BOOKS: EXPOSING THE BAD ODOUR SURROUNDING CHANEL NO 5 / 15 Subscribe to our FREE epaper - go to www.sajewishreport.co.za www.sajewishreport.co.za Friday, 25 November 2011 / 28 Cheshvan, 5772 Volume 15 Number 43 ‘Secrecy Bill’: a ‘Jewish issue’? PAGE 3, 8 THETHE STUFFSTUFF DREAMSDREAMS AREARE MADEMADE OF...OF... Rabbi Dovid Masinter of Chabad House in Johannesburg, hosted about 300 children, including orphans from the Fountain of Love Aids Orphanage in Kathlehong near Germiston, to a concert of Ethan Bortnick at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City, last week. He is seen here with Helen Fraser of the Nashua Children’s Charity Foundation. During the performance 12-year-old Beatrice Renata, one of the guests, told Ethan that her dream was to become a dancer. Ethan, not realising that Beatrice does not have parents, said her parents should give her all the support. After being called up to dance on the stage, at the end of the concert, Ethan called her in for a private meeting where she was told that the Umoja Foundation would sponsor her with dance lessons, making her dream come true. SEE PAGE 4 Holocaust Centre Israel advocates Sharise Weiner: An Harold Rudolph Golden Years breaks ground / 3 start winning / 9 asset to Bench! / 20 passes away / 5 feature / 11-14 YOUTH / 18 SPORTS / 24 LETTERS / 16 & 17 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU / 21 COMMUNITY BUZZ / 6 WHAT'S ON / 21 2 SA JEWISH REPORT 25 November - 02 December 2011 SHABBAT TIMES PARSHA OF THE WEEK Hatzolah wins award from RCSA November 25/ 28 Cheshvan ROBYN SASSEN November 26 /29 Cheshvan PARSHAT TRAINING CENTRE co- Toldot TOLDOT Dwell in ordinator Alon Crouse, in 18:15 19:17 Johannesburg Rabbi Matthew the name of medical res- 18:09 20:16 Cape Town Liebenberg cue operation, Hatzolah, 18:15 19:14 Durban Claremont Wynberg recently received a presti- gious award from the 18:20 19:31 Bloemfontein Hebrew Congregation the land Resuscitation Council of 17:40 19:47 Port Elizabeth SA:. the Chain of Survival 18:15 19:35 East London FAMINE AND hunger is an unfortunate reality of the 21st century, Award for their Resus- but it is by no means a new phenomenon. Our Sages record 10 bibli- citation Cabinet and CPR cal famines that debilitated the ancient world, starting in the times of project. the first man, Adam. The cabinet, installed in Included in this list are the famines experienced by our forefathers 44 shuls and other com- Alon Crouse with the Resuscitation Council Published by Abraham and later by his son, Isaac. munal facilities in of SA award, received on behalf of S A Jewish Report (Pty) Ltd, When Isaac was confronted with famine, he went to Avimelech, Gauteng, consists of a Hatzolah. PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON CROUSE. PO Box 84650, Greenside, 2034 King of the Philistines in Gerar. Isaac’s original intention was to fol- blue cabinet containing a Tel: (011) 023-8160 According to the American Heart Fax: (086) 634-7935 low the example of his father and move further south to Egypt, but one-way facemask and a bag valve Printed by Caxton Ltd he was stopped by G-d, who said to him: “Do not descend to Egypt! mask, both for the emergency alle- Association, the chain of survival Rather you shall dwell in the land that I shall speak to you about. viation of breathing problems; an has three steps which are up to the EDITOR - Geoff Sifrin [email protected] Sojourn in this land and I shall be with you and I shall bless you, for automatic external defibrillator bystander in a time of cardiac crisis: to you and your seed shall I give these lands and I shall affirm with (AED) for use in cardiac arrest; an early access (recognition of the COMMERCIAL MANAGER you the covenant that I swore to your father Abraham.” oxygen cylinder and mask and a cell symptoms); early CPR (chest com- Sue Morris Why did G-d use the conflicting verbs “dwell” (sh’chon) and pressions and assisted breathing); [email protected] phone pre-programmed with “sojourn” (gur), the former implying permanence and the latter Hatzolah’s number. early defibrillation – through the Sub-Editor - Paul Maree implying temporary residence? When CPR is initiated immediate- use of AED. Ed Co-ordinator - Sharon Akum The Midrash provides two possibilities: (i) When G-d told him to ly on a patient who is not conscious Hatzolah has trained over 300 peo- [email protected] “dwell in the land”, His intention was that Isaac should settle in and not breathing, it greatly ple in the use of this equipment over Sports Editor - Jack Milner Israel and work it, thereby creating a habitable place. increases their chances of survival; the last three months. Crouse may [email protected] He therefore told him to “plant trees, sow seeds and set up beauti- particularly when there is early be contacted on [email protected] Books Editor - Gwen Podbrey