in the apocalyptic and God himself would be the chief of the academy and teach writings like IV Esdras, where the Messiah is envisaged as a the true order of the Biblical verses, which He alone knows. human-like being who is blown up from the depths of the seas, Even before the medieval mystical turn of Judaism, the profound flies through the air, strikes terror into all who hear or behold his hope took root that the peace and wholeness of the Messianic presence, defeats the wicked by consuming them by the fire of age would encompass both God and the people who had his breath, and only then begins the ingathering of the exiles and wandered and suffered for so long all in the belief that "Though the restoration of political sovereignty that was the mark of the he tarries, yet will I await him". Messiah at an earlier time. This represents quite a change from the impressive but thoroughly human picture given by Isaiah (11.2), "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and insight, the spirit of counsel and heroism, the spirit of knowledge and Godliness". Troy Schonken Further complications and attempts to identify the figure of the Messiah is the influential rabbinic belief in a second Messiah called Messiah ben Joseph. The Messiah ben Joseph was supposed to arrive prior to the Messiah ben David and was to die in the www.djc.co.za battle against the forces of evil. Only then would God send the Messiah ben David, who would defeat the enemies of God, gather the exiles and inaugurate the Messianic age. The suffering of the Messiah ben Joseph was not seen as atonement for the sins of the people but merely as part of the general violence and moral collapse which is also a sign of the pre-Messianic age. The basis of the belief that Elijah's appearance on earth is a necessary prerequisite for the Messianic age is the prophecy found at the end of the book of Malachi (3.23 -24) "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse". Elijah is identitified not only as a prophet but also as a priest in the lineage of Aaron and Eliezer. In connection with that priestly role a beautiful teaching is preserved that Elijah will bring with him three things for the Messianic age. First, the manna that fed the Israelites in their wanderings in the desert; second, the flask of water and the flask of oil that were used to purify and annoint the Tabernacle; and the third, the flowering staff of Aaron. The Manna would feed the people during the time of tribulations

June 2013 HASHALOM 3 ISRAEL

ZULU KING MARKS ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE EVENT IN SOUTH AFRICA Gil Lavie

ing Goodwill Zwelithini, leader of the Zulu nation in South "The event shows that there are many friends here that support Africa, has marked Israeli Independence day along with Israel and they came to show their support from different stratas Khis wife Queen Thandi at a Yom Haatzmaut ceremony of society," he said. He continued by expressing goodwill and held on Thursday at the Israeli embassy in Pretoria. continued cooperation between the two countries. Along with the King, other important dignitaries that attended included the Rev. Bishop Dr. B.E. Lekganyane Head of the Zionist Christian Church, Reverend Kenneth Meshoe MP President of the African Christian Democratic Party, and Ambassador C.T. Rubushe, Chief Director of Middle East at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Altogether the event was attended by 400 guests including Christian Zionists and members of the Jewish community. In addition to an Israeli themed lunch, local South African bands entertained the crowd with lively music. The Israeli national anthem was performed by Udi Cohen, and played by the Zimriya youth band. In a welcoming speech delivered by Ambassador Dov Segev- Steinberg, he expressed gratitude for such an outstanding event filled with such high calibre guests. In his speech, he spoke of the “incredible strides” that Israel has made in industries such (second from left going right) Prince Thulani, Deputy Israeli as “technology, medicine, science, education, agriculture and Ambassador Yaakov Finkelstein, Israeli Ambassador Dov Segev- more” and Israel’s want and willingness to share her knowledge Steinberg, His Majesty King Zwelithini, Bishop Lekganyane (ZCC), and capabilities with others. Regarding the peace process with Rev. Meshoe (ACDP). The other members are part of the ZCC. the Palestinians, he expressed a desire to build bridges towards Photo: Ilan Ossendryver a meaningful dialogue in order to find an outcome based on the principle of a two states solution. With his term ending later this year, the Ambassador ended his speech on a personal note, summarizing his past five years in South Africa, remembering it as one of his most interesting and enjoyable posts; “This has been my experience in South Africa which will always have a special place in my heart.” In a speech delivered by the Zulu King, he praised the ability of the Jewish people to always rise above challenges, categorizing Israel's history as one filled with paradox and tragedy, but ultimately triumph. He also expressed a desire to further cooperation with Israel in the arena of agriculture and to promote youth exchanges between the two countries. Conveying a message from the South African Government, Ambassador C.T. Rubushe, reflected the on going contributions of the Jewish community in South Africa. "Many contributed significantly to South Africa’s development…Many [Jews]… took part in the anti-apartheid and liberation struggle...”. Regarding bilateral relations, Ambassador Rubushe praised “the incredible contributions that Israel has made to South Africa,” saying “These valuable projects… are much needed and also complementary to the objectives of our own National Development Program.” In a telephonic interview with Israeli Ambassador to South Africa, Dov Segev-Steinberg, he praised the event as hugely successful and said it shows the extent of friendship that Israel enjoys in South Africa.

4 HASHALOM June 2013 ‘It is your duty, and your privilege, to be involved’ IUA – UCF Campaign 2013 We are proud to announce that the new IUA-UCF campaign started on the 1st of April 2013 and is already off to a successful start! The IUA-UCF ensures that our community institutions and organizations have the necessary funding to carry out their essential work. The beneficiaries of the campaign include a wide range of causes: from Durban Jewish Social Services and Beth Shalom to the CKNJ and the new youth worker. All funds raised go to ensure that: - the most vulnerable in our community live with dignity and security; - youth are taught the importance of community and the role that Israel plays in the lives of the Jews in the Diaspora; - communal administrative structures are effective, efficient and coordinated. The community is responsible for collecting 30% of the monies allocated to the beneficiary organisation and it is this percentage that is the responsibility of each and every community member.

“The goal of the community organisations is that all the Jews in our community can live with dignity” David Simpson “No matter the level of contribution to Beth shalom all the people receive the same level of care” Solly Berchowitz “We get calls and they always say the same thing, ‘we know the Jews look after their own, please can you help’” Lew Heilbron “The most important thing is that you participate in a sustainable way” Jeremy Droyman

If you wish to contact us to find out more information, and to play your part in supporting the community, please be in touch with one of our new ‘Charity Ambassadors’. Contact Clive Bernstein on 082 416 5300 or email [email protected], or be in touch with the new UCF team of Ronnie Herr on 083 500 4060; Jeremy Droyman on 082 456 2291; Graham Kluk on 083 788 4118; David Simpson on 083 779 3032; or Solly Berchowitz on 083 325 1664 or alternatively the IUA-UCF office on 031 3326794 or e.mail [email protected]. Please support us by contacting our UCF Charity Ambassadors today - we need your help.

