Hashalom December 2017

Hashalom December 2017

Established 1923

Volume 22. No 4

March 2014

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HASHALOM 1

02

Editorial Out of Perspective

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Arkin leaves Hashalom for Israel

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Mishna Impossible

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Israel

08

08

Israeli Deterrence in a New Middle East

Jewish World

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10 12

9 Things you didn’t know about Hanukkah The Maccabees: Heroes or Fanatics

Community News

14

Bubkes

14

Past Tense

15

Beth Shalom

16

KwaZulu Natal Zionist Council

17

Young Israel Centre

17

Eden College

19

Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation

19

Durban Jewish Social Services

20

Wotsup Wizo

21

DHC

22

SAJBD

23

Durban United Hebrew Congregation

24

Divote

25

Akiva College

26

UJC

26

Limmud

27

Union of Jewish Women

28

Above Board

30

Cooking with Judy and Linda

30

Social and Personal

31

Diary of Events

31

The views expressed in the pages of Hashalom are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board or any other organisation or religious body unless otherwise individual.

Hashalom Editorial Board: Editor: Prof Antony Arkin Sub Editor: Mr Colin Plen Editorial Board: Mrs Mikki Norton, Mrs Michelle Campbell Commitee: Dr Issy Fisher, Ms Diane McColl, Mrs Lauren Shapiro Production Manager: Mrs Robyn Bradley Notice to Organisations/Contributors: All material to be submitted by email to hashalom@djc.co.za DEADLINE FOR THE FEBRUARY ISSUE: 8 January Advertisements Contact: Robyn Bradley P.O. Box 10797 Marine Parade 4056 Tel: (031) 335 4451 Fax: (031) 337 9600 Email: hashalom@djc.co.za Hashalom is issued under the auspices of the SAJBD KZN Council, KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council and the Durban Jewish Club.

Typesetting Supplied.

Designed by RBG Studios, email: rowan@rbgstudios.co.za Printed by Fishwick Printers Visit our website: www.hashalom.co.za

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December 2017

EDITORIAL

FAREWELL, SHALOM Prof Antony Arkin I had hoped to be writing my last editorial after putting together the 100th anniversary edition of Hashalom in 2023, to match the 80th commemorative publication I put together in 2003. However, this month Marion and I will be making Aliyah and joining our family in Israel.

Physically, Hashalom is today a beautiful, glossy full colour, 32 page monthly magazine keeping abreast with the latest technology. An electronic version is emailed directly to an online readership each month. Yet in its essentials Hashalom has remained true to its founding principles. The leading article in September 1923 argues that the monthly bulletin “merely desires to serve the interests of our co-religionists with fearless honest endeavour, free from prejudice and partiality”.

Hashalom has always been a labour of love. The October 1932 editorial states “that our labour is gladly given so that our readers may enjoy the results of our work voluntarily undertaken …” Yet it goes on that this implies “active co-operation” from the community which is “not yet established as we should like to see it”. Some of our organizations are still much more compliant than others.

Of course in this era of instant messaging, Facebook and Twitter, a monthly newspaper may seem a contradiction in terms. A half century ago South African Jews had a choice of four Jewish weeklies.

Today, the one remaining newspaper has little on the happenings in our community. So Hashalom as a medium simply to provide basic information on what is taking place is an essential facility to maintain communal cohesion.

But Hashalom should be more than a provider of news and views from our various organizations. Our regular features Pundit, Bubkes, Above Board, Out of Perspective, Cooking are locally written, give Hashalom a strong foundation each month, and are greatly enjoyed.

Prof Marcus Arkin wrote in his “In Perspective” column in August 1999, Hashalom is “very often the only publication of Jewish interest to reach many households, and thus their only link with the broader world of Jewish affairs”. As the local South African media is at times extremely anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist, it is essential that our readers can access a more balanced view of life. One of the pleasures of being editor is to select articles on developments in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Each month some sort of balance then has to be struck between local reports and items of broader Jewish and Zionist interest, as well as how far we give free reign to controversial issues. The solution is to allow a balanced debate on the issues themselves, as long as the discussion does not become a vehicle for attacks on individuals.

In the forty years I have lived in Durban, the community has shrunk from 6500 to 1200. Yet it remains a vibrant community of committed and warm hearted Jews, with a host of activities. Hashalom remains your paper. It is put together by a dedicated team. To succeed it must continue to have your full participation. With love, farewell and Shalom.

OUT OF PERSPECTIVE

Army films, art and politics: uneasy bedfellows David Arkin Israel will be represented at the forthcoming Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category with the movie, . Though the final shortlist will only be announced early in 2018, it’s a category that has had perennial Israeli representation through the years. Although, to date, no Israeli film has ever won this category, Foxtrot does combine the necessary ingredients to succeed: a beautiful and artistically produced film, wonderful acting, a strong political message, and a strong dose of political controversy that accompanied the reviews.

When the film is criticised and not endorsed by the local Sports and Culture minister, one may tend to be ambivalent towards its success at the Oscars. Yes, it does portray the Army negatively (and perhaps is even unfair at times) but this film isn’t left-wing propaganda. And while its defendants obviously label it as art to justify its messages, most of the time they are so subtle, that only someone living in Israel for a length of time could fully appreciate and understand them.

The Army has been regular setting for local film through the decades, which is hardly surprising given its influence in society and on Israeli psyche. There have been actions films, dramas, comedies, satires, and even films about zombies! Sometimes they are topical, like dealing with recruitment of Haredim. Many have been anti-war.

Foxtrot would probably fit into the anti-war genre, though “antikibush” is probably more accurate (kibush being the Hebrew word for military occupation).

The film’s detractors will argue it fuels anti-Israel opinion, especially tarnishing the Army’s legitimacy. However, in an open and democratic society, with free-speech and where journalistic and artistic freedom are a given, the film’s core only highlights exiting bugbears of the system. In many ways, the Israeli Army is a state within a state, with its own leadership (chain of command), bureaucratic procedures (for governance and administration), and own judicial system (complete with military police, CID - criminal investigation division - and military courts). The Army is used to receiving criticism from all quarters, and has built rigorous systems to investigate thoroughly any misdemeanours in order to protect its integrity.

With this in mind, any criticisms singled out in the movie, are wellknown and familiar with the Israeli viewer. Army protocols to inform the family of fallen soldiers are depicted as mechanical and crass, the Rabbinate depicted as emotionally-void to mourners. And while the individual relative of a fallen soldier may initially get lost in the vast military apparatus, there is also a vast support network for bereaved families which isn’t represented in the film. The message is clear and long-internalised: Israeli society continues to suffer by needing to send their sons and daughters to compulsory service in the Armed Forces, especially when a parent buries their child-soldier.

More uncomfortable is how the film deals with soldiers out in the field protecting the State. The screening of Palestinians at checkpoints with an antiquated database is a thinly-veiled criticism of the system of information-collection through the Shin Bet. But there can be no easy way of rooting out the bad apples.

A soldier steals from a civilian. Is theft tolerated? Of course not – it is prosecuted, even in war (the local press widely reported that soldiers were indicted for looting NIS 2,420 from an apartment in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge in 2014). Are Palestinian civilians exposed to the weather elements by soldiers, and is there abuse? Yes, but with all the pressures and instantaneous reporting through digital media, it is thoroughly investigated and dealt with accordingly. The IDF’s code of ethics, Ruach Tzahal (“Spirt of the IDF”) represents the values of the army and stands as the foundation for its responsibilities to prevent this. Sometimes Ruach Tzahal isn’t enough and there are operational failures and innocents get killed.

Even worse in the film, a massacre is covered up. The Sports and Culture Minister could not accept this as film-art, especially being a former Brigadier-General and IDF spokesperson. But instead of trying to muzzle artists, a better response would have been to point out that this simply couldn’t happen with the IDF’s watchdog Military Advocate investigating and defending the code of ethics after every incident.

