- SA Jewish Report

THE ONLY XHOSA-SPEAKING
JEWISH COMEDIAN / 12
‘THE GIRL IN THE YELLOW
DRESS’ NOW IN JOBURG / 12
PONDERING
THE FRAILTY
OF IDENTITY
/ 13
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Friday, 29 October 2010 / 21 Cheshvan 5771
Volume 14 Number 40
Tutu appeals to Cape Town
Opera to cancel Israel show
PAGE 4
THE FRUITS OF
18 YEARS’ LABOUR
Lori Josselowitz (in the foreground), with classmates Alexa Goldblum and Courtney Glajchen (out of focus) to her left and
right sitting Hebrew 1: Unseen Text and Prescribed Works, on Tuesday this week, at King David Linksfield High School in
Johannesburg. They are among 67 learners in the school and roughly 120 learners nationally writing Hebrew as a matric
subject, according to the academic head of King David Linksfield, Lorraine Srage. The first big exam, to be written by the
full quota of IEB candidates is Afrikaans paper 1, on Thursday, October 28. (PHOTOGRAPH BY ILAN OSSENDRYVER)
Glick - Jihadists threaten
Gilbert Marcus
‘Those Jews have got
whole world, not only Israel / 5 defends Goldstone / 3 natural rhythm’ / 18
YOUTH / 16-17
SPORTS / 24
LETTERS / 14-15
CROSSWORD & BRIDGE / 20
SUPPLEMENT:
Health & Beauty
COMMUNITY BUZZ / 6
WHAT’S ON / 20
2
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Stan Kaplan (Chairman)
Issie Kirsh (Deputy Chairman), Marlene
Bethlehem, Russell Gaddin, Norman
Lowenthal, Bertie Lubner,
Benjy Porter, Herby
Rosenberg, Howard
Sackstein, Jason Valkin.
KASHRUT
The following symbols will appear on
advertisements and/or advertising features to indicate whether or not they are
kosher. Where no Kashrut mark appears
on an advert, the Jewish Report
assumes no responsibility for the
Kashrut status of that establishment or
advertiser:
NK Non-Kosher
K Kosher
Where no symbols appear, consult the
Beth Din Kosher Guide or contact the
advertiser.
Advertisements and editorial copy from
outside sources do not neccessarily reflect
the views of the editors and staff.
Digging up a marriage
THE MIDRASH points out that
the marriages of three of
Judaism’s greatest men are
associated with wells of water.
This week we read of Isaac’s
marriage to Rebecca and how
their first encounter takes place
as he returns from a well. The
other two are Jacob and Moses,
both of whom encounter their
wives-to-be at the lip of a well.
Most would agree that water
provides a serene and even
romantic setting. Indeed many
a marriage proposal has been
orchestrated on the banks of a
river or at the ocean’s edge, the
crashing waves or the flowing
water providing the ideal setting.
But what is the appeal of a
well, its water is hidden and
even its opening is covered with
a rock? And why specifically
are the marriages of these three
greats connected with a well?
A well is unlike other bodies
of water in two contrary ways,
on the one hand without human
effort to dig and expose the
CHAYEI
SARAH
Rabbi Pini Hecht
Kiruv Director,
Camps Bay Shul
spring of water from under the
earth, this water would forever
remain hidden.
On the other hand Man does
not produce or develop the flow
of its water; our hard work
merely uncovers what was
already there prior to our
efforts.
This is also the Torah perspective on marriage. Marriage is
not a relationship that we create.
Through our efforts and by
uncovering our hidden reservoirs of love and affection, we
merely reveal a bond that predates our birth. As described by
the Zohar, marriage is the
reuniting of two halves of the
same soul. The connection is
there beforehand and is essen-
SAZF and Habonim
Dror host a Yitzhak
Rabin memorial
NOVEMBER 4 marks the 15th
anniversary of the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin.
Under the auspices of the SA
Zionist
Federation
and
Habonim Dror, a memorial
service for Rabin will be held at
Beyachad on this day, at 19:00 in
the Jessie Kaplan boardroom.
Guest
speaker
is
Wayne
Sussman, former mazkir of
Habonim and current head of
SAIF.
The community is invited to
attend and to pay homage to one
of
Israel’s most revered,
respected and beloved leaders.
The SAZF said in a media
release that Rabin served as
Israel’s prime minister twice:
from 1974-1977, and again from
1992 – 1995.
In 1986 he was appointed
Israel’s ambassador to the
United States, during which
time he played a major role in
promoting “strategic co-operation” with the United States,
leading to massive American
military aid to Israel. In 1975,
Rabin concluded the interim
agreement with Egypt, after
which Israel withdrew from the
Suez Canal in return for free
passage of Israeli shipping
through the waterway.
In July 1976, the Rabin government ordered the “Entebbe
Operation” to rescue Air
France passengers hijacked by
terrorists to Uganda.
Rabin’s second term of office
as prime minister, was marked
by two historic events, namely
the Oslo Accords with the
Palestinians and the peace
treaty signed with Jordan.
Together with Shimon Peres,
Rabin masterminded negotiations
dealing
with
the
Declaration of Principles that
was signed with Yasser Arafat
and the PLO at the White House
in September 1993. As a result
of this, the 1994 Nobel Peace
Prize was awarded to Rabin,
Peres and Arafat.
On November 4, 1995, as he
was leaving a mass rally for
peace held under the slogan
“Yes to Peace, No to Violence”,
Rabin was assassinated by a
Jewish right-wing extremist.
• For further information on
the commemoration, please call
(011)
645-2531
or
e-mail
[email protected]
See page 10
October 29/21 Cheshvan
October 30/22 Cheshvan
tial to our being.
The marriages of Isaac, Jacob
and Moses mentioned above,
each came about after great
effort. Abraham sent his trusted
servant Eliezer to another country laden with immense wealth
in order to secure a bride for
Isaac; Jacob worked for 14
years; and Moses had to fight off
the Midian shepherds.
In each of these incidents they
may have been tempted to credit
their own efforts for the success
of the match. Thus the Torah
relates that these three men
found their brides by a well,
symbolising
their
attitude
towards finding a spouse; just
like a well, they understood the
relationship pre-existed their
effort.
The lesson: Many people get
stuck dating for many years,
pushing off their commitment
to marriage. Why? They’re
afraid that they just don’t know
each other well enough.
Truth be told, no amount of
time together will really prepare you for what marriage,
children or yet unknown circumstances will bring. We will
Chayei Sarah
Starts
18:05
18:10
17:58
18:16
18:00
18:15
Ends
18:56
19:48
18:50
19:08
19:19
19:08
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Durban
Bloemfontein
Port Elizabeth
East London
never know how our potential
spouse may react or behave in
everyone of life’s eventualities.
So, if
providence has
brought you together, things
are mostly right and you’re
ready to stick together, you
need to jump in and uncover
the well.
And once the well has been
exposed, realise that there are
times when stuff may cover
over the wellspring. But don’t
be so quick to run away.
Usually a concerted cleanup
effort can uncover and reexpose that deep essential
bond.
AROUND THE WORLD
NEWS IN BRIEF
SLAUGHTERHOUSE STOPS KOSHER SLAUGHTER OVER MCDONALD'S
LONDON - A slaughterhouse
that supplies kosher meat to
London-area stores, has stopped
kosher slaughter following a
protest by McDonald's.
Slaney
Foods
in
County
Wexford, Ireland, decided to stop
religious slaughter, the Jewish
Chronicle reported. Slaney has
supplied meat to McDonald's for
eight years.
McDonald's has been under fire
in recent days since media reports
that halaal meat, which is ritually
slaughtered for Muslims, is used
by some of the fast-food chain's
restaurants. After denying that
such meat was used because it is
against
company
policy,
McDonald's was forced to admit
that some of its meat indeed was
ritually slaughtered at Slaney.
Some McDonald's patrons are
against eating food made from ritually slaughtered meat because
the animal is not stunned unconscious before it is slaughtered.
The Jewish Chronicle reported
rumours had circulated that
McDonald's had given the slaughterhouse an ultimatum, but they
have been disproven. But the
newspaper quoted the slaughterhouse's managing director, Rory
Fanning, as saying: “It’s not that
we are doing it because someone
was influencing us outside the
company. We made the decision
ourselves.
“There has been a lot of media
coverage of ritual slaughter, and it
was in the context of that that the
decision was made," she told the
newspaper. "I’m not saying it’s the
right decision. I am very hesitant.” (JTA)
AUSTRALIAN LAWMAKER CITES SHOAH VICTIMS AND A SURVIVOR
SYDNEY - Australia’s first Jewish
lawmaker for the federal Liberal
Party paid homage in his maiden
speech to family members who
perished in the Holocaust and one
who survived.
Speaking on Monday in the
House of Representatives in
Canberra, Joshua Frydenberg, 39,
and a graduate of Bialik College in
Melbourne, said: “My greatgrandparents, and many relatives
on both sides, perished in the
Holocaust, but one who survived
is with us today. My great-aunt
Mary Frydenberg spent two years
at Auschwitz. She was transferred
back to Germany by the Nazis and
then sent on a death march, but
she escaped with the assistance of
a humane German guard.”
The former adviser to former
Prime Minister John Howard told
the chamber: “Like so many other
immigrants to our great shores,
all of my grandparents came here
with nothing… but in Australia
anything is possible. We are only
limited by our imagination.”
Frydenberg, a graduate of
Oxford and Harvard universities,
invoked the Rev Martin Luther
King Jr’s famed “I Have A Dream”
speech when he said: “I want to
see an Australia where the only
relevant consideration is the content of a person’s character.”
Frydenberg was elected in the
August 21 national elections. Two
other Jews, Michael Danby and
Mark Dreyfus, join him in the 150member lower house. (JTA)
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
Outrage over Saley’s
‘blood money’ jibe
ALISON GOLDBERG
THE SOUTH African Zionist
Federation is considering its
options in reaction to the cancellation of an order for conference
materials by Saley’s Travel Goods,
on which someone at the company
scribbled blatant hate speech,
rejecting further business between
them, saying the company didn’t
need their “blood money”. This was
after the SAZF had done business
with this company for years.
Signed by “The Management”
the faxed, defaced invoice to the
SAZF stated: “Sorry, we cannot
supply you any of our goods as we
don’t want or need your blood
money!”
Further down, it was written:
“Please do not contact us anymore
and remove all our contact details
from your records and we will do
Gilbert Marcus: Community
owes Goldstone an apology
ALISON GOLDBERG
PHOTOGRAPHER:
PHIL SILBERMAN
ASKED IF he would again
head a UN Human Rights
Commission to investigate
alleged war crimes during
Operation Cast Lead, Mr
Justice Richard Goldstone
said if he did not have a
wife and family, he would definitely
do it again.
“That tells you how this saga has
impacted upon his family,” said
Adv Gilbert Marcus SC, when he
addressed the Union of Jewish
Women in Johannesburg last week
on “The Aftermath of the
Goldstone Affair”.
Marcus disclosed that at the
height of the attacks in the press on
Goldstone, he wrote a private letter
to SA Jewish Board of Deputies’
National Chairman Zev Krengel. In
this missive Marcus expressed his
outrage, saying the jurist deserved
an apology from the collective
Jewish leadership.
“To date no apology has been
made to Richard Goldstone. I think
we are worse off,” said Marcus.
Discussing the “subject matter”
of the Goldstone Report, Marcus
said it was accepted in the 540 page
report that it would be subject to
scrutiny. It focused on 36 incidents –
three of which had since been conceded by the Israel Defence Forces.
(Israel’s adversary, Hamas, has not
similarly carried out an internal
investigation, as recommended by
the Goldstone Report.)
Marcus pointed out that the military operation in Gaza, December
2008 to January 2009, was investigated by the Goldstone Commission
as best it could without the co-operation of Israel.
Goldstone attached to the report
copies of letters he sent to Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, imploring him to co-operate
with the investigation at the time.
The inquiry included interviews with many residents
of Sderot on which Hamas
has been raining rockets for
almost a decade.
Marcus described the
attacks on the Goldstone
Report as “vicious and malicious” - first attempting to
discredit Goldstone personally – given his credentials
as a long-time protector of human
rights.
Another attack, a threat to protest
his presence at his grandson’s barmitzvah in Johannesburg, Marcus
described as pernicious. “This came
from the SAZF and met with the
unofficial endorsement of at least
one other person on the Beth Din.”
In Marcus’ personal experience,
however, the attempt to portray
Goldstone as an “apartheid judge”
was false and ironic. “Goldstone didn’t ally himself with apartheid. No
other Jewish judge did more to protect the victims of apartheid.”
Marcus, who was at the bar in the
early ‘80s, relayed that advocates
prayed that their death penalty
cases would be heard by Goldstone.
As a Supreme Court judge,
Goldstone only sentenced two people to death.
In Israel it was striking, Marcus
asserted, that the criticism had
been so strident. The notion that we
did not say these things publicly,
was a reminder of those in South
Africa who used to argue that we
would bring about change from
within.
Poignant is the fact that when he
was approached by the head of the
UN Human Rights Commission to
head the inquiry, Goldstone refused,
because of its bias against Israel.
Asked what he would do to fix the
terms of reference, Goldstone
changed them, and they were
accepted.
Former Irish president, Mary
Robinson, herself turned the
Commission down because of the
likewise. We don’t want to aid and
abet organisations that are responsible for crimes against humanity!”
Above the cost of the order R8 841.59 - was added: “Please don’t
pay! Don’t contaminate our account
with your blood money!”
Calls to the Ormonde-based business, which has been doing business with the SAZF for years, to
establish whether it was indeed
their management who was responsible for the note on the invoice, the
receptionist said the owners had
“gone overseas”. But the SAZF confirmed that the scribbled note did in
fact convey the wishes of Saley’s
management.
SAZF Chairman Avrom Krengel,
said options open to the SAZF
included pursuing a legal remedy.
In his experience it was sometimes
sufficient that such incidents provoked the outrage it did – the
defaced invoice has been sent far
and wide, also abroad.
“We may not pursue any action
at all so as not to give it more credence than it is worth. We felt,
however, that informing the public
through the press of the conduct of
this company, as we did, was necessary.”
initial terms of reference.
Regarding attacks on other members of the commission of inquiry
such as on Prof Christine Chenken,
who was a signatory to a letter published in the British press condemning Israel’s military incursion, that letter also condemned
Hamas’ rocket attacks on Sderot.
Marcus said he was not aware of
any anti-Semitism on the part of
any member of the four-person
commission.
“Inquiry, scholarship and debate,
all the things we hold dear in
Judaism, were jettisoned in this
saga,” he asserted.
Despite the UN’s hypocrisy in its
years of signing resolutions against
Israel, it didn’t mean Israel should
be exempt from the laws of war.
The latter, informed by the four
Geneva Convention resolutions
passed by the UN to which Israel is
a signatory and other treaties relating to the use of certain weapons, to
which Israel is also a signatory, provided the context for the inquiry.
Why the inquiry at all? The military operation in Gaza resulted in
the bombing of hospitals and
schools, sanitation facilities, the
only flour-producing factory in
Gaza, and was conducted in a
densely populated area.
Erring on the side of conservatism, 1 200 Palestinians and 13
Israelis died - four in “friendly fire”
in the latter case. The inquiry
focused on the principle of distinction - between civilian and military
personnel; and proportionality,
which dictates war must be waged
in proportion to the military aim
pursued.
Marcus cited the example that if
a munitions factory in an urban
area could be destroyed with the
loss of 100 lives, it would be disproportionate to destroy it in a way
that would kill 1 200 people.
In these two spheres, both sides to
the conflict fell short, the Goldstone
Report found. Further, Marcus
pointed out, the investigation was
premised on Israel’s right to selfdefence. It was how that war was
waged which was the subject of the
inquiry.
3
4
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
Tutu sounds a false note
on Porgy and Bess
MOIRA SCHNEIDER
CAPE TOWN.
PHOTOGRAPH: MALIN ARNESSON
ARCHBISHOP EMERITUS Desmond Tutu has called on Cape
Town Opera (CTO) to postpone a
planned trip to Israel, where it is
scheduled to perform Gershwin’s
Porgy and Bess at the Tel Aviv
Opera House during the second
half of November.
In a letter to the company, Tutu
writes: “Just as we said during
apartheid that it was inappropriate for international artists to perform in South Africa in a society
founded on discriminatory laws
and racial exclusivity, so it would
be wrong for Cape Town Opera to
perform in Israel.”
In a statement issued on his
behalf on Tuesday, Tutu urges the
company to postpone its proposed
Pauline
Malefane and
Xolela Sixaba in
the foreground
in a scene from
Porgy and Bess,
performed in
Umea, Sweden
during October.
tour “until both Israeli and
Palestinian opera lovers of the
region have equal opportunity
and unfettered access to attend
performances.
“Only the thickest-skinned
South Africans would be comfortable performing before an audience that excluded residents living, for example, in an occupied
West Bank village 30 minutes
from Tel Aviv, who would not be
allowed to travel to Tel Aviv, while
including his Jewish neighbours
from an illegal settlement on
occupied Palestinian territory.”
The retired archbishop adds
that by “luring” international
artists to perform there, the statesponsored Tel Aviv Opera House
“advances Israel’s fallacious claim
to being a ‘civilised democracy’. To
perform Porgy and Bess, with its
universal message of non-dis-
crimination, in the present state of
Israel, is unconscionable,” he
says.
Tutu could not be reached for
comment as he is out of the country until December 23, according
to his office.
In response, Cape Town Opera
says that while it respects the
views held by Archbishop Tutu, it
is “first and foremost” an arts
company that believes in promoting universally held human values through the medium of opera
and is “accordingly reluctant to
adopt the essentially political position of disengagement from cultural ties with Israel or with
Palestine”.
CTO
Managing
Director
Michael Williams says in a media
release that he believes his artists
in fact act as ambassadors for the
democratic South Africa and that
in Porgy and Bess there is “much
which should provide food for
thought for audiences in Israel”.
CTO’s visit to Israel was the
outcome of negotiations that had
begun four years ago and it had
contractual commitments to
artists both locally and abroad.
“We were throughout aware of
the possibility of being seen as
being partisan in the Middle
Eastern conflict and accordingly,
negotiations to perform within the
Arab world have been and are
ongoing.
“In particular, Cape Town
Opera welcomes the opportunity
to perform within Palestine as
well,” he states.
Reacting to the matter in a
media release, the South African
Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape
Council) “strongly rejects” Tutu’s
appeal, saying that peace and
understanding was best served
through constructive and positive
engagements between Israel,
South Africa and the Palestinian
regions, not by boycotts.
It referred in this regard to a
Palestinian-Israeli youth orchestra established by the late
Palestinian scholar Edward Said
and Argentinian-Israeli pianist
and conductor Daniel Barenboim,
in the belief that “music could
work in areas where politicians
are unable to do so.
“Boycott
campaigns
work
counter to such projects of peace
and serve only to harden attitudes
on both sides of the IsraeliPalestinian divide.”
In addition, the Board “completely rejects” Tutu’s claim that
Israel is founded on “discriminatory laws and racial exclusivity”
and accuses the Archbishop of
applying double standards by
“singling out Israel as a target for
special criticism”.
SAZF,
Embassy
respond to
Tutu
AVROM KRENGEL, chairman of the
SA Zionist Federation and Hila Stern,
spokesman for the Embassy of Israel,
in separate media releases, condemned Tutu’s appeal to the CTO.
“We had hoped that as a man of
peace and a Nobel Peace laureate,
Tutu would use his legacy and his
reputation to bring the Israeli and
Palestinian people closer to a resolution of this tragic conflict, rather than
exacerbating it by his hostile statements,” said Krengel. “His attack on
Israel is unjust and harmful to any
moves towards peace, and his stance
is to be regretted.”
“This call is yet another phase in
the biased campaign… that distorts
and demonises Israel,” the Embassy
added. “Tutu would have achieved
more, had he used his position to
unite warring people rather than
forcing them apart.”
Commenting on whether Tutu’s
“unbased doubts” on Israel being a
civilised democracy reflect a lack of
understanding of the situation, or
deliberate populist incitement, the
release said: “It is regrettable that
Tutu chooses to single out Israel…
rather than concentrating on what is
happening in his own backyard.”
Krengel concurred, especially in
light of the decision taken by the CTO
to continue with its tour of Israel
because it is ‘first and foremost an
arts company that believes in promoting universally held human values
through the medium of opera’.”
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
Glick: Jihadists are a threat
to Western civilisation
LIONEL SLIER
THE MIDDLE East peace process was a
false premise because it maintained that
Israel’s refusal to give up all the disputed
territories was the root cause of all the
violence and if only Israel did so, there
would be utopia and everyone would be
happy, columnist Caroline Glick (pictured), deputy managing editor of the
Jerusalem Post, told a SAZF gathering in
the Simon Kuper Hall, last week. This was
her first visit to the country.
She expressed grave concerns about the
growing jihadist ideology in the region.
The eradication of Western civilisation is
the jihadists’ major aim.
“The reality is that there can be no
peace in the region because of the jihadist
claims there. Much of the Islamic world is
in favour of jihad. The Sunnis want an
Islamic caliphate. Shi’ite Iran is seeking
Armageddon – a reign of Islam which will
subjugate the non-Islamic world, starting
with the elimination of the Jewish state.
“Up until 1979 Iran was an ally of Israel,
but now, while accusing Israel of destroying the peace process, President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is welcomed as
‘our brother’ by thousands in Lebanon
near where, in 2006, there were pitched
battles with Israel.
“He announced to cheers that Israel
would soon be destroyed; he was greeted
as a conquering hero and he seemed to
have ‘conquered’ Lebanon.”
Hamas was not a nationalist movement,
Glick said. They did not see themselves as
Palestinian nationalists. They saw themselves as Muslims on jihad waging their
particular war to destroy the State of
Israel. It was, as its own constitution or
covenant stated, part of the global jihad.
On Syria, she said that President Bashar
Assad was following in the footsteps of his
late father. “Syria has been a colony of the
Ottomans, the French, the Soviets and now
it is a proxy of Iran. The Syrian
Revolutionary Guard is trained in Iran
and the country’s armed forces receive billions of dollars in equipment from Iran.”
Iran posed a major threat. “Gaza is an
Iranian colony and following a 2005 agreement between Iran and Hamas, Iran
financed Hamas’s command structure and
Trevor Stamelman: 082-608-0168
Geoff Lees: 082-551-9314
Tel: (011) 885-3742
[email protected]
www.stamelmanproperties.co.za
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armed it.
“So, Israel is surrounded on three sides
by Iranian states. Iran is attempting to
take over Iraq and is already making
inroads and is waiting for the American
pull-out next year. Iran is also the primary
engine in Afghanistan and is spreading its
influence in South America through
President Hugo Chavez in Venezuela.
“It already has bases in Nicaragua and
Bolivia. From a military perspective, Iran
aims to be the hegemonic power in the
Middle East.”
Glick said President Barack Obama
seemed to have no problem with jihadism.
He spoke to the Muslim Brotherhood in
Cairo and they told him that they were
jihadists. It was their religious duty, the
core of their religious belief, to raise a
jihad generation. Their Sunni stream was
the most predominant in Arabia and the
Western world.
“However, the overwhelming number of
Muslims in the West will say that jihad is
a deviation and that they do not subscribe
to it. But this is not the case. Most
Muslims worldwide want Sharia law. The
majority of citizens in Syria, Jordan and
Pakistan do subscribe to jihadist Islam.
This is what they believe in.”
Glick explained that in 2004 Turkey was
a secular constitutional state and a friend
of Israel. But increasingly after that date,
jihadists have advanced their claims.
Army generals were charged with
trumped up charges of espionage.
Jihadists have now taken over the media TV and the radio and the print media and
the judiciary. “Yet they are still members
of Nato. Turkey has become estranged
from Israel and is keeping up alliances
5
with Iran.
“The reality,” warned Glick, “is that
world jihadism is not going to be
appeased. It is impossible to appease an
ideology that seeks global control. The
ideology of jihadists has anti-Semitism as
a central role. It has nothing to do with 230
new apartments being built in Jerusalem.
“Every concession that Israel makes is a
victory to jihad. The peace process is a
fantasy. The eradication of Western civilisation is its major aim; a Israel is in the
front line. If Israel falls, it is nothing but a
small piece in the war.”
Touching on the question of Israeli
Arabs taking an oath of allegiance to the
State of Israel, Glick said she was not comfortable with that. She mentioned that
American Muslim who tried to blow up a
truck loaded with explosives in Times
Square recently was a naturalised
American who had sworn allegiance to the
United States.
Israeli Arabs were mostly moderates
who had no desire to live under
Palestinian rule. “We govern all under the
same laws and if we had a government
that was not afraid to do so, we would have
people who would want to be a part of
Israel.
Giving her impressions of South Africa,
Glick said she was impressed but somewhat daunted by the challenges that
South Africa faced and that South African
Jewry faced. But South Africa Jewry
could be trusted to do the important
things.
Glick said we were living in an extraordinary time. “We have to recognise our
friends and our values. For the first time
in 2 000 years we are in our own land.
“We have turned a wasteland into a diamond. On a daily basis we are stunned and
amazed with our achievements in many
fields. The dangers that we face are daunting, yet we should be looking at the future
with certainty as our cause is just. We
must remember who we are; we must
remember why it is that what we are is
worth defending.”
6
SA JEWISH REPORT
COMMUNITY BUZZ
LIONEL SLIER
082-444-9832, fax: 011-440-0448,
[email protected]
UPINGTON
From Sally Sher: (Continuing the story of
Jack Yalkovsky)
“I phoned my uncle Abe Rosman who lives
in Sea Point. Abe, together with my father,
ran the farm and produce section of the
business. Abe said that Jack bought a piece
of farming ground adjacent to Exteenskuil
which he farmed until he was murdered.
“My grandfather bought the ground. Abe
does not know what happened to the money
and Jack’s estate. Abe has no recollection of
Mr and Mrs Gottschalk being instrumental
in bringing Jack to Upington.
“Neither Abe nor I had ever seen a photograph of Jack. As far as descendants go,
Abe said Jack had a coloured daughter. He
doesn’t know what happened to her after
Jack died. As I said previously, Jack was a
recluse.
“I have such a clear recollection that Mr
and Mrs Gottschalk brought Jack to
Upington and can’t find anyone to verify
that. I would be pleased if you would find
any such information among documentation regarding Jack, you would let me know.
“I am also curious to know how it came
about that Jack came to work in the shop on
the farm; how old was he when he came
there and how old was he when he died in
December 1956.
“My uncle Abe is turning 90 this month
and I am pleased to say his mind is perfectly clear. Any other questions that you may
have, Abe will be happy to answer, if he is
able to.” (Acknowledgement: David Sandler,
Perth)
PRETORIA
From Alton Bernstein:
“The Civil Service Club in Pretoria Street
was demolished in the ‘50s and made way
for the Van der Stel building.
“Incredibly, next door to the club was a
small single-storeyed building which
housed the American Information Office.
As schoolboys we would collect brochures
from them for school projects.
“In the club upstairs was the card room
where many prominent citizens of Pretoria
played rummy and klaberjas in the afternoons.
“One of the more illustrious players was
Pompey Silber, an attorney, who was always
immaculately dressed with a lapel carnation.
“In the group who frequented the gaming
room, were Arthur Worms (Continental
Butchery) and Perkins, another lawyer. The
players were attended to by a black man
with the nickname ‘Cockeye’, as he had a
vicious squint.
“He was always on hand to direct the players to parking places at the back of the
building in Schoeman Street.
“Mr Silber was the first real legal professional public relations officer I came across
in my long career in the Pretoria Bureau
of the (Johannesburg) Rand Daily Mail
(1954 - 1978).
“We would get tip-offs and mysterious
calls about court cases, which would make
good copy for the newspaper.
“In one of the cases Silber brought his
black messenger to court, pushing a wheelbarrow full of law books that he was going
to use for reference in the trial of an
accused.
“When the magistrate asked him whether
he was going to use all the books, Silber said
‘yes’. The magistrate dismissed the case!”
To be continued.
JOHANNESBURG
From The Zionist Record & SA Jewish
Chronicle, December 14, 1942:
“Is King David High School supplying teachers to the Hebrew teaching profession?”
This is the question posed by Karl Lemeer
in his column, “South African Scene”. The
answer is “yes” - nine former Davidians
have enrolled so far.
There will be seven graduates this year,
(1942). Shirley Goldberg will teach in
29 October - 05 November 2010
Benoni; Evelyn Pagoda in Pretoria; Joyce
Orbach in Yeoville; Sandra Levin in Yeoville.
Masha Teeger is going for a period to
Israel, and then will return to take up a post.