June 2013 HASHALOM 5 ISRAEL

ISRAEL SENDS NOAH’S ISRAELIS CYCLE ARK OF ANIMALS MOUNT EVEREST Daniel Moores and Abraham Cohen pedaled TO TURKEY along the highest road in the world from Lhasa Ramat Gan Safari organizes shipment of 40 to Kathmandu to raise money for impoverished different species to reinforce Izmir Wildlife Nepali communities. Park. Viva Sarah Press Viva Sarah Press Two Israeli expert cyclists will today (May 7) complete one of the The 40 ‘passengers’ on Tuesday’s Turkish Airlines flight to craziest fundraising campaigns – a two-week cycling marathon Istanbul are part of a special animal exchange between the from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal. Zoological Center Tel Aviv – Ramat Gan Safari and the Izmir Daniel Moores and Abraham Cohen decided to take on the Sasali Wildlife Park. highest road in the world to raise money for Nepali communities The modern day Noah’s Ark cast – set to move house on May 7 living on the lowest incomes. Moores and Cohen, together – will include three zebras, six antelopes, three monkeys, three with the Israel-based non-profit organization Tevel b’Tzedek, meerkats, four raccoons, six fruit bats, and 20 ibises. launched an indiegogo funding campaign to support marginalized The Safari has a healthy population of zebras and Safari populations in rural communities in Nepal. spokeswoman Sagit Horowitz said it is the world’s leading zoo in They surpassed their $3,875 goal by nearly $400. Their journey zebra exports. Several months ago, Turkish zookeepers in Izmir is inspiring. Moores and Cohen rode some 1,200 kilometers at asked Ramat Gan Safari for help in boosting their zoological 4,000-5,000 meter altitudes. collection. The Ramat Gan Safari – like other zoos in Israel — “We went through ice glaciers, a small river, deep sand dunes, is a member of the international zoological organization and facing a new obstacle with each step we took,” Cohen wrote on regularly participates in exchanging animals to promote breeding his daily blog. “When we arrived to Rongbuk monastery guest and bolster exhibits at other zoos. house we were so glad. We met a group of motor bikers coming But Horowitz noted this is the biggest exchange in which the from Kathmandu to Lhasa, they thought we are mad. Maybe Ramat Gan Safari has ever taken part. Horowitz also said that they were right.” although Israel and Turkey may be at diplomatic odds with one The Everest Cycling Marathon for a Just World was sponsored another; animals are the true gesture of cooperation and always by ROI Community. Tevel b’Tzedek promotes social and override politics. environmental justice by raising funds to improve the quality The best proof for this notion is Izmir the elephant. In 2008, the of life in impoverished Nepali communities using a holistic Safari sent Winner, a captive-born Asian elephant, to the Izmir development model that focuses on agriculture, education, Wildlife Park as part of a breeding program exchange. In 2011, health and women’s empowerment. Winner and his Pakistan-born ‘wife’ Begumcan, welcomed the Acknow. ISRAEL21c birth of Turkey’s first elephant on its soil – Izmir. Acknow. ISRAEL21c

Ramat Gan Safari is sending zebras, antelopes, meerkats and Daniel Moores and Abraham Cohen took on the highest road in ibises, among other animals, to a new home in Izmir, Turkey. the world to raise funds for Nepali communities. (Photo from the (Tibor Jager) Everest Cycling Marathon indiegogo page.)

6 HASHALOM June 2013 JEWISH WORLD

WHAT BOSTON HOSPITALS LEARNED FROM ISRAEL Ben Sales

inutes after a terrorist attack killed three at the finish the heart who had been pronounced dead in the field. line of the Boston Marathon, doctors and nurses at But not everything Rivkind has learned about treating attack Mthe city’s hospitals faced a harrowing scene - severed victims comes from a story with a happy ending. In 2002, limbs, burned bodies, shrapnel buried in skin. Shiri Nagari was rushed to Hadassah after a bus bombing. She For Boston doctors, the challenge presented by last week's appeared to have escaped largely unharmed, but 45 minutes bombing was unprecedented but they were prepared. later she was dead. It was, Rivkind later wrote, the first time he Many of the city's hospitals have doctors with actual battlefield ever cried after losing a patient. “She seemed fine and talked experience. Others have trauma experience from deployments with us,” he told JTA. “You can be very injured inside, and on humanitarian missions, like the one that followed the Haitian outside you look completely pristine.” earthquake, and have learned from presentations by veterans of Organizing the emergency room, Rivkind said, is as important as other terror attacks like the one at a movie theater in Colorado. treating patients correctly. During the second intifada, Hadassah But they have benefited as well from the expertise developed developed what he called the “accordion method,” a method by Israeli physicians over decades of treating victims of terrorist of moving patients through various stages of assessment with attacks - expertise that Israel has shared with scores of doctors maximal efficiency. The process has become standard in hospitals and hospitals around the world. Eight years ago, four Israeli across Israel and around the world. doctors and a staff of nurses spent two days at Massachusetts Some of what distinguishes Israeli trauma doctors are qualities General Hospital teaching hospital staff the methods pioneered that are hard to teach. Rivkind has said he keeps two beepers in Israel. and a cell phone on him at all times, even in bed. Even when According to the New Yorker magazine, every Boston patient who calls come in the middle of the night, a small army of medical reached the hospital alive has survived. “We had periods where professionals can usually be relied on to arrive at their posts within every week we had an attack,” said Dror Soffer, director of the minutes, sometimes even ahead of the ambulances carrying the trauma division at the Tel Aviv Medical Center, who participated wounded. “Whenever there was an alarm, we jumped, ran and in the delegation. “It becomes your routine.” Techniques that called our homes, and then got ready to absorb patients,” said were “routine” in Israel by 2005, and helped save lives in Boston Liora Utitz, the mass-casualty coordinator at Rambam Medical last week, began evolving in the 1990s, when Israel experienced Center in Haifa. “I felt very safe. The volunteerism of everyone a spate of bus bombings. Israeli doctors “rewrote the bible gave me strength.” of blast trauma,” said Avi Rivkind, the director of surgery at Israel continues to export its trauma expertise. Rivkind has taught Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, where 60 percent of medicine in Melbourne, Australia, and Southern California. Israeli victims have been treated. Delegations of doctors from New York and Los Angeles have Much of what Israel has learned about treating attack victims visited him in Jerusalem. was done on the fly. In 1996, a 19-year-old soldier arrived at “We have tens of years of cumulative trauma experience,” he the Hadassah hospital following a bus bombing with severe said. “We’ve learned not to give up.” injuries to her chest and esophagus. Doctors put chest drains on Acknow. JTA her lungs and performed endoscopies twice a day to stop the bleeding. Both techniques are now regular practices. “We were sure she was going to die, and she survived,” Rivkind said. A riskier move came five years later when Adi Huja arrived at Hadassah with massive blood loss following an attack in downtown Jerusalem. Rivkind realized his team wasn't controlling the bleeding, so he directed staff to administer a shot of NovoSeven - a staggeringly expensive coagulant typically used for hemophiliacs that was not approved for a trauma situation. But it worked and Huja survived. Africa’s Leading Rivkind is an internationally recognized expert in terror medicine and widely considered one of the great brains behind Israeli Steel Supplier innovations that have been adopted around the world. Trained at Hebrew University, the Hadassah Medical Center and the Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems in Baltimore, he has contributed to several volumes on trauma surgery and post-attack care, and authored a number of seminal medical studies. Rivkind was the personal physician for the late Israeli President Ezer Weizman, helped care for Ariel Sharon when the prime minister fell into a coma following a stroke, and has performed near-miraculous feats, once reviving a soldier shot in www.macsteel.co.za