The cameo of a tattooed survivor-grandmother, juxtaposed to her grandson serving at a checkpoint, propagating the kibush, reminds the viewer that the situation is somehow tolerated and necessary to prevent future atrocities, brought on or inspired by Nazism in the past. But this image isn’t forceful. Rather, the Army Brass touting the maxim “we’re at war” as a justification after the massacre, rings loud but hollow to the audience. The abuse of Palestinian civilians is one obvious negative by-product of the kibush. However, the soldiers themselves evoke sympathy, as the squad manning the checkpoint lives in squalid conditions. They appear as mismatchedmisfits, composed of an orator/philosopher, a mute, a technician, and an artist. And while they battle on with their mission on hand, they too invoke pity for being thrown together to man a desolate outpost in order to defend the kibush.

It’s a heavy film to watch, and one wonders how many of the nuances will be understood by a foreign audience. In fact, to continue the ironies portrayed in the film, the actor playing the central character, Yonatan, the soldier around whom the plot revolves, is currently actively serving as a combat soldier in the Givati brigade. Despite the film’s fierce critics that it should not represent Israel at the Oscars, the role of the oppressor and who is oppressed isn’t straightforward and clear-cut. And this is perhaps precisely the point: everyone ends up suffering in some way due to the kibush.

December 2017

HASHALOM 3

Arkin leaves Hashalom for Israel

By Lauren Shapiro different – sometimes contradictory – viewpoints,” Arkin asserts. He confesses that it’s been challenging to ensure that important issues are discussed whilst no personal attacks are made. “People don’t always understand the difference,” he muses. That, of course, is the role of a great editor. “I was certainly extremely unpopular at times,” he confides, “but you need a free and robust press to ensure transparency in the community.”

Under Arkin’s 15-year reign, the publication has made a gradual progression from a 20-page black-and-white newspaper to a full colour, glossy magazine of 32 pages (more for the Pesach, Rosh Hashanah and Channukah editions). “We’ve strived to constantly refresh the look and feel,” Arkin declares. This included a logo revamp in 2016, and the launch of Hashalom’s digital edition on its own website www.hashalom.co.za in 2013. Of these achievements, he insists: “I’m very proud, but I must say it’s a team effort”.

Arkin’s successor is as yet unidentified. “I’m sure anyone coming in will make changes, which is good,” he affirms. “I’m hoping that Hashalom – like our community – will continue to grow and develop for many, many years.”

This is Arkin’s last edition as editor of Hashalom as he and his wife Marion leave in December to make Aliyah and join their children and grandchildren in Israel. “It’s not a push factor, but a pull factor,” he explains. “I wish every success to the community.”

I

t feels almost as though we’ve come full circle: more than a decade ago I sat as a young prospective writer across the table from Hashalom Editor Antony Arkin as he welcomed me on board; today I sit across from him bidding him farewell. It is my pleasure and privilege to interview one of my favourite editors and human beings.

After 15 years at the Editor’s desk, Arkin is leaving his post at Durban’s monthly Jewish magazine to pursue a lifelong dream of making Aliyah.

Hashalom is SA’s oldest Jewish journal, in print since 1923. Arkin accepted the role of Editor in 2002, but he’d been involved with the magazine for almost 15 years previously, both as a writer and on the editorial board. “Hashalom plays a significant role in keeping the community informed and together, especially given the local newspapers’ tendencies towards anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism,” he points out. “We present a more balanced viewpoint.”

He’s written over 160 editorial columns over the years, covering a vast scope of topics concerning South Africa, Israel and the Jewish world. “I write about things that deeply concern me personally,” he reveals. “I ask what issues need to be addressed, and try to provide an overview or explanation of those issues for our community.”

Arkin also sources stories from a range of respectable publications that give Hashalom permission to reprint. Because of Hashalom’s long production cycle of 4-6 weeks, he looks for articles that won’t date, focussing less on news than on background and analytical pieces. “This is important because people seldom get this aspect in the daily papers,” he rejoins.

Life in the editorial firing line isn’t always easy. “I’ve tried to have good working relationships with everyone and to respect and represent

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December 2017

We wish the family hatzlacha and happiness and send fond greetings to ex-Durbanites David and Tali Arkin, their children Naama (9), Matan (6) and Aviah (5 months); Talia and Clive Feigenbaum, and their children Gabi (4) and Gina (2).

Arkin wears various “hats” in the community in addition to editorship of Hashalom. He is also: Chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council Member of the General Assembly of the Jewish National Fund Treasurer of the South African Zionist Federation Ex officio member of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies Member of the Vaad Hapoel, World Zionist Organization Member of the General Assembly of the Jewish Agency Past President of the Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation National Vice Chairman of the South African Union of Progressive Jewry Chairman of Artzeinu, South Africa

COMMUNITY NEWS

After 42 years of community service, KNZC wishes Antony Arkin everything of the best as he pursues a lifelong dream of Aliyah.

By Lauren Shapiro

Prof. Arkin may have earned a Doctorate in Economics, but it’s his commitment to Jewish and Zionist organisations that will be his lasting legacy in our community.

The former Capetonian met his wife Marion Beit at Rhodes University and followed her to Durban in 1974. He had no aspiration to communal politics: “My ambition was to be assistant warden of Bnei Brit,” he chuckles self-deprecatingly at the low-key position, “and eventually I became the national vice president.”

Antony has since worn numerous “hats” in the community, many with a strong Zionist fit. He is chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council, Treasurer of the South African Zionist Federation and an ex officio member of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies. He is also a delegate of the Vaad Hapoel (working committee) of the World Zionist Organization, a member of the General Assembly of the Jewish Agency, and he sits on the executive of Keren Kayemet Le’Yisrael (the Jewish National Fund).

Congregationally, Antony has been very involved with Reform Judaism as president of the Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation and national vice chairman of the South African Union of Progressive Jewry, as well as chairman of Arzenu, South Africa. He has also been Editor of Hashalom, Durban’s monthly Jewish magazine, for the past 15 years.

Communal life presents its challenges. “I’ve tried to have good working relationships with everyone and to understand their viewpoints, as usually they are valid,” Antony asserts. He says the key to successful leadership is “learning to respect differences.”

Antony and Marion make Aliyah in December and join their children and grandchildren in Israel. “It’s not a push factor, but a pull factor,” he explains.

The KNZC wishes Antony and Marion everything of the best as they live the Zionist dream! They will be greatly missed.

Hashalom October 2016

Established 1923

Volume 21. No 1

March 2014

Hashalom June 2017

Established 1923

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HASHALOM 1

Hashalom

Volume 21. No 8

Hashalom October 2017

March 2014

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Established 1923

Volume 22. No 2

HASHALOM 1

March 2014

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HASHALOM 1

December 2017

HASHALOM 5

MISHNA IMPOSSIBLE 17

But I said “Sorry!”

Tractate Berachot, 12

By Warren Shapiro

Daf 12 contains a brief discourse by Rabbah bar Chanina who said, in the name of Rav, “Anyone who commits a sin and is embarrassed of it is forgiven for all of his sins”. For, the Rabbi says, it is stated “In order that you remember and be ashamed and so that you no longer have an excuse because of your humiliation, when I forgive you for all that you have done, the word of Hashem”.

This got me thinking – why is the word “embarrassed” used instead of “remorseful” or “regretful”. Instinctively, I understand that there is a difference but I was wondering quite what that was. And, as so often happens, my kids helped me towards an answer!

My younger son and my daughter got into a fight about something and a male hand connected with a female head. Once I had separated the junior pugilists, I told my son to say sorry – which he did, in a grumble. My daughter however was having none of it and said “Not OK!” and walked off. When I looked at my boy, he looked at me and shouted “But I said sorry!”.

