A CIRQUE DU RELEVANCE OF SOLEIL TREAT / 11 PLATO, ARISTOTLE, ROSA WILL STEAL HEIDEGGER, PROUST YOUR HEART / 10 HIGHLIGHTED / 11 The SA Jewish Report has 50 000 weekly readers! www.sajewishreport.co.za Friday, 04 March 2011 / 28 Adar 1, 5771 Volume 15 Number 8 Goldstone balances Gaza report and Israel’s right to self-defence SEE PAGE 5 Susanne Bier leads us to a better world Danish film director Susanne Bier, who studied for two years at the Hebrew University and the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, took the best foreign-language film Oscar at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles last Sunday, for her film “In a Better World”. This is a story of conflicted family relationships. Bier’s forebears fled persecution in Nazi Germany and Czarist Russia. SEE STORY PAGE 9. (PHOTOGRAPH: SONY PICTURES CLASSICS) Tikkun opens Alex Arab turmoil alters Umhlanga’s new WIZO honours 4 JEWISH TRAVEL: youth centre / 3 power balance / 8 Jewish centre / 4 special women / 2 Exotic India / 14-15 YOUTH / 17 SPORTS / 20 LETTERS / 12-13 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU / 16 COMMUNITY BUZZ / 6 WHAT’S ON / 16 2 SA JEWISH REPORT 04 - 11 March 2011 SHABBAT TIMES March 4/28 Adar 1 PARSHA OF THE WEEK March 5/29 Adar 1 Shekalim/Pekudei Starts Ends The accounts of 18:15 19:07 Johannesburg 18:00 19:52 Cape Town 18:09 18:58 Durban the tabernacle – 18:20 19:16 Bloemfontein 18:00 19:23 Port Elizabeth and the 2010 18:15 19:13 East London KASHRUT NOTICE stadia ALL GOLD TOMATO JUICE IS KOSHER! PARSHAT The Union of Orthodox Syna- Marlene Bethlehem; Edna Freinkel; Sylvia Glasser; and Natalie Knight. gogues says: “We are happy to PEKUDEI inform you that the All Gold Rabbi Ilan Raanan tomato juice in cans and tetra Bnei Akiva Shul, Johannesburg WIZO honours four women of worth packs, with or without the Beth RITA LEWIS should be utilised and her calling fulfilled and Din logo, is kosher. PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER she found the inner strength to continue – “For a number of technical PAUL, THE football predicting octopus with the encouragement of her late husband. reasons Tiger Brands had decid- passed away in Germany; barring the odd U2 THE FOUR winners of the annual WIZO For many years it had been her dream to ed in general to delist all the concert our Fifa World Cup stadia are per- Awards were announced last week at an emo- bring literacy to the masses. In achieving that, beverages which fall under their haps white elephants; many of the jobs creat- tional ceremony held at Beyachad. They are she had since been responsible for over 60 000 umbrella. This decision has ed have disappeared; the trophy ended up in Marlene Bethlehem for her efforts in out- South Africans of all races, in townships, in been placed on hold, and all pre- Spain... reach; Edna Freinkel for helping to educate prisons, in schools etc, now being able to read, viously certified Tiger Brands All that wonderful excitement has become the masses; Sylvia Glasser for bringing dance and in many cases also to write. beverages remain certified.” but a pleasant memory and the world sport- to so many; and Natalie Knight for her contri- She said we were all teachers. “Our children ing focus has shifted from soccer in South bution to art. are watching us. Our servants are watching Africa to cricket on the Subcontinent. Were In her opening address, Joyce Chodos of us, as are our friends. we to conduct a survey of the World Cup WIZO said that every Friday night we recite “We must not forget that ‘Teaching is a joy- accounts, from Fifa 2010 to ICC 2011, what Ayshet Chayil, A Woman of Worth. The four ous privilege’.” Published by honorees “had enriched and uplifted the gen- Glasser said that it had been a long and lone- S A Jewish Report (Pty) Ltd, “change” have we been left with? PO Box 84650, Greenside, 2034 Rabbi Shimon in the fourth chapter of the eral community in many ways”, she said. ly journey before she was to become artistic Tel: (011) 023-8160 Ethics of the Fathers, teaches us that there The problem of choosing only four recipi- director of Moving into Dance Mophatong. Fax: (086) 634-7935 are three crowns: the crown of Torah, the ents (out of so many worthwhile candidates) However, she was always supported by her Printed by Caxton Ltd crown of Priesthood and the crown of was extremely difficult as there were numer- husband who believed she could do anything Kingship. Yet the crown of a Good Name tran- ous names forwarded - each one a success and Maureen Freedman “who was always by EDITOR - Geoff Sifrin story of a lifetime of excellence. my side” helping her run a performing arts [email protected] scends all three! The Maharal of Prague in his commentary After much soul searching by Chodos’ training course with bursary students – most- Sub-Editor - Paul Maree on Pirkei Avot