June 2013 HASHALOM 7 JEWISH WORLD

OILͳRICH QATAR PUSHING TO MAKE ITS NAME AS A MIDEAST PEACE BROKER Ron Kampeas hen it comes to the latest Arab peace initiative, two Backing winners, whether the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt questions are circulating in Washington: Why Qatar? or the forces that helped topple Moammar Gadhafi in Libya, WAnd why now? also lends credibility - and insurance - to a regime that is itself The three answers: Because Qatar is rich; it is scared; and why autocratic, Katulis said. “If they win as many as friends as not? possible, get in early on the ground floor, they'll be all the more influential,” he said. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, in recent weeks has driven the A State Department official played down Qatar's role in reviving revivification of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, moderating the Arab peace bid, noting that the new plan formally emerged it slightly to hew closer to the outlines touted by the Obama from the Arab League. And yet he emphasized that the Obama administration since 2011. The updated version, outlined by administration is focused mainly on returning the Israelis and Hamad in remarks to reporters following his meeting April 29 Palestinians to the negotiating table and hopes the peace initiative with Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden can help them get there. “It's a sign that the Arab League is in Washington, pulls back from the 2002 demand that Israel a constructive member in the process,” the official said. “The withdraw to the 1967 borders in exchange for comprehensive regional partners have a role, but our major focus is getting the peace. Instead, Hamid proposed “comparable and mutual Palestinians and Israelis back to the table for direct talks.” agreed minor swaps of the land” - a formulation that opens So far, that doesn't seem to be happening. Israel is less than the door to Israel's retention of several major settlement blocs. thrilled about the new initiative. An Israeli official confirmed Hamad also did not mention the Palestinian “right of return” and that Netanyahu remains as unenthusiastic about the 1967 lines the division of Jerusalem, elements of the original Arab initiative as a basis for negotiations as he was in 2011, when President that had led to its rejection by the Israeli government. Obama’s proposal based on those lines precipitated a small Qatar, the fabulously wealthy Persian Gulf state that is host to crisis in U.S.-Israel relations. the forward headquarters of the U.S. Central Command, hasn't Israelis are also skeptical of Qatar because of its support for been known until recently for grabbing onto thorny diplomatic Hamas, the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip. The challenges. So what does Hamad hope to gain? country’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, became the The Qatari Embassy did not respond to multiple requests for first foreign leader to visit the strip last October. comment, but experts and officials say that Qatar is wealthy “On the diplomatic front, Qatar publicly claims to support Israeli- enough to do what it likes and, as an autocracy concerned for Palestinian peace while making certain to undermine it in every its survival in a region roiling with revolution, is driven to make possible way,” Seth Mandel wrote last week in Commentary, friends and demonstrate its usefulness. “For a small country, the neoconservative journal. they’re throwing money around, organizing diplomatic events, But Wittes said Qatar’s relationship with Hamas could be seen trying to shape a range of issues, much of it related to the Middle as a benefit. Hamas is a mainstay of Palestinian politics, and Qatar East uprising,” said Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Center for could help influence the group to moderate. “If obstruction of American Progress, a think tank considered close to the Obama peace was Hamas’s role as spoiler,” she said, “you have to look administration. “It's rich, it's small, it lacks the inner turmoil of at the potential for Qatar as a positive influence.” other countries. It’s one of the [Middle Eastern] countries ... Acknow. JTA that are more internally stable and have more resources.” Just prior to unveiling the revised peace plan, Hamad, a distant cousin of the Qatari emir, was honored by the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East Policy, an organization that received $2.5 million to $5 million from the government of Qatar in 2012, according to Politico. Tamara Cofman Wittes, the Saban Center’s director, said Qatar for years had accrued influence through such uses of “soft power” - the generous dispensation of money and assistance - coupled with its ownership of Al Jazeera, the region’s most influential news outlet. When uprisings swept the Middle East at the beginning of 2011, Qatar was able to step into a vacuum left by the toppled dictators, she said. “It vaulted Qatar into a much more prominent role in regional politics because of the loss of [Egyptian President Hosni] Mubarak,” Wittes told JTA. “Its regional assistance and Al Jazeera have allowed it to play a larger role in how the awakening is viewed.”

8 HASHALOM June 2013 being winner and runner-up respectively in the women’s Tenth PAST TENSE Year Tennis Tournament and Mr Jack Droyman and Mr Len Pundit Saul on respectively achieving the same honours in the men’s Tournament t
$POHSBUVMBUFE
%S

.ST
*
(PMECFSH
PO
UIF
CJSUI
PG
B
TPO Extracts from HASHALOM – JUNE 1963 MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Extracts from HASHOLOM – June 1938 Congratulated THEY SPEAK OF JEWRY t
'SBOLJF
2VFSJEP
BOE
.BVSJDF
4PMPNPO
8FOEZ
'SJFEF
BOE
“Incitement to Jew-baiting is being used as a cloak to conceal Jackie Schaffer, Andrea Stange and Brian Bernstein on their all manner of objections which have little or no reference to respective engagements the Jew such as ... Anti-Semitism has always been a convenient Wished mazaltov to weapon when ruling powers wish to direct movements of popular discontent”. “Vigilance” in The Forum. t
.BSDJB
BOE
)BSSZ
4USPVT
PO
UIF
CJSUI
PG
UIFJS
UXJO
EBVHIUFST “For time out of memory there has been no Jewish question in t
+BOJOF
EBVHIUFS
PG
.S

.ST
"SOPME
.JMMFS
BOE
$MJWF
.JMMFS
Great Britain” - Sir Samuel Hoare. on the birth of their daughter “Anyone who tries to be a Christian cannot have any truck with t
.S

.ST
4BN
&SOTU
PO
UIF
CJSUI
PG
UIFJS
TFDPOE
HSBOETPO such a movement as anti-Semitism. It is inconceivable that anyone t
.S

.ST
.BOOJF
8PPMGTPO
PO
UIFJS
3VCZ
8FEEJOH
who prides himself on being a Christian can be an ant-Semite” – Anniversary The Right Rev. G.H. Clayton, Bishop of Johannesburg. t
.S
"CF
%VCJO
BOE
%S
7FSB
'BDUPS
PO
UIFJS
SFDFOU
NBSSJBHF NEWS OF THE WORLD – JEWISH NOTES FROM HERE, t
3IPEB
EBVHIUFS
PG
.S

.ST
.
;VMNBO
PO
SFDFJWJOH
UIF
THERE AND EVERYWHERE great honour of being asked to join the company of famous HITLER SAFEGUARDS ENGLISH MORALS! Spanish dancer, Luisillo “Miss Christina Foyle of Foyles, the well-known London Recorded happiness that Mr Jackie Strous had recovered from bookseller, revealed at a meeting in Birmingham…..that when his recent illness. Hitler announced that all books in Germany which had been PROFILE written by Jews must be destroyed, she wrote asking if her firm might purchase all of them because she thought that most of The issue contained a tribute to Mr Arnold Miller who had the best German books were written by Jews. Hitler replied recently been elected as the President of the Council of Natal personally and said he could not consent because he did not Jewry. wish to have the morals of the English people corrupted”. PEOPLE’S COLLEGE JEW-BAITING IN BELGIUM Rabbi Isaac Goss, director of the S A Jewish Board of Education, The activities of anti-Semites in Antwerp are reported to be had given a brilliant lecture on the life and works of Chief Rabbi assuming serious proportions. Anti-Jewish agitators distribute J. L. Landau and this issue of Hashalom contains a full report anti-Jewish boycott literature appealing to all non-Jews not of that lecture.(Having read the report, Pundit wishes he could to trade with Jews. Degrelle, the leader of the Rexist party, have attended the lecture). delivered a violent tirade at an enormous party conference OBITUARY against “international Jewry”, who, he said “wanted to let loose HASHALOM paid tribute to the late Professor Leon Roth, a world conflict”. former head of the Department of Philosophy at the Hebrew IRAQ WANTS JEWISH DOCTORS University and former rector of the University from 1940-43, It is reported that owing to a dearth of doctors in Iraq, the Iraqi who had recently died on a visit to New Zealand. government has instructed its Ambassador in Vienna to facilitate LADIES! SERVICES YOU MAY NOT NEED WHICH WERE the immigration of Austrian Jewish doctors. (How times have ADVERTISED IN HASHALOM JUNE 1963, BUT JUST LOOK changed). AT THESE PRICES! OBITUARY Cleanse, massage of face, neck, back, shoulders, steam or spray Hashalom contained an obituary of the late Mr Leo Lipinski mask, make-up R3.00 (a pillar of the Durban Jewish community including especially Cleanse, massage of face, steam or spray, mask, make-up R2.50 the Chevra Kadisha) and a memorial in memory of Nahum Massage of back, neck and shoulders R1.00 Solokow. Depilatory for lip 50c IN THE FOYER Depilatory for lip and chin 75c Bellboy paid tribute to Mr Abe Goldberg on his recent election Special treatment for bust R1.50 as MP for the Umlazi constituency. Brides-to-be, make-up for wedding R1.00 IN TOWN AND OUT Those were the days!! t
$POHSBUVMBUFE
.JTT
4ZCJM
+BDPCTPO
BOE
.JTT
%FMMJF
.JMMFS
PO