The placing of the other two is not yet fixed.
Former students, now teachers, are
everywhere: In Durban, Mr Nowitz and
Mrs Kaplan; Port Elizabeth has Miss
Jacobs; Cape Town has Mrs Gurary, Miss
Abromowitz, Miss Sonia Rappaport and
Mrs
Dison;
Bulawayo
has
Miss
Sonnensheim.
The Plit brothers –
drivers of the inner
city development
KENHARDT
STAFF REPORTER
PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED
From Marc Kopman:
“Fellow Krugersdorp Shul congregant,
Martin Elsas, and I rode into Kenhardt in an
Isuzu Frontier (a little different to a kommando on horseback, this being 100 years
later).
“Armed with one of the excellent volumes
of SA Friends of Beit Hatefutsoth, ‘South
African Life in the Country Communities’,
we drove by a church where several workers
were busy digging and we questioned them
as to where ‘die Joodse kerk’ had been situated, showing them my Magen Dovid chain
for extra explanatory effect.
“They pointed to the church without hesitation, indicating that the shul was now this
building. We were not convinced.
“Paging
through
the
Country
Communities’ publication, we found a
photograph of the shul taken in its heyday... (The congregation diminished and
phased out in 1948 and later, falling into
disrepair. The structure was sold to a
school for R1 000.
“Next stop at the police station, book and
photograph in tow; the constable on duty
who in an instant recognised it and told us to
follow him in his vehicle.
“We arrived in what was previously
referred to as a coloured township, and situated next to a school, there it was. We
thanked the constable and proceeded to
inspect the building, now apparently a disused church, locked, with several of the
stained glass windows broken.
“We managed to hoist ourselves up to a
windowsill and peered into the very dusty
and unused inside.
“Martin photographed the structure
extensively and these are available to Beit
Hatefutsoth if they require them. The foundation stone referred to in the Jacobson
article has been removed and it would be
interesting if anyone knows what became
of it.
“I received a call from Country
Communities Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, who
advised me of a Radio ChaiFM programme
about Jewish places of interest along the N1.
“I attempted to phone from my car and
contribute some of my experiences in the
area, but I was out of range. I left a message
for the producer of the station, but I have not
been contacted.”
Marc Kopman may be contacted on
083-375-9250.
SHANGHAI
From 1933 to 1941, Shanghai became a modern day Noah’s Ark, accepting around 30 000
Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust in
Europe.
In the “Designated area for Stateless
Refugees” in the Tilanqiao area of Shanghai,
about 20 000 Jewish refugees lived harmoniously with local citizens, overcoming
numerous difficulties together.
By the time the Second World War ended
in 1945, most of the Jewish refugees had survived. Dr David Kranzler, a noted Holocaust
historian, called it the “Miracle of
Shanghai”. He commented that within
Jewry’s greatest tragedy, namely the
Holocaust, there shone a few bright lights.
Among the brightest of these is the
Shanghai haven. In the “Tilanqiao Historic
Area”, the original features of the Jewish
settlement are still well preserved.
They are the only typical historic traces of
Jewish refugee life inside China during the
Second World War.
From “Shanghai
Administration”.
Municipal
Tourist
JOHANNESBURG
The clock is ticking. There is an appeal for
members to pay their fees, otherwise in
seven weeks’ time the library at Beyachad
will be closed. It is no good mourning its loss
in January.
RENNEY AND Wayne Plit, two brothers who
have revitalised sections of Johannesburg’s
inner city, managed to raise R250 000 at a
fundraising gala dinner and auction at the
HOD Hall in Oaklands, for City Kidz, a social
initiative of the Affordable Housing
Company (Afhco).
City Kidz is an inner city governmental
school which they started at their own cost.
The brothers, who own 79 buildings in the
inner city, buy old, commercial, derelict and
hijacked buildings and restore them into
affordable residential units. They have also
developed retail and commercial units.
Afhco is one of the longest-performing
developers in the inner city. Wayne started
Afcho in 1996 and Renney joined him in 2001.
The group remained a family business
despite the addition, in 2006, of Old Mutual as
a 50 per cent shareholder in Afhco Holdings
(Pty) Ltd.
“The investment into the group by Old
Mutual has provided opportunities for
growth, further cementing Afhco as one of
the leading layers in the Johannesburg inner
city,” said Renney.
The group currently has 5 500 rental apartments in the Johannesburg inner city and
about 300 000 square metres of retail and
commercial space. There are a further 2 000
units under development at present.
Their property portfolio is valued in excess
of R1 billion, comprising properties which
are owned and occupied, under development,
or awaiting transfer. Residential vacancies
and bad debt ratios are below two per cent.
The Afhco residential target market is tenants earning between R3 500 and R10 000 a
month, with rentals starting from R1 500.
Speaking at the dinner this week, Renney
said the property on which the school is situated, was an abandoned Indian school which
had been standing empty for years.
“We were going to buy it to build more residential units, but then decided there was a
need for inner city schoolchildren. The buildings were there, so all we had to do was renovate them,” he said, underplaying their huge
role in bringing it to fruition.
It took his staff three months to renovate
the classrooms. He put in R3 million of his
own company money and today the school
has 270 children.
The Johannesburg Development Agency
(JDA) donated R150 000 to the school.
“However, we need additional classrooms
and we are trying to raise funds to buy the
property next door to build a high school,” he
said.
The school needs a mini-bus, a science lab,
computer equipment, books, uniforms and
sports equipment.
The auction held during the dinner, was a
huge success, with framed artworks by the
children going for as much as R6 000.
“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of
people. This money will go towards building
additional classrooms, because we now only
go from grade 1 to grade 7 and there is a
demand to increase this,” he said.
Renney said one of main aims of Afcho’s
redevelopment of the inner city, was a holistic approach.
“We believe in developing the communities
around our properties. We aim to create a
safe environment and we work with the
JMPD, the JDA, SAPS and the City of
Johannesburg to help use with security,
cleaning up, attending to street paving,
sewage, shebeens, chop shops and street
lights,” he said.
As a result, there are now vibrant communities around the buildings they own, he said.
“Yes, we do make money out of it,” he
admits, “but we have led the rejuvenation of
the inner city. We took the lead. We have
invested in the inner city environment to
turn Johannesburg into a normal African
city, with good shopping,” he added.
Another project Afcho is involved in, is the
employment of 300 deaf cleaners in the buildings.
“Other cleaners have been taught sign language and it has proved to be a big success,”
Deputy Minister of Human Settlements
Zou Kota-Fredericks and Renney Plit.
120 End Street.
he said.
The appointment of community ambassadors have been another success.
“We got some unemployed youths, gave
them some skills development training and
they now patrol the streets with radios. If they
see a problem, they report it to our urban
manager. In the areas which they patrol,
crime has gone down by 9 per cent,” he said.
Afcho has also purchased many buildings
in the Doornfontein area. One particularly
successful building is the old Nedbank in End
Street. Checkers has put up shop in the retail
section there on the ground floor.
There was a park across the road which was
filled with vagrants, hawkers cutting up cows,
and full of criminals.
Afcho has taken over the park and installed
soccer fields, toilets, security guards and
CCTV cameras. During the Fifa Wold Cup
they donated soccer balls to the children.
“We are trying to build the future of this
city, and country. If we don’t develop the
younger generation, we will be in trouble. We
want to bring these children up in a decent
environment. We can either be passengers or
drivers and we, as a group, decided to become
the drivers,” he said.
There are three main divisions of the group.
Afcho Holdings is the main holding company
and deals with all building procurements,
investments and negotiations.
Afcho Property Management is the company responsible for letting, managing and
maintaining all the buildings in the Afcho
portfolio.
Afcho Construction Management, manages
the construction, refurbishment and conversion of the Afcho buildings before they are
handed over to the Afcho Property
Management.
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
OPINION AND ANALYSIS
FORUM FOR DIVERSE VIEWS
Palestinian gambit for statehood
puts Israel against the wall
LESLIE SUSSER
JERUSALEM
WITH TALKS at a stalemate and
no agreement from the Israelis to
reinstate a settlement freeze, the
Palestinians are playing a new
card: an end game to statehood
through an appeal to the international community.
The card hasn’t actually been
played, but the mere threat that
the Palestinians would push for
international recognition of a
state from the United Nations, has
been enough to push the Israeli
government to reconsider options
to return to the negotiating table.
Last Sunday, partly to pre-empt
a Palestinian move toward statehood that would bypass negotiations with Israel, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said he was working intensively
with the Obama administration
on a formula to restart the stalled
peace process.
“We are in close contact with
the American administration
with the aim of restarting the
peace process,” Netanyahu said at
his weekly Cabinet meeting.
“Our aim is not only to renew
the process, but to renew it in
such a way that it won’t collapse
in a few weeks or in two months,
but that we will go into a full year
of serious negotiations on the
core issues in an effort to reach a
framework agreement on the way
to a peace deal.
“Any
attempt
by
the
Palestinians to circumvent this
process by going to international
organisations,” he said, “is not
realistic, and will not in any way
advance a genuine peace process.”
Israeli, Palestinian and US leaders all say publicly that a negotiated peace deal is much preferred to
unilateral steps that could spark a
sharp response from the other
side. But the Palestinians warn
that if the direct peace talks
remain on hold, they will consider
approaching international bodies
for recognition of a Palestinian
state along the 1967 borders with
eastern Jerusalem as its capital.
It isn’t clear whether this is
merely a tactic to frighten Israel
back to the peace table - talks that
were renewed in early September
broke down four weeks later over
Israel’s refusal to extend a building freeze in the West Bank - or
part of a new strategy aimed at
achieving a better deal for the
Palestinians through the international community.
Either way, given Israel’s precarious position on the international stage and the lack of international support for its West Bank
settlement construction policy,
the Palestinian threat carries
weight and is being taken very
seriously in Jerusalem.
Much depends on the American
stand, which gives the Obama
administration added leverage
over Israel.
The new Palestinian thinking
has been evolving over the past
few years and is based on two key
principles: winning enhanced
international support for Palestinian goals and, in parallel, building the institutions of a functioning Palestinian state from the bottom up.
The idea is that if the Americanmediated peace process with Israel
proves fruitless, the Palestinians
can invoke Plan B: Gaining the
world’s approval for an already
functioning Palestinian state, on
conditions favourable to the
Palestinians, at a time of their
choosing.
With Palestinian confidence in
the Israeli government on the
wane and Israel’s international
standing in decline, Plan B has
emerged as a genuine threat to
Israel.
Last week, the Palestinians
made their first significant move
for recognition as a state by
approaching the International
Criminal Court at The Hague to
urge
recognition
of
the
Palestinian Authority as the
equivalent of a full-fledged state
government.
That designation would enable
the Palestinian Authority to press
war crimes charges against Israel
for its conduct in the 2008-‘09 Gaza
War because only states have
standing before the court.
Recognition of the Palestinian
Authority by the international
court not only would open a crack
for the possible prosecution of
Israeli civilian and military leaders, it also would hand the
Palestinians a major PR victory in
their quest for internationally
recognised
statehood.
The
Palestinians would be able to cite
the court’s recognition as legal
backing for their case for a state.
Last week the court’s prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo of
Argentina, heard arguments from
legal experts, backed up by nongovernmental organisations, from
both sides. The Israeli side argued
that the Palestinian Authority is
not a state and therefore cannot
claim standing before the court,
and that in any event, the court is
not empowered to prosecute a
state like Israel, which has effective and credible legal mechanisms for dealing with suspected
war crimes.
A decision is not expected for
several weeks.
If the Palestinians do press
ahead in earnest with Plan B, the
United Nations will be the main
battleground. Given the certain
backing for a Palestinian state by
the non-aligned and Muslim
states, the Palestinians easily
would be able to secure a majority
in the General Assembly - the
same body that granted Israel
international
recognition
in
November 1947 by a vote of 33 to
13.
But the Palestinians want more
than mere recognition: They want
a binding allocation of territory
based on the 1967 borders. For
that they will likely seek a resolution from the UN Security
Council, whose votes are binding.
Such an effort likely would be
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, seen here greeting Finnish President Tarja Halonenin
in the West Bank city of Ramallah on October 14, may appeal to the international community for recognition of statehood. (PHOTOGRAPH: ISSAM RIMAWI/FLASH90/JTA)
blocked by the United States,
which has veto power in that body.
Therefore, for such a gambit to
work, it would need to have the
backing of the Obama administration. That’s unlikely.
In the run-up to a crucial Arab
League
meeting
in
early
November that will discuss the
stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks, PA President Mahmoud
Abbas has been canvassing Arab
leaders on his UN strategy.
The Palestinians see an important
convergence
in
early
November of key events for the
future of the peace process: the
Arab League meeting and the US
midterm elections. They believe
that after the midterm elections,
President Barack Obama will
have a freer hand to deal with
Israel and will press Israel to
return to the negotiating table on
the Palestinians’ terms to head off
any UN strategy.
For Israel this constitutes a
major headache. The Netanyahu
government fears that many
countries, including the Europeans, would go along with the
Palestinians and recognise a
Palestinian state based on the pre1967 border between Israel and
Jordan.
If Israel remains in control of
large swaths of the West Bank
after a Palestinian state is
declared and recognised, even if
it’s just in the General Assembly,
it would further sink Israel’s
international reputation and provide additional fodder for the campaign to delegitimise Israel.
“The Palestinians will declare a
state. Virtually the whole world
will recognise it. And we will be
left without security arrangements,” Israeli Trade and
Industry Minister Benjamin Ben
Eliezer said on Monday.
Israel’s response to the challenge has been a combination of
defiance and diplomacy.
“Like (David) Ben-Gurion,
Netanyahu will not allow the
United Nations, or any other
organisation, to dictate our borders,” Israel’s US ambassador,
Michael Oren, said last Friday.
“They will be determined through
negotiations.”
Privately, some Israeli Cabinet
ministers have been proposing
unilateral Israeli responses, such
as Israeli annexation of a significant part of the West Bank or
redeploying inside the large settlement blocs to create a de facto
border along Israeli terms.
Behind the scenes, Israeli diplomats have been warning their colleagues in Washington and
Europe that if the Palestinians act
on the UN strategy, the current
peace process, and the Oslo
process on which it is based,
would be over.
For now, however, Israel is
focusing its efforts on putting
direct Israeli-Palestinian peace
talks back on track and undercutting the Palestinians’ UN strategy.
Netanyahu’s
special
envoy,
Yitzhak Molcho, is in Washington
this week working with his
American counterparts on the
details.
“Peace will only be achieved
through direct negotiations,”
Netanyahu said last Sunday, “and
I hope we will return to this
avenue in full force very soon.”
(JTA)
AROUND
THE
WORLD
NEWS IN BRIEF
NEW ZEALAND JEWISH
LEADERS WARN AGAINST
SHECHITAH BAN
AUCKLAND - New Zealand
Jewish life is in jeopardy if the
community loses its legal battle
over the ban on kosher slaughter, Jewish leaders here have
warned.
An e-mail titled “Save the
Future of Judaism in New
Zealand” and circulated on
October 22 to some 1 000 families, warned that if the community loses the case over the new
law, it will signal the death
knell of the Jewish community,
which dates back near two centuries.
“It will mean we can’t engage
rabbis or youth leaders," read
the e-mail, which was jointly
released by Auckland Hebrew
Congregation President Garth
Cohen and Wellington Jewish
Community Centrer Chairman
Claire Massey.
"It will mean our religious
families will be forced to leave
New Zealand. Few Jews will
want to migrate here. We will
be seen as a country where
Jews are not welcome, and
where our traditions and
beliefs are not respected or valued.”
The e-mail urged each family
to donate about $75 to the New
Zealand Shechitah Appeal, as
well as to e-mail Agriculture
Minister David Carter, who
imposed the ban on shechitah
in May, and Prime Minister
John Key, whose mother was a
Jewish refugee who escaped
Austria on the eve of the
Holocaust.
“We need the support of
every Jew in New Zealand,” the
e-mail stated. “Whether you
keep kosher, observe Shabbat
or not, we must stand together.
Your religious, cultural and
social future is under threat.”
About 1 000 affiliated Jewish
families live in two main centres, Wellington and Auckland,
as well as smaller communities
in Christchurch and Dunedin
on the south island. (JTA)
SHOAH SURVIVORS SUE
HUNGARY, RAILROADS
WASHINGTON - Holocaust
survivors and their families
have sued Hungary and its two
railroad companies for allegedly collaborating with the Nazis
to commit genocide against the
Jews.
The lawsuit filed last week in
US District Court for the
District of Columbia requests
class-action status. Some 300
survivors are identified as
members of the class, but the
number could climb as high as
5 000, Reuters reported. The
lawsuit does not specify damages.
It accuses the Hungarian
government and the railroad
companies of seizing Jewish
property and transporting its
owners to ghettos and concentration camps in Poland and
Ukraine.
"The Jewish victims of the
Hungarian Holocaust seek only
what is due them - compensation and restitution for the
atrocities they suffered at the
hands of the defendants," the
lawsuit said, according to
Reuters. (JTA)
7
8
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
SOCIAL SCENE
The Johannesburg Jewish Male Choir.
Rita Lewis [email protected]
Joyous 25th anniversary
Evelyn Green shows off the award presented
to her by the JJMC’s chairman, Russel Lurie.
Chief Rabbi Goldstein with his wife Gina.
Evelyn Green and Cantor Oshy Tugendhaft.
Rabbi Moshe Kurtstag, with Philip
Kalmonowitz and Ronnie Penn.
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY
RITA LEWIS
THE JOHANNESBURG Jewish Male
Choir’s Jewish Heritage in Song at the
Linder Auditorium in Johannesburg,
marking the JJMC’s 25th anniversary, was
a celebration of note.
Guest Cantor Oshy Tugendhaft was in
top form, as were the other soloists, Ezra
Sher, Len Kay and Russel Lurie, the
choir’s chairman.
Tugendhaft has sung at major Jewish
events around the world, starting off as a
“child chazzan” officiating at some of the
leading shuls of Israel and the US.
He was the chazzan of the Sydenham
Shul for 18 years and has recently been
the chazzan at the Great Park Shul over
the High Holy Days.
He was for many years the resident
cantor of the JJMC under Gus Levy, featuring in all their concerts and CDs, here
and abroad.
Narrator Helen Heldenmuth, used her
usual panache in scripting and hosting the
JJMC’s 25th anniversary celebration.
Mention was made of those people who
had contributed to the creation and success
of the choir:-The four founding members,
Bob Borowsky; Evelyn Green; Lior
Himmelstein and Gus Levy zt”l, also the
former conductors, Gus Levy; Ephraim
Katz; Walter Mony zt”l and Evelyn Green.
Acknowledgement was given to members
serving the choir for more than 20 years.
They were Ivor Bloom zt”l; Solly
Goldsmith; Evelyn Green; Russel Lurie;
Selwyn Milner and Barney Zagnoev.
Those members who had passed on were
all recalled: Ivor Bloom; Harry Bloom;
Jules Borowsky; Stan Gordon; Ralph
Hammerschlag; Abe Katz; Gus Levy;
Ernest Marks ; and Walter Mony.
The one downside of the evening was the
fact that Maestro Elli Jaffe, the conductor
of the Great Synagogue Choir in
Jerusalem, was unable to attend at the last
minute due to ill health.
However, the JJMC’s musical director,
Evelyn Green, who wears many caps - that
of accompanist, repetiteur, adjudicator,
teacher and a founder member of the
JJMC - stepped in at the last minute.
Melding some 40 voices of the JJMC
with the six inexperienced youngsters of
the newly formed Youth Ensemble,
together with those of the six members of
the accompanying Musical Ensemble, was
no mean feat, especially as she had to continue to accompany them on the piano at
the same time.
However, everything went off superbly
and without a hitch.
After the concert, Green paid tribute to the
members of the choir and all the time they
spent at rehearsing the new programme even during the period of the Fifa World Cup
- although rehearsals were especially scheduled not to coincide with matches!
The new innovation of the new Young
Ensemble, made up of six talented youngsters, was very well received. They are
James Furman; Hillel Gruzd; Caleb
Lester; Daniel Levin; Adam Moritz; and
Marc Shapiro.
Helen Heldenmuth, with her grandson,
Adam Moritz.
The three young members of the Youth
Ensemble, Hillel Gruzd; Adam Moritz; and
Daniel Levine.
The musical
ensemble: Phil
Holder; PetaAnn Holdcroft;
Rob Watson;
Malane
Hofmeyr-Burger;
and Jacques
Fourie with
Evelyn Green.
Evelyn Green with Russel Lurie and Helen Heldenmuth.
George Maxadana the musical director of
the Imilongi KaNtu Choral Society, which
has previously performed with the JJMC.
Programme sellers
Warren Goodman
and Helen
Goldberg.
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
9
10
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
OPINION AND ANALYSIS
FORUM FOR DIVERSE VIEWS
Chris Hani and
Yitzhak Rabin
IF ISRAELI Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had not been
assassinated 15 years ago - on November 4, 1995 - would
Israel be at peace with a Palestinian state as its neighbour and experiencing cordial relationships with the
Arab world?
Some Israelis say it would be the case - that Rabin was
on the right path with Palestinian partner, Palestinian
Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, with whom he
shared the Nobel Peace Prize together with current
Israeli President Shimon Peres; that his murderer sabotaged the “peace process” to such an extent that it never
recovered.
Others say peace with the Palestinians was - and
remains - impossible: Rabin’s endorsement of the Oslo
Accords was a reckless ticket to an abyss and had to be
stopped, even if Israelis were horrified at the actual act
of his murder.
We will never know. Leaders who die for a cause tend
to be idealised - even deified - or demonised. But the
question: “What would he have done?”, remains intriguing.
The trauma of his murder, as he left a peace rally in
Tel Aviv, reverberated worldwide in all its horror. Jews
and Israelis have the precise moment or location where
they heard the news seared into their memories.
Initial anger that the killer must be Arab, turned to
astonishment when an Israeli Jew, Yigal Amir, opposed
to the Oslo process, was arrested. Fractures in Israeli
society caused by this event have never healed.
US President Bill Clinton’s eulogy to Rabin, delivered
with grief etched on his face and broadcast to billions
worldwide, ended with the Hebrew words: “Shalom,
chaver” (“goodbye, friend”).
For years afterwards, these words were emblazoned
on Israeli posters, bumper stickers and other places;
public squares, streets and institutions were named
after him. Yigal Amir languishes in jail.
Overwhelmingly, Israelis condemn his act, if not his
cause.
We had our own political killing in this country of a
“peacemaker”: SA Communist Party leader, the charismatic Chris Hani, whose assassination in 1993 almost
plunged South Africa into a racial bloodbath.
Only the rapid intervention of other, powerful leaders
- such as Tokyo Sexwale - defused the situation and prevented the simmering racial pot from boiling over. We
must be ever grateful to them: Hani was much beloved
and their outrage at his murder must have been almost
uncontainable.
Hani’s killers were right-wing politician Clive DerbyLewis and Polish immigrant Janusz Walus. The ailing
Derby-Lewis - he is 74 - has quite some time been trying
to be released on parole, having spent 15 years in jail so
far, but his attempts have largely been stymied by Hani’s
family.
Fortunately for us, Hani’s assassination did not sabotage our “peace process”; we are living in the democratic South Africa he believed in, even if it contains many
warts which need sorting out.
After the historical handshake with Yasser Arafat in
1993, Rabin said: “We who have fought against you, the
Palestinians, we say to you today, in a loud and a clear
voice: ‘Enough of blood and tears... enough!’”
Tragically, the blood and tears - and the hatred - continue. Since then we have seen endless Palestinian terrorism against Israelis, 8 000 Hamas rockets hurled at
Israeli civilians after Israel’s Gaza withdrawal, the second Lebanon War, Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza,
the strengthening of worldwide radical Islam with its
unbending hatred of Israel, Iranian threats – including
nuclear - to Israel from an Iranian president who
announces his hostile intentions to the entire world; and
on and on...
Within Israel, political rifts seem as, or even more,
severe than they were in 1994. The differences between
Abba Eban representing Israel’s foreign relations in
Rabin’s era, and current foreign minister Avigdor
Lieberman are so stark as to beggar belief. Is this possibly a true illustration of today’s situation?
The “peace camp” is so discredited as to be almost
moribund. Most Israelis want peace, but believe it is
impossible in the foreseeable future.
Could Rabin - the general turned peacemaker - have
changed or prevented any of this if Yigal Amir’s gun had
jammed? We will never know. What we know is that we
can never give up the search for peace.
A cynical truism comes to mind: “He who doesn’t
believe in miracles is not a realist.”
Hopefully, leaders will arise on both sides who can
achieve what seems so far-fetched.
The Jew who ‘battles
his psychic daddy’
SO RESIGNED have I become to the
notion - more than just a notion really - that “The Arts” are hopelessly
caught up in a left-liberal ideological
stranglehold, that Howard Jacobson’s receipt of the Man Booker Prize
for his latest novel The Finkler
Question, came as a real surprise.
This is not at all because Jacobson
is at all a right-winger, or even a
neo-conservative. Actually, he is
very much a staunch traditional liberal, broad-minded, tolerant, open
to questioning his own beliefs and
sceptical of all ideologies that are
too sure of their own indisputable
rightness.
The problem with Jacobson is that
he is a Zionist. He himself would
probably not categorise himself as
such, being in his own estimate
essentially a cultural Jewish freethinker who dislikes being pigeonholed, but the UK’s vociferous antiIsrael lobby would have no doubts
on that score.
Jacobson has very publicly taken
a stand against the demonisation (as
opposed to reasonable, measured
criticism) of Israel, most notably at
the time of the Gaza incursion last
year when levels of anti-Israel vitriol rose to frenzied new highs.
His eloquent appeal to reason, in
which he exposed beyond dispute
how far the slippage from mere antiZionism as a political belief to
unabashed old-style Jew-hatred had
progressed, automatically turned
him into pariah in leftist circles.
Still, this alone should not have militated too strongly against his
receiving the Man Booker.
He has long been regarded as one
of the country’s foremost novelists,
indeed ever since the publication of
his acclaimed debut novel Coming
from Behind in 1984. What really
makes the award so unexpected is
that The Finkler Question features
what must be the most devastating
demolition to date of hard-line
Jewish anti-Zionists who flaunt and
exploit their Jewish origins in order
to more effectively denounce Israel.
BARBARIC
YAWP
David Saks
Sam Finkler, one of the book’s
central characters, is a member of
“ASHamed Jews”, a Jewish antiZionist group that meets regularly
(in Jacobson’s words) “to dissociate
itself from Israel, urge the boycotting of Israeli goods, and otherwise demonstrate a humanity in
which they consider Jews who are
not ASHamed to be deficient”.
The fact that such individuals are
profoundly hostile to other Jews
who do not go along with their programme, is far from incidental. For
Jacobson, it goes to the heart of
what is really motivating them.
Are ASHamed Jews really driven
by moral outrage over what is happening in the Middle East, or are
there darker, more deep-rooted psychological factors at play?
Writing in the Jewish Chronicle,
Jacobson suggests that they are hiding behind Israel as a way – a cowardly one – of expressing their antiJewishness.
Such Jew-hatred “is barely disguised, not in what they say about
Israel but in the contempt they show
for the motives and feelings of fellow-Jews who do not think as they
do”. He himself has little doubt that
half the time, an ASHamed Jew is in
reality “battling his psychic daddy
and not his psychic homeland”, even
if it is necessary to take his pronouncements at face value for purposes of debating the issues.
With impressive insight, Jacob
recognises that Israel itself - the
objective reality of what it is and
what it does - has become irrelevant.
Instead, it is a projected, abstract
idea of Israel that has been generated, one that “exists only poetically,
in the imaginations of those who
cannot adequately describe themselves without it” and which is used
as a vehicle through which such
individuals can attack, as Jews, the
Jewish establishment from which
they feel so alienated.
Israel has been reconstructed as a
kind of deeper metaphor, for many
Jews, and non-Jews as well, becoming “a figure of speech, the occasion
for wild and whirling words, a pretext for bottling up or setting loose
emotions which originate somewhere else entirely”.
Puncturing the moralistic grandstanding of radical anti-Israel Jews
is far from easy. Certainly angry
polemics, far from shaming and
exposing them, tend instead to elevate their public stature as well as
their already inflated self images.
The anti-Zionist lobby lauds them
as victims of Zionist bully-boy tactics who nevertheless continue to
bravely speak truth to power. In
addition ASHamed Jews – the South
African equivalent would be the
Ronnie Kasrils-led Not in my Name
crowd - love adopting the pose of
injured innocents cruelly excoriated
for their principled beliefs by their
less enlightened Jewish brethren.
