23 March 2012 / 29 Adar 5772 Volume 16 - Number 10
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friday 23 march 2012 / 29 Adar 5772 volume 16 - number 10 news I 3 opinion I 6 letters I 7 tapestry I 8 community columns I 10 youth I 18 sports I 20 BOOKS: south african Care of Wooden Floors by Will Wiles “ imaginative brilliance...” jewish report www.sajewishreport.co.za VictimsVictims ofof terrorterror Rabbi Jonathan Sandler and his two sons, Arieh, left, and Gabriel, were killed in the shooting at the Ozar Hatorah School in Toulouse, France. The rabbi's wife is holding their daughter. (Flash90/JTA) See pages 3,6,10 Nominations now open Is Pesach too Yom Ha’atzmaut: SAZF Munich SAKS: Kaddish for a for Jewish Achievers expensive? The says women can sing massacre non-Jew You can now nominate your favourite community speaks WIZO’s Tzabar group has reached an survivor ‘Rob was someone who always trod his Jewish achiever for the annual Jewish agreement with SAZF Chairman Shaul Ladany own, distinctive path.’ Achiever Award, in the categories of Avrom Krengel, to allow women to 06 Lifetime Achievement, Listed or Unlisted sing in a mixed choir at this year’s honoured in companies, Entrepreneurship, Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations. the Inter- FEATURE: Humanitarianism, Art, Science Sport and national Culture. The banquet takes place on CONFERENCE June 20; nominations close at the Jewish Sports VENUES AND end of April. 04 07 10 Hall of Fame 20 EVENTS 2 SA JEWISH REPORT Judaism 23 - 30 March 2012 Shabbat Times Parsha of the week Go home! What is a shul good for? I recall touring Europe in the ‘90s and being struck by the diminutive size of some of the greatest shuls ever: the shul of the celebrated Rem’uh in Krakow; the Maharal’s famous “Altneu” Shul in Prague. The greatest of rabbis presided over shuls that could hold maybe 45 people! Jews track time by following the cycle of the the shul became an institution. moon. Indeed, Israel is compared to the This represented a shift of emphasis from moon, which is why on this Shabbos in anti- the home to the synagogue, from which we cipation of Pesach, shuls around the world Parshat Vayikra are yet to recover and which poses a real will take out an extra Torah from the Holy Rabbi Dovid Wineberg threat to our survival. Yiddishkeit needs to be Ark and read a section, titled “Hachodesh”. The Green and Sea Point Hebrew primarily experienced in the home. But why would we seek to be compared to Congregation The shul should serve as a refuelling spot the moon, which is smaller and weaker than in the landscape of Judaism, not the destina- the great luminary, the sun? Surely we as a brighter- it makes all life possible. But then it tion. In fact, I would put my job on the line people should strive for the brilliance of the sets, leaving behind a dark world; it is not and advise any sincere Jew who claims they sun’s rays? Why settle for second best? constant. The moon, however, in its soft nur- can’t afford a Jewish home, whether it’s King Solomon teaches: “Shema B’ni!” turing glow, represents a constant. kosher meat which costs too much or tefillin Listen, my son, to the admonishment of your Sure, it waxes and wanes, but is often vis- that is out of their budget, to drop their shul father- but never forget the “Torah” of your ible not only at night, but by day as well. The membership and use the money to build a March 23/29 Adar mother. A father’s input is crucial in a child’s sun-provider burns bright, but it is the nur- Jewish home. development but, says King Solomon, it is In two weeks’ time, Jewish families March 24/1 Nissan turing moon which serves as the symbol of the mother who causes one to “never forget” our eternity as a people. around the world will gather in their homes who they are. While the shul is the most visible symbol around seder tables to worship Hashem, just Parshat Vayikra A father provides, but a mother nurtures. of our Judaism, it is the home that ensures as our forefathers did on that fateful night in And it is this inner, less dramatic, nurturing our survival as a people. One of the unfortu- Egypt. It is there, in the nurturing glow of the 17:57 18:45 Johannesburg feature that keeps our Jewish identity eter- nate consequences of the demographic shifts home, that our people were born. And it is 18:10 19:25 Cape Town nal. in the early 20th century (due to wars, anti- there, in the home, that we will live on. Of the celestial beings, the sun burns Shabbat Shalom! 