June 2013 HASHALOM 9 BUBKES

AGING GRACEFULLY Lauren Shapiro

y mother warned me this would happen. Yes, even to journey, which is ultimately why we are all here. “the best of us”. Hairs that are a little too pale to pass Despite the changes, I like my body. It’s served me well in Mfor blonde. Lines on my face. Wrinkles on my hands, creating a meaningful life. My cellulitey legs can still run after my and miscellaneous marks and spots where the pages of glossy boys. My (slightly) flappy arms can rock and soothe my baby. magazines tell you they shouldn’t be. I’m not yet 35, and age is My face – even with its new lines and wrinkles – can smile, kiss catching up with me like a boisterous puppy with the mailman. and talk to my friends. My hardening hands can still cook and As I compare myself to my newborn daughter, whose skin is clean, keeping my house welcoming. Most days I can still reach literally as smooth as a baby’s bum, I realize quite how much the peanut butter on the top shelf and get myself dressed and aging bothers me (and many other women, I imagine). where I need to be almost on time. The beauty industry preys on this feeling, producing and So my “fine lines” are fine by me. And I guess I don't really mind advertising wonder potions that claim to eliminate wrinkles, the stretch marks on my bum - they complement the stretch even out imperfections, and make you look up to several marks on my heart. decades younger. The beauty industry aims to keep you looking the same age A few years back, during my first pregnancy, I bought one of forever, as if it can stop time. But if I stop to think about it, these “miracle creams” which promised to prevent stretch why would you want to do that? I love this moment with its marks. I devotedly rubbed it into my belly every day, and I was story books and sand castles and milk-scented cuddles – but I pleased with the results. Then one day, getting out the bath, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in the “nappy stage” forever! I want caught my reflection in mirror - from behind. to grow; I want to watch my children grow. And if No-one told me you can get stretch marks Ultimately, your face “ that means a few more wrinkles, it seems a on your toochus! fair trade. is not as important I’ve been giving this topic quite some Technology can only go so far – it may be thought lately. When I started writing this column“ as your faith able to recreate a youthful complexion, but over eight years ago, I was a carefree varsity student it can’t create a smile. Money can buy miracle and aside from the odd alcoholic overindulgence (okay, regular creams, but not happiness. Science is skin deep, and ultimately alcoholic overindulgences), I was pretty happy. I liked my body, your face is not as important as your faith. hair and skin well enough. In fact, the concept of a miracle cream is a bit of a modern Now – eight years, one husband and three kids later – in addition paradox - the process they're trying to hide is the true miracle. to the stretch marks, I have wrinkles, cellulite, some varicose After all, wrinkles are a symbols of growth, of a life lived fully – veins, and that "stray eyelash" on my chin that my mother that’s the real wonder. warned me about (how does that work??) So yes, gazing at my baby's perfectly smooth skin, I must admit I When I bemoan my increasing physical imperfections to my am a little jealous. But not only of her complexion. I'm jealous of friends, they comfort me (“It’s not so noticeable.” “Have you the exciting journey she still has in front of her. Her skin is like a tried this?” “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal”). When I carp to blank passport waiting for stamps. My wish for her is laugh lines husband, he squints at me and says, “What wrinkles?” (Good and stretch marks and other signs of growth and joy. man! Or perhaps age is catching up with him too and he needs I have more to look forward to on my own journey, too – new glasses…) sunspots, thinning hair, turkey neck, crow's feet, bunyons, bingo In Judaism, the physical aspect of our existence holds huge wings… Oy, vey! But it's okay. They make creams for all of that. significance. We are both spiritual and immensely physical beings Instead, I’m choosing to focus on anniversaries, on grandchildren, (at least in this world). Without our bodies, we wouldn’t be able on growing older gracefully and gratefully. Until next time. to fulfill many important mitzvot – our arms lay tefillin, our hands light candles, our lips recite prayers. Throughout our life cycles, our bodies are integrally related to many special rites, from brit milah, to marriage (in the biblical sense) and childbirth. Even after death, they are treated with the utmost respect (cleansed by the ritual of tahara and buried in accordance with strict laws). But we must remember that ultimately our bodies are little more than glorified sand castles, like those elaborate edifices on the beach that pull in a few rand each day and are washed away by the elements. Our bodies are houses for our souls. Perhaps stretch marks are Hashem's way of teaching us humility; scars His means of reminding us of important lessons. Wrinkles are graph lines of how far we have come – outward markers of our spiritual

10 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

Michael Greenbaum

Penina Taylor: Missionary Impossible The DUHC was recently privileged to have Penina Taylor as a guest speaker. In welcoming Penina, Rabbi Mark Friedman said the community was very fortunate to have the opportunity to hear her speak about her unique spiritual journey to Torah Judaism. He said that Penina is in great demand worldwide as a speaker whose unique experience has saved Jewish lives spiritually. In the past 10 years, Penina has shared her life story in the US, Israel and South Africa, inspiring Jews to become more observant. The large audience in the Perling Hall was riveted by her astonishing 17- year spiritual journey from Secular Judaism, through Christianity Penina Taylor, Rabbi Friedman and Messianic Judaism to Orthodox Torah Judaism. dynaMix Lag B’Omer Evening In her talk entitled “Missionary: Impossible”, Penina told how she was raised in a secular Jewish home. In her search for The dynaMIX social group, headed by Aubrey Nathan along with spirituality, a high-school friend said “find a relationship with Michael Sevel, Itai and Joanne Mizrachi, and Bradley and Carryn G-d” and persuaded Penina, along with her parents, to become Meltz, hosted a fun-filled "Flaming Hot" Lag B'Omer evening with Christian. Penina then attended a Christian bible college; was a huge bonfire and activities for all. Orli-Shein Essers organized certified as an evangelist and a Billy Graham Crusade counsellor; special games for the children while the adults were treated to an and converted thousands of people to Christianity. After leaving impressive bonfire, enjoying delicious braai burgers accompanied college, Penina married Paul Taylor and both continued work by Israeli music organized by DJ Itai. The highlight was at the end in lay church leadership positions. But Penina described herself of the evening when Bradley Meltz lit a "flaming hot" Lag B’Omer as having “a Jewish soul at war with Christian beliefs.” Her sign which filled the night with light and fire. family then became Messianic Jews (Penina prefers the term After this memorable evening, the DUHC now looks forward “Hebrew Christians”) and started a Messianic congregation. to many more successful events with dynaMIX which Aubrey The family adopted Jewish rituals and dress while still believing Nathan said has created an opportunity for Jewish people to in Christianity. During this time, Penina began reading about meet and socialise with each other in the community. Orthodox Judaism and adopted the concept of "Torah Observant Messianic Judaism." After moving to a religious Jewish neighbourhood in Baltimore, while still practicing as Messianic Jews, the family attended an Orthodox synagogue. Before her son’s barmitzvah, Penina disclosed her Christian beliefs to her Rabbi. He then introduced her to Mark Powers, Director of Jews for Judaism, and together they studied the biblical texts in Hebrew from a Jewish point-of- view. This convinced Penina and her family to reject all forms of Christian belief, including Messianic Judaism, and they adopted Orthodox Torah Judaism, eventually all going on aliyah to Israel where today they live a Torah-observant life. In concluding, Penina noted that as a Christian, she was required to read the entire Hebrew Bible, the Tanach, each year, saying that there are consequently many Christians who are more knowledgeable of the Hebrew Bible than many Jews. She challenged the audience to make reading the entire Tanach one of their many spiritual goals as they “find joy and enthusiasm in Judaism.” Rabbi Zekry then thanked Penina for her exceptional presentation and encouraging message. He also thanked Rabbi Friedman for his extensive efforts in arranging for Penina to come to Durban to tell her inspirational story to the community.

