BIEBER SCOOPS WORLD SOME GOOD PRESS AWARD / 10 READS WITH ‘INFECTING’ CAPE TOWN AN AFRICAN WITH KLEZMER / 10 FLAVOUR / 11 The SA Jewish Report has 50 000 weekly readers! www.sajewishreport.co.za Friday, 18 February 2011 / 14 Adar 1, 5771 Volume 15 Number 6 Egyptian turmoil: Israel rethinks readiness for multi-front war SEE PAGE 9 ISRAELIISRAELI MILITARY:MILITARY: MIDEASTMIDEAST CRYSTALCRYSTAL BALLBALL LOOKSLOOKS RATHERRATHER FUZZYFUZZY Lt. Gen Gabi Ashkenazi, the outgoing chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, speaking at the Herzliya Conference on February 7, about what the Israeli military is doing to meet emerging threats. The new developments in Egypt pose questions which have Israeli generals worried. (PHOTOGRAPH:(PHOTOGRAPH: YOTAMYOTAM FROM)FROM) Davidow builds SA ‘Peace’ achieved between Bill of Responsibilities DAVIS: Egyptian democracy through Judo / 7 SAJBD and Embassy / 3 leaps forward / 4 could change Mideast / 8 YOUTH / 14 SPORTS / 20 LETTERS / 12-13 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU / 16 COMMUNITY BUZZ / 6 WHAT’S ON / 16 2 SA JEWISH REPORT 18 - 25 February 2011 PARSHA OF THE WEEK SHABBAT TIMES February 18/14 Adar 1 Published by February 19/15 Adar 1 S A Jewish Report (Pty) Ltd, the entire nation was saved… PO Box 84650, G-d keeps His promises! Despite the fact that they too saw Ki Tisa Greenside, 2034 Moses’ coffin - they said no! It’s not Tel: (011) 023-8160 OUR PARSHA this week describes over - G-d made a promise and He Starts Ends Fax: (086) 634-7935 how Moses ascends Mount Sinai to PARSHAT keeps His promises! Even if my receive the 10 Commandments. 18:15 19:20 Johannesburg Printed by Caxton Ltd eyes deceive me, I know that my The Israelites wait anxiously for 40 KI TISA soul will not! 18:14 20:10 Cape Town 18:15 19:13 Durban EDITOR - Geoff Sifrin days after they had prepared them- Rabbi Moshe Kazilsky The Rambam - Maimonides – selves physically and spiritually. writes: “Ani maamin be-emunah 18:20 19:32 Bloemfontein [email protected] Johannesburg Sephardi On the 40th day, they calculate and Hebrew Congregation shelema” - “I believe with perfect 17:45 19:41 Port Elizabeth Sub-Editor - Paul Maree confirm that it is indeed the 40th faith that G-d can bring redemp- 18:15 19:31 East London day and they wait… and wait… their motive for the golden calf. tion to the world even today Senior Reporter - Rita Lewis but no Moses. The whole day pass- The Torah’s description of them through our Messiah.” [email protected] es and he doesn’t come down. as a “Dor Deah” - a spiritually The Rambam says further that if When things around us in the If we backtrack for a moment enlightened nation - is in fact the world look bleak - Israel is contin- Sports Editor - Jack Milner you don’t believe in that principle, and examine the background of key to understanding how they you are a heretic - it’s a fundamen- ually getting bashed by the UN, [email protected] the Israelites, we read a lot about could have built and worshipped an tal principle. when moral perspectives are so Books Editor - Gwen Podbrey them being “stiff-necked”, stub- idol so passionately. If we look around, though, we skewed that Israel is branded an born and constantly complaining, They wanted so badly to connect see the world is in a terrible state - apartheid state - indeed we see the Arts Editor - Robyn Sassen but despite this, the Torah to G-d that when Moses didn’t suffering, killings, starvation, a coffin of Moses in front of us… we [email protected] describes this generation as a “Dor return on time according to their passionate resurgence of anti- must not be fooled by what we see. Deah” – an enlightened generation calculation, they went for “Plan B” Semitism. If we look, we see the G-d will make good on all his Youth Editor - Alison Goldberg – they weren’t fools. - they channelled their passion into coffin of Moses in front of us! For promises to us. We will live in [email protected] So they calculate, they don’t see building and worshipping a golden 2 000 years we’ve been waiting for peace; in our land we will live Cape Town correspondent Moses coming down from the calf which they believed would redemption, maybe Judaism is a spiritually rich and fulfilling mountain, and they immediately bring them the spirituality they lives. Moira Schneider: 021-794-4206 relic, let’s move on - go to “Plan B” engage in idol worship - fashioning yearned for. - immerse ourselves in worship- When we face our own individ- Pretoria correspondent and then dancing around a golden They were able to do it because ping the golden calf - the glitz and ual struggles, when the path in Diane Wolfson: 082-707-9471 calf - the worst possible sin. the evil inclination showed them a glamour of the physical