Jewish organisations pay tribute to a great visionary and leader

Eliot Osrin 23 September 1932 — 15 February 2017

Chairman United Jewish Campaign Chairman Herzlia Constantia Building Fund Chairman Herzlia ‘Save Our Schools’ Campaign Chairman Herzlia Remission Fund Chairman United Appeal Chairman United Herzlia Schools Chairman Herzlia Middle School Building Campaign Chairman Herzlia Emergency Campaign Chairman Highlands House Emergency Campaign Chairman Western Province Priorities Board Chairman United Herzlia Schools Board of Trustees Chairman Highlands House Board of Trustees Trustee Community Security Organisation Trustee of 26 Charitable Foundations

What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others. Pericles The profound impact that Eliot Osrin made on the Cape Town Jewish Community is clearly reflected in the following tributes

United Jewish Campaign The name Eliot is synonymous with the strength and vitality of the Cape Town Jewish Community. During more than five decades of communal service, Eliot Osrin proved himself to be a visionary, a masterful strategic thinker, a skilled diplomat and our community’s ‘statesman’ without peer. These outstanding attributes coexisted with endearing humility and unwavering selflessness. His achievements, too numerous to mention, merit the praise of every member of our Jewish Community. Most institutions in Cape Town owe their continued viability to Eliot. Towards the end of 2013, when the UJC faced challenges, it was Eliot who rolled up his sleeves in order to assist in securing essential funding. Eliot was a fundraiser par excellence and introduced many fundraising innovations, which are still used today. With his amazing foresight, Eliot encouraged numerous families to create trusts in order for the community to benefit long after they passed on or left the country. Eliot was a source of guidance and counsel to all community leaders who frequently called upon him. The community owes its deepest gratitude and indebtedness to a man who moved mountains for the benefit of his brethren.

SA Jewish Board of Deputies That he was the visionary, guiding hand of our community for decades is beyond dispute. He spearheaded the financial stability of our community including the collection of funds for the community, Herzlia and Highlands House to name a few. He realised his vision for a well- funded and disciplined Cape Town Jewish Community. A man of great compassion, generosity and sound common sense, Eliot was a devoted family man and a devoted member of the Jewish Community who has taken a leadership role in most of its organisations. Eliot was responsible for ensuring the financial stability of Highlands House and Herzlia through establishing trust funds, and of our community through numerous fund raising campaigns and by persuading people to set up charitable trusts to benefit our community, and companies to acknowledge their corporate social responsibilities and philanthropic duties.

Highlands House Having to provide the content for this special insert is somewhat surreal as we all felt that Eliot would go on forever. What will go on forever is the contribution that he made to the Cape Town Jewish Community in its many aspects and spheres. When facing financial disaster some 30 years ago, Eliot launched an Emergency Campaign that saved Highlands House. Not satisfied with this effort, he continued to fundraise to establish a Capital Fund which is today the Highlands House Foundation. Eliot served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Highlands House and remained a Trustee until his death. He was made an Honorary Life Trustee of the Home. One of Eliot’s last projects for the Home was to ensure that a written history of Highlands House was brought up-to-date. The prominence played by Eliot in the Home’s history, is evidenced by the fact that photographs of Eliot appear at every major event ever held at the Home, in this publication. He will be sorely missed by all associated with Highlands House.

United Herzlia Schools Over the past 60 years Eliot served as PTA chair, UHS chair and ultimately as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was also a patron of the Herzlia Foundation Trust. Eliot was the uncrowned prince of the Jewish Community in Cape Town whose wisdom and support was sought by all. He was a man who was incredibly generous with his time, guiding and nurturing all who sought his help. He mentored decades of UHS Chairs and Communal Leaders and guided the school through turbulent times with wisdom, compassion and vision. We owe Eliot a huge debt of gratitude for providing a well-resourced, structured community that serves us today. He lived in today but with a firm eye on the future vision. He had the perfect alignment of head, heart and hands. “A good heart and a good head are always a formidable combination”, Eliot went one better, he had good hands. Eliot was a doer, he set an example by always being the first to contribute and got things done. Eliot at the Herzlia AGM in 2010