June 2013 HASHALOM 11 COMMUNITY NEWS

Cheryl Unterslak During my last trip to Israel, I delivered numerous gifts around the whole country but the majority of them were delivered to families in the South of Israel who had their lives changed forever from the destruction caused by the rockets that poured into Israel before, during and after “Operation Pillar of Strength” at the end of last year. I visited numerous families in Ashkelon, Kiryat Malachi, Sderot and the surrounding areas for days, and heard about their suffering; it was heartbreaking. One of the examples is family S whose husband and father of three small children was killed when after taking his family to the bomb shelter he went back to help others to the bomb shelter. Their home was destroyed and they are now staying in tempory accommodation, and are to deal with their enormous loss and the numerous changes in their lives. They are battling. Family A’s home was completely destroyed by a rocket, and their teenage son Yitzchak was killed. I met with his parents and siblings and they were in terrible emotional pain trying to Aviv whose mother was badly Shimon whose brother was killed deal with the loss of their beloved son as well as their home and injured by a rocket belongings. One of the daughters gave birth to a baby boy a few months afterwards and they have named the baby Yitzchak after his late uncle. I visited family Z in their tiny apartment where the mother of four small children was lying on the couch recovering from Tehilla who has bad surgeries after having her legs badly injured when a rocket fell PTSD after a rocket next to her while she was running towards a bomb shelter. This landed in the lounge is a very close loving family who had financial challenges before, of her apartment and now have many more challenges to deal with while she and when she was in it her family heal physically, emotionally and financially. These are just a few examples of how badly the families in the South are affected by the rockets, and how many lives were changed forever in a second. There are so many of these families dealing with a lot of pain and an enormous amount suffering with PTSD. The families were all so happy with the gifts to make the children happy and they were all comforted knowing that there are Jews from South Africa who are aware of their suffering and who really do care about them and show their support. SAM'S SERVICES All the gifts that were distributed to these families came from the children at Kind David Linksfield Park in Johannesburg, from I offer the following services: Eden in Johannesburg and Sylvia and Ayshis Chayil who always Shuttle to and from airport, lifts, doctors, brings a lot of joy and comfort to lots of these special children shopping etc. over the years. I will stand in queues at the licensing department etc. Car repairs, panel beating, auto trimming. Collect and deliver documents and parcels within the greater Durban area. Any service which you do not have time for I will be able to help you with. Very affordable prices

Reliable and punctual

Levi Yitzchak whose father was killed Please contact: SAM ON 082 823 6751

12 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

Alana Baranov Recent Events – Pesach 2013 and our Minyanaires at North Coast Chabad. Club A few months later, in my Friday afternoon phone conversation with We had superb communal Seders at Chabad this year with 101 my grandchildren, my granddaughter asked me to bring her a prayer guest and locals for first night and 73 for the second night. book. Naturally, the next time I went to visit, I brought her a prayer book. This was a rather inexplicable request on her part. She had Wednesday evenings’ Minyanaires is growing and each week no knowledge of Hebrew at all and was only six years old, so she there is something happening after the minyan - Klabejas, Sushi, could barely read English, never mind Hebrew. Every evening after Movie Night, Fabrengen Night etc. The locals are loving it - this, she insisted that her mother read to her from the prayer book Chabad Rocks Umhlanga!! at bedtime. Given her newfound interest, I went to the Chabad Stay in touch! bookshop and bought a few more books. If you would like to receive SMS notifications for Shabbos and It was now two years later and David was going on thirteen. Of events please SMS your name and number to 0825500503. If course, I would have liked him to have celebrated his Bar Mitzva in you would like to subscribe to our bi-monthly email, mail us a fitting manner, but it seemed unlikely that this would happen. He on [email protected]. Check out our website at www. had had no formal Jewish education and there were no Jews where chabadnc.com. they lived. WITH A SMILE By Mia Roth One day I got a phone call from my daughter. Rabbi Shlomo and two young Lubavitch students came all the way to their town to pay them Two years ago my two grandchildren and I were strolling along a visit. My daughter had said "hello" to Rabbi Shlomo in Umhlanga the beach at a holiday resort on South Africa's North Coast called a week or two before and he expressed wishes to visit her. Shlomo Umhlanga. We had a family flat a block away from the beach and managed to win over not only my granddaughters with his lovely were enjoying the summer sun. smile, but the whole family, including my son-in-law. Of course, it At that time, Judaism played a very small part in the lives of my was not only the charm of his personality that won them over, but grandchildren, my daughter's two children. My daughter had had a leg the Lubavitch way of not condemning anybody and accepting the amputated when she was twelve years old. It made her adolescence situation for what it is and proceeding from there. a difficult time for her and when she married Jimmy, a non-Jewish boy Before long, Rabbi Shlomo had David learning the blessing to be from down our street, although initially upset, I eventually accepted recited at the Torah. Suddenly it looked as if David would have a Bar the fact that this was part of the fallout from her disability. Mitzva after all! When Shlomo ascertained that my granddaughter A year later my grandson was born. I arranged for his his brit mila had never been named at the Torah, he suggested the name Ariela (circumcision). Three years later, my beautiful granddaughter - a name she liked immediately. The following Shabbat we went to was born and shortly thereafter the whole family moved from shul and Ariela received her name. Johannesburg to a very pretty town, two hours from Umhlanga. Two months before the Bar Mitzva, Jimmy got an offer to work in There were no Jews in the town and for the first twelve years of his Australia and the family emigrated. The only person they knew in life, my grandson had no Jewish instruction. Australia was Jimmy's sister and her family. Coincidentally, a good But that all began to change one summer morning. As my friend of his sister was the secretary of the local Jewish day school. grandchildren and I strolled along the beach, I noticed a large sign The next thing I heard, both children were attending the school! This that said, "North Coast Chabad." Though I later found out that the meant that the family had to rent a house nearby. Coincidentally sign had been in this conspicuous place for many years, I had never this house happened to be across the park from the shul run by noticed it before. Why I saw it that day I don't know. another Lubavitcher, who welcomed them with the same warmth as Shlomo, though, as my Ariela pointed out, Shlomo's smile was "David," I said, "Go see if the Rabbi is at home." still the best. "What for?" asked David, quite reasonably. "What shall I say to him The Bar Mitzva finally took place on a Shabbat two months after if he is home?" their arrival in Australia. The Friday night meal was a small family "Just go and see," I answered. gathering augmented by the presence of my oldest son who came Off David went, reappearing minutes later. Behind him was a specifically for the occasion. Jewish friends cooked, attended, and rather roly-poly figure, dressed in black, looking a bit confused. I helped to make it a special event. We had a kiddush after services was confused as well. What did I want to say to him? Nothing in on Shabbat and all went well. When I left to go back to South Africa particular, it seemed. I introduced the two children and myself and three weeks later, my daughter's last request was that the next time then we said goodbye and went home. In the end, I think he was as I came I should please bring a few mezuzot. She only had two to put perplexed at the encounter as I was. I told my daughter that we had up and their new house has five outside doors. Ariela overheard this met a rather nice rabbi that day and my granddaughter added that conversation and made me promise to bring one for her bedroom she liked his smile. That was our first meeting with Shlomo, Rabbi door, as well.