This little spat struck me – because my daughter was right, it was not OK. They say that “sorry seems to be the hardest word” but actually it is quite easy to say. It is just a word, after all. My little one, about to turn 4, grasped the difference immediately between saying sorry for what you did and being sorry for what you did.

This goes to the heart of why Rabbah bar Chaninah refers to being embarrassed of the sin we commit in order to be forgiven for it and why words such as “ashamed” and “humiliated” are quoted. Embarrassment and shame connote a discomfort at what has been done, or how people have reacted to something we did. Much like remorse – it involves self-analysis, admitting your mistake and taking responsibility for your actions. Once you have undertaken this process, only then can you really appreciate what you have done and try not to do it again. It should be only at this stage that forgiveness comes. Because the other side of it is to just say the right words without feeling them – expressing “regret”, which is often nothing more than a grudging acceptance that your act had consequences (often with the focus being on the consequences for you, not for the other person!).

Put differently, “saying sorry” (expressing regret) is appreciating that what you did caused pain and requires a response – but that might be to avoid pain or consequence for you. It is ticking a box. And box-ticking will not develop anyone to the stage where they can actually take responsibility for their actions and resolve to do better.

“Being sorry” means appreciating that you caused pain to another and genuinely trying not to do that again.

Absent this, it is understandable perhaps why forgiveness will not come – when it comes to wiping the slate, whether by Hashem or an aggrieved little girl, you have to mean it before you can clean it!

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December 2017

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December 2017

HASHALOM 7

ISRAEL

ISRAELI DETERRENCE IN A NEW MIDDLE EAST

By Yossi Melman - Jerusalem Post Although the security situation is fragile, Israel has made dramatic strides.

Israeli soldiers stand atop tanks overlooking the border between Israel and Syria Israeli soldiers stand atop tanks overlooking the border between Israel and Syria. (photo credit:RONEN ZVULUN / REUTERS)

W

ith the beginning of a new Jewish year, Israel’s strategic position has improved dramatically, an indication that Israeli deterrence is working on all fronts and is disrupting its enemies’ war doctrines. This is the bottom line presented in recent weeks by military intelligence’s top echelon to the cabinet.

Although the right-wing Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu stubbornly refuses to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority about a respectable and fair deal, the PA security services still cooperate with their Israeli counterparts and, together, thwart terrorist plans made mainly by their joint enemy – Hamas.

Israel faces security challenges of various levels on six fronts: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza and Egypt.

For the last 10 years, the Islamic movement Hamas, which is an extension of the outlawed Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, has ruled Gaza. Hamas, which came to power after a military coup d’état that toppled the PA government, doesn’t recognize the right of Israel to exist, has armed itself and has already triggered three wars.

The two borders with Egypt and Jordan that benefit from the longstanding peace agreements are quiet with the security, military and intelligence cooperation between Israel and Jordan and Israel and Egypt at its peak.

The situation in the West Bank is fragile but manageable. For 50 years, some 2.5 million Palestinians have lived under Israeli occupation in the shadow of the construction of more Jewish settlements. Their daily life is controlled by the bureaucratic whims of the Israeli army with roadblocks everywhere.

And yet, they are largely submissive and accept this reality with the occasional burst of violence and terrorism.

Two years ago, there was a spontaneous effort by young Palestinians to ignite a new – third – uprising (intifada). It has been characterized largely by young Palestinians, sometimes teenagers, with no organizational affiliation, using knives and cars as their weapons of choice. But a strong response by the Israeli military combined with effective intelligence and monitoring of social media subdued most of the efforts to carry out terrorist attacks.

What also contributed to Israeli success was a smart policy, advised by the security establishment and accepted by the government to allow nearly 100,000 Palestinian workers to continue working in Israel. In other words, Israel succeeded in fighting the violence by isolating the perpetrators from the rest of the population with minimal “collective punishment.”

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December 2017

Three times the IDF invaded Gaza, a small enclave of 365 square kilometers with 2 million Palestinian inhabitants – one of the most densely populated and poor areas in the world. Three times the invasions have wreaked havoc, causing heavy damage to the limited infrastructure, killing thousands of civilians and injuring many more. Each invasion dealt a heavy blow to the military strength of Hamas but the group somehow managed to rebuild ‒ usually at the expense of the population’s basic needs of water, electricity and food.

Hamas, aware of its military inferiority, developed a strategy with three tactical tools to challenge the mighty Israeli military machine.

Its first move was to amass a large arsenal of thousands rockets that were launched against Israeli cities and villages. The second tool was to build underground tunnels penetrating into Israel and use them for surprise attacks against military positions and rural communities. The third tool has been finding cover among civilians who serve Hamas as “human shields” in military confrontations.

In these three campaigns (2008-2009, 2012 and 2014), Israeli communities and cities, including Tel Aviv, were shelled, as Hamas aimed to create an effect of psychological terror on the population.

Hamas fighters surfaced inside Israeli territories and also caused casualties among the invading IDF troops.

ISRAEL After each round, the Israeli government was strongly condemned by the international community. Yet, the Israeli will was not broken.

Rather, it is Hamas that has found itself in a shaky situation.

After the last war, Hamas ended up isolated as never before as the Israeli-Egyptian- Palestinian alliance eroded its status.

The three parties increased their pressure on Hamas. Egypt accused Hamas of colluding with ISIS in Sinai and stepped up its battle against Hamas tunnels between Gaza and Sinai. Dozens of tunnels were bulldozed and destroyed, cutting off the Islamic movement from its economic lifeline because the tunnels served not only to smuggle in weapons but also goods that were then taxed.

The siege of Hamas by Egypt, Israel and the PA has resulted in their reduction of regular payments to the Gaza administration, especially for covering the cost of electricity.

This has widened the wedge between Hamas and the rest of the population, who have finally begun to blame their misery on the Hamas government.

On the military front, Hamas is also in dire straits. The blockade of the tunnels deprives Hamas of its capacity to smuggle in better rockets from Sinai and forces it to rely on local industry, which is suffering from a shortage of essential components to produce improved, longer range and more accurate rockets.

Furthermore, Hamas has realized that Israel is developing powerful countermeasures that undermine two of its best military tools.

The first, which already has proven itself in battle, is Israeli’s antimissile system ‒ especially the Iron Dome, which has intercepted and “killed” many Hamas rockets in mid-air, thus lowering its success rate in killing Israelis and causing damage to property. The second significant anti-Hamas measure is the deep, underground wall made of heavy concrete and sensors for target detection that Israel is constructing along the 65 km border with Gaza. Once completed in 2019, it will make it difficult for Hamas to dig more tunnels inside Israel.

All these developments – the economic- humanitarian crisis, diplomatic isolation, and military inferiority – have forced Hamas to change its military doctrine and diplomatic orientation. The biggest surprise – its acknowledgement of the necessity to be realistic – comes from a new leadership that was considered to be extremely militant.

Hamas’s top military and political echelon led by Yahya Sinwar consists mainly of activists who have served long sentences in Israeli jails because of their terrorist involvement.

Yet Hamas has shown a great deal of pragmatism in trying to reconcile with its arch rival, the PA; improving relations with Egypt; disconnecting from Iran (though it still gets an annual infusion of $70 million for its military wing); and most importantly, reducing the digging of tunnels inside Israel, and excavating more bunkers and tunnels for defensive purposes in Gaza.

It also means, as Israeli intelligence estimates, that Hamas is being deterred and as a result is not interested in a new round of fighting.

This assessment is enforced by the recent reconciliation agreement between the PA and Hamas. The deal avoids the issue of disarming Hamas as an independent militia, but by reinstating PA civilian authority in Gaza it diminishes the ability of Hamas to make independent decisions.