It feeds into a certain Messianic,
martyr complex that is fuelled in
turn by the automatic equation on
the Left of victimhood with virtue.
Jacobson’s achievement has been
to deflate the pretensions of this
small but noisy and visible Jewish
fringe through humour and satire.
Here, he has been able to bring to
bear his considerable talents as a
comic writer and his coining of the
term “ASHamed Jews” may well
prove to be as enduring an achievement as Tom Wolfe’s celebrated
“Radical Chic” jibe.
In his famous 1970 essay “Radical
Chic: That Party at Lenny’s”, Wolfe
memorably exposed the pretentious,
insincere and self-promoting identification by members of liberal-left
white high society with radical, profoundly illiberal leftwing causes.
In Jacobson’s latest acclaimed
offering, the smug posturing of the
“I am a Jew, but…” brigade has been
similarly laid bare. For those who
have exhibited such presumptuous
moral arrogance and delusions of
their own importance, such wellaimed mockery must be galling in
the extreme. We can only hope so.
Plenty of Jews on board California’s
bid to legalise marijuana
SUE FISHKOFF
Activist Ed Rosenthal, shown in an undated photo in a
marijuana greenhouse, says “Jews have a special affinity
to marijuana”. (PHOTO COURTESY ED ROSENTHAL)
ED ROSENTHAL has been working to legalise marijuana in California since he moved to the state in 1972.
On November 2, California voters will consider
Proposition 19, a ballot initiative to legalise the cultivation and possession of small amounts of marijuana
for recreational use.
Medical marijuana has been legal in California
since 1996, and is legal now in 13 other states and the
District of Columbia. But if Prop 19 passes - recent
polls show opposition and support running neck and
neck - California will become the first state to legalise
pot for general use.
Plenty of Jews are throwing their weight behind
the initiative.
"This has been a long time coming," said Rosenthal,
66, a longtime marijuana activist and the author of
books on everything from growing the herb to avoiding jail time.
Rosenthal, a columnist for High Times magazine,
makes no secret of his own marijuana use, saying he
smokes it, drinks it, eats it and puts drops of it under
his tongue. He no longer grows the stuff, however, acting now as a consultant, developer of a new herbicide
and an organic pesticide, and executive director of
Green Aid, a medical marijuana legal defence and
education fund.
"Jews have a special affinity to marijuana," he
mused. "It’s an intellectual drug, not a drug that takes
you outside your senses like alcohol or opiates. And a
lot of marijuana research comes out of Israel." (JTA)
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
11
OPINION AND ANALYSIS - FORUM FOR DIVERSE VIEWS
Response to Avnery’s ‘Tutu’s Prayer’
PROFESSOR RAN GREENSTEIN
UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND
AVNERY: “The boycott was immensely
important,” (Desmond) Tutu told me. “Much
more than the armed struggle.” It should be
remembered that, unlike Nelson Mandela,
Tutu was an advocate of non-violent struggle.
“During the 28 years that Mandela languished in prison, he could have walked free
at any moment, if he had only agreed to sign
a statement condemning ‘terrorism’. He
refused.”
The main difference between Tutu and
Mandela is not the question of violence, but
the fact that Tutu worked from the inside, in
the mass democratic movement, while
Mandela - and most of the ANC leadership
with him - were either in prison or in exile.
Tutu speaks from the perspective of an
internal campaigner who cherishes the support given by solidarity movements, the
encouragement they gave to activists, and
the extent to which they made life less pleasant for white South Africans.
Having said that, Tutu also cautions us to
look at what specific issues should be
emphasised. In South Africa it was sport,
which is a crucial part of white identity. It is
not only that rugby is the civil religion of
white Afrikaners, it is also the sense that
they were the best in the world and were prevented from receiving their due recognition
(true to a lesser extent for cricket).
And indeed, once permitted to return to
the normal cycle of competition, South
Africa rugby and cricket have been at the
very top of world ranking. Anyone who
thinks that preventing Maccabi Haifa from
playing at the UEFA Champions League
would have even remotely the same effect, is
totally ignorant of South Africa. This is not
an argument against BDS, but for a careful
selection of targets, aimed at achieving the
optimal impact.
No-one (including Tutu) has ever tried to
evaluate the SPECIFIC impact of various
boycott/sanction campaigns: we know that
they worked overall, but what was the impact
of specific focus areas, to what extent some
campaigns may have undermined others, to
what extent some campaigns may have had
negative side-effects, and so on, is a topic that
is still taboo.
One weakness of the current BDS is that it
is too intent on copying what is seen as a successful example, rather than drawing focused
lessons on how to use it wisely and effectively (given that the conditions are different Naomi Klein is a useful exception to that, and
Neve Gordon follows in her footsteps).
AVNERY: “The South African struggle was
between a large majority and a small minority. Among a general population of almost 50
million, the whites amounted to less than 10
per cent. That means that more than 90 per
cent of the country’s inhabitants supported the
boycott, in spite of the argument that it hurt
them, too.
“In Israel, the situation is the very opposite.
The Jews amount to more than 80 per cent of
Israel’s citizens and constitute a majority of
some 60 per cent throughout the country,
between the Mediterranean Sea and the
Jordan River; 99,9 per cent of the Jews oppose
a boycott on Israel. They will not feel the ‘the
whole world is with us’, but rather that ‘the
whole world is against us’.”
The numbers are not accurate, but setting
this aside, there are two issues here: first, the
very boundaries and citizenship status and
consequent numbers are contested here. It
must be recognised.
Second, it is obvious that Israeli Jews
respond as Avnery says they do. The challenge is how to get them thinking about what
they take for granted (that they are a majori-
Israelis, Palestinians must decide
MONESSA SHAPIRO, ISRAEL MEDIA TEAM
IN THEIR opinion piece: “Why boycott settlement products?” Doron Isaacs and Nathan
Geffen describe those who support Israel and
oppose boycotts as apologists.
They use this term in a demeaning, condescending manner. Its usage in this context
has come to imply a total lack of respect, as
though the other side is not even worth
debating. How wrong they are, because you
see, we “apologists” rely on facts for our
arguments.
Geffen and Isaacs have chosen to begin
their historical discourse in 1967, 19 years
after the establishment of the State of Israel.
I choose instead to begin at the beginning.
The UN divided mandatory Palestine into
two areas, an Arab country and a Jewish one.
Yes, 62 years ago the Palestinians could have
had an independent Palestine.
In the 1948 War of Independence, launched
by all Israel’s Arab neighbours as well as
Israeli Arabs, the West Bank fell to Jordan
and Gaza fell to Egypt. Thus the occupation
of these areas began in 1948 - yet interestingly and conveniently, it is a fact we never hear.
Geffen and Isaacs correctly tell us that
Israel captured these areas in the 1967 war,
but omit to tell us that this was a defensive
war forced on Israel by its belligerent neighbours, who, 19 years after the state’s establishment, were still determined to destroy it.
They also conveniently omit to tell us that
the PLO was established in 1964, three years
before the so-called occupation, and it had as
its raison d’être the liberation of occupied
Palestine – that is, Israel.
Geffen and Isaacs glibly suggest two choices facing Israel. Yet they ignore the most logical scenario – for the Palestinians to recognise and accept the right of Israel to exist as
a Jewish state and to desist in their desire to
destroy it. This would herald the establishment of a Palestinian state and self-determination for the Palestinian people.
Such a scenario, however, places the blame
on the Palestinians and requires of them to
take responsibility, and that of course is
uncomfortable for Geffen and Isaacs.
A quick perusal of the internet will show
Geffen and Isaacs that when Israel annexed
East Jerusalem, all Arabs living there were
offered Israeli citizenship. This they refused,
preferring instead permanent residency.
The following comes from Wikipedia, a site
so easily accessible that even the most ignorant among us can glean information from it:
“Jerusalem Palestinians were permitted to
apply for Israeli citizenship, provided they
met the requirements for naturalisation such as swearing allegiance to Israel and
renouncing all other citizenships - which
most of them refused to do.”
Mitzpe Shalem, the kibbutz that houses the
Ahava factory, is about 10 kilometres beyond
the green line, in a desert area totally uninhabited by Palestinians. In fact, until the
establishment of the kibbutz it was completely uninhabited territory.
The OSS campaign bases its entire case for
boycotting Ahava products on the argument
that Israel’s presence in the “Occupied
Palestinian Territories” is illegal. This is a
matter of much dispute.
What is not disputable, is that the future of
these territories can only be decided by
Israelis and Palestinians together. Indeed, it is
commonly agreed by the international community (as reiterated just a few weeks ago by
the Quartet – the US, EU Russia and the UN that the status of these territories can only be
resolved through direct political negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinians.
During previous negotiations, successive
Israeli governments have offered to relinquish over 95 per cent of the territories in
exchange for the peace and security which
Israelis crave, something which Geffen and
Isaacs should remember, as such an offer was
made as recently as 2008.
Are they aware that while they call for boycotts with all the destruction that boycotts
cause, the Israelis and Palestinians are
attempting to once again talk?
Geffen and Isaacs decry the conditions
under which Palestinians live in the West
Bank. Again, they conveniently disregard the
events that brought about these conditions –
the years of terrorism and suicide bombings
aimed at Israeli citizens with the sole purpose
of murdering as many civilians as possible.
But then the rights of Israelis to live in
security and safety are not the human rights
concerns of Geffen and Isaacs. Why should
they worry about Jews? They are astute
enough to know that they are much more popular when they don’t.
ty in Israel legitimately, that the boycott
reflects anti-Semitism, and so on): this cannot
be done by leaving things as they are, but also
not by blanket boycott.
Rather, what we need is smart focused sanctions that would show the relationship
between crime and punishment, offensive
behaviour, the related sanction, and the way
to avoid it. This is major weakness of the BDS
campaign as currently conceptualised: it does
not show those who face the threat of boycott
what they can do concretely - what is within
their OWN powers, in other words - to avoid it.
Instead it tells them what their government
must do, and they have very little control over
that. What alternative strategy exists? I have
applied this logic to academic sanctions elsewhere, and other attempts at specific strategies can be made in all other fields: they won’t
be copies of South African campaigns, just as
the SA sanctions were not copies of any other
campaigns. They require original thinking.
AVNERY: “One of the profound differences
between the two conflicts concerns the
Holocaust. Centuries of pogroms have imprinted on the consciousness of the Jews the conviction that the whole world is out to get them.
“This belief was reinforced a hundredfold by
the Holocaust... It may well be that the Jewish
conviction that ‘the whole world is against us’
is irrational. But in the life of nations, as
indeed in the life of individuals, it is irrational
to ignore the irrational.”
True, but again, the answer is to develop a
focused campaign that would clarify the link
between “crime” and “punishment”: an initial focus on settlement as both Avnery and
Gordon suggest is right, but should go beyond
that. The goal would not be to convince the
Liebermans (impossible task), but to create a
critical mass of minority dissidents: even in
SA the majority of whites were opposed to
change or indifferent, and only a small but
crucial minority got involved in the struggle
Avnery: “No one who entertains this hope can
support the call for boycotting Israel. Those
who call for a boycott act out of despair. And
that is the root of the matter.
“Neve Gordon and his partners in this effort
have despaired of the Israelis. They have
reached the conclusion that there is no chance
of changing Israeli public opinion. According
to them, no salvation will come from within.”
Not quite true: disappointment yes,
despair no. In any event, it is not an “either
or” situation. Pressure from the outside must
not replace work from within: both are essential and need to be conceptualised in such a
way that they reinforce one another rather
than act at cross-purposes.
There is no magic formula: it took decades
in South Africa to reach a balance and it can
be achieved in our case here as well.
AVNERY: “In this country, Israeli Jews and
Palestinian Arabs have nothing in common not a common national feeling, not a common
religion, not a common culture and not a common language. The vast majority of the
Israelis want a Jewish (or Hebrew) state. The
vast majority of the Palestinians want a
Palestinian (or Islamic) state.”
Again, not quite true: there are distinct
national communities and identities, of
course, but there are also some overlapping
affiliations in Israel itself between Jewish
and Arab citizens.
So, this would be a good starting point:
making Israel a state of all its citizens. That
most Israelis and Palestinians want their
own national states (unlike whites and
blacks in SA) is obvious, but there are ways of
moving in a more non-national direction.
Not overcoming national feelings but
incorporating them into a solution that
would start going beyond nationalism. How
to do that is not clear, but original thinking is
needed, beyond the sterile and futile One
State Solution-Two State Solution debate.
12
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
TAPESTRY
ART, BOOKS, DANCE, FILM, THEATRE
ARTS MATTERS
COMPILED BY
ROBYN SASSEN
Call 084-319-7844 or
[email protected] at least one
week prior to publication
Beyachad, Raedene: “The
Beauty of G-d’s World”, an
exhibition of work by Naama
Nothmann and her students,
November 4 - 18, 073-419-9538.
Blank Projects, Woodstock:
“Never Falling Together”,
paintings by Trasi Henen,
until October 31, 072-198-9221.
Goodman Gallery, Rosebank: “TJ”, photographs by
David Goldblatt, until
November 6, (011) 788-1113.
Joburg Theatre, Braamfontein: In the Fringe, Matthew
Ribnick’s “Monkey Nuts”,
until October 31. In the
Nelson Mandela, Janice
Honeyman’s pantomime,
“Robinson Crusoe” opens
November 7, (011) 877-6800.
Linder Auditorium,
Parktown: On November 3
and 4, the JPO performs work
by Schumann and Mozart.
Conductor: Bernhard Gueller;
soloists: Priya Mitchell (violin) and Daniel Rowland
(viola), (011) 789-2733.
Market, Newtown: In the
Laager, Craig Higginson’s
“Girl in the Yellow Dress”,
until November 21; in the
Barney Simon, Lemn Sissay’s
“Something Dark”, until
November 28, (011) 832-1641.
Montecasino, Fourways: In
the Main Theatre, “Evita”,
until October 31. In the
Studio, Barbara-Anne Puren’s
“Casual Sax” until October
31. In Teatro, “Mamma Mia”,
until December 29, (011) 5111988.
Objekt, Parktown North:
Ceramics by Loren Kaplan,
Tania Babb, Wendy
McLachlan, Kendal Warren
and Carol Hayward Fell, ends
November 18, (011) 447-6005.
Old Mutual Theatre on the
Square, Sandton: Nik
Rabinowitz’s “uNik”, until
November 6. Friday concerts
feature Irene Tsoniff (violin),
Peta Ann Holdcroft (‘cello)
and Sue Harrop-Allin (piano)
on October 29; and Zanta
Hofmeyr (violin), Morkel
Combrink (viola) and Wessel
Beukes (‘cello) on November
5, (011) 883-8606. On
November 7, A Dynamic
Drama Display, hosted by the
SA Guild of Speech and
Drama Teachers, featuring
guest speaker Leanne Manas,
(011) 782-2228.
Exposing SA’s foibles with
humour and empathy
CHRISTINA KENNEDY
AS THE world’s only Xhosa-speaking Jewish comedian over 1,83
metres (actually 1,80m), Nik Rabinowitz would consider entering SA’s
Got Talent as a novelty act - but is
scared that if he didn’t make it to
the second round, he would have
brought shame upon his house.
“I’d never hear the end of it from
my Gran, plus she’d splash the news
all over Facebook,” he says ruefully.
But that particular combination
of attributes – added to the fact that
not only is he a very popular standup comedian, he’s a very good one
too – arguably does qualify Rabinowitz to assume that over-used
moniker of “unique”, or, in his case,
uNik, the name of his one-man comedy currently at Old Mutual
Theatre on the Square in Sandton.
He seems to know how to press all
the right comedy buttons to solicit
gales of laughter from his audiences. But what do South Africans
find funny?
“Everything,” he says. “We
laugh at things that would
send lesser men scurrying to Australia. And we
laugh at the lesser men
who have scurried to
Australia…”
Rabinowitz knows a
bit about Australia: he
toured there in August.
“They asked if South
Africans can easily laugh
at themselves, to which I
replied: ‘Yes, we laugh easily. But we could moer you
just as easily (when we work
out the punchline).’ Then I
had to explain that moer
means bliksem, and bliksem
means klap, and klap is… ag,
never mind!”
He says it’s generally quite
safe to use similar material
Down Under because “these
days, most Australians are
really just South Africans”,
but he has nevertheless learned not
to be too derogatory of the Aussies.
“I found that out the hard way
and had to walk from Darwin
back to Perth. Other than
that, it’s not a problem: by
the time they’ve worked out
what you said, you’ve
already left the country.”
This irreverence has helped boost his profile among a
cross-section of audiences,
but he does confide (tongue
firmly in cheek) that as far as
taboo topics go, “swine flu jokes
don’t go down well with Jewish
and Muslim audience, and with
the media tribunal on its way,
we should avoid all references to
showers, baby oil and kangas”.
He adds: “I have a deal with
my Mom that for every smart
joke I crack, she gives me a oneweek breather from the traditional ‘When are you going to
(PHOTO COURTESY OLD MUTUAL
THEATRE ON THE SQUARE)
do your PhD and get a real job?’ guilt
trip. So far I’ve managed to bank a
fortnight…”
His regular “That was the week
that was” comedy slot on Redi Tladi’s
show on 702, has earned him even
more followers, but it’s not that easy
to be funny on radio when you can’t
see your audience’s response. “It’s
great when we’re in the studio
together, which I try to arrange as
often as possible,” he reveals.
“Sitting in Cape Town on my own
is a lot more challenging, especially
because Redi tends to laugh silently
at things she could be taken to the
Broadcasting Complaints Commission for laughing out loud at. The
result is I’m never too sure how the
show was, but ultimately radio comedy is mostly in the ear of the steering-wheel holder.”
This professional nutcase says a
budding comedian needs “curiosity,
a thorough understanding of local
culture and a bulletproof vest” to
succeed in SA. And, in a veiled (or
perhaps overt) dig at a certain fellow
comedian, he adds mischievously:
“Not to mention a stuffed goat and a
very smart suit… you never know
when you may be promoted to CEO.”
uNik is at Old Mutual Theatre on
the Square in Sandton, until
November 6, (011) 883-8606.
‘Girl’ – a play with love
of narrative, grammar
REVIEWED BY ROBYN SASSEN
Show: “The Girl in the Yellow
Dress” (Laager, Market Theatre,
Newtown, (011) 832-1641)
Playwright: Craig Higginson
Director: Malcolm Purkey
Design: Gary McCann (set, costumes), Nomvula Molepo (lighting)
Cast: Marianne Oldham, Nat
Ramabulana.
Until: November 21
THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED “Girl
in the Yellow Dress”, which wowed
Grahamstown, then Edinburgh, is
finally in Johannesburg. An intelligently crafted, flawlessly cast
play, it will catch your attention
and perplex you with a peppering
of associations. It will seduce you
with Paris, cast irrevocably and
casually in the language; it’s
flawed only by its music being too
big for the venue.
This complex tale between an
English teacher and her adult student mixes poetry with grammar,
truths with lies, love with not-love.
It explores how men and women
skirt different realities, touches
the erotic with brevity and beauty nodding to DH Lawrence - then
retracts into a shell of dysfunctionality and dreams of incest.
It picks scabs around miscegenation and stigmas of poverty and
madness, and holds together with
candour and fractiousness.
Celia is a complicated woman.
The signs she offers you in developing her character are not what
you assume from the get go. She
lives off a legacy in a beautiful
Parisian apartment. However, if
we take the set literally, with its
impeccable tidiness, there’s a
strange resonance between it and
the layout of an ideal room in
grammar textbook illustrations.
She teaches English to Parisians,
from her home.
Pierre is young and black. His
language is charmingly foreign. His
roots are complex; caveats and halftruths engage baggage that so
many cultures - including francophone Africans - carry by way of
victimhood.
Like any situation in life, nothing
is cleanly ratified; Celia’s and
Pierre’s motives are thickened by
more than the simple desire for
immersion in past participles and
co-dependent relationships on the
page. She wants “electricity” in his
language, glorying as she does in
teaching an adult a language: it’s
only his grammar which needs
tooling, not his content. So the ses-
FELDMAN
ON FILM
Peter Feldman
PICK OF THE WEEK
RCHCC, Oaklands: “First
People of Nieu Bethesda”, an
exhibition until November 7.
On October 31, Courtneigh
Cloud’s Holocaust play, “The
Boys from the Ashes” performs, (011) 728-8088.
Cast: Paul Walker; Matt Dillon; Idris Elba;
Michael Ealy; Hayden Christensen; Zoe
Saldana; TI Harris
Director: John Luessenhop
Thompson Gallery,
Melville: “Homage to Dan:
Celebration of a Life”, paintings by Sheila Jarzin Levinson
will be opened by Sidney
Abramowitch on November 7.
Exhibition closes November
30, (011) 482-2039.
IN a mediocre week, where films on offer
range from giant piranhas in 3-D to a fatherand-son bonding badly on a road trip, there’s
one production that will provide an entertaining diversion for adrenalin junkies.
It’s a glossy heist story called “Takers” and
there are echoes here of Danny Ocean and his
crew of glamorous, hi-tech thieves. It borrows
Takers
Celia (Marianne Oldham) and Pierre (Nat Ramabulana) at the introductory lesson. (PHOTOGRAPHS BY RUPHIN COUDYZER)
sions settle quickly into loose conversation; secrets unravel, some
damagingly.
The play is separated into five
parts, introduced with a screen of
seemingly arbitrary letters, like
find-the-word brainteasers. Curiously the letters describing the
parts become more physically dispersed as the play unfolds and Celia
and Pierre become closer; this
device redounds on the narrative
but teeters on pretentiousness.
Celia is not very good at using
grammar to hide her breaking apart
emotions but she tries valiantly,
lending her character credibility.
She’s constructed as a lovely foil to
Pierre’s
character:
balancing
freely from others of its ilk, but it still manages to make an independent statement.
The gallery of characters who parade
through John Luessenhop’s film are professional thieves who dress well, drive fast, upmarket cars and bikes and aren’t afraid to get
their hands dirty.
These smart career criminals have baffled
the police for years.
After a lay-off, the crew find themselves
coaxed back into action at the insistence of a
former member who suggests they tackle
their last elaborate heist, is worth millions.
But they have only a few days in which to
plan it all, a situation which brings its own set
of challenges. Apart from having to deal with
untrustworthy “inside” contacts, there is also
the appearance of a cynical and overworked
cop, (Matt Dillon), to add to their increasing
woes. Tough and belligerent, he is hot on their
trail and he won’t rest until he brings these
thieves to justice.
The cast assembled for this production is a
mixed bunch; a clutch of some familiar
around social challenges of being
young, male, black, poor, and jiving
between preconceptions and emotional traps as he must. Neither
character is likeable; they’re both
flawed and manipulative, but they
are sufficiently credible to hold your
attention.
Prose is the beautiful core of this
play: Crisp, frank and descriptive,
it’s written with a love of narrative
and grammar, but more than, that
with an adoration of the city.
Higginson paints Paris through the
words of Celia and Pierre; he adulates its light, its rain, its museums
and quaint provincialism, its
nightingales and the yellow dress
unforgettably.
names who enjoy flexing some muscle. British
actor, Idris Elba, plays the leader and cofounder of the gang, who is at the centre of it
all.
Nobody makes a move without his approval
and he cuts a patriarchal figure among the
group. He is blessed with an imposing screen
presence.
Surrounding him are a group of some of
Hollywood’s more attractive young men and
these include the always reliable Paul Walker,
Hayden Christensen, Chris Brown and
Michael Ealy.
Full marks to Matt Dillon, though, for sticking to his guns, so to speak. The tough man of
the movies hardly puts a foot wrong in a fastpaced, ever-changing scenario.
“Takers” may not constitute best heist
escapade you’ve ever seen, but it is imbued
with spirit and is visually appealing. It boasts
a number of chaotic gun battles, with much of
the action executed in slow-motion John Woostyle, and moments of sharp dialogue
exchanges.
Health & Beauty Supplement
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
Compiled by the SA Jewish Report. Contact (011) 023-8160 or visit www.sajewishreport.co.za
Tips for planning a healthy diet and sticking to it
Healthy eating is not
about strict nutrition
philosophies, staying
unrealistically thin, or
depriving yourself of the
foods you love. Rather,
it’s about feeling great,
having more energy,
and keeping yourself as
healthy as possible– all
of which can be achieved
by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that
works for you.
HEALTHY EATING BEGINS with learning how to “eat
smart” - it’s not just what you eat, but how you eat.
Your food choices can reduce your risk of illnesses
such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well
as defend against depression.
Additionally, learning the habits of healthy eating can
improve your health by boosting your energy, sharpening your memory and stabilising your mood. Expand
your range of healthy food choices and learn how to
plan ahead to create and maintain a satisfying, healthy
diet.
Tip 1: Set yourself up for success
To set yourself up for success, think about planning a
healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps
rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the
changes gradually and with commitment, you will have
a healthy diet sooner than you think.
• Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with
counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of
your diet in terms of colour, variety and freshness. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that in-
corporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet
will become healthier and more appetising.
• Start slow and make changes to your eating habits
over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight
isn’t realistic or smart. Changing everything at once
usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of
different colour vegetables) to your diet once a day or
switching from butter to olive oil when cooking.
• Every change you make to improve your diet matters.
You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to
completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy
diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy and reduce the risk of cancer and disease.
Think of exercise as a food group in your diet.
Find something active that you like to do and add
it to your day, just like you would add healthy greens,
blueberries or salmon. The benefits of lifelong exercise
are abundant and regular exercise may even motivate
you to make healthy food choices a habit.
Mangwanani – an authentic
African spa experience
Mangwanani African Spa has
developed a premier collection
of spa packages designed for
the discerning spa goer, as a
fantastic alternative for a
day or night out.
LOOKING FOR FUN entertainment, relaxation
and pampering, look no further than Mangwanani African Spa.
Mangwanani is an authentic African spa experience, offering a true African celebration by
indulging all the senses.
Being voted Spa of the Year since 2002 for
the past seven years, makes Mangwanani an
entertainment destination of choice.
Our premier collection of packages is offered
in a full day or night spa options, which include
collection in our private bus from Montecasino,
unique traditional African entertainment, luxurious treatments, decadent meals, cocktails on
arrival and world class royal service which can
be enjoyed by both men and women of all ages.
By marrying Western culture with ancient African rituals, guests are pampered with decadent Mangwanani treatments for total relaxation
of body, mind and soul.
Our full day spa includes seven luxurious
treatments and the night spa, three, all provided
by empowered happy staff, offering wellness
through responsible tourism.
Mangwanani’s product ranges are uniquely
South African, offering you amazing add-on options to your packages. These products can be
bought at any of our branches or retail shop,
or alternatively at our on-line shop at website
www.mangwananishop.co.za
Mangwanani has branches nation-wide: At
the majestic Sibaya Casino and Entertainment
Kingdom in KwaZulu-Natal; on the world-renowned Zevenwacht Wine Estate in the Western Cape, at the Indaba Hotel, Fourways, Johannesburg, and on the meandering Hennops
River in the Schurveberg, west of Pretoria.
Mangwanani is able to cater for groups of up
to 84 during the day and 60 at night.
Continued on page X
I
II
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
If its hair, it must be
HighStreet99!
HighStreet99 Luxury Hair Emporium, located in the Morning
Glen Mall, has launched a new range of wigs and other quick-onthe-go stylish pieces.
THE STORE was established to respond to the
need by women to have easy access to hair and
other DIY products at fair prices. HighStreet99
merchandise includes international brands and
its own in-house brand in the store’s trademark
black/pink colours.
The store has plenty instant DIY hair solutions,
ranging from lace front wigs, standard wigs,
pony tails, closures and clip-on extensions. The
store caters for the middle to upper income
women with a full range of styles and colours to
suit different occasions including everyday office
a home wear; weddings and other special oc
and
occasions.
The store merchandise is made from 100 per
cent human hair, heat resistant and synthetic hair.
To cater for different cultural backgrounds of
their customers, HighStreet99 now has a private
fitting room where customers can try different
styles in complete privacy.
Visit Morning Glen Shopping Mall, Upper Level, corner Bowling / Kelvin Road, or contact us
on 27 11 656 6997 and view our products on
www.highstreet99.com.
The ‘beauty within’
finally unveiled!
The multimillion rand refurbishment and upgrade at Morning
Glen Mall (formerly Morning Glen Shopping Centre), corner
Kelvin Drive and Bowling Avenue in Gallo Manor, is finally
complete. And what a beautiful, sparkling new mall has emerged!
AN ADDITIONAL 8 000 square metres and
an upper level have been added to the centre, which now boasts exciting new stores
and a new anchor tenant, Woolworths, to
their successful mix of loyal existing tenants, headed by anchor Pick n Pay.