ful orchards”. However, when in the province of the Philistines, defibrillation. or 086100101. Arts Editor - Robyn Sassen Isaac was only to sojourn temporarily and not make it a permanent [email protected] residence. Youth Editor - Alison Goldberg (ii) The word “dwell’ (sh’chon) is the root of the term Shechinah, Gardens Shul turns 170 in style [email protected] G-d’s Presence. When G-d told Isaac to “dwell” in the land, He was Cape Town correspondent asking him to create a country worthy of the Divine Presence. MOIRA SCHNEIDER Moira Schneider: 021-794-4206 These two explanations illustrate the two varieties of enterprise CAPE TOWN Pretoria correspondent that are required in the Land of Israel - the agricultural, economic PHOTOGRAPH: SUSAN SHERMAN Diane Wolfson: 082-707-9471 and cultural aspects of the country and the spiritual aspects of the Advertising - (011) 023-8160 country. WELL OVER 1 000 shul-goers [email protected] Both of these tasks are incumbent upon the Jewish inhabitants of attended the fourth anniversary of Britt Landsman: 082-292-9520 the land. However, in the modern era, these two vital avenues of set- Friday Night Live at the Gardens [email protected] tling the land were often split between two very different types of Synagogue (Cape Town Hebrew Manuela Bernstein: 082-951-3838 Jews. Congregation) last week – a double [email protected] The agricultural, economic and cultural infrastructure of the celebration, as it coincided with the Freelance Advertising Executives country was to a large extent set up by the early “chalutzim”, pio- oldest congregation in South The historic Gardens Synagogue, Marlene Bilewitz: 083-475-0288 neers, who were generally irreligious and unconcerned with the new Africa’s 170 years of existence. [email protected] built in 1905. state’s religious character. In his sermon, Rabbi Osher Adi Lew: 083-407-8034 [email protected] The spiritual infrastructure of the land was to a large extent set up Feldman, spiritual leader of the ing a backdrop. by the religious immigrants who settled in Israel decades and even congregation, referred to founder The “endless flow” of people mak- Classified Sales Charissa Newman centuries before modern Zionism. Benjamin Norden (who organised ing their way down the shul steps [email protected] These included the students and followers of both the Ba’al Shem the first minyan in sub-Saharan into the Gardens was a really inspir- Manager: Distribution Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement and the Vilna Gaon, the Africa in the year 1841) and how ing sight, according to shul chair- Britt Landsman leader of Lithuanian Jewry, who moved to Israel in the late 18th and proud he would be to walk into the man, Philip Kawalsky. The Friday Design and layout early 19th centuries. shul now and see the thriving com- Night Live anniversaries have Frankie Matthysen These groups formed the community that later came to be known munity. become known as “the most magi- Nicole Cook as the yishuv hayashan, the Old Settlement, in Jerusalem, Zefat and After the synagogue service, con- cal” evenings and this one was no Website several other locations. There they built shuls, yeshivot and other gregants and visitors gathered in exception, he added. www.sajewishreport.co.za institutions of Torah study. the historic Company Gardens to Rounding off the festivities was a Ilan Ossendryver There were, and there continue to be, groups that fused these two enjoy a “Sushi & Blue Label”– sold-out dinner for 320 people, at IC-Creations responsibilities together, including Bnei Akiva, whose motto “Torah themed brocha in a marquee with [email protected] which comedian Nik Rabinowitz v’Avodah” (Torah combined with labour), succinctly describes their the lit-up historic synagogue form- brought the house down. Subscription enquiries philosophy of building a country based on the principles of physical Avusa Publishing (Pty) Ltd Tel: 0860-13-2652 work and toil and intense commitment to the Torah and its KASHRUT ALERT mitzvoth. BOARD OF DIRECTORS But despite the efforts of this organisation and others like it, Howard Feldman (Chairman), Issie Kirsh SERIES OF JUNGLE AND WEIGHLESS PRODUCTS KOSHER, PAREV (Deputy Chairman), Stan Kaplan, Israeli society continues to be fragmented and splintered into those Marlene Bethlehem, Norman Lowenthal, who “work the land” and those who study in yeshiva. The kashrut department of the Union of Orthodox’s Beth Din, has Bertie Lubner, Benjy Porter, Unfortunately, these two sides seldom see eye to eye and many announced that a number of Jungle products are now kosher and Herby Rosenberg, Howard arguments have broken out between them, often leading to hatred, parev, with or without the Beth Din logo: Jungle Energy Crunch Sackstein, Jason Valkin, Elton Muesli (Granola, Lifestyle, Nuts & Raisins, Raisin, Tropical Fruit & n.