In the North, according to Israeli intelligence, Hezbollah, like Hamas, has changed its war doctrine because of Israeli deterrence and superiority.

Until recently, Hezbollah believed that with its 100,000 rockets and missiles capable of hitting any target in Israel, the longer the next war would be, the better. Now, however, Israel’s intelligence assessment is that the Shi’ite Lebanese movement has reversed its doctrine, preferring and preparing for a short campaign because Israel has made it clear that, unlike in the 2006 war, it no longer distinguishes between Hezbollah and the Lebanese army and government. To Israel, they are one and the same and, in the next war, will be targeted equally.

Realizing that Israel has improved its intelligence and fire power, Hezbollah now understands that prolonging a war would be counterproductive and enable Israel to cause unprecedented damage to Lebanon, as Israeli military and political leaders talk about “pushing Lebanon back into the Stone Age.” Another important contributor to this change is the fact that despite Iranian efforts to help its Lebanese protégé, Hezbollah has only a few hundred missiles with a range of 300 kilometers or more and they are inaccurate ‒ if such a missile were to be launched against Israel’s Defense Ministry and IDF General Staff Headquarters in central Tel Aviv, it could very well just fall into the sea.

Nevertheless, Israel doesn’t underestimate Hezbollah capabilities.

It’s a strong military force of 45,000 troops, half of them conscripts.

And, despite its heavy losses in the civil war in Syria ‒ 2,000 of its warriors killed and 8,000 wounded ‒ it gained a great deal of battle experience in large troop maneuvering.

Hezbollah is therefore no longer a terrorist group but a professional army.

Taking advantage of their contribution to saving the Assad regime in Syria (together with Russia), Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsor are trying to gain a foothold near the Israeli border, but Israeli leaders have declared that they will not tolerate any Iranian or Shi’ite presence close to the Golan Heights.

It seems that here, too, Israeli deterrence is working, and neither Hezbollah nor Iranian troops no longer dare to take up positions close to the Israeli border. However, Israeli intelligence assessments emphasize that, despite the current tranquility, the risk of an unexpected confrontation in one or two arenas – Gaza and/or Lebanon – is still relatively high.

“The situation is fragile,” a senior military officer told me, “and any minor incident can get out of hand.”

All parties involved don’t want another round of violence, so war is not on the horizon; still the danger remains that a miscalculation by one or the other could trigger a slide into an unwanted confrontation.

December 2017

HASHALOM 9

9 Things You Didn’t Know About Hanukkah Lesser-known facts about the Festival of Lights.

By Mjl Staff

Hanukkah, which in 2017 starts at sundown on Tuesday, December 12, is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays in the United States. But that doesn’t mean there is nothing new to learn about this eight-day festival. From the mysterious origins of gelt to an Apocryphal beheading to Marilyn Monroe, we’ve compiled an item for each candle (don’t forget the shammash!) on the Hanukkah menorah .

1. Gelt as we know it is a relatively new tradition - and no one knows who invented it.

2. The first Hanukkah celebration was 3. The books of Maccabees, which tell actually a delayed Sukkot observance. the story of Hanukkah, weren’t included in the Hebrew Bible – but they are in the Catholic Bible.

While coins - “gelt” is Yiddish for coins, or money - have been part of Hanukkah observance for centuries, chocolate gelt is considerably younger. In her book On the Chocolate Trail, Rabbi Deborah Prinz writes that “opinions differ” concerning the origins of chocolate gelt: Some credit America’s Loft candy company with creating it in the 1920s, while others suggest there were European versions earlier that inspired Israel’s Elite candy company. Prinz notes, as well, that chocolate gelt resembles a European Christmas tradition of exchanging goldcovered chocolate coins “commemorating the miracles of St. Nicholas.”

The second book of Maccabees quotes from a letter sent circa 125 BCE from the Hasmoneans (the Macabees’ descendants) to the leaders of Egyptian Jewry, describing the holiday as “the festival of Sukkot celebrated in the month of Kislev rather than Tishrei.” Since the Jews were still in caves fighting as guerrillas on Tishrei, 164 BCE, they had been unable to honor the eight-day holiday of Sukkot , which required visiting the Jerusalem Temple; hence it was postponed until after the recapture of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Temple. Many scholars believe it is this connection to Sukkot – and not the Talmudic account of the cruse of oil that lasted eight days – that explains why Hanukkah is eight days long.

4. Marilyn Monroe owned a musicplaying Hanukkah menorah (the Marilyn Monrorah?).

There are different theories explaining why the first-century rabbis who canonized the scriptures omitted the Maccabees, ranging from the text’s relative newness at the time to fears of alienating the Roman leadership in control of Jerusalem at the time.

5. The game of dreidel was inspired by a 6. Oily food (think latkes and sufganiyot) German game played at Christmastime, isn’t Hanukkah’s only culinary tradition. which is itself an imitation of an English and Irish one.

When the Hollywood star converted to Judaism before marrying Jewish playwright Arthur Miller, her future mother-in-law gave her a menorah as a conversion gift.

The Hanukkah lamp, which the menorah’s current owner says Mrs. Miller brought back from Jerusalem, has a wind-up music box in its base that plays Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem. It’s featured in the Jewish Museum in New York City’s exhibit “Becoming Jewish: Warhol’s Liz and Marilyn,” but sadly you can’t wind it up.

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December 2017

Our Eastern European game of dreidel (including the letters nun, gimmel, hey, shin) is directly based on the German equivalent of the British totum game: N = Nichts = nothing; G = Ganz = all; H = Halb = half; and S = Stell ein = put in. In German, the spinning top was called a “torrel” or “trundl.”

Traditionally, Hanukkah has included foods with cheese in recognition of Judith, whose liberal use of the salty treat facilitated a victory for the Maccabees. To combine the two unhealthy but delicious traditions, try this recipe for cheese latkes.

JEWISH WORLD 7. On Hanukkah, we celebrate a grisly 8. The next “Thanksgivukkah” (sort of), is murder. only 53 years away.

The aforementioned Judith had an ulterior motive for plying Assyrian general Holofernes with salty cheese: making him thirsty so he would drink lots of wine and pass out, enabling her to chop off his head and bring it home with her. The beheading – particularly the fact that a woman carried it out – was said to have frightened Holofernes’ troops into fleeing the Maccabees.

In 2013, the convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah on Nov. 28 inspired everything from turkey-shaped menorahs to a giant dreidel float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. While experts say a full day of Hanukkah won’t coincide with the fourth Thursday in November for thousands of years, the first night of Hanukkah will fall in time for Thanksgiving dinner (assuming you have the meal at dinnertime rather than in the afternoon) on Nov. 27, 2070.

So, hang on to this recipe for sweet potato latkes with toasted marshmallows!

9. The largest menorah in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records is 32 feet high and weighs 4,000 pounds.

The Shulchan Aruch stipulates that a menorah should be no taller than about 31 feet. Incidentally, Guinness lists at least three other Hanukkah-related records: most dreidels spinning simultaneously for at least 10 seconds (734), most people simultaneously lighting menorahs (834) and largest display of lit menorahs (1,000). We’d like to know the most latkes ever eaten in one sitting.

December 2017

HASHALOM 11

The Maccabees: Heroes or Fanatics?

The Maccabees triumphed over the Syrian Greeks and liberated the Temple, but their legacy is not so clear.

By Michele Alperin - My Jewish Learning Although celebrated as heroes who saved Jewish practice and Torah law from suppression and abrogation by the Syrian Greeks, the Maccabees are portrayed in the First Book of Maccabees as religious zealots, murdering coreligionists who had chosen the path of Hellenism.

The historical reality is murky, refracted as it is through the political and religious agendas of First and Second Maccabees (books relating the Hanukkah story that the rabbis chose not to include in the Hebrew Bible). Because of this ambiguity, both interpretations have some legitimacy, and later commentators choose the one most consonant with their own needs and goals.

