On The Waterfront Contents “You must visit the Waterfront,” is common IN THE MAIL ........................ 2 advice to anyone visiting Cape Town. It rivals Table Mountain as the most frequented tourist PEOPLE ............................... 8 spot in South Africa today. Can you imagine MEDIA.................................. 17 suggesting the same to a first-time visitor to 8 Beersheba? A Waterfront in Beersheba? That REUNIONS ........................... 19 is the plan as a dried-out riverbed in the centre COVER STORY ...................... 23 of downtown Beersheba is to be converted into FOCUS ON TELFED .............. 29 a 365-day running river with shopping malls, promenades and boating. NEW ArrivALS ..................... 36 When Ben Gurion expressed in 1954 that “the BETH proTEA ..................... 37 21 Negev will be the test of the creative ability and KEREN TELFED .................... 38 pioneering spirit of Israel,” he had already set a personal example by making Sde Boker his home NUPTIALS ............................ 41 the previous year. FEATURE.............................. 42 Some Southern Africans had already beaten IN MEMORIAM...................... 45 him to it. On Erev Yom Kippur 1946, on a night 34 that became known as “The night of the 11 set- CLAssifiEds ........................ 47 tlements”, a group that included 40 members of Southern African Hashomer Hatzair, staked a claim in the Negev and a place in history. Their Production claim became known as Kibbutz Shoval. Editor and Chief Correspondent: David Kaplan In the ensuing decades Southern Africans set- Design and Layout: Becky Rowe tled in the desert’s capital, development towns, Editorial Committee Chairman: David Bloom kibbutzim and moshavim. Today the some 400 Dave Bloom (Chair), Sharon Media Committee: families living in the region are involved in Bernstein, Gershon Gan, Pearl Feldman, David hi-tech, the professions, agriculture, tourism, Kaplan, Becky Rowe, Neil Schwartz, academia or as one retiree joked, “babysitting Maurice Ostroff, Leonie Barel our grandchildren.” Proofreading: Sharon Bernstein, Marvyn Hatchuel, Jack and Rae Galloon, Ralph Lanesman, Harriet With only 8% of Israel’s population settled in Levine, Leon Moss, Sidney Shapiro, Marcelle Weiss 60% of the country’s desert landmass, the Negev Advertising: David Kaplan (09)7672404 beckons as Israel’s pioneering challenge of the [email protected] new millennium. Extra or back copies of Telfed Magazine are available at Learning of major new housing developments NIS 15 per magazine. Contact Sharon at (09)744-6110. and projects - including the opening up of the Views and comments expressed in this publication region with the extension of the fast-track rail- are not necessarily those of the South African Zionist Federation (Israel) or of the Editorial Board. way and Highway 6 - Telfed recently paid a visit SAZF (Israel) is not responsible for articles and down south to explore opportunities for Southern advertisements which appear herein. Africans. In our Cover Story, we talk to members South African Zionist Federation (Israel) of our community about their lives, their dreams 19 Schwartz Street, Ra’anana 43212 and the challenges they are facing. tel.: (09)744-6110, fax: (09)744-6112 [email protected]; www.telfed.org.il David Kaplan, Editor 1 IN THE MAIL Operation Thunderbolt Dear Editor! many hair-raising missions into Lebanon I was very interested to read in the and Jordan those days that we assumed it last Telfed edition (October 2006) about was another one of those.” the Entebbe Raid and Dr. Once assembled at the base, “Everything Jossy Faktor - and felt I became top secret. We began training, had to bring to your attention still not sure where our destination was that another South African – “Only at the last stage, were we brought - Ricky Davis (ex-Port into the picture. My unit was to secure the Elizabeth) was also on that escape by destroying in advance anything daring mission. Ricky lives that could jeopardize our escape. As there in Metulla with his wife and were Migs on the airport tarmac that could family. His mother, Daphne give chase, we blew them up with anti-tank Ricky Davis, who Davis, made aliyah from PE missiles.” participated in the a few years ago and lives in famous Entebbe Raid. Ricky casually adds, “Yes, we stopped Protea Village. Ricky also has for coffee in Nairobi on the return flight a brother Jeffrey Davis, a