June 2013 HASHALOM 13 COMMUNITY NEWS

Enjoying pita on Yom Haatzmaut Joshua Aronoff, Josh Serjeant, Norma Bloch Jade Friedman Shalom, It is another eventful term in the Eden pupil’s calendar, jam- packed with celebrations, festivals and shiurim which were presented by a range of note-worthy lecturers and speakers. Some were solemn days, such as Yom Hashoah - the day we remember the tragedy of the Holocaust. The moving candle- lighting ceremony was accompanied by pupils reading excerpts and poems written by children of the Holocaust. Mrs. Marcellin, the Eden College History teacher, gave a thought-provoking talk on the lessons to be learnt from this horrific period. For Yom Ha’atzmaut our resident Hebrew teacher Mr. Eli Lauwrence Peretz had us captivated with his enlightening lesson Alana Baranov on the Israeli Defense Force and his experiences with the ‘dog unit’. Pupils commented on how meaningful it was to listen to Children of Chabannes - Upcoming Events his real-life stories which they could relate to. We celebrated Lag B’ Omer with glorious weather and a braai at the Eden swimming pool – a South African version of the traditional bonfires used by Jewish communities around the world to mark the lifting of the mourning period between Passover and Shavuot. Eli proved that he is not only a skilled Hebrew teacher and a famous ‘dog handler’ but also a chef of note, cooking our boerie roll to perfection. In our series of shiurim, pupils had the opportunity to ask Rabbi Perez a number of interesting questions in his informal question and answer session. Stem cell research was just one of the topics they wanted to know about. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome back Rabbi Michael Vegoda to Eden College; he devoted his shiur to how we can all become kinder, more empathetic human beings. Needless to say, as with all Jewish functions there was food a-plenty - from pizzas, to falafel, boerie rolls, to nachos and sweets. Our pupils certainly never go hungry!!! Until next month.

Our latest newsletter is out! Learning with Rabbi Expanded to a full six pages to capture all of our exciting news Perez and interesting events, the DHC’s latest newsletter is out! Be sure to stop by the DHC to collect your copy or alternatively, access it on our Facebook page Rabbi Perez with (www.facebook.com/dbnholocentre) or on our website www. Joshua Serjeant and holocaust.org.za. Joshua Aronoff.

14 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

Robert Sussman, Executive Director This month saw a visit to the Umhlanga Jewish Centre (UJC) by Shelli Strous the residents of Jewel House along with workers from Masada. Everyone was treated to a delicious braai and enjoyed exploring The Moriah children enjoy singing and percussion rings with the campus, especially those people who had never visited the musical instruments. We have recently learnt Hatikvah, Nkosi UJC on prior occasions. Sikelele and Shosholoza! This term we have focused on learning about Colours and we have incorporated Jewish and secular The shul at the UJC continues to grow, as more and more themes into our learning process. We are delighted to welcome visitors come to see the beautiful and inspiring atmosphere that Emma van de Weg to the Moriah family. visitors just can’t stop talking about – and then wind up coming back again and again because they so enjoy being here. We’ve We are continually working on interesting new ideas for play also started to get regular visits from people who happen to based learning so that our Moriah mornings are filled with be on holiday or doing business in the surrounding area and spiritual and intellectual growth and development. word is really beginning to spread about the South Africa Jewish For more information about our very special school which communities’ newest crown jewel. We’re looking forward to welcomes all Jewish children across the community, from the hosting our very first shul dinner in honour of Shavuot – but age of 16 months to approximately 3 years old, kindly contact more about that in the next issue. Shelli Strous 031 201 7439 (mornings). As always, the Kollel continues to offer interesting shiurim every week – please contact us for further details.

David Friedman, Shai Shapiro, Slade Stark, Raphael Moshal and Everyone enjoying the view from the deck at the UJC. Erryn Hermelin

Slade Stark and Raphael Moshal Emma van de Weg Exploring the campus by the Kollel homes at the UJC. singing Torah Torah

Erryn Hermelin, Mikaela Pillemer, Slade Stark and Shai Shapiro Enjoying the braai at the UJC. enjoy their Lag b'Omer picnic

June 2013 HASHALOM 15 COMMUNITY NEWS

UMHLANGA JEWISH DAY SCHOOL Robert Sussman Busy, busy busy – there’s no other way to describe the last few weeks at UJDS. In honour of Yom Ha’Atzma’ut, we had a fun-filled visit from the Israeli Caravan, who brought with them food to taste and games to play. Grades R to 7 went on outings to the Natural Science Museum where they had an opportunity to learn all about the earth and the many creatures that inhabit it. Some students were even brave enough to hold a giant Madagascar hissing cockroach, one of the largest cockroaches in the world! Grade 6 and 7 students had their own adventure on the school campus – bivouacking! The students erected temporary shelters and stayed overnight on the school playground under the supervision of the very dedicated (and brave) Grade 6/7 Teacher Duncan Rankin and UJDS Librarian, Lynn Cutter. The students had a great time braaiing, playing games, and staying up late.

Israeli Caravan at UJDS Roasting Marshmallows on Lad B'Omer Daniel Meltz and Kedem Papo building (the day after Lag B'Omer) their shelter

Danielle Burne, Duncan Rankin, and Rachel Daniel Meltz, Kedem Papo, and Ethan Plen Rachel Rosen and Danielle Burne Rosen waking up after bivouacking building their shelter building their shelter

Grade 2 and 3 students petting the crocodile Students getting hands on with a crocodile at Grade 2 and 3 students at the at the Natural Science Museum the Natural Science Museum Natural Science Museum

Students looking at the dinosaur at the Grade R and 1 students at the Natural Grades R and 1 learning about Wildebeest Natural Science Museum Science Museum at the Natural Science Museum

16 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

Talmud Torah Talmud Torah Generations Cheryl Unterslak Cheryl Unterslak Well done to all the participants of the first term quiz who all got 100% and were given Toy Zone vouchers as prizes! It is On the evening of Thursday the 2nd of May, Talmud Torah held amazing to see such commitment from everyone. a parents information evening at the Durban Jewish Centre For those of you who do not know, Talmud Torah: Generations for all of the Talmud Torah parents and anyone else who was happens on Sunday afternoons at Moriah and is focused on interested in learning what exactly Talmud Torah is about. The providing both the time and the material to enable parents to evening was very well attended, and the parents were addressed learn with their children. Everyone who attends receives an by both Rabbi Perez and Rabbi Vegoda, who visit regularly. amazing booklet put together by Rabbi Vegoda. The booklet Rabbi Perez spoke to the parents about the importance of has 3 interactive sections: the first talks about an aspect of the educating your children and how important education is in weekly Torah portion, the second presents a moral dilemma to Judaism. Rabbi Vegoda spoke about the importance of Jewish be discussed and the third teaches about mitzvot. Each section education and the amazing role he plays in the development is written in a fun and exciting way and everyone can take of teaching material for Talmud Torah and Talmud Torah: something out of it! It is amazing to watch parents learning with Generations. Both Rabbis stressed the importance of a parent’s their children and to see how much both the parents and the role in the Jewish education of their children. Parents also had children get out of the experience! the opportunity to ask questions not only to the Rabbis, but also At the end of the first, second and third terms, a quiz takes to all of the teachers involved, and to put suggestions forward to place on the booklets of the last two weeks.. Everyone who make Talmud Torah even more of a success! attends receives a prize just for taking part and everyone who gets 100% for the quiz receives a toy voucher! Everyone from Sh’keiach to all of those involved in putting this evening together grade 6 and below is invited to attend! and an especially big thank you to all of the parents who are so dedicated to the Jewish education of their children! At the end of the fourth term every year there is a very exciting draw for 2 tickets to Israel – one for the winning child and for one parent. Every time you attend Talmud Torah: Generations during the year, your child receives one entry into this draw! So the more you attend, the greater your chance of winning! We really encourage everyone to take advantage of this fantastic programme! For more information please feel free to contact Cheryl on [email protected] or Jess on jess.johnstone@ gmail.com.

Letter to the Editor Joan Truscott writes ... Penny Toubkin talking to Rabbi Vegoda Dear Editor, Every second Friday, Erev Shabbos, the passages of Beth Shalom ring out with laughter and the patter of feet. The quiet of our home suddenly erupts and sleepy residents stir at the sound of children's high pitched voices. The children of the Umhlanaga Jewish Day school have arrived to bring bobbas and zaidas treats and wish us Shabbat Shalom. The children, who are a delight, arrive with their morahs or mommies, knock on our doors and present us each with a bag of goodies. It is a joy to have them visit us,especially as many of us have grand-children very far away. Sometimes we are lucky enough to steal a little kiss. This mitzvah is good for the children too. It teaches them that the elderly are still part of society and that we matter no how old we are are, we are still deserving of love and care We are grateful and want everyone involved to know how much we appreciate and welcome our little visitors. They bring Parents talking to Rivka Hermelin sunshine into our lives.