For example, readers who have personally experienced anti-Semitism may identify Mattathias as a hero who was loyal to his religious identity in the face of an anti-Semitic Greek civilization. On the other hand, civil libertarians may judge the Maccabees less generously, criticizing their infringement on the civil rights of their coreligionists [the latter of whom may also have treated those belonging to the Maccabean party in a similar manner].

The Role of Hellenism Central to any assessment of the Maccabees is an evaluation of the role of Hellenism, an ideology whose universalistic outlook was based on Greek ideas and athletic prowess. Following in the footsteps of Alexander the Great, Hellenism became a political tool used by the Syrian Greeks to consolidate their power among the wealthy bourgeoisie. In turn, the aristocratic elites who embraced Hellenism gained access to the social and economic perquisites flowing to citizens of a Greek polis, including the right to mint coins, to take part in international Hellenistic events, and to receive protection from the city’s founding ruler.

But Hellenism encompassed more than a pragmatic relationship between the ruler and local economic elites; it also represented an “enlightened” worldview considered by many to be the way of the future. Nations who shut themselves off and did not confront the challenge of Hellenism were falling by the wayside. Because it was viewed as the wave of the future, the pressure to acculturate to Hellenism was quite intense in Judea. Therefore, the people of Judea had to decide whether the universalistic focus of Hellenism constituted a danger to their ancestral religion and its God or whether it simply represented a more modern and “progressive” way of life that could be merged with Jewish practice.

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Reform or Revolt?

Was the appropriate response, then, to reform Judaism in the spirit of Hellenism or to assume a stance protective of traditional Jewish values by “liberating” Judea from the Syrian Greeks? The Jewish Hellenists chose the first path; they wanted to move beyond separatism and assimilate the positive aspects of Greek culture into Judaism. As First Maccabees recounts, “In those days there emerged in Israel lawless men [Jewish Hellenists] who persuaded many, saying, ‘Let us go and make a covenant with the nations that are around us; for since we separated ourselves from them, many evils have come upon us’” (I Maccabees 1:11).

Jewish Hellenists used the secular power structures for their own benefit. First Jason and then Menelaus were able to secure the position of High Priest from Antiochus IV Epiphanes by way of monetary bribes and other machinations. Yet the involvement of these wealthy Jewish aristocrats and priests in Hellenism complicates any assessment of the role of the Maccabees. Whereas a liberator is generally one who frees a country from domination by a foreign power, the Maccabees seem to have “liberated” the loyal Jewish masses from the Hellenist Jews and their Syrian Greek allies in the context of a civil war. An assessment of the legitimacy of the Maccabean liberation, therefore, depends on whether the Hellenists are viewed as apostates or as Jews who have taken on some Greek ways.

According to historian Elias Bickerman, Jason and Menelaus wanted to preserve aspects of Judaism that fit with Greek ideals, like a universal God, but to remove those parts of Jewish practice that separated Jews from others: dietary laws, Sabbath observance, circumcision. Some Hellenists continued to worship the Jewish God, but moved their worship to outdoor sanctuaries and sanctioned the pig as a sacrificial animal. It is interesting, however, that even in Second Maccabees, which is considered an anti-Hellenist tract, envoys representing Jerusalem at the quinquennial games in Tyre [the ancient version of the Olympics] “thought it improper” to purchase a sacrifice for Hercules. Instead they decided to fit out a ship and donate it to Tyre (II Maccabees 4:18-20).

Although these Hellenists were willing to participate in the athletic contests, they appear to have been squeamish about doing something completely counter to Torah law.

When evaluating the Maccabees’ role, one must ask whether these Hellenist Jews, deemed apostates by the Maccabees and their supporters, had the right to assimilate their Jewish observance to the surrounding Greek culture. The Maccabees answered with a resounding “no,” and their judgment was confirmed when eventually Menelaus convinced Antiochus to enact a decree prohibiting Mosaic law. Through Antiochus’ decree, observance of the commandments of the Torah became a capital offense, and the worship of pagan gods was required.

The Maccabean struggle was also driven by issues of social class. Because only the wealthy - the urban ruling class and large landowners, led by the priests - were citizens, the “democracy” of the Hellenized Jerusalem polis oppressed the vast majority of Jews, who were powerless. Even before the Antiochan persecutions, social

JEWISH WORLD antagonisms existed between the zealots of the traditional faith the urban craftspeople and village dwellers - and the free-thinking Hellenizers, suggesting that the Maccabees may have been liberators, but that they were also driven by some degree of self-interest.

Legitimization Through Zealotry Whereas some modern sensibilities will be offended by the Maccabees’ vicious treatment of the Hellenist Jews, First Maccabees not only lauds Mattathias’ zealotry against his coreligionists, but uses that very zealotry to legitimize the Maccabean dynasty. In First Maccabees, Mattathias acts in the tradition of other zealots in the Torah by murdering a fellow Jew in Modi’in who approaches a pagan altar to offer a sacrifice when requested to do so by a royal official. When this apostate Jew steps up to the altar, Mattathias kills him as well as the government official and then tears down the altar. Mattathias declares, “Let everybody who is zealous for the law and stands by the covenant follow me” (I Maccabees 2:27). With this self-conscious echoing of the words of Moses when confronted with the Golden Calf – “Whoever is for the Lord, come here” (Exodus 32:26) – First Maccabees begins its justification of Maccabean zealotry.

First Maccabees continues by explicitly comparing Mattathias to the biblical figure Pinchas, who killed a tribal leader and his Midianite partner to stop the spread of idolatry and was rewarded by God with a “brit shalom” - covenant of peace - of eternal priesthood (Numbers 25).

The implication is that Mattathias derives his political and religious authority from this very act of zealotry, this taking of the law into his own hands, based on his perception that the continued existence of the Jewish community was in danger.

Although Mattathias saw himself as acting in a situation of conflict between an earthly power and the law of God, his act might be viewed from the outside as one of political terrorism; he had committed

murder for the sake of what he perceived to be a greater good.

Judah continued the fight begun by Mattathias by actively attacking apostasy - destroying idolatrous altars, compelling observance of Torah by force, circumcising newborn infants, and killing apostate violators of Torah law.

Later in the story, the Maccabean self-interest also led them to reinterpret Torah law so that the Jews hiding with them in the wilderness could defend themselves from government attack on the Sabbath.

By interpreting the law on their own authority, the Maccabees were setting themselves up as an opposition government, infringing on the prerogatives of the sitting High Priest.

Although the text of Maccabees views Judah as a liberator whose zealotry was necessary to preserve the Torah and the Jewish people, later rabbinic commentators frowned upon such zealotry, realizing the danger of individuals taking the law into their own hands and interpreting it in accord with their own interests. Consequently, normative Jewish law limits “legitimate” zealotry nearly to the point of nonexistence: A zealot is not allowed to act preemptively in expectation of a desecration, nor punitively after the desecration has been completed; if he does so, he is treated as a murderer. Because a zealot is considered to be acting outside the law, the desecrator has the right to kill a zealot in self-defense. In addition, rabbinical courts were forbidden to give permission to zealots to act or to teach zealotry.

In the end, the Maccabees must be judged to be both liberators and zealots. Like many figures in the Bible, these apocryphal heroes are multi-layered, and their meaning is unraveled by successive generations based on their own needs and experiences. In the world today, we may identify with the Maccabean fight to preserve Judaism in the face of assimilation and anti-Semitism, while at the same time working to mitigate religious zealotry that threatens to turn Jew against Jew.

December 2017

HASHALOM 13

Don’t pray for what you want

By Lauren Shapiro People pray for the darndest things. This afternoon while my nine-year-old was playing Mine Craft, I overheard him praying to Hashem to let him find enough diamonds to make a pair of leggings. (For those readers not yet familiar with the computer game, diamond leggings are apparently a thing.)