The success of Morning Glen Mall is
verified by the longevity of their tenant
list. Manor Pharmacy and Country Collage, as well as Pick n Pay, have served
the community from Morning Glen for over
25 years.
They have been ably supported over the
years by the varied mix of tenants, offering
Morning Glen shoppers a wide choice of
goods and services.
Visit Morning Glen Mall and experience for yourself the excellent service that
has kept people loyal to the centre since
1983.
The expanded range of shops and the
elegant ambience post-refurbishment,
together with covered and open parking,
will turn your shopping trip into an eagerly
anticipated leisure activity for the whole
family.
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
III
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Glenhazel Centre is now fully operational
Glenhazel Centre is
the redeveloped and
modernised multitenanted commercial
centre located at 1
Long Avenue on the
corner of Ridge and
Summerway, in the
heart of Glenhazel.
ON THE GROUND floor is the much talked about
supermarket - KosherWorld, which opened its
doors to trade at the beginning of July, KosherWorld has already become a routine shopping spot
for many residents and visitors to and in the area.
The unique aspect of it, of course, is that if it is
treif (not kosher), it will not be stocked. Shoppers
can go into KosherWorld and with absolute confidence purchase any foodstuffs without the need
to check its kashrut status. The entire supermarket is under the auspices of the Johannesburg
Beth Din.
Apart from the kashrut issue, it is a customerfriendly store from every point of view. It is located
in the most strategic point of Jewish Johannesburg, with convenient parking facilities.
KosherWorld is a franchisee of the OK franchise
division, a part of the Shoprite/Checkers group.
This has enabled them to source and stock a
wide range of products at extremely competitive
prices.
KosherWorld is a medium-sized supermarket,
where you can buy everything that you need in
the home, from stationery to baby products, pet
foods, speciality imported kosher sweets and
foods from around the globe, as well as a full
range of South African foods, bakery and deli
products, to small electrical appliances.
OK branded goods are a welcome value range
of products recently introduced and stocked. This
range of high quality and extremely well-priced
goods, will be extended in time into a comprehensive offering across food and non-food items.
KosherWorld has just launched its convenient
charge card for the whole family, with the commencement of its convenient home delivery service imminent for the home shopper.
KosherWorld is the only totally kosher supermarket in South Africa, in fact in the entire continent of Africa. Apart from Israel, similar supermarkets only exist in the USA, Canada, and in the
UK.
The community and friends of the community,
have welcomed the opportunity to shop at this
speciality, well-priced, fully stocked and convenient supermarket
In order to continually improve its service levels
and product offering to the public, the management of KosherWorld encourages and welcomes
feedback from all its customers. A suggestion
desk and box is prominently positioned where
shoppers can complete a suggestion card relating to their in-store experience, or request that
additional products be stocked.
Unique to Glenhazel Centre, is that soon they
will open a keilim (cutlery, crockery, pots & pans)
mikvah to the public for keilim purchased at KosherWorld or any other store, or for anyone in the
community wishing to make their kitchen kosher.
It is a service to the community where people
can come and toivel at any time, including after
sunset, irrespective of where they have purchased
their keilim. The entire concept is to provide a
service to the community.
Johannesburg Jewry can now claim to have a
beautiful all-kosher supermarket fully observant of
Shabbat and Yomtov (Jewish holidays and festivals) in its heartland.
KosherWorld is the anchor tenant of Glenhazel
Centre and is located on the ground floor. Near
to the entrance of KosherWorld, Seattle Coffee
recently opened a take-away kiosk. The first and
second floor tenants include Zman Li, a hairdresser, beautician and nail bar, Gil-Adi which is a speciality Judaica gift shop, corporate promotional
gifts and specialised embroidery store.
The Shop Upstairs is a ladies’ clothing and accessory store and Howard Joel and Company
is a firm of accountants and auditors. More recently the Barber Shop, a men’s and boy’s barber,
opened its door to trade. All these businesses
comply with the halacha (religious law) of not trading or being present in the business during Shabbos or Yomtov.
IV
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Simmons uses ionic therapy
to ensure a good night’s sleep
AIR POLLUTION, chemicals and heavy metals
in drinking water and preservatives in food, are
all damaging to the body’s well-being, resulting
in more allergies and physical and mental health
problems.
Simmons’ ionic restore technology, allows the
body to rid itself of these toxins in the most comfortable way - during sleep.
“Atoms have either a positive or negative
charge,” explains Simmons’ sales manager,
Elizabeth Milne.
“Poisons that build up in the body contain
positively charged ions. Known as free radicals,
positive ions in the bloodstream mean slower
and less efficient cells, which cause the body to
become sick more easily and to age faster.
Negative ions, on the other hand, balance the
free radicals and accelerate the delivery of reju-
venating oxygen to our cells and tissues, thus
helping to re-energise the body.
“Research done by Nobel Prize laureate
Philip Renald, has revealed that unhealthy
positive ions are breathed in through city air,
while waterfalls in natural areas such as forests, fill the air with healing, rejuvenating negative ions. This is why we sleep better and feel
more rejuvenated in these environments.”
Simmons brings the effect of the forests into
t bedroom by using natural and regenerated
the
fibres and kenaf, a naturally mildew-resistant,
a
anti-bacterial
dust mite barrier, in the construct
tion
of its new range of Oxyplus mattresses.
“The result is less fatigue and stress, quicker
h
healing,
more energy and improved productivit and quality of life,” says Milne. She points to
ity
e
extensive
scientific research which has shown
t
that:
* A negatively charged environment stimulates
t body’s own healing mechanism to combat
the
s
stress
and physical problems.
* Increased ions reduce the presence of airb
borne
viruses by about 40 per cent, helping with
a
asthma,
allergies and other respiratory proble
lems.
* Increasing negative ions regulate the prod
duction
of serotonin inside the brain, relieving
m
migraine
headaches and improving sleep.
* Those exposed to negative ion treatment,
h
have
improved mental performance and conc
centration.
Each Oxyplus mattress features Simmons’
original pocketed coils, designed to eliminate the
transfer of motion from one partner to another
and enabling an undisturbed sleep.
Sweet green dreams
Simmons is committed to the green world philosophy, says Milne. “As manufacturers, we have
already reduced our carbon footprint as well as
the use of damaging waste products that harm
the environment.
“In keeping with worldwide trends, we at Simmons believe that we have created one of the
most eco-friendly beds in the country.
“We don’t see ourselves as just another mattress company. As the inventors of pocketed coil
technology, and in striving to keep to our commitment of ‘better sleep through science’, Simmons is constantly looking for innovations and
new technology, to which the Oxyplus range
bears testimony.”
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Gluten-free baking – the Pouyoukas way
With the rise in cases among South Africans of gluten intolerance, there is a
growing need for gluten-free alternatives in our daily cooking and baking.
ANOTHER CONSIDERATION is that glutenfree flours should also be baked more slowly
at a slightly lower temperature than wheat
flour, they also don’t brown well when baked,
so be careful not to overcook them.
Some additional tips provided by registered
dietician Gabi Steenkamp are that when baking with gluten-free flours, you require more
raising agent, so use 2½ teaspoons of baking
powder per cup of gluten-free flour, particularly when using coarse flours.
When baked, gluten-free items are best
kept in the refrigerator to reduce crumbliness,
so try and slice and freeze what is not immediately required and then thaw small quantities
to enjoy when required.
Gluten-free flours tend to stick to tins, so
grease tins with oil, and flour with a gluten-free
flour; baking tins can also be lined with waxed
paper and greased and floured.
Gluten-free products are not all suitable for
diabetics, so please take care if you are a diabetic and stick to soya flours as these are also
low GI. Diabetics are also warned to use only
skim or low fat milk, or even low fat yoghurt as
a baking liquid.
Another useful trick to make every meal a
mouth watering one, is to replace traditional
thickening agents for sauces, gravies, and
puddings, with ½ tablespoon potato flour.
To replace breadcrumbs for crumbing, use
crushed cornflakes, and use crushed potato
crisps as a topping for casseroles and pizzas.
“When embracing a healthier lifestyle, or
fighting a gluten intolerance, you don’t have to
compromise taste. By selecting the right ingredients you can start enjoying the food you eat.
At Pouyoukas we have started adding a
number of gluten-free and low GI products to
our growing list of healthier food alternatives,
to help you do just that,” says Peter Metcalfe,
MD of Pouyoukas Foods.
Another consideration is that gluten-free
flours should also be baked more slowly at
a slightly lower temperature than wheat flour,
they also don’t brown well when baked, so be
careful not to overcook them.
Some additional tips provided by Steenkamp
are that when baking with gluten-free flours,
you require more raising agent, so use 2½ teaspoons of baking powder per cup of glutenfree flour, particularly when using coarse flours.
When baked, gluten-free items are best
kept in the refrigerator to reduce crumbliness,
so try and slice and freeze what is not immediately required and then thaw small quantities
to enjoy when required.
Gluten-free flours tend to stick to tins, so
grease tins with oil, and flour with a gluten-free
flour; baking tins can also be lined with waxed
paper and greased and floured.
Gluten-free products are not all suitable for
diabetics, so please take care if you are a diabetic and stick to soya flours as these are also
low GI. Diabetics are also warned to use only
skim or low fat milk, or even low fat yoghurt as
a baking liquid.
Another useful trick to make every meal a
mouth watering one, is to replace traditional
thickening agents for sauces, gravies, and
puddings, with ½ tablespoon potato flour.
To replace breadcrumbs for crumbing, use
crushed cornflakes, and use crushed potato
crisps as a topping for casseroles and pizzas.
“When embracing a healthier lifestyle, or
fighting a gluten intolerance, you don’t have to
compromise taste. By selecting the right ingredients you can start enjoying the food you eat.
At Pouyoukas we have started adding a
number of gluten-free and low GI products to
our growing list of healthier food alternatives,
to help you do just that,” says Metcalfe.
A quick guideline to substituting 250ml of cake flour with a gluten-free alternative:
Volume
Substitute flour
Comments
150ml
Potato flour
Not suitable for diabetics
200ml
Rice flour
Not suitable for diabetics
150ml
Rice flour plus 80ml potato flour
Not suitable for diabetics
250ml
Soya flour plus 175ml potato flour
375ml
Soya flour / Gluten-free flour
V
VI
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Willowbrook - for the
discerning senior citizen
Willowbrook Retirement Village, in Sandton near
Village Walk Shopping Centre, offers a home from
home for the selective senior citizen.
WILLOWBROOK OFFERS delicious food (regretfully non-kosher) and excellent nursing care.
Not only are the en-suite rooms sparkling
clean and comfortable, but most overlook the
beautiful gardens.
The rose garden is at its spectacular best from
November, but when the roses are not flowering,
poppies, lilies and many other plants take over
to give a magnificent show.
The rose garden is enjoyed mainly by the frail
and semi-frail residents and is a favourite venue
for afternoon tea.
The formal garden is used more by the independent residents, and the mature trees and
shrubs provide shade to the hydrangeas and
other shrubs as well as to the appreciative residents and guests.
Willowbrook staff love an excuse to have a
party outside in the garden. Recently Spring
Day tea was celebrated with fancy hats which
provided much joy and laughter. There are more
parties planned, with live entertainment, especially over the December period when the garden and weather are at their best.
Recently 32 residents, many in wheelchairs,
went to Zoo Lake and fed the appreciative ducks
and chicks.
The activities department is on the go the
whole day providing interest and fun. So much
so, Willowbrook is opening a day care centre.
This will allow the elderly person to meet new
friends, have new interests as well as have a
break from his or her home environment.
Activities include bingo, art and crafts, music
therapy, films and “walks” in the garden, games
of skill (cards, bridge, crosswords, etc) and good
conversation. People may book for a single day
or a whole five days a week.
Also on offer is a one or two month respite facility, which is useful after an operation or to allow the
younger family members to holiday as they wish.
The nursing sisters will administer medication and
renew dressings. They can advise if your progress
is normal or if the doctor should be called
Families are welcome to become part of our
team of caring professionals. Their views and
opinions are always welcome.
Willowbrook has a hairdressing salon, a podiatrist and physiotherapist who visit regularly, a
GP on call (or use your own) and easy access to
hospitals and X-ray departments.
Visitors are welcome and there is no obligation. The staff and residents want to share the
best of Willowrook with everyone.
Why yoga exercise
is good for you
Yoga books tell us that yoga, as we all know, is aimed to unite
the mind, the body, and the spirit.
YOGIS VIEW the mind and the body as
one, and that if it is given the right yoga kit
and tools and taken to the right environment, it can find harmony and heal itself.
Yoga therefore is considered therapeutic. It helps you become more aware of
your body’s posture, alignment and patterns of movement. It makes the body
more flexible and helps you relax even
in the midst of a stress-stricken environment. This is one of the foremost reasons
why people want to start practicing yoga,
- to feel fitter, be more energetic, be happier and peaceful.
Yoga is a science that has been practised for thousands of years. It consists of
ancient theories, observations and principles about the mind and body connection
which is now being taken up by modern
medicine.
Substantial research has been conducted at the health benefits of yoga - from the
Yoga Postures (Asanas), Yoga Breathing
(Pranayama), and Meditation. The information on yoga poses and benefits, are
grouped into three categories: physiological, psychological, biochemical effects.
Furthermore, scientists have juxtaposed
these results against the benefits of regular exercise.
Physiological benefits of yoga
• Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium
• Pulse rate decreases
• Respiratory rate decreases
• Blood pressure decreases (of special significance for hyporeactors)
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• EEG - alpha waves increase (theta, delta,
and beta waves also increase during various stages of meditation)
• EMG activity decreases
• Cardiovascular efficiency increases
• Respiratory efficiency increases
• Gastrointestinal function normalises
• Endocrine function normalises
• Excretory functions improve
• Musculoskeletal flexibility and joint range of
motion increase
• Breath-holding time increases
• Joint range of motion increase
• Grip strength increases
• Eye-hand co-ordination improves
• Dexterity skills improve
• Reaction time improves
• Posture improves
• Strength and resiliency increase
• Endurance increases
• Energy level increases
• Weight normalises
• Sleep improves
• Immunity increases
• Pain decreases
• Steadiness improves
• Depth perception improves
• Balance improves
• Integrated functioning of body parts improves
Psychological benefits of yoga
• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness
increase
• Mood improves and subjective well-being
increases
• Self-acceptance and self-actualisation
increase
• Social adjustment increases
• Anxiety and depression decrease
• Hostility decreases
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Attention improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Mood improves
• Self-actualisation increase
• Social skills increases
• Well-being increases
• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness
increase
• Self-acceptance increase
• Attention improves
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Symbol coding improves
• Depth perception improves
• Flicker fusion frequency improves
Yoga health benefits
• Parasympathetic nervous system dominates
• Subcortical regions of brain dominate
• Slow dynamic and static movements
• Normalisation of muscle tone
• Low risk of injuring muscles and ligaments
• Low caloric consumption
• Effort is minimised, relaxed
• Energising (breathing is natural or controlled)
• Balanced activity of opposing muscle
groups
• Noncompetitive, process-oriented
• Awareness is internal (focus is on breath
and the infinite)
• Limitless possibilities for growth in selfawareness
Continued on page XI
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
An all-in-one salon of
world standard
ALISON GOLDBERG
HERE AT LAST is a better-than-world class hair,
nail and beauty salon -- at standard local rates.
Zman Li (“My time”), conveniently tucked
away above KosherWorld in the brand-new
Glenhazel Centre, offers spacious comfort in
three adjoining salons to meet separate women’s and men’s hair and beauty needs. A barbershop is run in one of these by father and son
duo Harry and Dwayne. Privacy is also afforded
to Orthodox women in sealed-off sections in the
women’s hair salon.
As with top-flight establishments around the
world, Zman Li offers mouth-watering, light
meals. The difference is these are kosher, coming from neighbouring Franjelica’s, recently
named the best coffee house in Gauteng.
Owner Lisa Leibov has assembled a team
of 10 best-in-their field beauty therapists, hair
colourists and stylists, thanks to her ingenuity and knowing eye. All of the therapists have
undergone expensive training – an eye-opener
for parents grimacing at the costs of university
these days - and gained extensive experience
in salons in Johannesburg that are household
names.
Painstaking care is taken in temperatureperfect hot waxing by Carla; completely transforming but painless pedicures by Lindiwe; and
facials undertaken by Lisa herself combining, inter alia, lymphatic drainage and highly-relaxing,
Swedish massage to neck and shoulders. According to Lisa, anti-ageing facial peels are also
Botanica Spa Suites at
The Westcliff
Tucked away in the cliffside retreat of The Westcliff hotel, you will find the Botanica Spa Suites,
an inviting oasis of indulgence and relaxation.
Friendly staff at Zman Li.
popular among her clients.
Tuli gives a deep, muscular back, neck and
scalp massage that quickly reveals the difference between professional and amateur performances – the latter experienced in hotels and
clubs in Europe and Israel.
Janine’s hair colouring to produce a “natural
blonde” look using thin, low and highlighting with
silver foils succeeds in hiding greying temples.
Not an easy feat considering many failed attempts by salons locally and internationally.
And where in the world do hairdressers ever
offer innovative styling suggestions, as does
Margot, for clients determined to keep their long
hair? In a test case: “feather-cutting” around the
face from the chin down, undertaken by Belinda
at lightening speed.
Teens are accommodated with a 20 per cent
discount on standard beauty treatments and
there’s a Pensioner’s Day scheduled for Mondays starting from November 1.
THREE BEAUTIFULLY spacious hotel suites
have been converted into calming treatment
rooms with en-suite bathrooms. Here, skincare specialists offer an all-encompassing
selection of facial and body treatments.
The Botanica Spa Suites menu offers several specialised facial and eye treatments,
massages to treat each and every tight
and aching muscle in your body - Kahuna,
Deep Tissue, Aromatherapy, Reflexology,
Hot Stone and Anti-Cellulite, as well as the
customised Botanica Spa Suites Cloud Nine
Ritual.
Intriguing and exotic body wraps include
the Seaweed Envelope and the Moor Mud
Body Mask.
Contact details:
Botanica Spa Suites at The Westcliff
67 Jan Smuts Ave, Westcliff, Johannesburg
Tel: (011) 481-6000 (Ask for spa
reservations)
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.westcliff.co.za/botanica
Facilities: Three treatment rooms (two of
which are double) as well as one dedicated
manicure/pedicure room.
Signature treatment: Cloud Nine Ritual a unique blend of Thai, Reiki and Ayervadic
touches are combined to alleviate stress,
ease aching muscles and revive the senses
with this powerful, customised massage.
VII
VIII
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Get fit with science and
Another kosher first for
motivation as your teammates
South Africa!
Kosher Complete is a comprehensive,well-balanced
multivitamin and antioxidant supplement for general
nutritional support.
MODERN LIVING is filled with a variety of
stresses which rob your body of essential
nutrients. Taking a daily dosage of Kosher
Complete is the easiest way of helping your
body cope - especially
if you smoke, drink
alcohol, skip meals or
eat junk food.
Even exercise can
cause stress, so the
more you exercise, the
greater your need for
protection to keep your body moving.
The correct diet is of course priority. But
this doesn’t always ensure your body is getting all the essential nutrients at the correct
dosages.
Taking a multivitamin is like wearing your
seatbelt in the car... protection.
Kosher Complete Multivitamin pays serious
attention to the form and potency of each
nutrient. For example, the trace minerals are
manufactured by Albion, a leading company
of mineral fortification, because they are better absorbed.
Calcium ascorbate is included as a less
acidic form of vitamin C, and vitamin E is provided in its more bio-available natural form.
Nutrients work together as a team, Kosher
C
Complete
Multivitamin is
th
this
team, avoiding the
ne
need
to buy separate vita
tamins.
Kosher Complete
M
Multivitamin
also contains
go
good
levels of antioxidant
nu
nutrients
from various
so
sources.
(Antioxidants prote the body’s cells from
tect
ex
excessive
damage, which
contributes to illness.)
Vegetarian capsules are easier to swallow
and contain nothing more than the highest
quality pure ingredients.
The potency is high enough for the dosage
to be varied between one to four capsules
daily, and is safe for adolescents.
Kosher Complete Multivitamin is now available in Gauteng at the following outlets:
Dis-Chem Pharmacies (Illovo, Norwood,
Benmore),KosherWorld, Grayston Pharmacy, Loving Nature Health Shop (Genesis Centre),Nutribalance Health Shop
(Norwood),and Sandringham Pharmacy.
SUCCESS IS A science, especially when it
comes to health and fitness. This is a case
where logic and science come into play, where
1 + 1 does equal 2, and where if you follow
the right steps, you will succeed.
Through scientific training methods that are right
for you and your body type,
you can enjoy weight loss,
muscle gain, a more relaxed, less stressed mind
and body and you get to
enjoy more energy and vitality than you had experienced before.
Let’s start your journey to health, de-stressing
and the body that you have always wanted.
After leaving school, Joel Sassoon studied
at Macquarie University in Australia. There he
discovered his love for the health and fitness
industry, which led to him studying exercise science and professional health and fitness.
Being overweight as a child, Joel understands the emotional side of what people go
through and discovered what works and what
doesn’t, what is a fad and what is fact. He now
has the tools to help you accomplish the same
in your life.
Joel specialises in cutting edge fitness techniques; functional fitness and lifestyle training;
sports specific training; TRX training; scientific
assessments to ensure progress; exercise and
pregnancy; depression, anxiety and addictions.
Training for women: In the initial interview,
we assess all relevant aspects so that a programme that will meet your specific needs can
be designed that will challenge and stimulate,
increase fitness levels,
b
burn body fat, and take
yo
you towards the body that
yo
you want.
Adaptations to the progr
gramme are also made for
yo
your specific position, be
it pregnancy, osteoporosis
or excess body fat, just to
na
name a few.
Training for men: At your first assessment,
we discuss what your goals are and we assess
where you are now. This becomes your starting
point. The results that come from this assessment help us plan the strategy that will get you
where you want to be in terms of health and
fitness.
By using the latest scientific knowledge the
exercise programme that you will be on while
training with Joel, will ensure that results are
met. Comprehensive assessments are done
every four weeks. The data is then used to
calibrate the training programme to ensure that
your results are achieved at a maximum rate.
A progressive training programme is then
created to get you started on your journey to
achieving the level of health and fitness as well
as the body that you have always wanted.
• Contact Joel on 084-454-4902, or email:
[email protected]
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Loving Nature, the hub of
conscious living, now at
Genesis in Fairmount
WE HAVE BEEN active in this community for the
past six years, providing the latest in organic and
kosher products.
Our Juice Bar is now fully functional, where we
offer freshly squeezed organic (wherever possible),
fruit and veggie, and wheatgrass juices, specific
to our customers’ needs. We have delicious juice
recipes for many different occasions, and make
them up as needed.
Owner Karin Brodie, has intensive knowledge of
traditional healing, herbal medicines, diet and nutrition, with many years’ experience in the Jewish
community. This background and her passion for
natural healing, brings with it a caring personal environment to benefit you, the customer.
This unique, personal attention that you, the
customer, receives, sets us apart from any other
health shop.
We carry a large range of herbal and natural
medicinal products that encompasses most of
the traditional healing modalities: homeopathic,
naturopathic, ayurvedic and unani (from India) traditional Chinese, traditional Native American and
traditional African medicines.
Our motto is: “You are what you eat.” Most of us
today live a very harried lifestyle, with the result that
we eat mostly “fast foods”, not necessarily takeaway, but foods that are highly processed and fast
and easy to prepare, such as sandwiches, burgers, pastas etc.
Even our vegetables are pre-washed and often
cut up and prepared for cooking, or just ready to be
thrown into a salad bowl. Even not taking into account that these vegetables are most often genetically engineered and mass produced, the fields are
full of chemical fertilisers, subjected to preservatives
for longer shelf life, etc. By the time we get them on
our table, they are almost devoid of nutrients.
The meat and fish that we eat, is also contaminated with hormones, antibiotics and preservatives. It is no wonder that so many of us are ailing, develop strange food allergies, autoimmune
diseases, etc.
We do what we can to alleviate this situation. We
are a depot for Wensleydale Farms, which supply us
with organic vegetables, eggs and chickens. Wherever possible we also help our kosher customers to
source organic dairy, meat and poultry products.
We also supply organic, unpreserved and kosher nuts, seeds, dried fruits, grains etc, as well
as low glycaemic index pastas, breads, cookies
and other products, as well as ecologically sound
household cleaning and laundry necessities, personal hygiene and skincare products, plus a large
range of herbal teas.
We carry a comprehensive range of kosher
food supplements and vitamins to augment and
support our lifestyle, and continually source new
products.
We offer free consultations and dietary advice
and hope to support our community to maintain
optimum health for many years to come.
Librisa Spa at Mount Nelson
Hotel, oasis of calm
Librisa Spa is an urban sanctuary conveniently
situated in Mount Nelson Hotel’s lush gardens,
in the heart of the city centre.
THE SPA IS an oasis of calm, with treatments taking inspiration from nature and
the healing power of touch. Housed in
an exquisitely restored Victorian residential heritage building, the spa combines
classic architecture with fresh contemporary styling and elegant finishes.
Librisa Spa treatments include facial
and body treatments, grooming and finishing touches and a selection of unique
signature treatments.
The spa menu also features a selection
of dedicated treatments for children and
teens, as well as a range of treatments for
men.
Spa products contain natural ingredients and are sourced from highly regarded local and international suppliers.
Contact details:
Librisa Spa at Mount Nelson Hotel
76 Orange Street, Gardens, Cape Town
Tel: (021) 483-1550 (Ask for spa reservations)
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.mountnelson.co.za/librisa
Facilities: Eight oversized treatment rooms,
dedicated manicure and pedicure rooms, a sunsplashed conservatory and complimentary use of
saunas and steam rooms, for pre- and post-spa
pampering.
Signature treatment: Bliss for Two - a full-body
massage for two people, followed by Mount Nelson Hotel’s legendary afternoon tea experience in
the hotel lounge and/or The Energy Massage - a
nurturing full-body massage with Africology Body
Balm incorporating energy healing and balancing
with crystals.
IX
X
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Tips for planning a healthy diet and sticking to it
Continued from page I
Moderation is key
People often think of healthy eating as
an all or nothing proposition, but a key
foundation for any healthy diet is moderation. Despite what certain fad diets
would have you believe, we all need a
balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat,
fibre, vitamins, and minerals to sustain
a healthy body.
• Try not to think of certain foods as “off
limits”. When you ban certain foods or
food groups, it is natural to want those
foods more, and then feel like a failure
if you give in to temptation. If you are
drawn towards sweet, salty or unhealthy
foods, start by reducing portion sizes
and not eating them as often. Later you
may find yourself craving them less or
thinking of them as only occasional indulgences.
• Think smaller portions. Serving sizes
have ballooned recently, particularly in
restaurants. When dining out, choose
a starter instead of an entrée, split
a dish with a friend, and don’t order
supersized anything. At home, use
smaller plates, think about serving
sizes in realistic terms and start small.
Visual cues can help with portion sizes
- your serving of meat, fish or chicken
should be the size of a deck of cards.
A teaspoon of oil or salad dressing is
about the size of a matchbook and
your slice of bread should be the size
of a CD case.
It’s not just what you eat, it’s how
you eat
Healthy eating is about more than the
food on your plate - it is also about
how you think about food. Healthy eating habits can be learned and it is important to slow down and think about
food as nourishment rather than just
something to gulp down in between
meetings or on the way to pick up the
kids.
• Eat with others whenever possible.
Eating with other people has numerous social and emotional benefits - particularly for children - and allows you to
model healthy eating habits. Eating in
front of the TV or computer often leads
to mindless overeating.
• Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly,
savouring every bite. Reconnect with
the joy of eating.
• Listen to your body. Ask yourself if
you are really hungry, or have a glass
of water to see if you are thirsty instead
of hungry. During a meal, stop eating
before you feel full. It actually takes a
few minutes for your brain to tell your
body that it has had enough food, so
eat slowly.
• Eat breakfast, and eat smaller meals
throughout the day. A healthy breakfast
can jumpstart your metabolism, and
eating small, healthy meals throughout
the day (rather than the standard three
large meals) keeps your energy up and
your metabolism going.
Fill up on colourful fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet - they are low in
calories and nutrient dense, which
means they are packed with vitamins,
minerals, antioxidants and fibre. Fruits
and vegetables should be part of every
meal and your first choice for a snack
- aim for a minimum of five portions
each day. The antioxidants and other
nutrients in fruits and vegetables help
protect against certain types of cancer
and other diseases.
Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables
every day.
The brighter, deeper coloured fruits
and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants - and different colours provide
different benefits.