Cape Town Holocaust Centre Eliot was a man of wisdom, vision and action. Although small in stature, he was a giant of a human being, who with modesty, endeavor and shunning the limelight, ensured the development, restructuring, growth and sustainability of all of the institutions of the Jewish community of Cape Town. He also had an extraordinary ability to recognise and appreciate the worth in the dreams of others and to help them to realise them with the necessary emotional and financial support. His encouragement of his wife Myra in the establishment of the Cape Town Holocaust Centre helped realise her vision. This in turn led to the key role that the South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation has played in Holocaust education and teacher training in , and the impact that all the Holocaust Centres in South Africa have had on the human rights landscape of the post-apartheid South Africa. Eliot set the financial foundations for the sustainability of the enterprise and ensured that this would continue into the future not only through his directing of and campaigning for funding from philanthropic families, foundations and trusts but also, together with Myra, for their enormous generosity in their private capacity. SA Zionist Federation Eliot Osrin was a towering visionary and leader extraordinaire of the Cape Town Jewish Community. He was the very definition of a mensch and a man of utter humility and integrity. Decades ago he had the foresight to put structures in place that would secure the sustainability of the Cape Town Jewish Community. He backed that up with the chutzpah and tenacity needed to ask community members to give generously and to secure trusts, wills and bequests. All those he encountered knew they were investing in a bright future for the of South Africa. Our vibrant and exceptionally well-organised community is a thriving testament to his indefatigable energy and honour. The South African Zionist Federation (Cape Council) had a warm and significant relationship with him, and we worked closely with him on numerous projects. His sound advice and guidance assisted us in all that we did. May his memory be a great blessing, and may he be a role model for how we all should live.

Community Security Organisation Amongst his many leadership roles within the community, Eliot was a trustee of the CSO. He played a vital and active role over many years as a mentor and fundraiser for the CSO that ultimately was of benefit to the broader community. His numerous visions for the Cape Town Jewish Community included ensuring the growth of the CSO and availability of resources for the CSO to fulfil its mission ‘to Protect Jewish Life and the Jewish Way of Life.’ Eliot personified the mission of CSO and taught the CSO members the value and importance of serving the community. Eliot was the key for critically needed security upgrades in recent years. When an emergency community leadership meeting was held for Project Protect, to plan urgent physical security upgrades at community installations, Eliot ensured that the funding was immediately made available. When the CSO vision of a training venue was raised, Eliot once again supported the vision and sourced the funding. Eliot was an inspiring community leader and in the words of one of the CSO team, “a mensch, who inspired me to serve the community. He was so modest and made time to greet each and every one of us with warmth and sincerity.” Eliot and his beloved and much admired wife Myra have always supported the CSO. Eliot was the ultimate protector of the Jewish Community and the CSO mission statement.

Jewish Community Services While Eliot’s many accomplishments in the fields of law and business were remarkable and distinguished, he will best be remembered as an extraordinary leader, benefactor and tireless supporter of Cape Town’s Jewish Community. Eliot was the one individual to whom you could turn for guidance and advice, in the certain knowledge that his response would be sage, generous and morally exemplary. His perpetual optimism, too, was infectious and coloured the enthusiasm with which he devoted his energies to the welfare of his society. There were few charities or deserving community causes that did not at some time benefit handsomely from his philanthropy. He leaves an enormous communal void, but also a legacy of service and generosity which we shall remember for many years, for the memorials to his life are etched into every facet and institution of our community.

Telfed Eliot was a man of strategic brilliance, insightful wisdom, patience and humility. The Telfed Family was privileged to have known him and loved him for many decades, a man who endeared himself to all he came in contact with, marked by his sensitivity, soft smile and cheerful chuckle. The impact of his involvement is woven in the lives of many, spanning several generations: his presence, good cheer and warm personality will be fondly remembered Myra and Eliot Osrin in front of the plaque by those whose lives he touched honouring them, at the Telfed offices.

Midrasha and Melton Eliot led from the front, mentored many and offered valuable counsel. Eliot was the architect of many of the community structures and champion particularly of Jewish education. He generously supported the Midrasha and our educational programmes. He leaves a legacy for the next generation.