world - but our personal lives looks bleak and In trying to understand how vision of Moses’ coffin, and they no, the righteous women say no! all we see is the vision of Moses’ MANAGER: DISTRIBUTION such an enlightened and spiritual- were convinced that Moses had Don’t be fooled by what you see. coffin… our own “righteous Britt Landsman ly connected nation which wit- died. Just as you were ready to give up at woman”, our soul, our essence [email protected] nessed open miracles, could sink It was the women, though, who Mount Sinai - Moses came down - connection tells us don’t be fooled so low, so quickly - virtually refused to participate, and in the even despite your loss of faith, and by what you see: G-d will make Sales Executives - (011) 023-8160 instantly - we need to examine merit of these righteous women, he brought the Torah with him. good on His promises. Britt Landsman: 082-292-9520 Manuela Bernstein: 082-951-3838 Freelance Sales Executive AROUND Marlene Bilewitz & Assoc: 083-475-0288 Memorial evening a THE WORLD Classified Sales NEWS IN BRIEF [email protected] celebration of survival ALLEGED PALESTINIAN Design and layout TERRORIST ARRESTED IN Frankie Matthysen LAUREN SHAPIRO pinnacle moment came at the end of the grandmothers, sisters and aunts, ATHENS Nicole Cook DURBAN production, when Israel Gurwicz him- who saw their lives irrevocably self stood up before the applauding changed, their families separated and ATHENS - Athens police Website THE HALL was packed to capacity audience. their traditions shattered. Yet, have arrested an alleged www.sajewishreport.co.za for the Durban Holocaust Centre’s The evening was a celebration of sur- despite appalling acts of discrimina- Palestinian terrorist accus- Ilan Ossendryver live staging of “The Boys from the vival, attended by several other tion, deprivation and cruelty, they ed of being in Greece to plan a major attack in IC-Creations Ashes” recently. The community Holocaust survivors and their families consistently found ways to fight back had thronged to the Durban Jewish and friends. against their persecutors.” Europe. [email protected] Centre to commemorate the United This year the theme for the UN Since opening less than three years Ghaleb Taleb, who was Subscription enquiries Nations Holocaust Remembrance memorial ceremony was “Women in the ago, the Durban Holocaust Centre arrested on February 12, is Avusa Publishing (Pty) Ltd Day (held at the end of January each Holocaust: Courage and Compassion”. has become an educational and cul- said to be a member of year to commemorate the anniver- Theme, the evening featured a special tural landmark in the city and it is the Fatah-Al-Islam terror Tel: 0860-13-2652 sary of the liberation of Auschwitz- audio-visual presentation on the heroic about to become a physical one, too. group based in Lebanon. He Birkenau). role of women in the Partisans, present- Its exhibitions, school programmes holds is a Lebanese. BOARD OF DIRECTORS The play is co-written and directed ed by Mitch Braff, executive director of and community events have become Taleb will be deported for Stan Kaplan (Chairman) by Courtneigh Cloud, and stars her the Jewish Partisan Educational flagships in the city’s cultural calen- illegal entry into the coun- Issie Kirsh (Deputy Chairman), Marlene sister Olivia Cloud, both the grand- Foundation (JPEF). Braff founded dar. In 2010, despite the longer holi- try after being questioned Bethlehem, Russell Gaddin, Norman daughter of a Holocaust survivor. JPEF in 2000 because current Holocaust days and teacher strikes, the centre by police, and may be sent Lowenthal, Bertie Lubner, The plot follows the life of young history and educational materials made hosted 75 school groups to a four- to Lebanon or the Pales- tinian Authority, according Benjy Porter, Herby Israel Gurwicz and his family’s expe- little mention of the subject. hour workshop and had more than 4 rience of the Nazi’s horrific regime. In his address, he paid tribute to the 000 visitors to the exhibition. to reports. Rosenberg, Howard Gurwicz and his brother were ulti- roles of those courageous individuals To keep up with the growing Ghaleb was under the Sackstein, Jason Valkin. mately hidden and saved by their who played a part in resisting the Nazis demand, the centre is in the process surveillance of the Greek non-Jewish governess Tonia Pietryk and fighting for freedom and justice. of relocating to a bigger venue on the Central Intelligence agency KASHRUT - to whom the play is dedicated - Deputy Director of the UN same campus at 44 Old Fort Road. after reportedly secretly while his mother, father and sister Information Centre in Pretoria Helene The new centre will have its own entering Greece several months ago.