pharmacist in home.” Zichron Ya’acov. Marie Tapnack. Raanana Healing Hands Editor’s note: Telfed magazine followed up the Dear Editor, lead and spoke to Ricky Davis: It was truly uplifting reading the article A member of Betar, Ricky (aged 19), on Dr. Mary Gordon (Telfed Oct 2006) and came on aliyah, from Port Elizabeth at knowing that she has not been forgotten. the end of 1974. Within three months he Mary was an important part of our family. joined the IDF. During the days immedi- During WW1, my mother Dora (Banks) ately preceding the Entebbe Raid, “My Moss-Morris, a trained nurse, volunteered paratroop unit was at Wingate. A call came in the front lines in France, where she met through and we immediately packed up Mary. A friendship developed that contin- and assembled at a base near Petach Tikva. ued for life. Mary delivered my sister Joyce Although we knew about the hijack drama and I in 1921 and 1922. being played out at Entebbe, we had no When Mary was running the hospital idea we were connected. We went on so in the camp in Cyprus, a woman came in with her very sick child. Against the rules, Mary sneaked her and the baby into the Please Note: The date on the right corner of your mailing ward at night and out again at dawn. The label indicates the date of your last payment for Telfed baby survived. The mother Devorah is now Magazine. If no date appears, we have not yet received a resident of Beth Protea. payment from you. 2 IN THE MAIL l-r: Dora Moss- Morris (Rona Baram’s mother), The medical officers in nurse and Dr. Mary many combat divisions Gordon at the WIZO Baby Centre, Tel were South African. Of Aviv, 1955. 90 volunteer Diaspora doctors, 51 were South African, 14 from the UK, 7 from It was wonderful attending the ceremony the USA and 18 from 11 other at the Barzilai Hospital when the pediatric countries. unit was inaugurated in Mary’s Of the 59 volunteer Please Note: The editor honour. Diaspora nurses, 37 were reserves the right to Rona Baram, Beth Protea. South African, most of shorten and edit letters whom were highly quali- as well as to post same fied and experienced. 10 Dear Editor instead on the Telfed came from France, 6 from The story in October Telfed, about Website, where magazine USA, 5 from UK and 1 from Dr. Mary Gordon and the contribu- space is limited. Switzerland. tion generally, of South African olim Furthermore, no letters to medicine in Israel made great will be published without Motivated by a need to reading. Permit me to add something a name and address of serve in this historical event, about a slightly earlier period. the sender. qualified nurseZelda Ravid joined Dr Lionel Melzer’s One of the best-kept secrets medical team, leaving two very young of the 1948 War of Independence is the children in the care of her mother Esther contribution of South African medical Pincus. Nursing sister Ray (Brunton) Machal volunteers whose efforts probably Medow, delivered the first Jewish child to saved hundreds if not thousands of lives. continued on next page LOOKING FOR A CHANGE??? 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Of 45 other medical personnel including Rosylin Hanover, Herzliya combat medics, 35 were South Africans. Two volunteer doctors were killed in action: UK Dear Editor, Dr. Isaiah Harris and Moroccan Dr. Solomon We were in Israel in June and were glued Morley-Dayan. to the TV watching events unfold in a most A comprehensive account, including histori- surreal manner. cal extracts from personal diaries, is contained I just want to commend you and Telfed in Henry Katzew’s “South Africa’s 800 – The for keeping everyone’s spirits up with your story of South African volunteers in Israel’s wonderful publication. Israel might not have birth”. A hard cover reprint of the book which the greatest politicians, but the citizens are was compiled by Maurice Ostroff and which full of courage, spirit and heroism. Keep up I had the privilege of editing is available from the good work. David Teperson. Tel. 09 9582718 or email Ben Friedman, Cape Town [email protected] Joe Woolf, (Ilaniya, Lower Galilee) A Force to Remember Dear Editor, MAGnificent I would like to take this opportunity on Dear Editor, behalf of all the martial artists in Israel, in Please find enclosed my donation for the extending our deepest condolences to the year in the amount of NIS100 for your won- family of Leon Pantanowitz on his untimely derful Telfed Magazine.