• Greens: Greens are packed with
calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium,
zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, and they
help strengthen the blood and respiratory systems. Be adventurous with your
greens and branch out beyond bright
and dark green lettuce - kale, mustard
greens, broccoli, Chinese cabbage are
just a few of the options.
• Sweet vegetables: Naturally sweet
vegetables add healthy sweetness to
your meals and reduce your cravings
for other sweets. Some examples of
sweet vegetables are mealies, carrots,
beets, sweet potatoes or yams, winter
squash, and onions.
• Fruit: Fruit provides fibre, vitamins and
antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fibre, oranges and
mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.
Avoid: Fruit juices, which can contain up to 10 teaspoons of sugar per
cup; avoid or dilute with water. Canned
fruit is often in sugary syrup, and dried
fruit, while an excellent source of fibre,
can be high in calories. Avoid fried
veggies and those with dressings or
sauces - too much unhealthy fat and
calories.
Water - a vital part of a healthy diet
Water makes up about 75 per cent of
our bodies and helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins. Yet
many people go through life dehydrated, causing tiredness, low energy and
headaches.
Caffeinated beverages, in particular,
actually cause the body to lose water. Fresh fruits and vegetables, on the
other hand, contain plenty of water and
can help with hydration, especially when
you are looking for an alternative to your
eighth glass of water for the day.
Eat more healthy carbs and wholegrains
Choose healthy carbohydrates and fibre sources, especially whole-grains,
for long lasting energy. Whole-grains are
rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants,
which help to protect against coronary
heart disease, certain cancers, and diabetes.
A quick definition of healthy carbs
and unhealthy carbs
Healthy carbs (sometimes known as
good carbs) include whole-grains,
beans, fruits, and vegetables. Healthy
carbs are digested slowly, helping you
feel full longer and keeping blood sugar
and insulin levels stable.
Unhealthy carbs (or bad carbs) are
foods such as white flour, refined sugar
and white rice that have been stripped
of all bran, fibre and nutrients. Unhealthy
carbs digest quickly and cause spikes
in blood sugar levels and energy.
• Include a variety of whole-grains
in your healthy diet, including whole
wheat, brown rice, millet, quinoa, and
barley. .
• Make sure you’re really getting
whole-grains. Be aware that the words
stone-ground, multi-grain, 100 per cent
wheat, or bran, don’t necessarily mean
that a product is whole-grain. Look for
the new Whole-Grain stamp. If there
is no stamp look for the words “whole
grain” or “100 per cent whole wheat”,
and check the ingredients.
• Try mixing grains as a first step to
switching to whole-grains. If wholegrains, like brown rice and whole wheat
pasta, don’t sound good at first, start by
mixing what you normally use with the
whole-grains.
Avoid: Refined grains such as breads,
pastas, and breakfast cereals that are
not whole-grain.
Fibre: An essential component of a
healthy diet
Dietary fibre, found in plant foods (fruit,
vegetables and whole-grains) is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive
system. Fibre helps support a healthy
diet by helping you feel full faster and for
longer, and keeping your blood sugar
stable. A healthy diet contains approximately 20-30 grammes of fibre a day,
but most of us only get about half that
amount.
The two types of fibre are soluble and
insoluble.
• Soluble fibre can dissolve in water and
can also help to lower blood fats and
maintain blood sugar. Primary sources
are beans, fruit and oat products.
• Insoluble fibre cannot dissolve in water, so it passes directly through the digestive system. It’s found in whole-grain
products and vegetables.
Enjoy healthy fats and avoid unhealthy ones
Good sources of healthy fat are needed
to nourish your brain, heart and cells, as
well as your hair, skin, and nails. Foods
rich in certain omega-3 fats called EPA
and DHA are particularly important and
can reduce cardiovascular disease,
improve your mood and help prevent
dementia.
Add to your healthy diet:
• Monounsaturated fats, from plant oils
like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil,
as well as avocados, nuts (like almonds,
hazelnuts, and pecans) and seeds (such
as pumpkin, sesame).
• Polyunsaturated fats, including Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, found
in fatty fish such as salmon, herring,
mackerel, anchovies, sardines, and
some cold water fish oil supplements.
Other sources of polyunsaturated fats
are unheated sunflower, maize, soybean, and flaxseed oils, and walnuts.
Reduce or eliminate from your diet:
• Saturated fats, found primarily in
animal sources including red meat and
whole milk dairy products.
• Trans fats, found in vegetable shortenings, some margarines, crackers, candies, cookies, snack foods, fried foods,
baked goods, and other processed
foods made with partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils.
Put protein in perspective
Protein gives us the energy to get
up and go - and keep going. Pro-
tein in food is broken down into the
20 amino acids that are the body’s
basic building blocks for growth
and energy, and essential for maintaining cells, tissues and organs. A
lack of protein in our diet can slow
growth, reduce muscle mass, lower
immunity, and weaken the heart
and respiratory system. Protein is
particularly important for children,
whose bodies are growing and
changing daily.
Try different types of protein. Whether
or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources - such as beans,
nuts, seeds, peas, tofu and soy products - will open up new options for
healthy mealtimes.
• Beans: Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.
• Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios
and pecans are great choices.
• Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh and veggie burgers for a change.
• Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried
beans.
Downsize your portions of protein.
Try to move away from protein being
the centre of your meal. Focus on equal
servings of protein, whole-grains, and
vegetables.
Focus on quality sources of protein,
like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu,
eggs, beans or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat
that is free of hormones and antibiotics.
Complete, incomplete and complementary proteins
• A complete protein source - from animal proteins such as meat, poultry, fish,
milk, cheese and eggs - provides all of
the essential amino acids.
• An incomplete protein - from vegetable proteins like grains, legumes, nuts,
seeds and beans - is low in one or more
essential amino acids.
• Complementary proteins are two or
more incomplete protein sources that
together provide all of the essential amino acids your body needs. For example,
rice and dry beans are each incomplete
proteins, but together they provide all of
the essential amino acids.
• Complete and complementary proteins that provide all of the essential
amino acids will fill you up longer than
carbohydrates because they break
down more slowly in the digestive process.
Add calcium and vitamin D for
strong bones
Calcium and vitamin D are essential for
strong, healthy bones - vitamin D is essential for optimum calcium absorption
in the small intestine. Recommended
calcium levels are 1 000 mg per day,
1 200 mg if you are over 50. Take a
vitamin D and calcium supplement if
you don’t get enough of these nutrients
from your diet.
Great sources of calcium include:
• Dairy products, which come already
fortified with vitamin D.
• Dark green, leafy vegetables, such as
kale and collard greens
• Dried beans and legumes
Limit sugar, salt, and refined grains
If you succeed in planning your diet
around fibre-rich fruits, vegetables,
whole-grains, lean protein, and good
fats, you may find yourself naturally cut-
ting back on foods that can get in the
way of your healthy diet - sugar, salt and
refined starches.
Sugar and refined starches
It is okay to enjoy sweets in moderation,
but try to cut down on sugar. Sugar
causes energy ups and downs and
adds to health problems like arthritis,
diabetes, osteoporosis, headaches,
and depression.
• Give recipes a makeover. Often recipes taste just as good with less sugar.
• Avoid sugary drinks. Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice.
• Eliminate processed foods. Processed foods and foods made with white
flour and white sugar cause your blood
sugar to go up and down leaving you
tired and sapped of energy.
• Salt itself is not bad, but most of us
consume too much in our diets.
• Limit sodium to 2 300 mg per day, the
equivalent to one teaspoon of salt. Most
of us consume far more than that.
• Avoid processed, packaged, restaurant and fast food. Processed foods like
canned soups or frozen meals contain
hidden sodium that quickly surpasses
the recommended teaspoon a day.
Plan quick and easy meals ahead
Healthy eating starts with great planning. You will have won half the healthy
diet battle if you have a well-stocked
kitchen, a stash of quick and easy recipes, and plenty of healthy snacks.
Plan your meals by the week or
even the month
One of the best ways to have a healthy
diet is to prepare your own food and eat
in regularly. Pick a few healthy recipes
that you and your family like and build a
meal schedule around them. If you have
three or four meals planned per week
and eat leftovers on the other nights,
you will be much farther ahead than if
you are eating out or having frozen dinners most nights.
Shop the perimeter of the grocery
store
In general, healthy eating ingredients
are found around the outer edges of
most grocery stores - fresh fruits and
vegetables, fish and poultry, wholegrain breads and dairy products. Shop
for most of your groceries (fresh items),
add a few things from the freezer section (frozen fruits and vegetables), and
the aisles with spices, oils, and wholegrains (like rolled oats, brown rice, whole
wheat pasta).
Cook when you can
Try to cook one or both weekend days
or on a weekday evening and make
extra to freeze or set aside for another
night..
Challenge yourself to come up with
two or three dinners that can be put
together without going to the shop utilising things in your pantry, freezer
and spice rack. A delicious dinner of
whole-grain pasta with a quick tomato
sauce or a quick and easy black bean
quesadilla on a whole wheat flour tortilla
(among endless other recipes) could act
as your go-to meal when you are just
too busy to shop or cook.
Stock your kitchen to be meal ready.
Try to keep your kitchen stocked with
recipe basics.
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Skechers
Flagship
stores are on
the move!
Skechers Flagship
stores are hitting the
top shopping malls
is Gauteng!
WITH NEWLY OPENED stores in Menlyn Shopping Park and Eastgate Mall, the Skechers Flagship brand is not stopping there. Clearwater Mall
and Rosebank stores will be opening by end of this
month and by end of 2011 the Skechers brand will
be visible in all major cities across South Africa.
Skechers footwear is a global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry, by designing, developing
and marketing lifestyle footwear.
Skechers’ success stems from its high quality
and varied product; offering diversified domestic
and international distribution channels, cutting edge
print and television advertising.
Skechers often appeals to the fashion conscious
and meet the need of men, women and children.
Skechers strives to offer comfortable and fun quality footwear for the whole family with various styles
focusing on different needs, with the addition to
Shape Ups fitness shoes, specifically designed to
promote weight loss as well in addition to firm and
tone muscles.
Why yoga
exercise is
good for you
Continued from page VI
Do’s and don’ts
• DON’T have a big meal right before class. Try
eating lightly a few hours before class starts.
• DON’T drink water during class, but have some
before and after.
• DON’T wear shoes or socks during class.
• DO review yoga etiquette so you feel very comfortable entering an unfamiliar situation.
• DO tell the teacher it’s your first class (you probably won’t be the only one).
• DO ask the teacher for help if you need it.
• DO look around and follow what other student are doing, especially if the teacher does
not demonstrate every pose. However, keep
in mind that you may be looking at more advanced students so do not compare yourself
to them.
• DO familiarise yourself with some beginner’s
yoga poses before you take your first class.
• DO come back in a few days’ time for your next
class!
XI
XII
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
HEALTH AND BEAUTY SUPPLEMENT
Bye bye mundane, hello variety, says Virgin Active
There is no question:
life is more fun when
you move and to ensure
your exercise regime
is enjoyable, Virgin
Active offers a variety
of options to keep you
motivated and those
endorphins kicking.
SOUTH AFRICA’S leading health club has a selection
of innovative classes and superior equipment along
with personal trainers at each club, to meet your every
need, especially if you are at a loss when it comes to
alternative exercise options.
Regular exercise is important for your health and
happiness, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Virgin Active aims to continually update its club’s
schedules with the latest in fitness offerings.
The fitness team regularly attends international conferences to identify trends and innovation in training;
the club endeavours to bring only the best programmes
and classes to its members in South Africa.
Recent introductions include a customised workout schedule called Colour Me Fit, TRX, Kick It, Kettle
Bells and Zumba, so there’s no excuse to sleep in or
miss that evening workout!
For the goal-getters, Colour Me Fit is an exciting
new approach to group exercise. The club workout
schedules feature easy reference colour-coded categories to identify the classes addressing weight loss,
toning or relaxation.
Once you identify your goals, follow the codes to
create a timetable for the week that is most suited to
your needs. Stick to your timetable and a proper eating plan and see the results.
For a good cardiovascular workout, muscle
building or simply shedding a couple of kilos,
try TRX Suspension Training. The TRX system consists of two adjustable nylon cords
suspended from a wall or fixed structure.
It uses the gravity of your own body weight
to build strength, power, balance and flexibility, while preventing injuries and increasing bone density. It’s great for young and old
and available in beginner, intermediate or advanced levels - it’s a fun and challenging way
to increase fitness levels.
If you like a challenge, Kettle Bells are
for you as it develops muscular endurance,
strength and power, using a variety of different exercises and weights. This Russian
cast-iron weight is an extreme hand-held
gym that can be used as far as your instructor’s imagination goes.
If you love to dance, then tone and sculpt
the sexy way with our new Zumba classes.
Latin dance moves, upbeat music and easyto-follow steps, will have you dancing your
way to fitness. Zumba moves specifically
target the abdominal area and aids weight
loss.
For a personalised workout targeting your
individual needs and information on the latest exercise techniques, consider using a
personal trainer. He or she will keep you educated, motivated and ensure that you train
correctly to avoid burn-out and possible injury.
You will also receive a variety of valueadded services like structured assessments,
30-minute sessions and small group sessions.
Small group sessions like Kickit, will ensure that your body is ready for summer. A
well-equipped personal trainer will take a
small group through a 12 week programme
consisting of up to three group sessions per
week and four one-on-one assessments
over the 12 week period. You will also receive
a training logbook to assist you on your journey to a knockout body!
• For more information on these programmes,
contact Virgin Active on 0860 200 911 or
visit www.virginactive.co.za
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
TAPESTRY - ART, BOOKS, DANCE, FILM, THEATRE
Still-life of a novel ponders
the frailty of identity
Molly Fox’s Birthday by
Deirdre Madden (Faber
& Faber, R138)
REVIEWED BY
GWEN PODBREY
IT IS June 21 – midsummer in Dublin, and the
longest day of the year.
It is also the birthday of
Molly Fox, the most celebrated actress of her generation,
who has taken a trip to New York
and, in her absence, has invited her
longest-standing friend - a successful playwright - to come and stay in
her house.
Thus begins a quiet, unassuming
novel contained in 24 hours, using
Molly Fox’s home and garden as a
backdrop. Exploring each room
and object in the house, as well as
the scents and flowers in the garden, the friend – who relates the
narrative – begins recalling her
relationship with Fox, as well as
with Andrew, an art historian. The
three have bonds dating back 25
years.
Despite being a celebrated thespian, Fox, we are told, is actually an
intensely private and somewhat
unpredictable person. The product
of a broken home, she is ferociously protective towards her younger
brother Fergus, who is mentally
unstable.
Andrew, for his part, had a brother who was murdered as a result of
his involvement in Loyalist terrorist groups. And the narrator herself has a brother, Tom, the only
relation to whom she is close.
Now a priest in a rural Irish village, Tom’s involvement in his faith
– like Molly Fox’s absorption in
theatre and Andrew’s obsession
with art – is both deeply attractive
and repugnant to the author. While
her own gift for crafting drama
gives her an arcane appreciation of
ritual, play-acting and theatricality, the ritualistic world of
Catholicism, whether at its pietistical or elevated level, leaves her feeling excluded.
Contemplating her bonds with
these two friends, their brothers
and her own brother, the
narrator is drawn into
exploring the things they
have confided to her about
themselves, about each
other and about their altering perspectives of living,
dying and – above all –
remembering.
Though the structure of
the novel is something akin
to a still-life, with its
insights and energies balanced in
repose, the tone is never homiletical: instead, the writing is remarkably lucid, restrained and instantly
arresting.
With Molly Fox and Andrew, the
narrator has shared formative
moments in her and their careers,
as well as incidents of tragedy and
triumph. She has also, on one occasion, shared Andrew’s bed, during
their student years together.
She has been the catalyst for,
rather than the participant in,
much that characterises their lives:
writing the plays that propelled
Molly Fox to success, for example,
and supporting Andrew through
his bereavement, as well as his
later divorce.
She has been the common link in
the friendship they have formed
together and with her own brother
– bonds which she herself is not
invited to share – and she cannot
help resenting her outsider’s role.
“While Molly Fox is undoubtedly
generous with her possessions, she
can take over other people’s relationships as a cuckoo takes over
nests,” she tells us.
Examining Fox’s artfully furnished and decorated home, her
admiration is sullied by envy. “The
places I have lived in have
remained only that: places I have
lived in, rooms full of papers and
books. I should like a proper
home… (that) would allow me to
communicate something of myself
to others. But how people managed
to do this with the things I glimpsed
in the houses I passed… baffled and
defeated me.”
Through the course of the day,
the narrator receives three visitors: Fergus, Molly Fox’s wayward
Images which ring and
rumble with colour and tone
Exhibition: “First People of
Nieu Bethesda” (Rabbi Cyril
Harris Community Centre,
Oaklands, (011)728-8088)
Artists: the San people of
Nieu Bethesda, at the
Bethesda Art Centre
Until: November 7
collaborative energies sing,
and ideas and concepts like
the birth of the sun allow
mythological narrative and
an unbridled sense of play to
coalesce.
In addition to a series of
cushion covers, which are
more representative than
REVIEWED BY ROBYN
wild, and a series of angels
SASSEN
transcendent in their uniformity, the exhibition features
YOU MIGHT think collabo- Creation of the a dozen framed relief prints,
ratively-made wall hangings sun. Mixed
considerably more staid in
and relief prints from the fabric media
their outlook than the fabric
Karoo and assume so-called on cloth. (PHO- art, but they vie with expecprimitive art, where concept
tations fabulously.
TOGRAPH BY
and perspective is naive ROBYN SASSEN)
Consider, for instance,
because the artists are
Sandra Sweers’ “Elephant
impoverished and uneducated. Well, Eye”. It’s an image in which the
this show is certainly no pathos call.
artist has spent time drawing her
Curatorial strengths aside, the subject matter. Translating it to the
magnificence of the individual pieces unforgiving surface of linoleum, she
and the sophistication with which allows the jiggered wrinkles around
they are constructed, need to be seen. the elephant’s eye to be abstract patFabric art made from a variety of terns which rash over the surface of
cloth-based supports, the nine large her plate, seductively.
wall hangings which headline the
Like many collaborative art projshow are constructed like drawings; ects active in this country at the
their images are allowed to ring and moment, the work stems from differrumble with colour, tone and line ent awarenesses of the world on the
sewn laterally into the work. Here part of the artists.
brother, who reveals a startling
piece of information about his sister. Andrew, who has come to see
Molly Fox, but – finding the narrator there instead – shares a bottle of
champagne with her, as well as a
devastating recollection of being
injured in a bomb blast in Paris, an
experience which allowed him to
fully understand the enormity of
his brother’s murder and to truly
mourn him at last.
The third visitor is a woman
from down the street, who has
brought a birthday gift for Molly
Fox and tells the narrator of the
impact Fox’s acting has had on her
life and her self-image.
Oscar Wilde haunts these pages,
as Deirdre Madden evokes the spirit of Dublin and ruminates on the
impetus that drives people to pursue, single-mindedly, their own
ruin. (As Wilde later remarked of
Bosie Douglas: “How could I not
love him? He ruined my life.”)
The author also notes that one’s
destruction is blueprinted into
one’s genes and that, at any point
in a human being’s life, he or she is
all they have ever been and all they
ever will be.
Just so, Wilde – while enjoying
his privileged childhood in Ireland
and, later, being feted as a brilliant
man of letters – already contained
within himself the defeated, vilified figure he would later become.
Our lives’ courses are not chosen,
argues the narrator, but – as Greek
tragedians have always taught us –
followed haphazardly. All we can
do is defy, delay and, ultimately,
submit.
The compassion with which
Madden treats her subject has been
hailed as “almost celestial” by critics, and the sheer, gentle luminescence of the text saw it shortlisted
as a winner of the Orange Prize for
Fiction.
The great lesson Madden teaches
us is that human identity is frail,
that the past informs and directs
the present, and our remembering
is all we have to show for it. The
best we can do is to ennoble our
memories by creating them with
conviction and courage.
While there’s material in which
artists draw or embroider what they
see in nature around them, there is a
tendency to interpret from their
myths and religion, but also one to
cast a moral finger toward society.
The square wall hanging entitled
“Shadow of Abuse” tells a lateral
tale from within a socio-cultural
nexus that is tragic, terrifying and
patently legible simultaneously.
The Bethesda Arts Centre, established by Jeni Couzyn 10 years ago,
teaches art to people of San origin
living in the area. With a mission
statement that boasts the centre’s
concern with capacity building and
the need to draw on the potential of
its participants, the centre’s sensitivity toward San roots is clear.
The selection of work on show
demonstrates how these practitioners bring their own cultural narratives and ways of seeing into and out
of a studio that offers them all kinds
of possibilities; the work is
immensely haveable.
The exhibition repertoire of this
arts centre is considerable - similar
to projects like that promulgated by
the Keiskamma Arts Centre, from
Hamburg in the Eastern Cape, it has
earned an exhibiting charisma
countrywide, spurred by its beautiful wares and ubuntu values. Only
on until next week, this exhibition is
quite simply a must-see.
13
14
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
LETTERS
Guidelines for letters: Letters up to 400 words will get preference. Please provide your full first name
and surname, place of residence, and a daytime contact telephone or cell number. We do not publish letters under noms de plume. Letters should preferably be e-mailed. Letters may be edited or shortened.
Disclaimer: The letters page is intended to provide opportunity for a range of views on any
given topic to be expressed. Opinions articulated in the letters are those of the writers and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the editor, staff or directors of the Jewish Report
PALESTINIAN ‘SUFFERING’ IS LARGELY SELF-INFLICTED
IN REACTING to Nathan Geffen and Doron
Isaacs, (“Why boycott settlement products?”) I
am no more an “apologist” for Israel than they
are in expressing their own points of view.
The word “apologist” has joined the lexicon
of derogatory terms invented by the Left to
denigrate those with the temerity to express
the case for Israel.
Whether local ladies will, in future, be able to
continue applying Israeli mud to their faces or
not, is hardly the issue and, as boycotts go, a
rather pathetic choice. Of far greater interest is
the morality or otherwise of choosing to boycott Israel in the first place, which these writers refer to as a “tactic” aimed specifically at
the Jewish state.
“Ayatollahs”, they claim “are more impervious to global moral pressure. Boycotts... are
only invoked when they have a chance of success.”
Surely, this in itself should tell our scribes
something? Boycotting autocracies and theocracies is rather pointless when countries, run
on these lines, have moral tapestries very different from our understanding.
It is obviously far easier to aim at a country,
fully democratic in every sense, as her very
democracy is founded on morality in its purest
form, hence the unfettered debate that reverberates throughout the land. For this, Israel
receives no credit from Geffen and Isaacs.
Claiming that “It is not a moral call to boycott
every product produced by every country with
a dubious human rights record”, Geffen and
Isaacs sidestep the very real opportunity to display a modicum of morality in boycotting at
least some products produced by countries
that, for example, use child labour, pay slave
wages or abuse women, which, while they
might not bring about the downfall of these
economies, would display some level of caring
and moral outrage.
Our two writers’ “quick (simplistic) recap”
of history states that “In 1967, Israel, after a
short war with its neighbours, occupied… the
West Bank and Gaza...” This, on face value is
correct, except that no mention is made of the
circumstances that provoked the war, nor the
exact wording of Resolution 242 that followed
it, or the famous “3 No’s” that met Israel’s
offer to return the occupied territories in
exchange for peace.
Resultant Palestinian “suffering” is largely
self-inflicted and could have long ended had
they grasped any of the multitude of opportunities offered to make peace and establish
their long-desired state. Strangely, no-one has
ever explained why this state was never as
intensely desired during the period 1948-‘67
during which the West Bank and Gaza Strip
fell under the control of Egypt and Jordan.
While Geffen and Isaacs know that Israel
would react positively to any serious overtures towards peace, they would be hard
pressed to explain how this can be achieved in
the face of a total refusal by all Palestinian
factions to make the slightest concession,
never mind the fundamental one of the recognition of the very existence of the Jewish
State.
While boycotts might make the likes of
Geffen, Isaacs et al, feel good about themselves and positively elevate their sense of
contributing towards “the cause”, it adds not
one iota towards any form of serious debate
and should be treated with circumspection, to
say the least.
Victor Gordon
Pretoria
AGREEMENT WITH GEFFEN AND ISAACS ON SETTLEMENTS PRODUCTS BOYCOTT
I WAS pleased to see the publication of my article (Tutu’s prayer, in last week’s Jewish
Report), which expressed my opposition to a
total boycott of Israel.
I am, however, concerned that my article was
used to juxtapose the article by Nathan Geffen
and Doron Isaacs, which called for a boycott of
the products of the settlements, Ahava in particular.
As I have said many times in the past, I fully
support the boycott of the settlements’ products. As a matter of fact, Gush Shalom, to
which I belong, initiated this boycott in 1998.
Therefore I agree with Geffen and Isaacs - kol
hakavod to them.
A boycott of the settlements’ products is
an essential step in delineating the
boundary between the legitimate State of
Israel and the illegal, immoral and totally
unacceptable settlements in the occupied territories, which will in future belong to the independent State of Palestine. Without a clear
border between Israel and Palestine, peace
is impossible and we are doomed to eternal
war.
Uri Avnery
Jerusalem
JEWS WHO BASH ISRAEL, USUALLY LACK SENSE OF IDENTITY
I WOULD like to respond to the letter by
Colin Purkey in the Jewish Report of
October 22, as to why so many Jews are
involved in actions against Israel.
Indeed, since ancient times the Jews have
always been vulnerable to betrayal by the
least satisfied people in their own circle,
seeking revenge on their people for real and
imagined slights.
From the collaborators who worked with
the Greeks and Romans during the occupation of Israel by their empires, to the Jewhating Jews of today with their bottomless
hatred of Israel and its people, and their
efforts to do Israel harm and encourage its
genocidal foes like Hamas, Hezbollah and
the Iranian and Syrian regimes.
One of the most unfortunate developments
in the exile has been the loathsome moser
(informer), the negative counterpart of the
shtadlan (intercessor) who intercedes with
the authorities, who speak for Jews to those
in power.
As Ruth Wisse puts it in her book, Jews
and Power: “The Jewish community was
always hostage to its unhappiest members
who stood to gain by serving the powers that
be.”
In his book, Why The Jews: The Reason
For Anti-Semitism, Dennis Prager goes some
way towards explaining this. Prager is also
vexed by the question of explaining Jews
who devote their lives to hurting Jews.
He points out: “Among no group in the
world are there so many individuals who so
single-mindedly attempt to damage the
group into which they were born”.
He gives as examples the loathsome Noam
Chomsky who has dedicated much of his life
to defending those who wish to destroy
Israel, and to demonise Israel and her people, frequently comparing Israelis to the
Nazis; and Norman Finkelstein who lectures throughout the world, calling Israel a
Nazi state and demanding its destruction.
Prager explains this phenomenon as
being that Jewish radicals, like other radicals, lack roots, and hate Jews (such as the
Jews of Israel) who do have roots and a
national identity.
“The Ubermensch, which is how they see
themselves, rises above such parochial
identities.”
Also they likely believe that if they side
with those who hate Jews, they will not be
hated by them. In other words they are so
desperate to be liked again by their colleagues at work and on campus, that this
erases all empathy for the most vulnerable
section of the Jewish people today, the Jews
of Israel. I believe the modern disease of
the Jewish people is the Jewish infatuation
with leftist political movements. This is the
most permanent form of devastation in
modern Jewish life.
Also worth mentioning is that almost
all anti-Zionist Jews are Ashkenazim in
the Diaspora, whereas the majority of
Israelis today are Sephardim or Mizrachim
(Jews of Middle Eastern or North African
origin).
Any second Holocaust of Jews in Israel
would mean that Sephardim would practically cease to exist as a people.
Could the roots of Ashkenazic antiZionism have anything to do with racism
against Sephardim and Mizrachim?
Gary Selikow
Johannesburg
The Editor, Suite 175, Postnet X10039, Randburg, 2125 email: [email protected]
GEFFEN, ISAACS ARE VERY ECONOMICAL WITH THEIR FACTS
ONE CAN only but dismay at the distortion of facts that both Nathan Geffen and
Doron Isaacs allude to in their article in
the Jewish Report of October 22.
Their attempt to illustrate some historical facts goes back to 1967 only, but
either through ignorance or with intent,
they omit to discuss the events of 1948
and the UN Resolution 181 of 1947 which
recommended the partition of the territory into two states, with the JerusalemBethlehem area being under special
international protection, administered
by the United Nations and accepted by
the Jewish leadership.
We all (except these two gentlemen)
know what happened and how East
Jerusalem was annexed by Jordan and
ALL synagogues and other Jewish building destroyed.