17:45 18:34 Durban Semitism, and modern technology) is that 18:05 18:53 Bloemfontein 18:00 18:56 Port Elizabeth 17:57 18:47 East London Shul rejuvenation: Rabbis think out of the box SHIRA DRUION Traditional South African Jewry has always Kashrut Alert upheld a strong commitment to the values of old. However the last decade has seen a Only in PICK N PAY PESACH GUIDE NOW wave of assimilation bring traditional Cape Town ONLINE Judaism to its knees and rabbis and commit- could you tee members have had to put their heads have a The 5772/2012 Beth Din/Pick n Pay Pesach together to rejuvenate their communities . minyan Guide is now available online at www.uos.co.za, Rabbi Yossy Goldman with Rabbi according to a notification by the kashrut depart- (inset) of Sydenham Shul, says: Dovid ment of the Union of Orthodox Synagogues. Hard “We have really been blessed Wineberg copies of the guide should be available in Pick n with wonderful and loyal con- on the top Pay stores towards the end of this week. gregants, but as all good rabbis of Lion The kashrut department says retail supermar- will tell you, one can’t sit by Head every kets have begun stocking their Pesach shelves. idly and hope that the shul will Tuesday! “We have no control over how independent run itself. My wife and I, along- retailers stock their products and the shelves side our unbelievably capable introduced CTYS (Cape Town Youth the modern-day Jew.” themselves are not under supervision. Look at committee, are relentless in Shul) which runs weekly services to Rabbi Dovid Wineberg of the Sea Point, each item carefully. Often the retailer will pack our striving to expand. enrich the bat- and barmitzvah experience Marais Road Congregation in Cape Town, anything that has Hebrew writing and looks “We recently brought out Rabbi Akiva for our young congregants, not to mention has this to say: “The community has been kosher.” Tatz to launch our new learning programme, our kids programme which now boasts three exceptionally generous in their feedback and The kashrut department says it is available to The Shabbos Smorgasbord, which offers a Shabbat services which are led by enthusias- they have displayed a real desire to be answer Pesach-related queries. Call 010 214 choice of six Shabbat shiurim. The response, tic and trained young students. It is the place involved and committed to the different ini- 2600 (Johannesburg) or (021) 461-6310 (Cape has been fantastic! Friday Night Live is also to be on a Saturday morning!” tiatives which we have undertaken, surpass- Town) or e-mail [email protected] via a real road stopper, as hundreds of congre- Learning has become the real attraction ing our greatest expectations. www.uos.co.za gants and visitors pack the street to take of communities across the country and “We have initiated a Tuesday morning • Please note that Pick n Pay Killarney is no part in the exotic Shabbos street brochas.” Rabbi Justin Treger, young adults rabbi of minyan on Lion’s Head. We have two groups longer Yoshon. The dynamic Ohr Somayach Cape Town Sandton Shul has this advice: “The congre- who climb at 06:00 and 06:30 and our most community has recently appointed the ener- gants of today are in many ways more excit- successful one to date attracted over 60 par- getic and charismatic Rabbi Jared and Amy ed about learning and therein enriching ticipants on Rosh Chodesh Tevet and Bloch as the new rabbi and rebbetzen. Rabbi their lives, as opposed to the traditional Chanukah. Bloch tells of how privileged he feels to have attending of weekly services, which is a more “A former Israeli soldier carried up the been afforded this opportunity. passive experience. Torah and a baboon even attended the serv- south african “We have some very exciting new “We have therefore initiated an unbeliev- ice! We also have Shabbat Unplugged once a jewish report endeavours, like the BBM (Business able repertoire of learning programmes to month, and have all the tunes of the service Breakfast Meaning), given my local and stimulate a thirst for the acquisition of following a movie theme, like The Lion king international guest speakers. We have also Torah knowledge, which is so imperative to and Fiddler on the Roof.” south african EDITOR Geoff Sifrin • COMMERCIAL MANAGER Sue Morris • Sub-Editor Paul Maree • Ed Co-ordinator Sharon Akum • Sports Editor Jack Milner • Books Editor Gwen Podbrey • Arts Editor Robyn Sassen • Cape Town correspondent Moira Schneider: 021-794-4206 • Pretoria correspondent Diane Wolfson: 082-707-9471 • ADVERTISING: Adi Lew: 083-407-8034, Britt Landsman: jewish report 082-292-9520, Manuela Bernstein: 082-951-3838, Marlene Bilewitz: 083-475-0288 • Classified Sales Charissa Newman • Distribution Manager Britt Landsman • Design and layout: Frankie Matthysen, Nicole Cook • Website: Ilan Ossendryver • Subscription enquiries: Avusa Publishing (Pty) Ltd.