Tracing the History of the Smous Bad Jewshits Cape Town a Night Of
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PAM GOLDING ON MAIN NOW OPEN VOLUME 32 No 10 NOVEMBER 2015 www.cjc.org.za www.pamgolding.co.za/on-main Bad Jews hits Cape Town Tracing the history of the smous Last week South Africa welcomed to it’s shores Joshua Harmon’s blisteringly funny and thought -provoking play Bad Jews, which has enjoyed extended runs, played to sold out houses and received rave reviews in London’s West End this year. arlier this year the production Egarnered a five star review from the Jewish Chronicle (UK). “There is something particularly remarkable Oli Booth, Lara Lipschitz, Glen Biderman-Pam, about the way Harmon explores how Ashley Carine de Lange post-Holocaust Jewish generations live Poppy, a family heirloom, propels cousins with the legacy of the Shoah (Holocaust). Daphna and Liam into a domestic battle of Remarkable, because whereas most honour, faith and heritage. dramatists would address that territory The devoutly Jewish Daphna is at odds with sombre respect, Harmon does it with with her secular cousin Liam, an entitled irreverent wit.” John Nathan – The Jewish young man detached from his cultural Chronicle (UK), January 2015. traditions. Caught in the middle are Jonah, This Fugard Theatre production features Liam’s younger brother, and Liam’s non- Lara Lipschitz (Cabaret, Jersey Boys) Jewish girlfriend Melody, who just wants who returns to the Fugard Theatre in Bad everyone to get along. When the group is Jews as Daphna, a devout Jew, who is forced to spend the night in close quarters, unbending and religiously opinionated. hilarity and mayhem ensues. Opposite Lara is Glen Biderman-Pam A smous at rest Greg Karvellas (CHAMP, The (Somewhere on the Border, The Epicene Frontiersmen) directs this South African The footsore smous, the itinerant trader who trudged and trundled between Butcher) who plays Liam, Daphna’s premiere. The set and costume designs farmsteads selling all manner of articles to farmers and their families, has secular cousin. are by Saul Radomsky (The Shadow of become a figure of legend within South African Jewish memory. Oliver Booth (Skews Me, Life with Oli the Hummingbird, Orpheus in Africa). Booth, CHAMP) plays Jonah, Liam’s tinerant commerce was often a rite of passage for Jewish men newly arrived from younger brother and Ashley de Lange eastern Europe. It offered several attractions to young immigrants with few material The Cape Jewish Chronicle interviewed Lara I (X+Y, Gly) plays Melody, Liam’s new non- resources: independence and self-employment, the prospect of advancement Lipschitz about her role as Daphna. Jewish girlfriend. through hard work, and the promise of eventually owning a store. It worked as an See page 11 After the death of their grandfather, engine of migration and mobility, drawing immigrants deep into the South African interior. And it acted as an engine of economic mobility. Although Jews were not the first to traipse the South African A night of Resonance and Wonder countryside in search of customers, they were prime beneficiaries of the vast expansion of rural markets during and after the discovery of diamonds and gold. With much exaggeration, a wit identified the four stages of peddling by Jews as “1st, ‘Mit a pack on his back’; 2nd, ‘Mit a horse and wagon’; 3rd, ‘Mit a store’; 4th, ‘Mit a bank or bankrupt’.” Yet for every plutocrat who began as a plodding peddler, legions more became modest storekeepers in small towns across South Africa. The outlines of this story are well known. But we know surprisingly little about the everyday experience of peddling by Jews. The Kaplan Centre at UCT is midway through a large project focused on the humble smous. Collecting and quantifying colonial records — processing thousands of licenses — they are working to develop a clearer picture of the place of the peddler in the history of the South African economy. Were Jewish peddlers any more common (and any more successful) than other traders? How widely did they range? Where did they cluster? And how and why did they prosper? Yet hard numbers can only tell us so much. They reveal little about the everyday experience of peddling: what did they sell and how much did they make? How did they deal with the loneliness of the road? What sort of compromises did they have to make? And how did they keep their identities as Jews alive? The Kaplan Centre is in search of things that convey the day- to-day life of the smous, original sources to flesh out their stories. The items they are seeking may be on your shelves, and in your trunks and attics. They are looking for artefacts, documents, and At a spectacular opening night event on 15 October, the United Jewish Campaign and South African Jewish images — receipt books, business papers, letters, diaries, memoirs, Museum launched Resonance&Wonder Art Exhibition. By celebrating the talent and diversity of South African scrapbooks, photographs, or perhaps even a peddler’s pack — left Jewish artists, Resonance&Wonder aims to create new connections and a new fundraising initiative where all by those who once travelled the countryside in search of customers. proceeds from the sales of the artworks go to sustaining Cape Town's 27 beneficiary organisations supported by the UJC. The exhibition runs until the 15 November. Not to be missed. What stories they can tell! 2 Cape Jewish Chronicle November 2015 CONTENTS VOLUME 32 No 10 NOVEMBER 2015 In every Issue In this issue Page 3 Lindy with a why Page 6 Ben Cohen — Intifada or not, Page 4 Community notices Palestinians have anger without leadership Shabbat times Page 7 Gardens Shul 8th anniversary Friday Subscriptions Night Live Page 6 South African Jewish Museum Page 11 Interview with a ‘Bad Jew’ Page 8-10 Cape Jewish Board of Deputies Haifa — A beacon of coexistance Page 12 South African Zionist Federation Page 33 Books of interest Page 14 Hasbarah Page 16 Family Announcements Jewish Community Services Cape Town Holocaust Centre 35 Page 18 United Orthodox Synagogues Page 19-21 Cape Jewish Seniors Association Page 22 Jewish Community Services Astra and Coffee Time Page 23 Israel Centre Page 24 Telfed Page 25 Glendale Nechama Page 26-28 United Herzlia Schools Page 29 Melton Bnoth Zion Wizo Page 30 Temple Israel Page 31 ORTSA and ORT JET Page 32 Gitlin Library Page 34-35 Simcha Snaps 12 Page 36 Chronic Ads Page 37 Using my Nudel Page 38 Youth Page 39 Sports 19 26 CSO emergency number for security CJC EDITORIAL BOARD Please note The Cape Jewish Chairman: Lester Hoffman. 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FINANCIAL You should always obtain independent expert advice prior to making any financial investment, commercial or other decisions. Do not enter into any transactions of the above nature, based partly or wholly on the content of any advertisements or articles published in the Cape Jewish Chronicle. Cape Jewish Chronicle November 2015 3 Lindy with a why Why Israel? Is there anything left to say about could, save for a few small details, have Israel and Gaza? So starts an article been written last week, last year or five published last year on Tabletmag years ago. One can’t help but feel both titled An Insiders Guide to the Most depressed and reassured. Important Story on Earth by former The way news is reported has also Associated Press (AP) journalist Matti changed and these days items that look Friedman. like verified news pieces can be cobbled together by anyone with a computer and n it, Friedman assesses the ‘narrative access to the internet. Perhaps it is our Iconstruct’ that in his opinion guides duty, when faced with casting shadow or global mainstream media coverage of throwing light, that we choose light. Israel. One question doing the rounds is “For centuries, stateless Jews played the whether the media is biased against role of a lightning rod for ill will among the Israel. But I find it more important to majority population.