Perhaps the two gentlemen were oblivious of the war that resulted as the
British withdrew and Israel was attacked
by five Arab armies on the day independence was declared. The two-state recommendation is nothing new and has been
muted since before the State, with full cooperation and backing of Israel.
These two gentlemen are so economical with their facts (or again out of
sheer ignorance) that they fail to mention the various attempts at creating a
two-state solution – the first being the
Camp David accord when Ehud Barak
offered:
Israeli redeployment from 95 per cent
of the West Bank and 100 per cent of the
Gaza Strip
The creation of a Palestinian state in
the areas of Israeli withdrawal
The removal of isolated settlements
and transfer of the land to Palestinian
control
Other Israeli land exchanged for West
Bank settlements remaining under
Israeli control
Palestinian control over East Jeru-
salem, including most of the Old City
“Religious sovereignty” over the
Temple Mount, replacing Israeli sovereignty in effect since 1967,
Again under the (Ehud) Olmert
administration where a similar offer
was on the table and in both instances
to the extreme consternation of Saudi
Arabia and other Arab states and most
of the world, the Palestinian leadership
declined statehood.
These good folk need to question
why, instead of simply laying all the
wrongs of this region at the occupation.
The occupation would never have
been, had the Arab states accepted
Israel’s offer of a land for peace swop
after the 1967 war, but perhaps you
were both too young to remember that
this was declined; ask yourselves why.
The Arabs states in the region never
wanted to be burdened with their
brother Palestinians as Egypt demonstrated when signing a peace treaty
with Israel and so vividly enforced
when the Jordanians expelled 400 000
Palestinians from their country –
remember Black September!
In case you are not aware, Israel is
the only country in the Middle East
that has unilaterally withdrawn from
territory conquered in war - in
Lebanon and Gaza - only to be greeted
with unprovoked rocket attacks in
return.
Messrs Geffen and Isaacs, please try
to be a little more balanced and
research your facts if you want to advocate boycotts. An open mind and
acknowledging truthful facts would go
a long way to mending the tragedy that
unfolds daily in that region.
Allan Wolman
Johannesburg
GEFFEN AND ISAAC’S LOGIC BASED ON UNREALISTIC PREMISES
NATHAN GEFFEN and Doron Isaac’s
logic (last week’s Jewish Report, on
Open Shuhada Street’s justification for
calling for a boycott of Ahava products)
is based on unrealistic premises.
Their idea is that if Israel evacuates
the West Bank, a Palestinian state will
be established and peace will reign
supreme. Most Israelis know, from bitter
experience, that the things don’t work
out like this in the Middle East.
I was in Israel when Gaza was evacuated. The mood was very optimistic.
Everybody
was
sure
that
the
Palestinians would take the opportunity
of developing agriculture, industry and
lay the foundation for a flourishing and
peaceful state.
Well, as we all know, the dream turned
into a nightmare for the Israelis and
even more for the Palestinians, (more
Palestinians are being killed by
Palestinians than by Israelis).
Naturally, Israelis are afraid that the
same will happen if Israel evacuates the
West Bank. Unfortunately, many of the
signs point this way. So, Geffen, Isaacs
and the rest of OSS, wake up before reality hits you in the face.
Shulamit Kagan
Lyndhurst, Johannesburg
GLICK SHOWS SCANT REGARD FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
I WAS shocked to learn that Caroline
Glick, deputy managing editor of The
Jerusalem Post, was the keynote speaker at the SA Zionist Federation (Cape)
Conference held this past weekend. A
quick look at Glick’s record shows why
this choice demonstrates a lack of
regard for human rights, ethics and
even sanity on the part of the
Federation.
Despite being a newspaper editor,
Glick recently accused Haaretz, Israel’s
respected liberal newspaper, of “facilitating and supporting treason”.
Why? Because Haaretz journalist Uri
Blau published information given to
him by a soldier, Anat Kamm, showing
that senior Israeli generals, including
chief of staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, knowingly violated Supreme Court rulings
by ordering the assassination of
Palestinian militants even when they
didn’t pose an immediate threat or
when it was possible to capture them
alive.
And she argues that Israel should
align itself with China against international efforts to protect human rights.
On January 11, 2010 she wrote: “In our
efforts we have a potential ally in China.
One of Beijing’s abiding positions is
that it opposes UN sanctions on individ-
ual states.
“Israel should make the case to the
Chinese that China should back Israel in
international institutions, by among
other things vetoing UN Security Council
resolutions against Israel. If in defence of
the principle of sovereignty China is willing to block sanctions against Iran and
North Korea, then surely Beijing should
be willing to take the far more benign
step of supporting Israel.”
Glick evidently sees an anti-Semite
under every bed. She says the following
about herself on her website: “I grew up
in Chicago’s ultra-liberal, anti-American
and anti-Israel stronghold of Hyde Park.
“Hyde Park’s newest famous resident
is Barack Obama. He fits right into a
neighbourhood I couldn’t wait to leave.”
Her paranoia is further evidenced in a
video made by Latma, a media NGO she
heads. In the video an Obama impersonator in black-face makeup sings lines like
“dirty Jews won’t be missed by me” and
“I hate them, it so excites me”. She even
called the blockbuster film Avatar “antiAmerican, anti-Israeli”.
No reasonable organisation would provide her with a platform.
Eduard Grebe
Cape Town
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
15
COMMUNITY COLUMNS
ABOVE
BOARD
Zev Krengel,
National Chairman
A column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies
AS REPORTED in last week’s issue,
the Board has met with Minister of
Arts and Culture Lulu Xingwana, to
discuss an anti-Semitic comment
allegedly made by her.
As reported in the press, the
Minister is alleged to have accused
the CEO of an entertainment company both of acting as “a front for
white people” and of “fronting for
the Jewish woman”, and in that
context threatening that her department would never work with his
Allegations of anti-Semitism against government minister
company again.
Given the stature of the person
concerned and the fact that the
matter was now in the public realm,
it behoved the Board to take some
kind of action. Our central mandate is to be the community’s
watchdog against any form of antiSemitism, especially when this
would seem to be emanating from
an official, institutional level.
However, in this case it was very
important to determine what kind
of action would be most appropriate. Unlike the clear-cut case of
anti-Semitic hate speech by Deputy
Foreign Minister Fatima Hajaig last
year, which was captured on tape,
the facts of this particular matter
were far from established.
Our decision was therefore to
approach the Minister herself for a
meeting, which would help clarify
matters and also allow her an opportunity to respond to the allegations
in the newspaper.
While concerned about the allegations (which, in the context of the
report, suggested that being Jewish
was a valid reason for a government
department not to do business with
you), it could not simply be assumed
that they were true.
We had a swift and favourable
response to our request, and the
meeting took place within a week of
our letter having been sent. This in
itself was reassuring, since it
demonstrated how very seriously
the Minister and her department
took the matter.
The meeting itself was frank and
honest. The substance relating to
the alleged comments being sub
judice, nothing discussed in that
regard could go on record.
However, what did emerge from the
meeting was a very strong reaffirmation by Minister Xingwana of
her government’s zero-tolerance
stance for all forms of racism and
bigotry, including anti-Semitism.
This, as well as the fact that our
meeting and subsequent joint press
statement was widely reported in
the media, we regard as a positive
outcome. Combating anti-Jewish
prejudice is tied up with educating
the public about its inherent evils
and impressing on it that it is fun-
damentally un-South African. This
message carries weight when coming from a high-ranking member
of government.
Interfaith conference in Qatar
Last week, at the invitation of
Qatar’s Ambassador to South
Africa, I attended a three-day
Annual Conference on Interfaith
Dialogue in Doha, Qatar.
This was a rare, even unique,
opportunity for a representative of
the SAJBD to participate in an
international conference in one of
the Arab countries. My experiences and insights gained will
form the basis of my next column.
This column is paid for by SAJBD
LETTERS
PALESTINIANS STILL HAVE CHOICES REGARDING
THEIR FUTURE
NATHAN GEFFEN and Doron
Isaacs (Why boycott settlement
products? Jewish Report October
22), hold Israel exclusively
responsible for the lack of
Palestinian political national
independence.
In their determination to continue to portray the Arabs as
pathetic victims, they fail to
acknowledge, that not only
Israel, but the Arab Palestinians
too, had, and still have choices in
determining their independence
or lack thereof.
Failure to establish Palestinian
independence, is, if one is honest,
attributable primarily to the
Arab obsession with destroying
any Jewish presence in the
Middle East in preference to
establishing a Palestinian state.
This “ideology”, cannot be
ignored as being a major factor
contributing to what Geffen and
Isaacs refer to as “…the mess we
have today”.
Absolving the Arabs of any
responsibility for the “mess” and
blaming only Israel and the
“occupation”, is reflective of a
naïve, simplistic insight into the
dynamics of the conflict.
Geffen and Isaacs argue that
the background to the conflict
was the “short war” of 1967 after
which Israel “occupied” the West
Bank and Gaza.
The background to the conflict,
of course, goes way back to 1948
and the decades before.
Efraim Karsh, in his recently
published
book,
Palestine
Betrayed, details the manner in
which Arab leaders, concerned
more with expanding their own
territorial and political influence
than with Arab Palestinian
national aspirations, crushed
any hopes of establishing an
independent Arab state in 1947.
They rejected independence
then, choosing war instead; a self
defeating strategy which has
been repeated in the decades following, with tragic consistency.
War, with the intention of
destroying Israel, was again initiated by the Arabs in 1967. Their
leaders failed to act in the interests of their people when they
rejected the “land for peace”
framework outlined in UN resolution 242 following Arab defeat.
In so doing, they snuffed out any
possibility of negotiating independence.
Following the signing of the
Oslo Accords (1993) Yasser
Arafat, speaking in Arabic
made it clear that he had no
intention of honouring the
Accords, but viewed them as part
of a ‘step plan’ whereby he
would accept whatever concessions Israel would make with the
final aim being the creation of an
Arab State from ‘the river to the
sea.’
In 2000 (Camp David) and 2001
(Taba), the pattern was again
repeated with Arafat’s adoption
of terrorism in response to
Israel’s peace proposals which
would effectively have lead to the
end of the ‘occupation’ and the
establishment of a Palestinian
state.
Rival Arab leaders today
mimic
their
predecessors.
Hamas, in control of Gaza following Israel’s unilateral evacuation, remains committed to the
annihilation of Israel and the
overthrow of the Palestinian
Authority (PA). The PA even
while negotiating with Israel,
continues to incite violence
through PA controlled media,
and to deny Israel’s right to exist.
Geffen and Isaacs in their
endeavours to assist, support and
campaign for the Palestinians,
rather than calling for the boycott of Israeli goods, should possibly direct their energies at
holding Palestinian leaders and
their Iranian backers responsible for the ‘mess we have today.’
Felicia Levy
Glenhazel, Johannesburg
TIME THAT JEWS SHOULD START SUPPORTING
THEIR OWN
I AM writing in response to
numerous e-mails I received last
week and the article in the
Sunday Times regarding SAZF
and Saleys, the company which
returned the order with the
comment that it didn’t want
blood money.
The clear message is one
which we should have been
observing for many year and yet
we don’t seem to learn our lesson. Why do Jews not support
Jews; the halachic requirements
are very clear, but more impor-
tant is the fact on the ground
where welfare organisations are
under pressure to assist the less
fortunate in our community and
we are going out and support
those who have now categorically told us they do not want our
support.
Why did it have to get to this
point? The SAZF should know
better. Let us take this as a lesson
and start supporting our own.
Jaron Tobias
Johannesburg
AHAVA PRODUCTS WILL MAKE AN IDEAL GIFT
I WAS most grateful to read Nathan
Geffen and Doron Isaacs’ op-ed in the
Jewish Report of October 22. I had no
idea what to get my wife for her
upcoming birthday, but now I know:
as many Avaha beauty products I
can afford. I hope they publish a full
list of all the so-called West Bank
products they are boycotting so I
know what else I, and every other
person of conscience, should buy.
Geffen and Isaacs may be surprised to know that not everybody
agrees that Israel is “occupying” the
so-called West Bank. I’d go as far as
to say that the “worldwide movement
to end the occupation” (as they put it)
is made up of individuals either predisposed to harm Jews (which Geffen
and Isaacs admit is partially the
case), or of those, like Geffen and
Isaacs, who are (wilfully) ignorant of
the Jews’ historical, biblical, archaeological and legal claim to Israel
(which predates Islam and the birth
of the Palestinian people by eons).
Or, as Caroline Glick recently put
it, there’s something terribly wrong
when people say that Jews have no
claim to Judea.
Furthermore, I find their reason
for not boycotting the world’s truly
oppressive regimes of (Iran, China,
etc) to be wholly disingenuous. The
assertion that boycotting those states
is ineffectual because they aren’t liberal democracies who (supposedly,
unlike Israel), won’t care about what
the world thinks, is ludicrous.
The real reason they don’t boycott
those regimes is either because: a)
It’s almost impossible to think of one
product (save oil) from Iran, Libya,
Sudan, Lebanon, etc that is worth
boycotting; b) It’s impossible to boycott Chinese products because they
are vital and ubiquitous and c) They
clearly couldn’t care less.
It appears as if Israel and the Jews
are the only people on the planet
worth censuring, regardless of how
many gays are hanged in Iran,
women are beaten in Saudi Arabia or
Palestinian children are indoctrinat-
ed to become suicide bombers by
Hamas and the PA, etc, etc, etc.
Yes, none of this solves the festering pustule of a problem of what to
do with those Palestinians who have
had to make way for the Jews who
have returned to their own homeland. (Heaven knows the Arabs tried
as hard as they could to keep the
Jews away from Jerusalem, Judea
and Samaria as long as they could).
But, the fact remains, for there to
be a fair, just solution for the Palestinians, it does not, de facto, imply
Jews have an illegitimate claim to the
land. I’d say the opposite is true.
If Geffen and Isaacs really cared
about a non-violent solution to the
ME conflict, they’d do well to keep
this in mind and, yes, try standing up
against the truly violent, oppressive
nations of the world for a change.
In the meantime, I’m going online
to find my nearest Avaha stockist.
Wayne Kopping
Johannesburg
‘NOVEMBER 16 IS NOT SHABBOS’
I REFER to the first paragraph of
David Saks’ Barbaric Yawp (Jewish
Report October 15), where he states:
“The latest initiative (in the Southern
Cape region) is an ‘Israel solidarity
breakfast’ to be held in Oudtshoorn
on November 16. High ranking
church leaders are lined up to
attend, although Jews there will be
none, as the event falls on Shabbos.”
I want to point out that November
16 is not Shabbos.
Eddie Price
Greenside, Johannesburg
BGU SHOULD TELL UJ TO SHOVE IT!
BEN-GURION University of the
Negev is one of the most liberal of
all Israeli universities and has one
of the highest university rankings.
They certainly don’t need to be
told by an institution that is merely
seeking to score political points
with the left-wing radicals/militants, what to do.
BGU should simply take its lifeenriching research to somewhere
that it will be appreciated.
I think it will be more dignified
for BGU to take its own decision (to
leave) instead of being held
accountable by the University of
Johannesburg and its impossible
(and stupid) senate ultimatum!
Jonathan Glick
Johannesburg
16
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
TA Primary grade one
learners in action on
the track.
YOUTH TALK
Alison Goldberg [email protected]
Mazeltov to KDVPP’s
Mathew and Liora
STACY FLEISHMAN
PHOTOGRAPH: JANNIE LE ROUX
A glorious sports day
at TA Primary school
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH: SUZANNE BELLING
THE TORAH Academy Primary School
held its annual sports day on Wednesday,
October 19, with participating houses
Torah and Mitzvah.
Events included shot-put, discus, sling
throw, long jump, javelin and track
events such as long distance, sprint and
relay in the various age groups.
With all the moms and dads
there – and some bobbas and zaides too there was even a dad’s race and a mom’s
race!
Torah House was the overall winner.
Emunah batmitzvah girls 2010
HILARY SEGAL AND MELISSA CHIPKIN
PHOTOGRAPH: TREVOR SACHS
ments and look forward to seeing them all
become active and involved members of
the Jewish community.
WE ARE very proud of their achieve-
MAZELTOV to Matthew Sive and
Liora Katzew who were chosen to
represent King David Victory
Park Primary School on the
Johannesburg Mini Council for
2011. We wish them every success
in their endeavours.
Pictured are our outgoing councillors, Nicky Meyerson and
Amy Novick, with new councillors Matthew Sive and Liora
Katzew in the front.
KD Sandton Primarykids
show off their ‘arty stuff ’
VIVIENNE WEINER
PHOTOGRAPH: ARNALDO MANDEL
KING DAVID Sandton Primary
School showcased its annual art
exhibition at the Morningside
Shopping Centre recently.
This extravaganza included a
variety of media, both 2D and 3D
from bold talented learners,
ranging from grade R to grade 7.
The opening was complemented
with live music and cheese and
wine.
Learners felt privileged to have
their work available for public
viewing.
Aiden Lefkowitz; Amber Brenner; Hannah Diner;
Carly Cohen; Dina Zolmann; Jade Cohen; with art
teacher Vivienne Weiner.
ID books for ORT SA learners
LISA MORALEE
PHOTOGRAPHS: LOUISE BICK
The Emunah Ladies Beit Midrash’s special and exciting batmitzvah programme, culminated in a wonderful and moving ceremony in the HOD hall on August 29, where the
girls presented their Divrei Torah, danced to the vibey music of Jenny Braun and
Hadassah Chalmers and enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast by Gary Friedman.
TA matric girls will light up
the sky, wherever they go
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH: CHANIE KATZ, GRADE 11,
TORAH ACADEMY GIRLS’ HIGH.
“AN EVENING With the Stars” was the
theme of Torah Academy Girls’ High
School matric farewell dinner at the beautifully decorated Crystal Room of the
Killarney Country Club in Houghton,
Johannesburg.
Hosted by the grade 11s, Jessica Vinokur,
MC, gave a dvar Torah, welcomed guests
and introduced each of the speakers.
Rebecca Sarchi, principal of the GHS,
likened the girls in the matric class to
stars, both collectively and individually.
She related anecdotes about the learners,
including their last day at school, when
they slept over in the building - unbeknown
to her - and their escapades on the Israel
tour.
She blessed the girls to be like the stars
and “shine brightly. Together you girls will
light up the sky every time we look up.”
She encouraged them to be a bright
source of radiance to all humanity.
The matrics made a joint address, paying tribute to teachers and staff and
thanking them for imparting knowledge
and inspiration.
The Torah
Academy
Girls’
High
School
matrics
on their
last day
of school.
ORT SA helps people become self-sustaining and independent. For this reason its
Skills Development department runs projects that help the youth to gain a qualification with experience.
During registration many of the learners
were found to be lacking a South African
identity book, despite being over the age of
16. On October 16, staff from the Department of Home Affairs in Wynberg in
Johannesburg, moved ORT SA learners
one step closer to becoming independent.
A lot of learners could only provide their
birth certificates, as opposed to their ID
books, during project registration, says
Louise Bick, ORT SA Skills Development
Co-ordinator and Trainer.
“We realised that this was an area where
we could really add value; we contacted
Wynberg Home Affairs regarding their ‘ID
Ur-Self Now’ campaign.”
One’s ID book is essential for everything
- from registering for matric exams to
applying for a job, a driver’s licence or pass-
port. The aim of the “ID Ur-Self Now” campaign is to “motivate young people - especially the 16 year olds in or out of school - to
apply for their IDs”.
Martin Ramogale and Smangaliso Nzimande from the Department of Home
Affairs in Wynberg, have offered their services to ORT SA’s Geared for Life, Geared for
Life Too and Educator Assistant learners.
They have met with ORT SA learners periodically at different schools where mobile
ID book stations were created for learners
to fill in forms and have their finger prints
and photographs taken.
Geared for Life Too learner filling in her
ID book application form.
Domenic Mulaudzi; Tom; Penelope Moto (Alexandra High); Smangaliso Nzimande;
Lehlabile Davhana (Minerva High); and Martin Ramogale.
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
YOUTH TALK
17
Alison Goldberg [email protected]
Yeshiva girls’ student
leadership announced
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
YESHIVA COLLEGE Girls’ High School
would like to congratulate its new student
leadership body, to serve the 2010/2011
(5771/5772) term. We wish them hatzlacha
on their journey.
Mazaltov to head girl, Naomi Shear;
deputy heads, Shani Gordon and Zara
Sidney and all the prefects, Shira Amar;
Avigal Cutler; Batsheva Flax; Leah
Heilbrunn; Kayla Helfer; and Yudi
Leibovitz.
Shira Amar;
Avigal
Cutler;
Batsheva
Flax; Yudi
Leibowitz;
Kayla Helfer
and Leah
Heilbrunn.
Front: Zara
Sidney;
Naomi Shear
and Shani
Gordon.
Yeshiva Boys High welcomes
2010/2011 leadership
wish them much hatzlacha on their journey.
Mazaltov to head boy, Zac Feldman;
deputy heads, Raphy Feldman and Ariel
YESHIVA COLLEGE Boys High School Sobel; and prefects, Josh Girnun; Jethro
would like to congratulate its new student Polliack; Yoni Lew; Raphy Menachemson;
leadership body for 2010/2011 5771/5772. We and Raffi Stein.
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
Joel Croft; David Fine; Michael Barnett; Natasha Millar; David Kaplan; and Doron Kanar.
KDVP High bids goodbye to
its matriculants of 2010
OWN CORRESPONDENT
PHOTOGRAPHS: YAEL GORDON
KING DAVID High School Victory Park
bade farewell formally to the 2010 matriculants at the valedictory and prize-giving
on Tuesday October 19.
Gidon Novick, joint CEO of Comair
Limited, was the guest speaker, and Rabbi
Craig Kacev, general director of the SA
Board of Jewish Education, presented the
awards.
The theme of headmaster Andrew
Stead’s address was “Hope” which struck
a chord with his audience of young men
and women about to embark on their postschool adventures.
Quoting philosopher Philip Pettit, Stead
suggested that to act from hope is to act as
though your hope will be realised, even if
your real assessment of the chances of its
realisation is low.
He explained that there is often a causal
connection between hoping for something
and realising it.
“Hope gives you energy and ensures
that you take every possible step to ensure
your hope is realised. Lack of hope has the
opposite effect,” he added, but warned
that hope required taking risks.
Stead asserted that being prepared to
take on a certain level of risk was good.
“One of the things that I have learnt is
that a culture that is too afraid of risk,
brings its own dangers – loss of independence, boredom and stasis.”
He concluded by wishing the 2010 grade
12 group all the best for a wonderful life
ahead, filled with excitement, joy, love and
happiness, but above all else, hope.
One of many highlights of the evening
was the award to the grade 12 music class
of the 25th Anniversary Trophy which
was presented to the high school by the
PTA of KDVP Primary School.
These music students have made a
remarkable musical impact on the school.
Not only are they individually all excellent musicians, but they have extended
themselves way beyond regular ensemble
work.
Their most impressive achievement as a
group was probably their outstanding performance of Bohemian Rhapsody. They
have also provided choral accompaniment
when they were not singing in the school
choir, played marimbas and performed at
school celebrations of chagim.
It’s fun day at KDS for
Mayibuye Primary learners
JANICE SPIRO (OUTREACH
CO-ORDINATOR)
PHOTOGRAPH: ARNALDO MANDEL
Yeshiva College Boys High School student leadership body: Yoni Lew; Raffi Stein;
Raphy Feldman; Zac Feldman; Ariel Sobel; Josh Girnun; Jethro Polliack; and
Raphael Menachemson.
ON OCTOBER 12, King David
Sandton grade 2s and 3s, hosted
250 learners from Mayibuye
Primary School to a fun morning
filled with games and activities.
After a snack and short movie,
each visitor was given their own
towel and soap to take home.
Mayibuye and King David Sandton learners
having fun.
18
SA JEWISH REPORT
AROUND THE
WORLD
NEWS IN BRIEF
RUSSIAN CENSUS TO FIND LARGE
JEWISH DROP, EXPERT PREDICTS
MOSCOW - The Russian census under way,
will show a Jewish decline of as much as 25
per cent, a specialist on Russian Jewish
demography predicts.
The estimate by Mark Kupovetsky, director of biblical and Judaic studies at the
Russian State University for the
Humanities, for the 2010 census, is based on
the stable decline of the Jewish population
in Russia over the past years, as death rates
rise and birth rates fall.
Kupovetsky told the Russian news
agency RIA Novosti at a media conference
last week, that he believed the current census would show 40 000 to 60 000 fewer Jews
than the 233 000 Jews from the most recent
Russian census, in 2002. The first postSecond World War census, in 1959, revealed
875 000 Jews.
Census workers frequently failed to ask
respondents to declare their ethnic origins,
Kupovetsky said.
Evgenia Mikhalyova, head of the Federal
Jewish Cultural Autonomy, told JTA that
she declared herself Jewish only to be
asked by the interviewer, “Are you positive?”
Kupovetsky said the Jewish birth rate
was dropping because the majority of the
Jewish population was urbanised and families had one or two children.
According to the demographer, half of
the Jewish population in Russia lived in
Moscow and its suburbs, and 20 per cent
lived in the St Petersburg area. The rest
resided in cities with populations over one
million.
Ongoing assimilation was another reason for the decline of the Jewish population
in Russia, according to Kupovetsky. Up to
90 per cent of Russia's Jewish children now
came from mixed marriages, he said.
In addition, between the census of 1989
and that of 2002, about 40 per cent of the
Jewish population had left the country.
Emigration did not play a significant
part in the Jewish population numbers,
since it was counterbalanced by re-immigration, Kupovetsky said.
Berel Lazar, one of the two chief rabbis
of Russia, recently told German President
Christian Woolf that the Russian Jews who
had left for Germany in the 1990s were now
streaming back to Russia.
The potential inaccuracies notwithstanding, the census will serve as the only
source of information about the numbers
of the Jewish population in Russia because
since the 1990s, no statistical data on mortality, marriages and birth have been collected based on ethnic groups. (JTA)
29 October - 05 November 2010
Jews with ‘natural rhythm’
ROBYN SASSEN
“THOSE JEWS have got natural rhythm,”
exponent of klezmer music, fly-fisher and
labour lawyer Andrew Levy, started his
talk last week at the Rabbi Cyril Harris
Community Centre in Johannesburg.
The Jews in question - the men behind
the American musical “standard” - are of
the ilk of Benny Goodman, George
Gershwin and duos like Rodgers and Hart
and Kander and Ebb. Cole Porter, he conceded tongue in cheek, is the odd man out,
the Shabbos goy.
The American standard is a canon. The
term comes from jazz: it’s an improvisation
launching platform, like Miles Davis’
“Kind of Blue”. It’s work which any practitioner worth his salt in a genre will be able
to play, and well. A standard can be
“schmaltzy” - it’s what you might know
from wedding repertoires, or even as “elevator music” or “vintage pop”.
Moving toward jazz’s Jewish sisters,
klezmer and swing, Levy, with a little help
from Ella Fitzgerald singing Rodgers and
Hart’s 1940s Bewitched, Bothered and
Bewildered, explained how a standard
develops status.
“Melody, lyrics, subject matter, structure, form and conception are what can
make or break a standard - to say nothing
of its ability to engage the listener.
“Without good lyrics, a great song is just
a tune. How can you compare: ‘Sugar,
sugar, honey, honey, you are my candy girl,
and you’ve got me wanting you’ (the
Archies, 1968), with ‘Good authors too who
once knew better words/Now only use
four-letter words/Writing prose./Anything
goes’, (Cole Porter, 1934)?” he asked rhetorically.
“Romance, love and being let down are
things everyone can relate to. Many of
these songs were written during the
Depression. No one cared for songs about
soup queues.
“This music is ours as much as it is
America’s, as much as it is anyone’s,” he
added, citing the fact that 70 per cent of
Tony Award nominees are Jewish - as are
60 per cent of Tony winners.
“Our disproportionate success is
because of five things: anti-Semitism, emigration, alienation, assimilation and acculturation.”
He cast his musical eye back 150 years to
Eastern Europe, for context. “It was not
easy to be a Jew in those days. Pogroms
and forced 20-year conscription into the
Russian Army were not conducive to happiness; from the 1870s, in waves of emigration, over three million Jews left Europe
for America.
“When they got there, they discovered
things weren’t so different. Jews were still
outsiders. They were denied access to civil
Benny Goodman (third from left) with some of his big band musicians (from left)
Vernon Brown; George Auld; Gene Krupa; Clint Neagley; Ziggy Elman; Israel Crosby;
and Teddy Wilson at the piano. (PHOTOGRAPH BY TED PALUMBO (1952))
office and professions like law or medicine;
they were barred from social clubs. Émigrés stuck together. They perpetuated
their traditions of worship and music,
which comforted them.