The Rabbinical Association of the Western Cape The Rabbinical Association of the Western Cape joins the Cape Town Jewish Community, in paying respects to the legacy of our beloved and respected Eliot Osrin. Eliot publicly stated that "the Shuls are the heart of our community" and his sensitive touch and principled compassionate leadership was a source of personal inspiration and guidance to so many of us in the rabbinate. There is not an institution in this town, or person in our community, whose life has not been enriched by Eliot’s influential vision and tireless five decades of communal leadership. He leaves our entire communal infrastructure stronger and better positioned to service the diverse range of welfare, educational and religious services to our people.

South African Jewish Museum Eliot was a man of exceptional integrity, commitment and generosity. His contribution to the Cape Town Jewish Community cannot be overstated. It is due to his foresight and diligence that the Cape Town Jewish Community is in a position to accomplish many of the vibrant, socially conscious, culturally rich activities that underpin our communal identity. His immense presence will be sorely missed. Albow Brothers Centre and Samson Centre Eliot was instrumental in the building of the Samson Centre and the renovation and refurbishment of the Albow Brothers Centre. He arranged the finance from The Harold and Beatrice Kramer Foundation for the building of the new security entrance at the Albow Brothers Centre as well as money towards the Albow Brothers Centre common area. He wanted to build a centralised community both in a physical and conceptual sense to ensure a sustainable community. His guidance and wisdom will be sorely missed.

Phyllis Jowell Eliot was a supporter of Phyllis Jowell from its inception and provided the Board with good advice, encouragement and, of course, access to many donors. He was a humble, dedicated and courageous man who focused most of his time on the needs of the community.

Union of Orthodox Synagogues (Cape Council) We include our voice amongst the many in praise of a man who earned and deserves the praise of others. May the memories we have of the late Eliot Osrin (Eliyahu ben Eliezer) be for a blessing.

The Blouberg Jewish Community Eliot’s warm friendship and patient mentorship was a constant presence in our lives; a gift for which we are ever indebted, to him, and to his beloved Myra, Jeff, Malcolm, Bernard and their families who sacrificed so much of their time with him, so that he could be there to serve all of us in Cape Town’s broader Jewish Community. The Sinai Academy Jewish International School was conceived and developed with the guidance and shared vision that Eliot saw in securing Jewish education for children in the Blouberg Jewish Community.

Jewish Care Cape A giant among men. A visionary. A man of great stature. Eliot’s contribution to Jewish welfare is unsurpassed, lifting Jewish Care Cape to a greater level.

Temple Israel Eliot Osrin will be remembered as one of the great leaders of the Cape Town Jewish Community. His efforts to build up communal structures and the funding for them are legendary, as was his ability to lead all around him. But what made him truly a ‘Communal Leader’ was that he had a vision of our community that included every Jew. It did not matter what shul or organisation you belonged to, what your background or income was, or political belief. You were all part of the community that was so beloved to him. And he dedicated all of his energies to ensuring that each Jew had the obligation to give and the benefit that came with it — of a Jewish Cape Town that in its tiny size is better resourced and organised than many much larger ones in Europe, and North America. We will truly miss his vision and inclusivity.

Cape Jewish Seniors Association Eliot Osrin will be remembered for his communal vision, his foresight in initiating the formation of Jewish Care Cape, for always being an incredible sounding board, a person with huge integrity and someone who believed in the community and its welfare with every breath that he took. Eliot was always available and he gave of himself, listening to every side of every story before giving sage advice. Despite his size, Eliot was a giant in the Cape Town Community and beyond.

Union of Jewish Women As a pillar of our community, he set an example for us all with his positive outlook and sage advice. His support over many years was unyielding and he will always be remembered with gratitude and affection.

WIZO South Africa and Bnoth Zion WIZO Eliot worked selflessly and tirelessly for the viability and sustainability of our Community, setting in place sound community structures, fiscal propriety and governance which have become the envy of many diaspora communities. Generous in the extreme, caring and compassionate, driven by the love of community, Eliot led by example.

Oranjia Eliot Osrin was a great and generous benefactor to our organisation. His empathy and understanding of our needs and the needs of our children who are in our care was a reflection of his humbleness and his humanity. He was not only a central pillar of our community, his support for Oranjia never wavered. He will always hold a special place in our hearts and his memory and good deeds will endure forever.

On behalf of all the organisations in the Jewish Community, the Cape Jewish Chronicle wishes Long Life to Myra, Malcolm, Jeffrey and Bernard, Eliot's daughters-in-law and his grandchildren, as well as the entire Osrin family.