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MISSION EDITORIAL BOARD In publishing JEWISH AFFAIRS, the SA EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jewish Board of Deputies aims to produce a cultural forum which caters for a wide variety David Saks SA Jewish Board of Deputies of interests in the community. The journal will be a vehicle for the publication of articles of significant thought and opinion on contemporary Jewish issues, and will aim to ACADEMIC ADVISORY BOARD encourage constructive debate, in the form of Charles Ancer SA Jewish Board of Deputies reasoned and researched essays, on all matters Professor Marcus Arkin South African Zionist Federation of Jewish and general interest. Dr Ittamar Avin University of Natal, Durban Dr Louise Bethlehem Hebrew University of Jerusalem JEWISH AFFAIRS aims also to publish essays Marlene Bethlehem SA Jewish Board of Deputies of scholarly research on all subjects of Jewish interest, with special emphasis on aspects of Cedric Ginsberg University of South Africa South African Jewish life and thought. Dr Elaine Katz University of the Witwatersrand Scholarly research papers that make an original Professor Shirley Kossick University of South Africa contribution to their chosen field of enquiry Professor Marcia Leveson University of the Witwatersrand will be submitted to the normal processes of Naomi Musiker Archivist and Bibliographer academic refereeing before being accepted for Professor Reuben Musiker University of the Witwatersrand publication. Professor Martin Orkin University of Haifa JEWISH AFFAIRS will promote Jewish Gwynne Schrire SA Jewish Board of Deputies cultural and creative achievement in South Dr Gabriel A Sivan World Jewish Bible Centre Africa, and consider Jewish traditions and Professor Gideon Shimoni Hebrew University of Jerusalem heritage within the modern context. It aims to Professor Milton Shain University of Cape Town provide future researchers with a window on John Simon University of Cape Town the community’s reaction to societal The Hon. Mr Justice Ralph Zulman Appeal Court of South Africa challenges. In this way the journal hopes critically to explore, and honestly to confront, problems facing the Jewish community both in South Africa and abroad, by examining SECRETARY – Golde Goldsmith national and international affairs and their impact on South Africa. TYPESETTING/PRINTING – Bookpress, Johannesburg The SA Jewish Board of Deputies is committed to dialogue and free enquiry. It aims to protect human rights and to strive for better relations among peoples of diverse cultural backgrounds in South Africa. © South African Jewish Board of Deputies 2007 Permission to reprint material from JEWISH AFFAIRS should be The columns of JEWISH AFFAIRS will applied for from therefore be open to all shades of opinion. The The South African Jewish Board of Deputies views expressed by the contributors will be JEWISH AFFAIRS is published three times annually their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor, the Editorial Board or the Annual subscription R70 including VAT and postage Publishers. Overseas: Surface Mail US$30 or BPS25 Air Mail US$70 or BPS50 However, in keeping with the provisions of Postal Address: PO Box 87557, Houghton 2041 the National Constitution, the freedom of speech exercised in this journal will exclude the dissemination of hate propaganda, personal attacks or invective, or any material which JEWISH AFFAIRS and its individual essays are listed in may be regarded as defamatory or malicious. Index to Jewish Periodicals In all such matters, the Editor’s decision is Index to South African Periodicals final. VOL. 64 b NO. 1 b PESACH 2009 Editor: David Saks OBITUARY Joseph Sherman Marcia Leveson .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 ANTISEMITISM, SOUTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS Antisemitism in South Africa: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives Milton Shain ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 The Gaza War and its Impact on South African Jewry David Saks ................................................................................................................................................................ 12 SA JEWISH RETROSPECTIVES Dreyfus, Kommetjie and the Dublin conman Gwynne Schrire ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 Jews of Breakwater Convict Station in Historical Perspective Rebecca Feigelson ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Isaac Ochberg and Sholem Schwartzbard: The Cape Town Connection to the Pogroms in the Ukraine. Veronica Belling ...................................................................................................................................................... 28 ART AND LITERATURE Elie Wiesel – Retrospectives on his 80th Birthday Mona Berman ........................................................................................................................................................... 34 Religious Education through Literature Azila Reisenberger ................................................................................................................................................... 38 Vitzen, meises, kloggen und humor: A Brief History of Yiddish Humour Maurice Skikne ......................................................................................................................................................... 44 Klezmer – Music with a Jewish Soul Alan Jacobs .............................................................................................................................................................. 47 l’Afrique: A Tribute to Maria Stein-Lessing and Leopold Spiegel Lana Jacobson .......................................................................................................................................................... 50 ESSAYS AND REFLECTIONS Aleck Goldberg – An Appreciation Isaac Reznik ............................................................................................................................................................. 53 Islam and the Democratic Dilemma Paul Eidelberg, William E. Morrisey ...................................................................................................................... 54 What will I tell my Father? Mary Kropman ......................................................................................................................................................... 56 FICTION The Fire in Mrs Weinburg’s Flat Charlotte Cohen ....................................................................................................................................................... 58 NEW POETRY Peter Austin, Sandra Braude, Tarryn Cohen, Jenna Moch, Tamar, Ben Wilensky, John Yarbrough ...... 19, 46, 61 READERS LETTERS Nina Jacobsberg, Sol Liebgott, Allan Magid, Maurice Skikne, A Sugarman ........................................................ 62 Cover: "The Four Sons", from a 1950s Haggadah. Original, unpublished essays of between 1 000 and 6 000 words on all subjects are invited, and should be sent to: The Editor, JEWISH AFFAIRS, PO Box 87557, Houghton 2041, [email protected] Contributors using personal computers are asked to submit IBM-compatible floppy diskettes and print-outs of their articles. All diskettes will be returned. Research papers should assemble all notes and references as endnotes and follow the MLA Manual of Style. The Editorial Board reserves the right to cut the length of articles accepted for publication, and to make any stylistic changes which it may deem necessary. Typescripts cannot be returned unless accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. Overseas contributors please note: South Africa does not recognise International Reply Coupons. Unsolicited overseas typescripts cannot therefore be returned. JEWISH AFFAIRS N PESACH 2009 OBITUARY JOSEPH SHERMAN * Marcia Leveson In November 2008 Joseph Sherman, Yiddishist fortunately captures that triumph. par excellence, visited Vilnius, a centre of lost Jewish His teaching was inspirational – he was loved culture. He was overwhelmed with emotion. Perhaps and a little feared by his students. He did not suffer it is fitting that this so rewarding returning to roots fools lightly and late-comers were greeted with – should have been one of his last journeys, since it was “Better never than late! Mr Smith or Miss Levy”. But this world of Yiddishkeit that he had spent so much all those who were committed to scholarship or in loving care in bringing back to life. Yiddish and its need of help would earn his support and literature was his passion, and through his rescue of encouragement given with that generosity of spirit many lost texts, his commentary and his brilliant, that is the hallmark of the best of academics. finely nuanced translations, he single-handedly made I was fortunate to share many of his interests, it available to a world readership. notably that in South African Jewish studies. We While attending a conference in Germany in travelled to several conferences, where he always December last year, he was suddenly taken ill. After drew clusters of admiring acolytes. He was the a long struggle and slow