People pray for soccer teams. For concert tickets. For parking spaces. For their kids to earn accolades (as if every kid could – or should – achieve these titles). In generations past, parents have prayed for their left-handed children to be right-handed and all sorts of things that have no real bearing on life.

I’m certainly not immune to this. I caught myself the other day praying for it to rain so that I could justify watching TV instead of going for a walk. Prayer can be a pretty powerful medium, but I think sometimes we misunderstand how it works. It’s not a wishlist with a money-back guarantee.

I couldn’t think of a flashy, pun-filled title for this month’s column, so I’ve simply decided to call it like it is: “don’t pray for what you want”. There are two aspects to this title. We’ll start with the first emphasis: don’t pray for what you want. That’s not to say pray has no place in fulfilling our dreams, but simply praying usually isn’t enough. Think of all the students who pray to Hashem for an A aggregate, and then spend their after-class hours watching MTV. Or (I look covertly in the other direction) those who pray to lose a couple of extra kilos while already planning their next snack. Hashem isn’t a catalogue from which we can simply place orders. We have to actively partner with Him to make our prayers come true.

The second emphasis is this: don’t pray for what you want. This may feel counterintuitive, but if you haven’t learnt it yet, we often don’t know what is really good for us. Young kids want to stay up all night, but then they – and everyone around them – are ratty and miserable the whole of the following day. Many adults want to eat the entire cheesecake, but when we do we spend the next week feeling bloated and guilty and cursing every time we put on our running shoes (of course here I’m not talking from personal experience but from what my, er, friends have told me…)

It’s a sign of emotional maturity to realise the difference between what we want and what is best. It usually involves developing the ability to see the bigger picture. The most mature of all will realise that we can never see the full picture – that only Hashem with his

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G-d’s eye view can truly know what is best for us. That’s why we sometimes only realise in hindsight that what seemed like a curse was really the best thing that could have happened.

And that’s why I say we shouldn’t pray for what we want. Personally, I’ve started praying for what is best. I ask Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, to do what He knows is right.

This development in my prayers has taken some humility, let me assure you. The most difficult prayers I’ve ever made have been when someone I love was deathly ill and I prayed to Hashem to do what He knew was best. The same can go for meeting a partner, getting that job, or winning the lottery. If we pray for what we want, we may end up with the wrong person, a miserable career, or with more money than is good for us. Heck, just look at the divorce stats, work-related suicide rates, and the record of lottery-winners who end up more broke (and broken) than before they hit the jackpot.

It’s much, much harder to pray for what Hashem knows is best, because it involves showing our egos the back door and trusting in something we probably don’t understand very much. But the results are amazing. (On a personal note, I don’t mind admitting that I initially dismissed my husband – whom I adore beyond measure – as “not my type”, and I’ve floundered briefly in corporate positions that clearly were not good for my soul simply because I’d done everything in my power to ace the interview. I am eternally grateful that neither of those situations worked out the way I’d hoped! I’ve only ever bought one lottery ticket and I know I’ll never get my R5 back but I’m making peace with it.)

This month we celebrate Chanukkah, which story perfectly illustrates my point(s). Firstly, Judah and the Maccabees show us that we can’t just pray for what we want and wait for Hashem to deliver it; they had to rise to the challenge and partner with Hashem to bring about their victory. Hashem certainly creates miracles, but the Maccabees still had to fight to make them happen.

Secondly, the little jug of oil that lasted for eight days instead of one reminds us that, if something is really right, Hashem will make it happen against all odds. That’s the true power of miracles.

So this festive season, go out there and make your prayers come true. Then sit back with a latke and a pina colada and trust in Hashem. Chag sameach and have a great holiday. Until next time.

HASHOLOM - December 1942 Extracts.

HASHOLOM in those days sought always to prove that it was up to date.

The Editorial, entitled “A MILESTONE”, recorded with pleasure the opening of the Maon, the new home of the Zionist Youth movement. Readers of Past Tense, of course, know that HASHOLOM had enthusiastically reported the fact the previous month.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE DJC reported the election of the new Council and Executive, accompanied by photographs of Messrs. H. Lipinski (President), M. Solomon (chairman) and H.D. Freed (Vice-Chairman).

Would it be sacrilegious to suggest that the latter photograph could well have served as an advertisement for Brylcreem?

YOUTH BETWEEN TWO WORLDS was an interesting article by Leslie Shandel on the problems facing Jewish youth in the modern (wartime) world in which he stressed the importance of Aliyah.

MR. WARTSKI’S 90TH BIRTHDAY was the headline to a brief history of Mr. Philip Wartski’s Durban activities illustrated by the usual photo of the subject featuring his regular large cigar.

IN TOWN AND OUT Congratulated: • Sgt Bernard Lindsay and Miss Freda Jacobs (of Boksburg) on their recent marriage.

• Miss Nita Barnett and Mr. Joe Jacobs on their forthcoming marriage in Johannesburg.

COUNCIL OF NATAL JEWRY Gave notice that the S.A. Jewish Board of Deputies had resolved to observe Tuesday, 29th December 1942, as a day of mourning by the Jewish people “in consequence of the atrocities and inhuman cruelties which continue to be inflicted upon Jews in enemy territories.”

75 years later we know that what happened after December 1942 was even worse than what had gone before!

DJC Sectional Notes.

The Culture Section reported on a very well-attended meeting addressed

by Dr. Ellen Hellman on “Jewish Nationalism and Socialism”. The lecturer expressed the view that capitalism had served its purpose and that the future would evolve into Internationalism.

The Canteen it was reported “is slack”. In the past month it had served only (!) 19000 men.

YOUTH CHANUKAH SERVICE IN DURBAN. It was reported that an “impressive and beautiful Chanukah service took place on 6 December at the Park Street Synagogue. We are told that: “According to Durban tradition, the service was conducted by the pupils of the Durban United Talmud Torah”. Pundit wonders whatever happened to that tradition?

We are told that “the Chazan, Master A. Schaffer fittingly rendered the Mincha service.” In later years, Master A (that’s Aubrey) Schaffer became probably Durban’s best ever lay Chazan. Pundit has recently heard that Aubrey and Muriel Schaffer recently celebrated their 65th Wedding anniversary. Mazaltov to them both and many more happy anniversaries.

HASHALOM – December 1967 extracts.

EDITORIAL – THE AGM AND AFTER The editorial expressed the view that the AGM had failed “to come to grips with the malaise that has inflicted this institution”. It suggested that fruitful discussion might “encourage that sense of identity with the Kahal and that feeling of high purpose that animated the founders of the Club.”

THE GREATEST MIRACLE MEDICINE: BLOOD This was an appeal for blood donors which had previously appeared in the Sunday Tribune. A note reminded readers that during the Six Day War an appeal for blood donations to assist in the Israeli Emergency had produced 750 pints of blood in just one weekend and the Blood Transfusion Service was appealing for regular donors.

PERSONALITY PAGE This was devoted not an individual, but to a partnership – Abe Dubin and Alan Zulman. It recorded their extraordinary success in business and their joint and several communal commitments.

CAUSTIC COMMENTS FROM U.S. Malia Grant (formally Adley of Durban) was highly critical of much she had seen and experienced in various parts of the United States.

PROFESSOR ARNOLD TOYNBEE vs. PROFESSOR J.L. TALMON The July issue of the American Journal “Encounter” had carried an exchange of letters between Toynbee (who called himself “Western spokesman for the Arab Cause”) and Talmon (Professor of Modern History at the Hebrew University) relating to possible solutions to problems arising out of the Six Day War. HASHALOM published their respective views on the future of Jerusalem, which must barely have scraped the surface of the whole debate. The Professors’ thoughts were obviously poles apart on almost everything but “the future of Jerusalem” appears 50 years later still to be an insoluble problem.