“Also, America is a society of emigrants:
ethnic music was binding - klezmorites
jammed with Balkan, Greek, Italian and
Gaelic performers. Up until the twenties,
Landsmansverreine (unions of Jews from
the same European shtetls) were formed,
growing Yiddish vaudeville and theatre,
which spawned many standards that in
turn gave birth to Broadway musicals and
Hollywood.
“These Jews were not neighbourhood
kids who bought a guitar, learned to play
and called themselves musicians. These
men” - he refers to people like Arthur
Jacob Washawksy (Artie Shaw), Mel
Torme, Benyamin Gutman (Goodman),
“were virtuoso.
“Jewish music history goes all the way
back to the Levi’im. There is a school of
thought, that the tradition of chazzonus,
where there’s a solo singer who indulges in
trills and ornamentation and so on,
explains why Jews play good solo music.
“It follows then, that goyim religiously
raised in choir environments are great at
choral arrangements. I don’t buy this. The
Jewishness of the music is in the context of
the writers of the song, or in the story of
DAD WHO TOOK DAUGHTER TO
CHURCH IS CLEARED
CHICAGO - A Chicago man who took his
daughter to church despite a restraining
order by her Jewish mother, has been
cleared of contempt of court charges.
Joseph Reyes grabbed headlines last
winter when he took his three-year-old
daughter Ela to church, accompanied by a
local television crew, despite a temporary
restraining order filed by his estranged
wife that barred him from exposing their
daughter to anything but the Jewish faith.
A court in Cook County, Illinois, last
week Wednesday found that Reyes was not
guilty of violating a court order when he
took Ela to church before the child's custody had been resolved. The ruling appears
to rest on the fact that in a video of the
event, the child is not visible, thus it cannot
be definitively proven that she was there.
Reyes converted to Judaism when he
married his wife, Rebecca, and she says
Reyes promised to raise Ela in the Jewish
faith. But after the couple filed for divorce,
he returned to his Christian faith and baptised his daughter without his wife's knowledge.
A divorce judgment handed down in
April, declared that Reyes could take his
daughter to church during his visitation
times, which include Christmas and Easter,
even as she is raised Jewish by her mother.
(JTA)
Andrew Levy,
with his clarinet, which
he takes with
him wherever he goes.
(FILE PHOTO)
the song. Like the chazzans, the klezmorites had their own dynasties.”
Time passed. The children of the émigré
generation settled into life in America and
wanted to be seen as American rather than
be associated with the backward heim.
They moved from ghettoes into suburbia.
“Musically, these Jews massaged their
own music until it developed a relationship
with music of the time; klezmer evolved
into swing.” This gave life to “crossover”
tunes.
Levy played a wedding standard from
1908/9, called Der Shtiller Bulgar, performed by Abe Elenkrig’s Yiddishe
Orchestra. Instructing the audience to hold
onto the tune, he quickly followed it with a
recording of Martha Tilton singing ‘And
The Angels Sing’ from the forties - essentially the same tune massaged beautifully
into swing life by Goodman.
“How do you exploit, capture and
encourage a market for something transient?” Levy digressed to introduce a pragmatic focus. “The three heroes to this part
of the story are Guido Arezzo, who developed musical notation in 1100; Thomas
Alva Edison, who invented recording; and
Guglielmo Marconi, who invented the
radio.”
The invention of the microphone and
ratification of copyright law by early 20th
century put all the pieces in place. “Jews
found themselves between the music and
its unregulated market.
“The music industry was considered
infra dig by Wasp society. It existed under
the auspices of Tin Pan Alley, Manhattan where it was easy to make a minyan - and it
nurtured professional specialisations
between 1885 and 1930 - from composers,
lyricists, arrangers and engravers to publishers, song-pluggers (who played music
to advertise it) and sales outlets.
Music shops became record stores: the
skill had given birth to an industry.” Its
fathers were ours. Levy concluded with
another crossover tune: “Bei Mir Bist Du
Schoen”, written for a Yiddish musical in
1937, given swing life by Goodman and popularised by the Andrews sisters soon after.
Iconic ‘Fiddler’ playwright, Joseph Stein, dies
ROBYN SASSEN
THE PLAYWRIGHT of arguably popular
Jewish culture’s best known example,
“Fiddler on the Roof”, Joseph Stein, died
this week at the age of 98.
Stein won two Tony awards for “Fiddler”,
which was adapted from the original tale of
Tevye the Dairyman, written in 1894 by the
great Sholom Aleichem. The play, an
unprecedented box office success, was first
staged in 1964 with Zero Mostel in the lead.
Stein also wrote the screenplay for the
screen adaptation for “Fiddler” in 1971,
directed by Norman Jewison, with Chaim
Topol in the lead. He wrote nearthe mid-1940s before turning to
ly a dozen other critically
the theatre.
acclaimed musicals, including
Stein made his Broadway debut
“Zorba”, “Mr Wonderful” and
with contributing sketches for
“Plain and Fancy”.
the witty revue “Lend an Ear” in
Born in May 1912 in New York
1948. Known as a humourist and
City to Polish immigrants, Stein
a great collaborator, he wrote for
was raised in the Bronx and had
performers including Tallulah
had Sholom Aleichem’s stories
Bankhead, Jackie Gleason, Phil
read to him as a child by his
Silvers, Debbie Reynolds and
father.
Joseph Stein. (PHO- Woody Allen.
He read social work at univerStein was married to Sadie
TOGRAPH: FLICKR.COM)
sity, graduating with a Masters
Singer until her death in 1974,
degree at Columbia University in 1937, and
and he leaves his second wife, Elisa Loti,
worked as a psychiatric social worker until
three sons and a daughter.
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
19
Hassi Campbell - Dolly Maister hits
the century jackpot
a world record
blood donor
DAVID SAKS
DOLLY MAISTER became the latest
to join the ranks of South African
Jewish centurions last week when
she celebrated her 100th birthday in
Cape Town. Family, friends and various well-wishers joined her for the
memorable occasion.
Born Dora Marion Seeligsohn in
Christiana on October 21 1910, she
settled in Cape Town in 1930 and has
lived in the city ever since.
Dolly’s story was recorded by
Mary Kropman and Ticcie Yudaken,
researchers at the SA Friends of
Beth Hatefutsoth. They were especially interested in her account of
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY
JANICE LEIBOWITZ
THE MISHNAH in Sanhedrin
states that “…whoever saves a
life, it is considered as if he
saved an entire world”. How
many worlds then, has Hassi
Campbell, world record-holder
for blood donations, saved?
Hassi has donated an incredible 328 litres of blood over the
past 66 years.
This sprightly woman, who is
now over 80, has been living at
Sandringham Gardens for the
past two-and-a-half years and
is waiting for a response
from the Guinness Book of
Records who have received
notice of her extraordinary
accomplishment.
Hassi donated her first litre
of blood at the age of 15 while
she was working as a fur
machinist for Koseff & Co. A
tragic train crash had occurred
at Johannesburg Station and
this was the motivation behind
what was to become a lifetime’s
commitment to donating blood.
“I will never refuse a call
from the Blood Donor’s Clinic
and will drop whatever I’m
doing if they need my help,”
she says.
She speaks proudly of the
Hassi Campbell wearing her
medal and holding her certificate for having donated blood
300 times.
ceremony that was held when
she was presented with both a
medal and a certificate to celebrate the donation of her 300th
litre of blood.
Whenever she thinks it may
be time to stop donating blood,
she hears the words of her sister’s late brother-in-law echoing in her head. After needing a
serious blood transfusion, and
gaining deeper insight into the
vital service blood donors provide, he once told her: “Keep up
the good work.”
She has taken these words to
heart and intends to do so for as
long as she is able to.
Changes at Linksfield
Senderwood Hebrew
Congregation
THIS STATEMENT is published
to clarify unfounded comment
and rumours regarding the
Linksfield Shul and Choir.
The new committee has
embarked on a number of
changes since the beginning of
the year. In the light of the proposed new direction it was decided that the shul, with a view to
the future, needed a smaller,
younger and less formal choir.
By mutual agreement and
understanding of the needs of
the shul, the choir under the
leadership of Prof Russel Lurie
and Evelyn Green will no longer
be in “office” at our services.
The community has been
requested to be patient with our
endeavours and we are confident
that the result will be acceptable
and enjoyed by the community
as a whole.
We wish to express our thanks
to Russel, Evelyn and the choir
for their performances over the
past four years. During their
tenure the services encompassed
a combination of traditional and
modernistic music, at all times
maintaining the “kavana” and
sanctity of prayer. Their presence added substantially to the
“emunah” felt in the shul.
We wish to extend our best
wishes for the future and thank
them for their understanding of
the changes embarked on by us.
Jack Sherman–Chairman
Norman Jackson–President
Farrell Berson–Vice
Chairman
AROUND THE WORLD
NEWS IN BRIEF
MESSIANIC BUILDING IS OUT AS POLLING PLACE
NEW YORK - A polling place
at a messianic Christian centre in New York was changed
after Orthodox Jewish voters
protested.
Jewish voters complained
to the city's Board of
Elections after the Life in
Messiah evangelical group's
building was announced as a
polling place for four election
districts from Midwood in
Brooklyn, according to the
New York Daily News. The
voters said their strict adherence to Jewish law would not
allow them to enter the building.
Life in Messiah requested
growing up in Christiana, given its
relevance to the SA Friends’ longrunning research project documenting the story of Jewish life in the
South African small towns and
country areas.
Christiana at the time was a small
village in what was then the
Transvaal close to the Orange Free
State border. It is today part of
North-West Province.
Dolly’s grandfather, David, and
his two brothers, Wolf and Isadore,
were the original Seeligsohns to settle in Christiana. Other Jews living
there included her maternal aunt,
Rachel Ella, who was married to
Samuel Isaac Drusinsky.
after the outcry that its building not be used.
"We have a deep love and
respect for our Jewish neighbours," said its development
officer, Marilyn Miller. "We
understand that coming into
a messianic centre might be
uncomfortable for some...
The right to vote is a valued
freedom, one we do not wish
to hinder in any way."
The polling place was
switched to a nearby public
school, which is not handicapped accessible, according
to the newspaper.
A religious facility may
serve as a polling place. (JTA)
Tea with
the
Seeligsohn
family
c1898.
Feather in cap for LinksfieldSenderwood Ladies Guild
THE LINKSFIELD-SENDERWOOD
Hebrew Shul Ladies Guild, has
been awarded The Sheila Musnitzky Floating Trophy by the
Federation of Synagogues Women’s Guild of South Africa, for
the guild’s outstanding contribu-
tion and upliftment of our shul
community
In a media statement, Jack
Sherman, chairman; Norman
Jackson, president; and Farrell
Berson, vice chairman, said: “Their
dedication and sense of commit-
Dolly Maister aged 99.
Dolly was the third child of
Charles and Ida Seeligsohn, who met
in Christiana while Ida, then living
in Philadelphia, was visiting her sister. David was an optician and also
owned the Queen’s Hotel.
Dolly spent her childhood and
early teenage years in the town, She
was educated both in Christiana and
at Potchefstroom Girls’ School,
where she was a boarder. One of her
enduring memories was how her
brothers, David and Gerson, used to
swim in the dam, despite officially
being forbidden to do so because
there were alluvial diamond diggings there.
At the age of 16, she left Christiana, spending some time in
Philadelphia (where David and Wolf
both studied dentistry) before
returning to South Africa after completing her schooling. She married
Leon Maister in 1930, shortly after
her arrival in Cape Town.
ment has brought to our shul a very
special atmosphere on our Shabbos
mornings and Yomtovim and
enabled our congregants and visitors to participate in the festive
environment that they create.
“We are extremely proud of
our Ladies Guild and their co-workers and extend our sincerest
appreciation to the Federation of
Synagogues for recognising and
acknowledging their outstanding
work.”
20
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
WHAT’S ON
NOTE: Deadline for all entries is 12:00 on the Friday
prior to publication.
Key to organisations, venues, contact
details and cost:
• Beit Emanuel Progressive Synagogue, 38 Oxford
Road, Parktown.
• Beyachad Resource Centre/Library, 2 Elray St, Raedene. Norma Shulman (011) 645-2567, email:[email protected]
• Bikkur Cholim - Jewish Society for Visiting the Sick,
7A Chester Road, Greenside East, Johannesburg. Joy
Gafin (011) 447-6689.
• CAJE - College of Adult Jewish Education, Sydenham
Highlands North Shul (011) 640-5021.
• CARE (Chabad Addiction Rehabilitation Centre) Cell:
079-882-6776. Fax: 086 551 4485, e-mail:
[email protected], hotline: 0861 111 770.
• CSO - Emergency phone number 086 18 000 18.
• ELBM - Emunah Ladies Beit Midrash. 60 Mejon St
Glenhazel, (011) 887-2910. “Lessons of our Lives”
course on Wednesdays at 10:00. R350 for the course
or R50 per shiur.
• FFHS - Friendship Forum for Holocaust Survivors,
Second Generation and Members of the Community
Affected by the Holocaust. Presentations held at the
Gerald Horwitz Lounge, Golden Acres, 85 George
Ave, Sandringham.
• HOD - Hebrew Order of David International, HOD
Centre Oaklands Road, Orchards. Office (011) 640
3017 or [email protected]
• JAFFA - Jewish Accommodation for Fellow Aged, tel
(012) 346-2007/8, 42 Mackie Street, Bailey’s Muckleneuck.
• Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre (JHGC),
tel (011) 640-3100, e-mail: [email protected]
• KDSF - King David Schools’ Foundation. King David
Alumni [email protected], (011) 480-4723.
• Nechama Bereavement Counselling Centre - Room
A304, 3rd Floor, Hospital Wing, Sandringham Gardens, 85 George Avenue, Sandringham, 2192. Contact (011) 640-1322.
• New Friendship Ladies’ Group - a group for single
women. Contact Lucille (011) 791-5226 or 082-9275786.
• ORT and ORT JET South Africa - 44 Central Street,
Cnr 10th Ave, Houghton, contact (011) 728-7154.
• Preview Theatre - 9 Valerie Crescent, Bagleyston,
(011) 640-1061.
• Rabbi Cyril Harris Community Centre (RCHCC) and
Great Park Shul, Johannesburg. Contact Hazel, (011)
728-8088 or Rene Sidley (011) 728-8378. Cost usually R50, including refreshments.
• SAIJE - Sandton Adult Institute of Jewish Education,
Sandton Shul, e-mail: [email protected], tel
(011) 883-4210.
• Second Innings, Johannesburg - Jewish Community
Services - Donald Gordon Centre, 85 George Avenue
Sandringham. The group meets at the Gerald Horwitz
Lounge, Golden Acres, 85 George Avenue Sandring-
ham every Sunday morning for tea at 10:00, followed by
the meeting at 10:30. Contact Grecia Gabriel (011) 5329718 for information. Cost: R20 for members, R40 for
non-members.
• Society of Israel Philately (SIP) - [email protected].
Contact Maurice (011) 485-2293.
• SA Friends of Beit Halochem: Beyachad, 2 Elray St,Raedene,2192. Contact Leanne (011) 645 2553, e-mail: [email protected]
• South African Jewish Board of Deputies (Johannesburg) - Beyachad, 2 Elray Street, Raedene. Contact
(011) 645-2500 or (011) 645-2523.
• South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), Johannesburg
- Beyachad, 2 Elray Street, Raedene. Contact Froma,
(011) 645-2505.
• The Israel Centre. Contact Debbie (011) 645-2560.
• The Jewish National Fund (JNF) Choir, Beyachad, 2
Elray St, Raedene. Contact Crystal Kaplan. 083-3765999.
• The Jewish Outlook Team. Contact Ryan Cane, e-mail
[email protected], website www.jewishoutlook.org.za. Support line: 27 76 215 8600.
• The Jewish Women’s Benevolent Society (JWBS) - Sandringham Gardens, 85 George Avenue Sandringham.
Contact Carolyn Sabbagh. (011) 485-5232.
• The Simcha Friendship and Cultural Circle (SFCC),
Johannesburg - Sandton Shul. Contact Sylvia Shull,
(011) 783-5600. Meetings on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd
Wednesday of every month at Sandton Shul at 10:00
unless stated otherwise.
• The United Sisterhood, 38 Oxford Road Parktown.
Website: www.unitedsisterhood.co.za. Contact Marian
(011) 646-2409.
• Tiyulim (Jewish Outdoor Club). Contact Martin 082965-7419 or Greg 082-959-9026.
• Union of Jewish Women (UJW), Johannesburg, 1 Oak
Street Houghton. Contact (011) 648-1053, fax 086 2733044. Cost R15 for the Friendship Luncheon Club and a
R20 donation for lectures unless otherwise stated.
• Union of Jewish Women (UJW), Cape Town, (021) 4349555, e-mail [email protected]
• UJW Cape Town AED Programme at Stonehaven,
Albany Road, Sea Point, 10:00 for 10:30. Entrance: R15
(incl refreshments).
• United Zionist Luncheon Club (UZLC), Johannesburg Our Parents Home. Contact Gloria, (011) 485-4851 or
072-127-9421.
• UOS - Union of Orthodox Synagogues, (011) 485-4865,
e-mail: [email protected], fax 086-610-3442.
• WIZO Johannesburg - Beyachad, 2 Elray Street Raedene, [email protected]. Contact
Joyce Chodos (011) 645-2548 or Sandy Kramer (011)
645-2515.
Today Friday (October 29)
• UZLC presents Graham Joffe on “Post-World Cup Discussion”.
• Catch the Simcha @ Sydenham with Rabbi Yossy Goldman, Chazzan Yudi Cohen and the choir for the hottest
shul service in town, followed by Patron and Perogen
Street Brocha at 18:00. All welcome.
THE BRIDGE LOUNGE by Jeff Sapire
GOOD BRIDGE players are always on the
lookout for those extra little chances in
play and defence. And when it comes to
the bidding it’s much the same - one sometimes has to have good visualisation to
find the best bid.
South dealer, NS vul
NORTH
Q84
AK104
A2
QJ95
WEST
EAST
532
A976
987
6
J63
K108754
8643
72
SOUTH
KJ10
QJ532
Q9
AK10
West
North
P
4NT
All pass
East
South
1NT
P
6NT
Opening lead: D3
North’s 4NT was not Blackwood – it was
quantitative, asking partner to go to slam
with a maximum. After the 15-17 opening
bid, this is clearly the best action - slam
won’t depend on how many aces South
has, but rather on whether or not he has a
maximum.
Here, South judged that his 16 points
PLUS a five card suit, made the hand
worth going on. A further issue on this
particular hand is that as responder, one
cannot combine Stayman with quantitative. If opener shows the other major, then
4NT is Blackwood – so it’s better to jump to
4NT directly, perhaps foregoing a possible
major suit fit.
The responses to a quantitative 4NT are
very simple: Pass with a minimum (15) - bid
slam with a maximum (17), and bid 5NT with
“in-between” values (16), leaving it to partner to do some simple arithmetic.
All experts who play that one cannot use
4NT Blackwood to ask for aces when partner’s last bid was in NT. 2NT – 4NT 1D – 1S;
1NT – 4NT 1H – 1S; 2NT – 4NT all these are
quantitative auctions.
In a recent Teams event, the fate of 6NT,
played by South, depended on the lead.
Where the three of diamonds was led, declarer shrugged his shoulders and played low.
East took the king, and returned a diamond,
giving declarer only 10 tricks, for 2 down.
On any other lead, declarer could win and
knock out the ace of spades, making an easy
12 tricks.
At the other table, South found the winning bid. Over 4NT he jumped to 6H, showing a maximum and surely a five card heart
suit. (It couldn’t be six hearts, because he
would have opened 1H, and one wouldn’t
jump to the six level with just a four card
suit).
North read the situation and passed 6H,
which was cold. On a diamond lead - take the
ace, draw trumps, discard the queen of diamonds on the fourth club and lose just one
spade trick.
(Every Tuesday ( players of 3 or 4 years’ experience) and Wednesday (intermediate) at 10:00
I run bridge workshops at the Great Park
Shul, off Glenhove Road. For more information, call me on 082-551-2526 or e-mail me at
[email protected])
Barry Bilewitz [email protected]
“Shrouds of the Night” at 09:30.
Saturday (October 30)
• Temple Israel in Port Elizabeth is hosting a community breakfast with Rabbi Jacobs on
“Religious Pluralism –a Progressive Jewish Perspective” at 07:00 for 07:30. Cost R100. Tel:
(041) 373-6642.
Sunday (October 31)
• Second Innings presents Lance Metz on “Reaching
the Summit of Everest”.
• Preview Theatre is screening “The Great Dictator” at
14:30.
• RCHCC in association with JHGC is staging “The
Boys from the Ashes” at 19:30. Cost R80.
Monday (November 1)
• UJW presents Geoff Hill on “What Happens after
Mugabe?” at 09:30.
Tuesday (November 2)
• WIZO Film Club presents “Black Book” at Beyachad
at 09:30. Cost: R20.
Wednesday (November 3)
• SFCC presents financial analyst David Shapiro on
“Outlook for the World Economy in 2010”.
Tuesday (November 9)
• Second Innings Men’s Group presents Mike Judin on
“Keep on Smiling” at Our Parents Home at 14:15.
• The Wits School of the Arts and the School of
Languages and Literature Studies, invite you to a
lecture by Mark Gevisser on the ideas driving his
next book "Fringe Country: How Do I Know Who I
Am?". Time: 16:00. Venue: Humanities Graduate
Seminar Room, Ground Floor, Southwest Engineering Building, Wits University. Tel: Antoinette
(011) 717-4245.
• JHGC in association with Goethe-Institut South Africa,
is hosting a Kristallnacht Commemoration event.
Screening of the documentary “Harlan – in the Shadow of Jew Süss”. Venue: Goethe-Institut South Africa,
119 Jan Smuts Ave, Parkwood, at 18:30. Booking
essential. To book call JHGC on (011)640-3100 or
[email protected]
Wednesday (November 10)
• UJW Cape Town presents Dr Mike du Preez on “New
Insights into the Early Life of Dr James Barry”.
Sunday (November 14)
• UJW Cape Town presents Suzanne Leighton on
“Finding your Muse – Creative Writing”.
• Second Innings presents the Linksfield Shul Choir
conducted by Russel Lurie and Evelyn Green on
piano.
Thursday (November 4)
Monday (November 15)
• UJW Cape Town invites you to “A Royal Engagement” with Noreen Gruskin at 09:00 for 09:15 at
Silvertree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch Gardens.
Donation: R250. Call Georgina at (021)
434-9555.
• UJW presents Tom Wheeler on “Robert F Kennedy
in the Land of Apartheid, a Ripple of Hope” at
09:30.
• SAZF and Habonim are hosting a memorial to the
late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at 19:00 in the
Jessie Kaplan boardroom at Beyachad. Guest
speaker is Wayne Sussman. Contact [email protected] or call (011) 645-2531 for details.
• Great Park Synagogue hosts a parenting workshop with Dr Ronel Duchen, aimed at expecting
parents and parents of young children. Limited to
10. Starts 19:30. Cost R30 per session. For bookings and more details, contact Goldie, 072-8322001 or [email protected]
Wednesday (November 17)
• Yoram Bogacz at 20:00 at the Oxford Shul on “Truth
and Convenience: A Philosophical Enquiry”. This is
part of a 4-week series on “The Evolution Debate”.
Cost R50 at the door.
• Second Innings’ tour of FNB Stadium. Bus leaves
Oxford Shul parking at 08:30. Cost: R220 includes the
bus, entrance, guided tour and lunch.
Friday (November 5)
• SFCC presents Isaac Reznik on “Down Memory
Lane”.
• UZLC presents Paula Slier talking on hot spots: Iraq
and Afganistan.
Sunday (November 7)
• Second Innings hosts Sally Williams in “The Sally
Williams Story”.
• JAFFA is having a morning market from 09:00 to
12:00 at 42 Mackie Street, New Muckleneuk,
Pretoria. Tel: (012) 346-2006.
Monday (November 8)
• UJW Johannesburg presents Prof David Block on
• UJW Cape Town presents Pearl Gischen on “The
Healing Properties of Colour”.
Friday (November 19)
• UZLC presents Jeremy Gordin on “Trying not to Keep
a Straight Face”.
Sunday (November 21)
• UJW Cape Town will be screening “That’s Dancing” at
16:00 at Stonehaven. Donation: R40 (includes
refreshments).
CROSSWORD NO 186
BY LEAH SIMON
ACROSS:
1. Detest one article being disrupted by
another (4)
3. Artistic attraction? (4, 4)
8. Though eerie, conceals Indian butter (4)
9. Disciples find a position for the French (8)
11. At this, fall silent (4, 3, 5)
13. Handy to have in the digital age (6)
14. Endeavoured to make good man wander
(6)
17. They’re worth seeing, in time to come (7, 5)
20. To die for at Pesach! (8)
21. Give the Roman some water (4)
22. Stupid group of people – and burly, too (5,
3)
23. Not as much as the French
1
2
in the south (4)
DOWN:
1. Led by an altruistic pilot? (4,
4)
2. Trade leader finds cause for
betrayal of state (7)
4. About the kind of holiday
destination (6)
5. Tried to base town, somehow
– but it wasn’t destined (3, 3,
2, 2)
6. Article I guided – and sickened (5)
7. You German in the street –
brush off the powder! (4)
10. Concussion leads to another stunning blow (5, 5)
12. Upset northerner praises
Iranians (8)
15. Boil that French, somehow
– it isn’t transparent (7)
16. Lucas ———, SA-born foot-
baller (6)
18. Stir about nothing for Swedish treat (5)
19. Expectorate in southern trench (4)
SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD NO 185
ACROSS: Pick; 3. Glad rags; 8. Rome; 9.
Anointed; 11. Scotland Yard; 13. Alerts; 14.
Fridge; 17. The Old Bailey; 20. Potatoes; 21.
Etna; 22. Melodies; 23. Ides.
DOWN: 1. Parisian; 2. Commode; 4. Lining;
5. Dairy cream; 6. Aster; 7. Sade; 10. Flat footed; 12. New Year’s; 15. Deleted; 16. Adhere;
18. Hotel; 19. Spam.
3
5
4
6
7
9
8
10
11
12
15
14
13
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT
Opening one’s
pocket while zipping
up one’s mouth
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPH BY
RITA LEWIS
GRANDPARENTS believe, with
good reason, that the best thing
in life is having grandchildren.
Psychotherapist Julienne Sackstein who was a counsellor for
Jewish Family Life for three
years, spent 12 years at the
Johannesburg Parents and Child
Counselling Centre as deputy
director and has been in private
practice for 20 years, gave a different view of being a grandparent,
pointing out the difficulties of
having to open one’s pockets
while at the same time zipping up
one’s mouth.
Speaking at the Fortnighly
Forum at Beyachad, she said
many parents who had “looked
after their own futures” were
now downsizing their houses
or taking out new mortgages to
help their children. Others
believed in forgoing their holidays or a new car so they could
better (or finance) their children’s lifestyles by paying the
school fees, the extramural
activities, or even buying them
a larger house.
She said that with so many
children and grandchildren
overseas, the “kids’ inheritance”
was also being whittled away and
spent
on
airline
tickets.
Travelling to Israel, the US or
even Australia, was not the
cheapest thing in the world.
Many children, thinking they
would be inheriting sizeable
amounts, were more than
shocked to find much smaller
amounts left to them than they
had anticipated.
On the other side of the coin
many resented the fact that so
much was being paid for them.
“Sons-in-law often feel inadequate as providers and this can
cause friction in the family.”
“Often children just want
acceptance, praise and to be
found worthy. Many grandparents think it is wonderful to be
able to hold the baby grandchild
and cuddle it whenever the parents go out. They also get a great
deal of ‘nachas’ seeing their own
children holding their children. “
Sackstein said they recalled
how busy they were making a
living when they were young,
with the result that they often
didn’t have the pleasure of sitting down and playing with their
own children for very long.
Sackstein who has children
and grandchildren of her own,
said today there were different
norms. Children now had offspring through a sperm bank or
they married “out”, or found
partners of other races.
“Men with male partners have
children and women with
women partners have children.
Parents have had to look at their
children with different eyes.”
Other problems were found in
the psyche of those being part of
the “sandwich” generation - having both parents as well as
grandchildren.
“How does one balance parents and children at the same
time?” she asked rhetorically.
Sackstein said she had seen
many people with diverse opinions about various family members. Conflicts often arose
between mothers who saw
themselves as good role models
in their time, were recalled by
their children as being “difficult” and “selfish” both moneywise and timewise.