June 2013 HASHALOM 17 COMMUNITY NEWS

Grant Maserow

Yom Yerushalayim Yom Yerushalayim took place on the evening of 7 May at the Durban Jewish Centre. There was a great turn out with a crowd of approximately 70 people. Yom Yerushalayim is the celebration of the liberation of Jerusalem, in the Six Day War in 1967. Jerusalem was reunited after 19 years and the Jews were able to access the Kotel. Rabbi Pinhas Zekry, our guest speaker, spoke about the urgency and anticipation of the reuniting of Jerusalem with Jews and with Israel, at the outbreak of the Six Day War. He recounted the experiences of Rabbi Goren, the chief Rabbi of the IDF, of finding and accessing the Kotel and saying tehillim because it was too early in the day for mincha, yet the auspicious moment was too great to go without praise to Hashem. Ronnie Bank, Rochelle Winer, Jeanette Bank Rabbi Zekry commented that today we take our visits to Jerusalem for granted; we land at Ben Gurion airport, drive to Jerusalem and walk to the Kotel, without a thought of the struggle of the soldiers and Jewish leaders of the day to bring us to this moment. Yom Yerushalayim is a day of praise to Hashem for the blessing of having a reunited Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel and the Jewish people. A short extract from the movie Follow Me: The Story of the Six Day War, was screened, showing the recapture of Jerusalem and the Old City in 1967. The evening concluded with a prayer for Jerusalem invoked by Rabbi Zekry. Thereafter, the guests were treated to wine and coffee and Selma’s delicious humus and felafel. Robert and Noa Sussman

Rabbi Pinhas Zekry Rabbi Zekry and Jessica Stout

18 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

Zionist Caravan in Durban (19 – 22 April) Kendyll Jacobson The Zionist Caravan made the trip to Durban for another great whirlwind visit. The van arrived on Friday the 19th of April, after driving through terrible rain – much to their disappointment as they were looking forward to “Sunny Durban”. The group consisted of Ori Leizer - Betar Shaliach, – Yuval Berger – Netzer Shaliach, - Yaron Shiponi (and his wife Noa and son Daniel) – Habonim Shaliach and Robbie Cohen who works for the Israel Centre. Their schedule was packed and everybody knew that their trip, while extremely informative and fun, would also be short. The first event which they held was on Saturday night at the Young Israel Centre for children in grade 8 – 12. Here they showed a movie and had a wonderful Israeli meal, everyone sat around the table talking about different aspects of Israel and possible aliyah and study options in Israel. The following morning, after a late night, everyone headed to the YIC again but this time for an activity with the grade 0 – 7 children. The kids were treated to great Israeli sweets and snacks but with a twist. Blindfolded, the children had to trust the Israelis, open wide, bite down and guess which treat they were given – everyone hoping they wouldn’t get the pickle! A great morning was had by all who attended. Before the Caravan’s evening event they went up to Valley of 1000 Hills and Phezulu to see the traditional Zulu village there. On Sunday evening there was an event for the whole community at the DJC where the Caravan put out a wonderful selection of Israeli food and screened a movie - Israel Inside - followed by an open discussion. Finally to finish off their road trip, on Monday morning the Israeli’s visited Umhlanga Jewish Day School where they played fun food games and entertained the children during their break time. The 6 of them were hosted amongst our community and a special thank you goes out to those who opened their homes for the weekend. Our community was extremely privileged to be given the opportunity to have a taste of Israel brought to us. We can only hope that the Caravan will come again next year and we look forward to any future Israeli endeavours.

Ori, Yaron and Michelle Shapira enjoying the Yuval and Robbie at UJDS playing a food game Israeli food and conversation on Sunday evening

Ori ‘Israel Man’ with the grade 0 – 7 kids and Kendyll on Sunday morning

19 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

Diane McColl Linda Nathan Lag B’Omer with the DPJC Rena Quint’s Visit To Westville Prison Sunday, 28 April saw the annual Lag B’Omer braai at the DPJC. After Rev.Bongane Hlatshwayo, Head Chaplain of Correctional Members of Netzer manned the fires and cooked while the Services KZN, heard a radio interview with Rena Quint, our hard working ‘Friends of Netzer’, the Mums, made salads. The guest speaker at Yom Hashoah this year, he immediately contacted us to inquire if he could attend the function and meet lazy afternoon was topped by music provided by the talented Mrs Quint in person. After Yom Hashoah, Rev Hlatshwayo duo of Stephen Abrahams and Stan Lipschitz who played old extended an invitation for Mrs Quint to address the female favourites to a small but appreciative audience. So good was the inmates at Westville Prison. music that the more adventurous present were up on their feet On Tuesday 9th April Linda Nathan (President CKNJ), Roseanne dancing. It was a charming way to end a weekend. Roseanne (Executive Office Administrator CKNJ), Oz Bilu and Shlomo Weiner (Chabad) accompanied Rena and her grandson Boaz to the prison. We were met outside the prison by Rev Hlashwayo, who directed us to the Women’s Prison building and lead us through some very strict security measures. Westville Prison is the largest correctional services facility in South Africa and is home to some 10 000 inmates. As we entered the prison building we were surrounded by the most beautiful singing which emanated from the chapel service being held in the hall. About 150 female inmates were present. Pastor Thabile Khumalo, a retired prosecutor, recited the opening prayer followed by l to r: Leah Chananie, Ingrid Edelson and Ruth Avidan Rev Hlatshwayo who warmly welcomed us and introduced the speakers. Linda Nathan introduced Mrs Quint and explained the purpose of the day. Rena then addressed the inmates. She told her story through an interpreter to a captivated audience, many of whom were reduced to tears. Gifts were presented to all present and then Roseanne Rosen eloquently gave a vote of thanks and a message of inspiration. Shlomo Weiner closed the proceedings with a prayer and a rousing rendition of “Ya’aseh shalom”, with many of the inmates joining in the singing. We were then asked to stand in a reception line so that the women could personally say thank you. They walked out of the l to r: Bruce, David and Rita Jacobsohn hall in single file, singing and embracing those of us present. To quote a survivor, “We have shown that the misery, cruelty, despair and injustice that were afflicted on us, did not break our indomitable will. It did not consume us with hatred to the point of destroying our own and other people’s lives. Instead we set out to create a new life”. Hopefully the lesson learnt was that despite adversity, tragedy, despair and hopelessness, one can live one’s life with purpose, meaning and fulfilment.

Stanley Lipschitz and Stephen Abrahams

Rabbi Hillel Avidan and Ruth are on a three month break in Italy and then on to England where Rabbi will be celebrating his 80th birthday in July with family and friends. The congregation of Temple David wish him happy travels and a very happy 80th birthday. Rena Quint, Rev. Bongane Hlatshwayo

20 HASHALOM June 2013 21 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF ……. Within the Union’s projects there really is something for everyone, because variety is not only the spice of life but also the type of work undertaken by the Union. And not everyone needs to do everything! For the past month members of the Union of Jewish Women’s committee have had a wide variety of projects and/or functions in which to choose to be involved. An informative talk was arranged with ICare about how to deal with street children, or rather how not to….. because by giving them money we are in fact keeping them on the street. They have to choose to leave that lifestyle and options of shelters/homes are available to them. For ICare and other organizations to pick them up and take them to a shelter for rehabilitation is considered kidnapping. Of course the Union participated in the communal Yom Ha’atzmaut function and once again had a “sell out” success with shwarma and hot chips. Thanks to the ladies who toiled over the hot stove and those who did the selling! Another interesting and amusing talk full of personal anecdotes was given by Rabbi Silberhaft to launch his book detailing his travels throughout Southern Africa. His knowledge about the country communities is phenomenal and the account of his experiences at Buckingham Palace and with various members of government or business hierarchy very entertaining. A visit was arranged to the Hillcrest Government Hospital, a long term facility for patients who need care and have nowhere else to live. Our very sincere appreciation to members of our community for their magnanimous response to our appeal for cup-cakes and sandwiches. Until you experience the gratitude personally you have no idea how much that small treat means to the patients. The Union co-sponsors flights for Rabbi Perez to visit Durban. His Shiurim continue to grow in popularity and we are fortunate that the walls of Marcel and Linda’s home keep “expanding”. The last topic discussed was the “Jewish perspective of angels” which led to very divergent opinions and lively and amusing discussions.