LODGE SINAI No 31.

The article recorded the founding of this Lodge of the Hebrew Order of David under the Presidency of Mr. Mendel Green.

THE HOUSE IN RAMLE The issue ends with this short story by Anan Safadi, published with acknowledgements to the Jerusalem Post. It’s a moving story (you didn’t know that Pundit was an old softie, did you?) alleged to be true which is unfortunately too long to be reported in detail here.

Mr. Editor, what about some space in a future issue.

Well, as they used to say in the old cartoons, that’s all folks, at least until next month.

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HASHALOM 15

COMMUNITY NEWS ISRAEL

By Sylvia Collins Beth Shalom has enjoyed lovely entertainment over this period. We were very blessed to have Shirley Masgado singing to the residents with Desi Halse on the Piano. We had a delightful afternoon of fun for our residents, who all sang along to the old tunes. This lovely afternoon was arranged by Jenifer Kaplan, our very own resident. Residents were also treated to Colin Penn entertaining them in the evening which was a real delight. We are also very grateful to the residents Rolene Lyons, Audrey Levy and Arthur Zimmerman who continue to entertain our residents with musical events at the Home.

We are also so proud of Sylvia Heyman who received an award in Johannesburg from the UJW for doing community service for a total of 50 years. Sylvia, on behalf of our President, Mr Stan Liansky and our Executive Committee we salute you for your outstanding loyal service to the Community. A hearty Mazaltov to you.

We are pleased to welcome Mrs Paddy Meskin and Sylvia Magid to our family at Beth Shalom. We hope that Paddy and Sylvia will be happy and we wish them many healthy and happy years with us.

Lots of our residents had birthdays this month: Elyse Jooste, Maizy Shandel, Joyce Rogoff and Neville Klein. We wish all our birthday residents Mazaltov.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Ben Gurion: Epilogue

By Michelle Campbell During October, the Kwazulu Natal Zionist Council hosted the Premiere screening of the film “Ben Gurion: Epilogue”. This well attended event was opened with an introduction by Ori Leizer of the World Zionist Organization under whose auspices the film was brought to South Africa.

This extraordinary documentary is based on black-and-white footage discovered at the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive in Jerusalem, but was missing the soundtrack. That the audio portion was subsequently retrieved from the Ben-Gurion Archives in Negev was nothing short of miraculous. To create the film, the six-hour interview, conducted in 1968, is interwoven with news footage and other clips that contain everything from historic moments of oratory, to charming shots of the elder statesman doing a headstand on the beach. Filmed just months after his wife Paula’s death, Ben Gurion’s very spartan life on Kibbutz Sde Boker is vividly portrayed in windswept dessert splendour. The film conveys a wonderful portrait of a well-read man who looks back at his life, good decisions and bad, with wisdom and intelligence.

Ben-Gurion at 82, spry and quick-witted, almost comes across as a kibbutznik Yoda. The film is an absolute delight, offering an intimate look at what was going on inside Ben-Gurion’s heart and mind at the time.

Mike Hirshovitz and Ori Leizer from the WZO

Stan and Bev Oshry with KNZC Chairman Antony Arkin

WZO Shaliach Adeno Adebe with Ezra Altshuler

Young Israel Centre

By Jess Stout

Sukkot is always a fun and busy time at the Young Israel Centre. This year 4 students from Yeshiva College joined us for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.

We took the opportunity to invite as many of the youth as possible to meals with them.

Shabbat fell straight after Simchat Torah, so without missing a beat the Young Israel Centre hosted a youth lunch with the Yeshiva College students as well as some of the youth in Durban.

As soon as the Chaggim were over, it was time to start planning for the Shabbat Project. This year we hosted a fantastic Shabbat supper. We were joined by the usual Shabbat crowds as well as many others who do not normally get involved. It was a fantastic evening and we look forward to having everyone over to experience many more Shabbatot.

Camp time is around the corner and Bnei Akiva sent down 3 dynamic madrichim for school visits and to speak to the parents. They were a joy to have in the Young Israel Centre and we look forward to having them again in the near future.

We take this opportunity to wish everyone Channuka Sameach and a fantastic December break.

December 2017

HASHALOM 17

COMMUNITY NEWS

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December 2017

COMMUNITY NEWS

Eden College

By Norma Bloch

Shalom On Tuesday the 12th of October we boarded the school bus with great excitement. We were on our way to Chabad to enjoy a Sukkah party with the Masadniks. Upon arrival we managed to sit in the sukkah, do the mitzvah of Lulav and Etrog and enjoy a snack, and then....... chaos.....!! a massive, devastating storm had hit Durban. The phone began to ring incessantly, anxious parents concerned for our safety and teachers worried about how we were going to travel back to school. We received so much conflicting advice, some said - wait there and be safe until the storm subsides, others said -no come back now it is going to get worse and soon the roads will all be blocked. What to do? Well ....we decided to wait in the warmth and safety of Chabad house. Deborah kindly fed the starving but extremely well behaved kids. The Masadniks decided it was time to leave , and after assuring us that they had arrived home safely, we reboarded our bus and thankfully returned to school safely without any incidences. This is certainly one Sukkot we will not forget.

L’hitraot until next month

By Diane McColl The Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation celebrated Simchat Torah as usual with a reading of the final and first verses of the Torah. The children of the congregation stand together with Rabbi Avidan as he reads repeating the words after him. Young and old enjoy this festival, its music and singing and sweet treats. This year the congregation honoured Roger and Tessa Armitage as Chatan Torah and Kallat Bereishit in appreciation for their support of the congregation.

Rabbi and the children of the congregation

Pictured above are Roger & Tessa Armitage

Pictured from left: John Manduell (Vice chair DPJC) Tessa Armitage, Rabbi Hillel Avidan, Roger Armitage and Rob Sinclair (Chair DPJC)

December 2017

HASHALOM 19

COMMUNITY NEWS

DURBAN JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES

BOX IT. WRAP IT. GIVE IT. The message from Chief Rabbi Goldstein and his team was clear and easy; Spread the Shabbos love. Pack a Shabbos Shoe Box for beneficiaries of local organisations with essential daily toiletries and help us make a real difference.

We immediately approached the Durban Hebrew Schools Association who jumped on board.

Thanks to Solly Berkowitz and Sue Jacobson who galvanized into action and before we knew it, the children from Akiva, Eden, Talmud Torah and Temple David Hebrew School creatively decorated and filled the boxes with toiletries.

The community rose to the challenge and were, as we’ve come to appreciate, abundantly generous. Those members in our community who are less fortunate will benefit from your generosity. Our family at Jewel House received their boxes with great enthusiasm and excitement.

Celebrating our 60th AGM DJSS recently celebrated their 60th AGM and as our President Gaynor Lazarus so aptly explained ‘DJSS’s diamond jubilee is a great cause for celebration. As with a diamond, the organisation has many facets which have had to be cut with human hands to make it into its unique and beautiful shape.

We are only able to offer a lifeline to our clients through the kindness and generosity of our donors and volunteers.’

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December 2017

DURBAN

Wotsup Wizo DU

RB

Contact us: 031 337 7070 | wizodbn@djc.co.za

AN

WIZO South Africa December 2017

HASHALOM 21

#16 | December 2017

DHC IN NUMBERS IN 2017 4435 school learners 16 formal adult groups 7 international tour groups have passed through the Durban Holocaust Centre this year.

To help continue this work, please consider donating to: Durban Holocaust Centre, Standard Bank Kingsmead (040026), Account number 240 265 882

A Pictorial Reflection of 2017 It’s been a bumper year at the DHC, full of international visitors, school groups, new educators and feverish preparation for our upcoming tenth anniversary…

By Lauren Shapiro

Guest speaker Laurence Rees talks to the DHC volunteer guides.