asks: Four crowns are men- small group of women, the four were chosen. ly from economically deprived backgrounds. Editorial Co-ordinator - Barry Bilewitz tioned - so why does Rabbi Shimon say there Each of those honoured was given the Although she always wanted to be a dancer, [email protected] are only three? opportunity to address the gathering of some the Jewish qualities of caring for the Senior Reporter - Rita Lewis Maharal understands that the crowns men- 120 women. oppressed, influenced the direction of her life. [email protected] tioned are accessible to all of us: the study of Wearing a magnificently embroidered yel- Several of the dances she choreographed Sports Editor - Jack Milner Torah, the concept of responsibility as repre- low and black outfit, Bethlehem said she such as “For Whom the Bell Tolls” 1986 and [email protected] sented by the notion of “priesthood” and the wanted “to speak from the heart” quoting Ben “African Cassandra” 1989 were explicit state- Books Editor - Gwen Podbrey good governance over our own bodies in Zoma who said: “Who is honoured? Those ments against the apartheid system. Arts Editor - Robyn Sassen terms of keeping Hashem’s commands as who give honour.” Black dancers would often come to sleep [email protected] represented by the concept of “kingship”. She said it was a privilege to be sitting at the over at her home. Youth Editor - Alison Goldberg Were we to conduct a survey of the same table with such special, fellow-honorees. At one time she was teaching about 40 chil- [email protected] “Accounts of the Tabernacle” as this week’s “Jewish Women’s Benevolent Society was dren in the suburbs, but thought about the Cape Town correspondent Parshat Pekudei does, we would find four my alma mater,” she said. “However, tennis thousands in the townships and decided to Moira Schneider: 021-794-4206 vital pieces of furniture in the Tabernacle was my racquet.” (She played tennis on the start a dance teachers course - in the process Pretoria correspondent that symbolise our four crowns. international circuit for three years and won changing the lives of thousands of children. Diane Wolfson: 082-707-9471 The “Aron” housing the “Luchot” of the many medals including three golds at the Natalie Knight, attorney, playwright, owner Manager: Distribution Decalogue represents Torah; The “Mizbeach” Maccabi Games). of a well-known art gallery, theatre critic and Britt Landsman used for sacrifices represents Priesthood;. the Bethlehem spoke of her obligations and researcher into African cultures, quoted Andy [email protected] “Shulchan” upon which the special bread was involvements as chairman of various organi- Warhol as saying: “Everyone is entitled to Sales Executives - (011) 023-8160 placed represents Kingship; The “menorah” zations, including being senior vice president their fifteen minutes of fame.” Britt Landsman: 082-292-9520 that illuminated through the burning of olive of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish She congratulated WIZO on choosing “these Manuela Bernstein: 082-951-3838 oil represents a “Good Name”. Culture based in New York – the first and only four women, all of whom are involved in help- Murray Schoeman: 083-627-6670 Maharal points out that while the first South African to hold this position. ing Israel”. Freelance Sales Executive three pieces of furniture had a “zer”, a crown- She spoke of her relationship with the late Knight opened her gallery in 1981, where Marlene Bilewitz & Assoc: 083-475-0288 like border, surrounding their upper sur- Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris who had told her: she exhibited the work of top international Classified Sales faces, the menorah didn’t. He suggests that “You have to look for the good” (in people). artists as well as struggling black artists, [email protected] this indicates there is a notion of limitation in Her biggest achievement, she said, was her enabling them to achieve national and inter- Design and layout each of the three individual areas of Torah, relationship with Nelson Mandela. She was national recognition. Frankie Matthysen priesthood and kingship, as represented by with him when he laid a wreath at Yad She closed the gallery in 1995 to become Nicole Cook the “zer” capping each of these pieces of fur- Vashem and recalled how she could not get Shomeret Shabbat and currently runs Natalie Website niture. him to leave the memorial for the one million Knight – the Art Source. www.sajewishreport.co.za Yet when we combine these three elements children who died in the Holocaust. She said she used to think she had achieved Ilan Ossendryver to create a good name for ourselves, the sky is Freinkel said she had to thank Hashem for everything herself, but one day realised that IC-Creations her success as well as her late husband everything was predetermined on high.