22 HASHALOM June 2013 COMMUNITY NEWS

Above Board Mary Kluk, National Chairman A column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies COMFORTING

An alarming upsurge of antisemitism in Europe WINTER PUDS! Last month, together with our National Director Wendy Kahn, Cape Chairman Li Boiskin and Cape Director David Jacobson attended the World Jewish Congress Plenary Assembly in PEAR AND CHOCOLATE CRUMBLE Budapest, Hungary. There was also an African Jewish Congress Filling: delegation, led by its President Mervyn Smith and Spiritual 8 pears, peeled & quartered grated zest and juice of 1 lemon Leader and CEO Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft. The meeting was held 2 Tablespoons brown sugar in Budapest on this occasion in order to show solidarity with 2 tablespoons water the local Jewish community, which has of late experienced an 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces alarming resurgence of right-wing antisemitism. In the course of Place pears, lemon zest, juice, sugar and water into a saucepan over our stay, we indeed witnessed at first-hand the severity of this low heat. Gently stir to ensure that the pears are covered by the liquid. problem. Whatever threats that we might face in South Africa, Cook until pears are tender (about 10 minutes). Cool. Place pears and it bears no relation to a situation where overt anti-Semitic juice in an ovenproof dish – add the chocolate pieces. rhetoric features continually in the public domain. We certainly Crumble: cannot deny the high level of security that was provided for 175g butter or margarine, chilled & diced the conference by the authorities, yet the very fact that such 1 cup flour 1 cup oats comprehensive measures were deemed necessary tells its own ½ cup brown sugar sad story. One cannot imagine a Jewish leadership gathering in 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces South Africa ever having to be protected in this way. To make the crumble, place the flour and butter in the food processor In the firing line is Hungary’s 100 000-strong Jewish community, and process until crumbly. Add the other ingredients by hand. Sprinkle one of the largest in Europe. We were heartened to see how, crumble evenly over the pears and bake at 170degC for 25 - 30 minutes. despite the negative propaganda against them, its members are Serve with ice cream or custard! going about fostering a broad-based renewal of Jewish life in the country. At the same time, it was evident how pervasive is the APPLE AND BERRY SPONGE PUDDING legacy of the Holocaust within the community. It was only near 3 Granny Smith Apples, 2 eggs the end of the war that the Nazis extended their programme of peeled and chopped 2 Tablespoons milk (orly whip) mass extermination to Hungarian Jewry, yet even in the short 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest 1 teaspoon vanilla time available, and despite the heroic efforts of Raoul Wallenberg, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup flour they succeeded in shooting and gassing of more than 600 000 1 ½ cups castor sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 500g frozen mixed berries Icing sugar to dust Jewish men, women and children. Unlike in Poland, Lithuania and elsewhere, however, a significant minority was liberated, Place the apple, lemon juice and 1 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and and they and their descendants are acutely aware that they are cook over low heat, stirring for about 3 minutes. Cook for a further 3-4 a community of Holocaust survivors. minutes until the apple softens slightly. Add the berries. Pour mixture into a greased ovenproof dish. Beat eggs, milk and remaining sugar with The conference provided an inspiring display of Jewish solidarity, a beater until pale. Add the vanilla, the fold in the flour and baking as well as strong messages of support from other European powder. Spread this batter gently over the fruit, then place in 180degC leaders. No matter where they might be, Jews everywhere oven for 20 – 25 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and serve with ice cream or 1 cup thick cream mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. know that their fellow Jews, whether under the umbrella of the WJC or other influential world bodies, will exert themselves to the utmost on their behalf in confronting anti-Semitic threats CITRUS DELIGHT against them. This was the strong message that was conveyed to 90g butter ½ cup flour Hungarian Jewry, as well as to the government of that country. 1 ½ cups castor sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 ½ cups milk 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind Cyril Karabus: Home at last 3 eggs Icing sugar for dusting The story of Dr Cyril Karabus has gripped the Jewish world, ½ cup lemon juice and particularly our own community, during the nine months in Place the butter, sugar, milk, eggs, lemon juice, flour, baking powder and which he was unjustly imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates. orange rind in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth We applaud everyone involved in bringing this saga to a happy Pour into a lightly greased ovenproof dish and bake 180degC for 1 conclusion, with a special mention of the role played by Dr hour, until golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve with some vanilla Karabus’ legal representative in South Africa, Michael Bagraim. ice cream Michael has rendered extensive service to South African Jewry over many years, including as National Chairman of the SAJBD. The part he played in bringing Cyril Karabus home will certainly be ranked as one of his finest achievements.

June 2013 HASHALOM 23 COMMUNITY NEWS Social & Personal Diary of Events

BIRTHS Mazaltov to Darren and Hayley Katzer on the birth of a son and to June 2013 Marion Katzer on the birth of a grandson; to Penny Berman on the 4 7.30p.m. KNZC Israeli Film Club DJCentre birth of a grandson, a son for Jeremy and Paula; to Ruby Goldberg on the birth of twin great grandchildren, a boy and a girl for Gary 5 9.30a.m. UJW Friendship Club Beth Shalom and Britt Shotland and to Neville Shotland and Arline Shotland on 12 8.30a.m. UJW "Morning of Cards" DJ Centre the birth of twin grandchildren; to Shirley Tollman on the birth of a grandson, a son for Lisa and Brian Lotterman in USA. 14 10a.m. Sisterhood AGM Temple David BAR/BATMITZVAH 18 7.30p.m. HOD Lodge Jaffa DJ Centre Mazaltov to Rochelle Freedman on the barmitzvah of her grandson 19 9.30a.m. Sisterhood Friendship Club Beth Shalom Jared, son of Adine and Phillip Osopov; to Fay Herr and Hymie Herr on the batmitzvah of their granddaughter Erin, daughter of 4p.m. DUHC Sinai Indaba Umhlanga Michael and Candice Herr in Melbourne; to Jeannette Landy on Jewish Centre the batmitzvah of her granddaughter Jessica, daughter of Desray 20 5.45p.m. DUHC Perling Hall and Bruce Conne. Annual General Meeting ENGAGEMENT July 2013 Mazaltov to Jenna Reinbach on her engagement to Gil Lewinsky in Jerusalem. 3 9.30a.m. UJW Friendship Club Beth Shalom MARRIAGES 9 7.30.p.m. KNZC Is Lit DJ Centre Mazaltov to Sidney and Gaynor Lazarus on the marriage of their daughter Aviva to Alon Glassman; to Mike Sevel and Sarah Hagen All times and venues correct at time of going to press on their marriage and to Rob and Gill Sevel on the marriage of their son Mike and to Lily Cline on the marriage of her grandson. Hashalom is not responsible for errors and omissions. BIRTHDAYS Please submit your information in writing to Mazaltov to Colin Goldberg on his 70th birthday. The Editor, PO Box 10797, Marine Parade 4056 CONDOLENCES or fax to (031) 3379600 or email [email protected]. Deepest sympathy to Stan Hart on the passing of his mother Sybil.

24 HASHALOM June 2013