WIZO’s Joyce Chodos makes a
presentation to Julienne
Sackstein after her talk on
“Spending the Kids’
Inheritance” at a Fortnightly
Forum meeting at Beyachad.
But “circumstances today are
different. We are different,” she
said. Children are often angry at
the way “we did things and want
to run their families and do their
own things differently”.
The important issue is not to
criticise them; not to continue
to give your opinion (even if it
be valid) or to say how something could be done a better
way (your way).
She said people should model
their attitudes to their children
on their attitudes to their
friends.
“Don’t just pop in, phone
first. Most daughters don’t
mind, but if the son-in-law sees
your car parked in his driveway
he may want to drive away,” she
said with a smile.
Children shouldn’t get annoyed if their parents told them
what to do – even if they were
already adults. Parents had to
get out of that habit and realise
that this was their children’s
time to bring up their own children and do things their way.
One woman had complained
to her that her 95-year-old
mother kept telling her when to
get her hair cut.
“It is this type of ‘advice’ that
can cause a lot of resentment –
especially if it is given on a regular basis,” she said. “The 11th
commandment is: ‘Never give
your adult child advice’. They
don’t want it.
“We can see things so clearly
but they don’t want to know,
nor do they want to know your
anxieties – about them or
other matters.
“Be grateful if they tell you
their problems. Listen, but don’t
give them your advice, because
we are not the same and do not
see things from the same perspective and as a result, distance
themselves from us.”
She said the elderly had been
“dethroned” Their power had
changed but some people held on
to their money as a means of
showing their power.
“We are walking on eggshells.
Sometimes we feel we can’t do
anything right.”
Sackstein spoke of the problems of visiting children overseas and overstaying one’s welcome. “Leave when they still
want you to stay,” she advised.
She mentioned the importance of keeping in touch with
the grandchildren. “Phone
them each individually, not on
the back of a call to their parents. Tell them how much you
miss and love them. Send them
photos of your life.”
This also applied to grandchildren of divorced children and
she advised people never to pit
one parent against the other.
21
Elise Gift Shop is alive and kicking
RITA LEWIS
RUMOURS abounding in the community regarding the “imminent
closure” of the WIZO Elise Gift
Shop in the Genesis Shopping
Centre in Fairmount in Johannesburg, have been declared
unfounded. “(The shop) is definitely up and running,” said WIZO
Past-President Lee Joffe.
“In fact, the shop is presently
busy stocking up on suitable goods
to be included in the anticipated
run on gifts for the Chanukah and
Christmas periods.”
The same crew of some 20 volunteers under the direction of Sonya
Janit will continue to make up the
beautiful gifts they have become
renowned for.
The gift shop which started in
Elise Kaplan’s garage and is
named after her, has moved sever-
al times since its inception - from
Corlett City to Balfour Park
to Fairmount Shopping Centre
and presently on the lower ground
floor. Their phone number is (011)
640-2760.
A beautiful arrangement of bath accessories.
AROUND THE WORLD
NEWS IN BRIEF
ROBERT KATZ, WRITER ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST, DIES
ROME - Robert Katz, an Italy-based American
author, journalist and screenwriter who wrote
extensively about the Second World War fate of
Jews in Rome, has died.
His wife told The Associated Press that Katz, who
had lived in Tuscany for many years, died last week
Thursday of complications from cancer surgery.
He was 77.
Katz wrote extensively about 20th century Italian
history. His most famous book was "Death in
Rome", published in 1967. It detailed the Nazi massacre of 335 men and boys, many of them Jews, at
the Ardeatine Caves south of Rome in retaliation
for an Italian partisan attack the day before.
The book suggested that Pope Pius XII had
known about the planned mass execution but had
not intervened to stop it. It was turned into a 1973
movie, "Massacre in Rome", starring Richard
Burton and Marcello Mastroianni.
According to Katz's website, "The book aroused
international religious and political controversy;
the film brought the controversy to court,
culminating in a two-year criminal trial. Katz
was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 14
months in prison for defaming the memory of Pope
Pius XII. The verdict was overturned on appeal and
later the case was dismissed by Italy’s Supreme
Court."
Years later, Katz also wrote about Erich Priebke,
a former SS officer who in 1994 was located in
Argentina, brought back to Italy, tried and given a
life sentence for his role in the massacre. (JTA)
29 October - 05 November 2010
22 SA JEWISH REPORT
ACCOMMODATION TO LET/SHARE
Classifieds
HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED ADVERT: 1. Only adverts
sent via email to [email protected] will be accepted. 2. You will
be advised on cost & payment details. 3. Payment is prior to the
advert appearing. 4. DEADLINE for BOOKING and PAYMENT
is Tuesday 12pm. If deadline is missed the advert will appear
(when payment is received) in the next edition. Our banking
details: SA Jewish Report, Nedbank Randburg, Account Number:
1984 514 865, Branch Code: 198405
To book your classified notice or advert contact: Tel (011) 023-8160, Fax 086-634-7935, email: [email protected]
NOTICES
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With outstanding contactable
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(COUNTRYWIDE - MANY
GAUTENG AND CAPE
MEMBERS)
RESULTS; 183 COUPLES
MARRIED! 400 COUPLES
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& PETER (JHB) ON YOUR
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& NICOLE, LINDA & JOEL!
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33yr; handsome plumber 40yr; beautiful librarian 23yr; handsome successful attorney 37yr; beautiful podiatrist 32yr; handsome pharmacist
72yr; pretty beautician 36yr; pretty
estate agent 40yr; charismatic grad
(from USA); 47yr; advocates 31, 45,
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43yr; charismatic handsome (co
owner) 49yr; beautiful model 46yr;
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28, 30, 35, 43, 49, 58, 62yrs; handsome attorneys 29, 33, 38, 46, 56,
68yrs – etc, etc, etc.
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082-357-3616
CHIROPODY/PEDICURES/
MANICURES/WAXING
Call Ruth now
(011) 616-4305
REIKI HEALER
I am a qualified Reiki Healer in
the Sandton area. Anyone looking for an alternative way in
assisting in relieving pain, disease and Chakra balancing.
Please contact Kelly
Bloom on 072-223-0160 or
email
[email protected]
LIFTS
AIRPORT SERVICE
JHB
Reliable,
Reasonable Rates!
Contact Arnold,
082-447-0185
011-454-1193
Airport
Shuttle
* SPECIAL *
November only
from R130
SAM
(011) 728-5219
083-627-8516
A-TAXI SERVICE
Let Warren Pogorelsky chauffeur
you to your destination in Jo’burg
and back only R100 round trip.
Tel: 082-399-6187
BEST SERVICE
Airport transfers.
All transport from A to B.
Tourist tours. Modern
spacious vehicle. Pax 6.
Contact Pip Friedman
083-267-3281
email:
[email protected]
HOUSE/PET SITTING
ARE YOU GOING AWAY?
Do you need a reliable
animal/housesitter?
Contact 073-432-7232
BRIAN K LIFT
SERVICE & COURIER
“AIRPORT SPECIAL R140”
Secure, comfortable & safe.
Anywhere 24/7. (JHB – PTA)
Call Brian on
072-366-4262
LIFTS
GENERAL
CHELSEA EXECUTIVE
CHAUFFEUR.
Legal, with permit from the
Transportation Board. Let me
chauffeur you safely.
Reasonable rates.
FOR A QUOTE CALL
Abe 082-574-9010
REPAINT
Specialists in:
painting, tiling, maintenance,
plumbing & gutters.
Industrial and domestic.
Michael Fehler
083-700-3025 or
(011) 648-0375
www.repaint.co.za
CONVENIENCE AT YOUR
DOORSTEP.
Safe, long or short distance.
Lifts day or night, very reliable.
Call Nicole
078-578-3856
EX ISRAELI SERVICEMAN
Offers lifts to airport and
appointments etc.
Also early morning lifts to work
& school avail.
Call Neil 072-050-9927
HIGHLANDS NORTH
2 bed, executive garden cottage
to let immediately, in
quiet secure area, furnished
R5 850 or unfurnished R4 650.
082-336-3223
SEA POINT C.T
Fully furnished and equipped
'kosher' flat to rent. Oliver Road
- "Bordeaux". 1 1/2 Bedrooms 75 m sq (excellent security).
Ideal for female university student. All-in rental R6 000 p/m
available Feb 2011.
Contact Jeff
082-555-0536
FLATS
GRESSWOLD - VAUDE
3 bedroom, 2 bathroom. N/facing flat with 2 parkings available.
Contact Rasheel:
073-216-1212
GLENHAZEL
2 and 3 bed n/f flats
close to Ohr Somayach
R5 000 and R6 000pm
and 3 bed garden duplex
R7 145pm
AVAILABLE ASAP
CALL MIRIAM
083-601-4334
Experienced, reliable driver
available to lift you
anywhere/anytime. 24 hrs.
Call Paul 083-542-6480
OVERSEAS ACCOMMODATION
IRENE'S SCHLEP
SERVICE
I will take you anywhere:
School, Shops, Doctor, Friends
and Airport. Honest and
Trustworthy
Schlepped by Irene
072-356-0282
Not on Shabbat
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
I have a selection of fully
furnished & equipped upmarket
apartments and homes in the
Eastern suburbs for holiday
rental.
[email protected]
GOLDERS GREEN FLAT
Room in a secure 4 bed flat to
share with 3 young, Jewish
professionals. Avail end Nov
(Close to tube & bus station).
Contact:
[email protected]
LIFTS AVAILABLE
For all age groups and to all
areas in Jhb, Sandton and
Airport.
Contact Johnny
082-328-3070 or
082-876-9042
TIMESHARE
PROPERTY
AGENTS
EILAT TIMESHARE
Dec 19 – 26 at club in Eilat,
sleeps 4. R7 000.
083-443-9503
VACANCIES
LIFTS
EMPLOYMENT WANTED
CAPE TOWN
SHUTTLE
COMING TO
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FROM R180
NEW
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PHONE ANDY
082-336-9780
SMILE-LEE'S LIFTS
A reliable lift service.
Specialising in lifts to and from
airports, shops, appointments,
casinos and courier.
Call Charna 083-391-6612
DRIVER
Older Zimbabwean gentleman
looking for work as a driver.
Very reliable, honest and polite.
Excellent references available.
Call Maphrutu Elias
Tshuma 079-965-5807 or
083-602-1219
PROFESSIONAL & BUSINESS
VEHICLES
ACCOUNTING OFFICER
BOOKKEEPING
TAX & STATUTORY RETURNS
JN ACCOUNTING SERVICES
072-203-5305
(011) 882-9701
HOME SERVICES
GENERAL
HANDY GRAMPS
Household general repairs and
maintenance.
Mitch 072-196-1939
EXPERIENCED MEDICAL SECRETARY
required for busy Sandton medical
practice. Computer literate with
knowledge of Office, Excel. Power
Point etc. Available from mid
Jan ‘11. Monday to Friday 8 - 5pm
References a must.
Apply with letter/CV/references
Att: J Schutte: [email protected]
WANTED
IF YOU OWN A
PROPERTY IN
ISRAEL... CONTACT
US TO FIND OUT:
· How we can take the
headache out of longdistance ownership
· Quarterly reporting
· Secure rental
collection
· Sourcing good quality
tenants.
Barry Cohen
+97 252 83 11174 or
[email protected]
ACCOMMODATION TO LET/SHARE
WOODMEAD SPRINGS
3 bed townhouse, maid’s room,
double garage. Pets welcome.
Avail Nov 1 or sooner. Walking
distance to KD, Sandton.
R15 000 pm.
Judy 082-553-9472 or
Belinda 082-417-0161
ARE YOU
IMMIGRATING
OVERSEAS AND
WANT TO SELL
YOUR VEHICLE?
Please Contact
Solly Kramer
082-922-3597
anytime
IF YOU WANT TO
BUY OR SELL
A VEHICLE
Contact:
Solly Kramer
082-922-3597
29 October - 05 November 2010
SA JEWISH REPORT 23
Lots of fun for the young at heart
THERE WAS lots of joy, mirth and
excitement when Our Parents Home
and Sandringham Gardens homes
for the aged in Johannesburg,
recently hosted their “Family Fun
Days”. The events, which attracted
hundreds of people, were inspired
by International Grandparents Day
on October 10.
Family Fun Days are all fun with
purpose, aimed at promoting intergenerational and social activity
between residents and their families
and friends in the community, organisers for the events said in a media
release.
The challenge, they asserted, “is to
create a spirit of happiness and support where young and old can mingle
in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere
and there is no doubt that challenge
was met at both residential facilities”!
There was something for every
taste: raffles offering wonderful
prizes; great food stalls selling hamburgers, hotdogs and beef curry and
rice; a petting zoo with chickens,
ducks, sheep, a goat, rabbits and a
miniature horse; pony rides for the
little ones; a jumping castle; kiddies
rides; a treasure hunt; and face-painting.
Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein
addressed the visitors at Our Parents
Home, Len Kay entertained the
adults and pupils from King David
Linksfield’s High School, who gave
their time to helping and ensuring
that everything ran smoothly.
Chevrah Kadisha Group CEO
Michael Sieff attended the Fun Day
at Sandringham Gardens on October
24, as did other staff members and
their families. Ventriloquist Gareth
Lush delighted the crowd with his
Bobby Baboon puppet.
Kay Govender, OT manager and
organiser of the Sandringham
Gardens event said: “Days like these
are what community spirit is all
about. Watching the children enjoying themselves put smiles on our residents’ faces and the air was filled
with laughter, music and love.”
Anecdotes, general info on Nelson Mandela sought
DAVID SAKS
PHOTOGRAPH SUPPLIED
Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris and
Nelson Mandela.
THE STORY of Nelson Mandela is
tied up in a multitude of ways with
that of the South African Jewish
community. From his arrival in
Johannesburg as a young man
during the 1940s onwards, a strikingly large number of Jewish individuals were closely associated
with him, whether as fellow antiapartheid activists, in his own
legal career or in the various political trials culminating in his long
imprisonment.
With the normalisation that followed apartheid’s demise, this
association branched out in many
further directions to involve the
Jewish communal leadership and
business establishment as well.
Mandela’s 90th birthday in July
2008, occasioned a flood of tributes
from all over the world. Providing
a particular Jewish stamp for the
milestone, was a commemorative
magazine, Madiba 90 Years - A
Tribute from South African Jewry,
published under the auspices of
the SAJBD, in partnership with
Hilly Golombick & Co.
This comprised the personal reminiscences of Jewish individuals
who had been involved with
Mandela over the years, in addition
to goodwill messages from most of
the country’s Jewish organisations.
Contributors
included
Helen
Suzman, Arthur Chaskalson, Albie
Sachs, Benjamin Pogrund and Ali
Bacher, as well as past chairmen of
the Board of Deputies, businessmen and various professionals who
had somehow been associated with
Mandela.
The publication proved to be of
considerable historical interest,
not just in the light it threw on various key episodes in Mandela’s life,
but perhaps even more in the way
it demonstrated the remarkable
personal qualities for which he has
become so renowned.
As one of the contributors
observed, Mandela’s outstanding
human traits emerged most clearly
“in small stories about the man
rather than in grand gestures, for
it is in these moments that his true
humanity shines through”.
The SAJBD is currently looking
to expand the publication into a
prestigious, “coffee table” book
that will bring this compelling new
information to a wider audience.
This will take the form of a central
narrative outlining Mandela’s life
and career, interwoven with and
illustrated by relevant extracts
from the personal memoirs of him.
A further purpose of the book is
Electric power - from the humble potato
GILAH KAHN-HOFFMAN
JERUSALEM
IN A discovery with far-reaching
implications for the developing
world, Israeli researchers have created organic “potato batteries” that
can power lights, computers and
more.
Scientists from Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) have discovered that potatoes can be used as
organic batteries, providing a cheap,
immediate and easy to use source of
green power to parts of the world
that currently lack electrical infrastructure.
It’s a development that could
improve the quality of life of 32 per
cent of the developing non-OECD
populations - some 1,8 billion people.
The new organic electric battery
can provide the power source to
meet significant, low-power needs
such as lighting, telecommunication
and information transfer.
“A person with two left hands
could do it,” Prof Haim D
Rabinowitch of the university’s
Faculty of Agriculture, Food and
Environment tells Israel21c: “It’s
like making a sandwich of two
metal sheets and a piece of cooked
potato in between.”
Rabinowitch, research student
Alex Golberg from the university’s
School of Computer Science and
Engineering, together with Prof
Boris Rubinsky at the University of
California at Berkeley, have been
studying the electrolytic process in
living matter for use in various
applications, including the generation of electric energy for self-powered implanted medical electronic
devices.
The professor explains that all
organic tissue can serve in the construction of such a cell and generate
electricity. “It is possible to replace
the potato with liver tissue (for
example) or any other tissue in our
body for self-powered implanted
medical electronic devices.
“Think of a pacemaker that gets
its power by contact with the heart
tissue or muscles. Such a pacemaker does not require a battery and
never stops - as long as the tissue is
there.”
Practically all organic matter can
be used to generate electrical current through electrolysis, but some
produce electricity more efficiently
than others do. The humble potato
was selected for the study because it
is widely available almost all yearround, is grown in 130 countries
over a wide range of climates (in
2007 alone 325 million tons of potatoes were produced), it isn’t messy,
stores well for months and is cheap
to buy.
In their research, the scientists
found a new way to construct an
efficient battery using zinc and cop-
Cheap, and widely
available in most
countries of the
world all year
round, potatoes
make an ideal
source of power.
per electrodes and a slice of potato.
They also discovered that the simple action of boiling a potato prior to
use in electrolysis increases electric
power up to 10-fold over an untreated potato, and enables the battery to
work for days, and even weeks.
Initially, the researchers believed
that the energy stored in the potato
tuber (which is 15 to 22 per cent
starch) was the main source of
power, but they then saw that output was low. Hypothesising that the
resistance of the tissue was reducing the output efficiency, they
applied a technique called irreversible electroporation which damages membranes but not a cells’
other components or molecules.
“It
worked
like
magic,”
Rabinowitch reports. “Such a
device is costly and is not readily
available, especially in developing
countries, and thus we looked for a
simple, cheap, universally-available
technology to achieve that goal:
Cooking was the answer.”
The scientific basis of the finding
is related to the reduction in the
internal salt bridge resistance of
the potato battery, which is exactly
how engineers are trying to optimise the performance of conventional batteries. The ability to produce and utilise low power electricity was demonstrated by LEDs powered by treated potato batteries.
Cost analyses showed that the
treated potato battery generates
energy which is five- to 50-fold
cheaper than commercially available 1,5 volt D cells and Energiser
E91 cells, respectively. The clean
light powered by this green battery
is also at least six times more economical than the paraffin lamps
often used in the developing world.
Yissum Research Development
Company, the technology transfer
arm of Hebrew University, has
decided to give the invention away
free of charge in an effort to help the
1,8 billion people in the developing
to broaden it to include contributions from many other significant
Jewish individuals who, for whatever reason, were not included in
the original magazine.
To make the book as inclusive
as possible, the SAJBD has
embarked on a wide-reaching
publicity campaign with a view to
encouraging others to come forward with their particular stories.
Apart
from
personal
accounts, any relevant photographs or documents are also
being solicited. Even surviving
drawings of Mandela by Jewish
schoolchildren made at the time
of his release in 1990 and thereafter, would be greatly welcomed.
• Anyone interested in contributing to the project are invited to
contact David at the SAJBD on
(011) 645-2536 or email david@
beyachad.co.za
world not connected to electricity.
Rabinowitch expects that charity
funds will take the initiative
and start providing economically
disadvantaged people with the two
sheets of metal and a short piece of
electric wire, “so that they can make
their own ‘potato sandwiches’.”
(Israel21c)
EMPLOYMENT
EXCHANGE
Assistant to the company secretary, seeking full-time employment in
Sandringham area. 3 yrs experience.
Tel: (011) 442-3010.
Bookkeeper seeks full/part-time position north eastern or northern areas.
20 years experience.
Tel: 072-576-5129 or (011) 640-3577.
Graduate chemist who can programme in Visual Basic. Also Analogue Data Capture.
Jeffrey Kaplan (011) 640-4019
Looking for computer IT technician position/office work.
Wife looking for office work, not neccesarily in same company.
Contact 082-747-2598 or [email protected]
Qualified mechanical engineer seeking full-time employment in northern suburbs of Jhb.
5 years experience
083-993-1880 / (011) 782-5564
Mature, very experienced lady bookkeeper – manual, Pastel/Quickbooks,
seeks part time/mornings only position.
Edenvale & surrounding suburbs. (011) 609-5681 after 6pm.
Office manager / coordinator (n/suburbs), client/staff relationship building abilities. Oversee/ running of
day-to-day operations. Strong verbal, written and diary management skills.
Call Fortuneé (011) 783-9993
General office work / telesales or store receiving. Age 70.
M Kotton (011) 887-6025 (after 15:30)
People seeking employment may place a free advert of 20 words maximum. Send
wording to britt@sajewishreport or fax: 086-634-7935
24
SA JEWISH REPORT
29 October - 05 November 2010
Lionel Cohen tastes
success in Oz
Alex was so close,
he could touch it
wish him many more winners.
Maybe one day we will see him at
Moonee Valley,” he quipped
IT IS not easy for somebody to pack
Odessa Stud was founded in 1939
up and move on after years in a famiby Cohen’s grandfather Losky, who
ly business, but that is exactly what
was born in Lithuania and came to
Lionel Cohen chose to do. March this
South Africa as a child with his
year heralded the end of an era as the
father, David. In 1955 Losky handed
very last horses bred by D Cohen &
the reins of the business over to his
Sons at Odessa Stud were sold at the
son Colin (who died three years ago)
Equimark Vintage Yearling Sale.
Cohen sold the 14 000ha family farm Former South and Lionel took over in 1986.
His acute understanding of the
in Koue Bokkeveld, Ceres, two years
African breedsport of racing and the breeding
ago. Although not sentimental, Cohen
industry, resulted in Odessa becomadmitted there was a pang or two of er Lionel
nostalgia when Lot 270, a bay filly by Cohen had his ing one of only six stud farms to win
Greys Inn out of Model Muse, stepped first winner as a national breeders’ title.
Cohen had a natural flair for horsinto the sale ring.
a trainer in
es and breeding and has been
“We’ve been around a long time,’’ Australia last
described by fellow breeder Mick
Cohen said, “and Odessa Stud was Friday.
Goss as “not only an icon among
one of the greatest stud farms in
South Africa. It has also been a rich and inte- horsemen in this country, he stands tall
among the best in the world”.
gral part of my family for many years.’’
Goss added: “Lionel is instinctively talentCohen travelled extensively between South
Africa and Australia and eventually decided ed. He has always bred his horses to be athhe was going to expand his years of horse letes first and to aspire to the fashion of pediknowledge and take out a trainer’s licence gree second - and his results are a beacon for
Down Under. It all came to fruition last week those who believe in the adage, that unless
Friday when he had his first victory as a you’re breeding an athlete you’ll be lost in
the wilderness.’’ A rave reference from the
trainer.
Liquid Force, a son of Danzero out of a country’s champion breeder!
Arguably the best horse Cohen (49)
Gone West mare, shed his maiden tag over
1000m at the Kembla Grange Track just “nicked’’ was in his own right, rather than D
south of Sydney, to give his owner/trainer Cohen & Sons, namely Sun Classique, a
daughter of Fuji Kiseki, bred in New South
the first win of his career.
The win has certainly marked a milestone Wales, Australia. She was a multiple featurein Cohen’s illustrious career and while the race winner in South Africa for Bass before
successful South African breeder has experi- going with Mike de Kock to Dubai and winenced many group 1 winners as an owner ning three big races there, including the
and breeder, this moment must surely rank Sheema Classic. She has now retired and is
in foal to Oasis Dream.
as one of the sweetest.
Odessa Stud bred many top-class horses,
“It was a great moment for me. This was
his second start after needing his first run including South Africa’s first equine millionquite badly. I was quite confident of a big run aire, Model Man, Vodacom Durban July winhere and expected the necessary improve- ners Super Quality, Space Walk and
ment. The only factor that bothered me was Trademark, Queen’s Plate winner Counter
the sharp 1000m,” he said “I thought that Action, Gold Bowl winner Western Walk, top
may catch him out, but he won really well stayer Bill Of Rights, Champions Challenge
winner Eddington, Crown Of Power, versaand it is a very proud moment for me.”
Liquid Force paid $56 a win, a hefty payout tile Blue Tiger, who has been a great servant
of which the trainer had none of; he said “I to Bass, and terrific fillies Star Award,
stuck a few other people in but didn’t get Pacific Blue, Stratos and Emblem Of Liberty.
Stars who have been sold at the Equimark
around to it myself,” he joked.
Cohen currently has around eight horses Vintage Sale in the past include Dubai Duty
in training and had another filly running last Free winner Jay Peg, last year’s Vodacom
Sunday, called Casino Gal. “This is her Durban July winner Big City Life (cost
fourth run. She is a real smart filly and was R170 000 and has banked nearly R3,5 million),
desperately unlucky not to win her last start. Crimson Palace (cost R300 000), who won
I think she may be difficult to beat this time important races in South Africa, Dubai,
England and the US, 2001 J&B Met winner
around.”
SA trainer Mike Bass, who has worked Bunter Barlow (cost R55 000; earned more
closely with Cohen for many years, was than R1 million); champion sprinters
ecstatic to hear the news. “Lionel is a top Cataloochee (cost R160 000) and Mythical
horseman and I have no doubt he will go on Flight; Horse Chestnut Stakes winner
to make a success out of training. I would Domino Man; Eddington and high-class
just like to say very well done to him and I Emblem Of Liberty, who was also exported.
ALEX SHATILOV of Israel missed out on a
medal by fractions of a second last weekend
at the Artistic Gymnastics World
Championships in Rotterdam.
“I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t win
a medal, but I’m very satisfied with the competition,” said Shatilov after finishing fourth
in the men’s floor exercise final at 15,333
points, just behind Britain’s Daniel Purvis,
who scored 15,366 points.
“It hurts to know you were 33 thousandths
of a point away from a medal, but before the
championship I didn’t think I would manage
to reach the final, having undergone meniscus surgery four and a half months ago.”
Referring to Friday’s final in the men’s
individual all-around event, in which he finished 11th, Shatilov added: “I only returned
to jumping three months ago, so appearing
in two finals really is an accomplishment.
Next year I’ll be sharper.”
Shatilov was born in Uzbekistan in 1987.
He began gymnastics at age five and immigrated to Israel in 2002. He is a floor exercise
specialist and placed first in the Glasgow
World Cup in 2008 (Hipolito second), third at
the 2009 European Artistic Gymnastics
Championships and the 2009 World Artistic
JACK MILNER
Salita is promoting his title fight
NEW YORK - Orthodox Jewish boxer
Dmitriy Salita is promoting his own world
championship bout.
Salita will fight for the International
Boxing Association welterweight title
against “Mighty” Mike Anchondo on
December 16 at Roseland Ballroom in New
York’s Times Square.
The card, which is being put on by Salita
Promotions in association with Universal
Boxing, will include two other Jewish
fighters: Ilan Kedem, an Israeli who
learned to box in the Israeli army, and
Boyd Melson, a US Army boxing champion.
Jewish reggae star Matisyahu is scheduled to accompany Salita to the ring with a
live song.
Salita, who has a record of 31-1-1, in his
last fight scored an eight-round decision
in September over Franklin Gonzalez in a
light-welterweight bout. Salita was
returning to the ring after being knocked
out by Amir Khan in their World Boxing
Association light-welterweight title bout
in England 10 months earlier.
Salita promoted the September card in
Brooklyn, New York.
The Ukraine-born Salita is training in
Detroit with Boxing Hall of Famer
Emanuel Steward, who recently gave
some boxing lessons to Eminem. The rapper-actor was preparing to play Salita in a
Walt Disney film titled “Knockout”. (JTA)
Israel’s Alex Shatilov
came within a hair’s
breadth of earning
his second successive
bronze medal at the
Artistic Gymnastics
World Championships in Rotterdam.
Gymnastics Championships, fifth at the 2007
World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
and seventh at the 2006 World Artistic
Gymnastics Championships. He was the
first Israeli to reach an apparatus final at the
World Championships.
Shatilov represented Israel at the 2008
Summer Olympics. In the qualifying stage,
he placed eighth on the floor apparatus and
qualified for the final. He also placed 29th
overall, and just missed the cut for the allround final.
In the floor final he failed to improve his
ranking and placed last of the eight finalists,
which was still the best-ever achievement in
artistic gymnastics for an Israeli gymnast.
Shatilov, at 1,83 metres, is unusually tall
for a gymnast.