DHC educator Michelle Murray runs a workshop with students from Umkhumbi High School.

DHC educator Gugu Radebe with students from Durban Girls College.

Waitress Sam Nzama shows off some of the delectable treats available at the Circle Café.

Hilton College educator Andrew Douglas with students at the exhibition.

UK Prof Stuart Taberner helped us commemorate international Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Talented handymen Msizi and Mxolisi Hlongwane hard at work preparing the renewal of the exhibition in honour of our 10th birthday in March.

Leora Rakin (pictured here between Maureen Caminsky and Mary Kluk) brought her great-uncle David Labkovskiʼs artwork to the DHC.

The Bremen Youth Group made a special trip to the DHC and were impressed with the calibre of our centre.

The DHC wishes all its supporters a joyful holiday season and a happy new year.

During this period we suggest our visitors access the DHC via the gate in Brickhill Road as the municipality often closes K E Masinga Rd. We will be closed on the 17, 25, 26 and 27 December and 1-2 January.

On Sunday 28 January the DHC will commemorate United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day. For more information on this function, be sure you’re on our mailing list! Visit www.dbnholocaust.co.za/join-our-mailing-list/ or contact 031 368 6833 to sign up.

COMMUNITY NEWS

By Lauren Shapiro Supporting each other is a hallmark of any Jewish community. KwaZulu-Natal Jewry further spelled this out on 31 October, when they gathered at the Durban Jewish Centre for the annual launch of the Israel United Appeal-United Communal Fund (IUA-UCF) campaign.

“We look after our own – from cradle to grave,” read in challenging economic times. “The economic climate of the IUA-UCF to help look after our own and ease the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD)

the slogan emblazoned on the screen. But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do so is causing pain in our community and we are incredibly fortunate to have the support some of the pain for our most vulnerable,” observed Jeremy Droyman, President of KwaZulu-Natal Council.

Michael Selikow, Chairman of the United Communal Fund, noted that the fund is “totally reliant on the generosity of our donors, without whom we would not be able to provide our beneficiaries these much needed funds and continue to make it possible to let them live with dignity.” He thanked the JAKAMaR Trust, The Victor Daitz Foundation, The Beare Foundation and The Lazarus Family Trust for their continued support, and appealed to the community to “dig deep” to help this worthy cause.

Some of the fund’s biggest recipients are Durban Jewish Social Services, Durban’s Jewish senior citizens’ home Beth Shalom, and the community’s youth, including Bnei Akiva and Netzer.

Selikow also praised It’s Durban Calling, a new social media project that aims to raise both awareness and money for the Durban Jewish community. To date, It’s Durban Calling has collected hundreds of thousands of Rands. 2284 individuals engage across the various digital platforms, reuniting globally dispersed members of a very special community.

SAJBD KZN Council’s vice president Susan Abro introduced the keynote speaker, Mmusi Maimane. Maimane is the current leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and leader of the opposition in the national assembly. Maimane spoke confidently and eloquently, assuring the audience that “when things fall apart, they do fall into place”.

Despite the nine million people in our country who cannot find work and the 53% categorized as poor, Maimane is “more hopeful about South Africa now than I’ve ever been”. He hopes the pivotal 2019 election will result in a coalition government leading a country united by values, not divided by race. “People see things as black or white. It’s not ‘or’. It’s ‘and’. It’s black and white, it’s urban and rural, it’s labour and business – it’s all of us.”

He continued: “I can see state capture. I can see corruption. We can all see that. But the question I would like to attempt to answer is what about the future? What changes do we hope to see?” He then outlined his economic vision, which includes city-driven schemes to avoid national corruption. He wants to focus on education, sustainable energy, entrepreneurship, tourism, manufacturing and mining, amongst other things. He also advocates a smaller cabinet to reduce expenses, and 15-year sentences for corrupt politicians.

Maimane attended the 2017 ABSA Jewish Achievers Awards and said he was “impressed not just by the capital in the room but the skills and innovation”. He congratulated the South African Jewish community on their participation in the national economy. “Your contribution is more needed today than at any time in the past,” he implored.

Maimane closed with reference to a recent visit to Yad Vashem – Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust – which he said inspired him with “the triumph of human beings over a particularly devastating aspect of history”, and reminded him that anything is achievable. “I’d rather talk about what is possible,” he concluded. “Not what is happening, but what is possible.” Maimane received a standing ovation.

December 2017

HASHALOM 23

COMMUNITY NEWS

“The Shabbos Project” 5 at the DUHC By: Michael Greenbaum With great anticipation and excitement, the Durban Jewish community and the DUHC eagerly participated in the fifth “Shabbos Project: Keeping it Together”, an initiative started by Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein 5 years ago to encourage the South African Jewish community to fully observe the laws and practices of one Shabbat. This first Shabbat Project saw the support of congregations, families and individuals with huge numbers attending shuls. The number of people observing this special Shabbat yearly throughout South Africa has exceeded all expectations. Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein expressed his amazement at the support for the project based on hundreds of reports from South African Jews at all levels of religious observance. He said that the energy of “The Shabbos Project” has been felt, not just on a communal scale across the country, but on a global scale including postings on Facebook, YouTube and emails from Australia, Canada, England and Israel while international journalists and Jewish media wanted information about what happened in South Africa. Subsequently, the “Shabbos Project” concept has gone worldwide over the past years with Jews all over the world “keeping it together” with city-wide pre-Shabbat Challah Bakes, Shabbat programs and Havdallah Concerts after Shabbat. For many, this was the first time in their lives they had observed Shabbat in full. The international “Shabbos Project” took place this year on the Shabbat of 27 and 28 October 2018, in 1357 cities in over 96 countries, bringing together 1 million Jews worldwide.

The Durban Jewish community was no exception and everyone spoke of how they would be observing Shabbat completely for the first time or, at least, improving their Shabbat observance. Throughout South Africa and the world, the project began on the Thursday prior to the Shabbat with countrywide and worldwide group challah-baking in Israel and Jewish communities throughout the world. In Durban, over 200 ladies participated in the Challah Bake at the Umhlanga Jewish Centre under the auspices of the Union of Jewish Women. An outstanding shiur was also given by Rebbetzin Estee Stern, an inspiring introduction to the forthcoming Shabbat programme.

Shabbat events began on Friday night at the Silverton Road Synagogue with candle-lighting by WIZO members of the “Spreading the Light” Unity Candle. This was followed by the Shabbat evening service. After the service, a delicious Kiddush L’Chaim with a “Scotch and Sushi” theme evening was enjoyed by all .

On Shabbat day, the well-attended morning service was followed by a splendid brocha. Before the communal lunch, Rabbi Lebowitz gave an exceptional shiur on “Lech Lecha”, the Parasha of the week where Abraham is commanded by Hashem to leave his land, family and home to go to an unknown land and make a new nation. This was followed by an enjoyable and lively lunch with song and food including the traditional Shabbat cholent. The DUHC thanks Selma Lurie for catering the excellent lunch.

In the evening before sunset, congregants gathered again at the Silverton Road Synagogue for Mincha and a lively and lavish festive Seudah Shlishit with wonderful food and Shabbat songs in the Sacher Family Hall, sponsored generously by Charlotte and Susan Abro. After the Seudah and the conclusion of Shabbat, Maariv was followed by a beautiful “campfire” style Havdallah ceremony led by Chazzan Jaron Kalmonowitz to mark the end of a wonderful Shabbat filled with community warmth and chaverschaft.

The DUHC extends thanks to Norman Ganz and Mark Werner for arranging Shabbos Project events and to the congregation for their participation in this wonderful initiative. We look forward to next year’s Shabbos Project.

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COMMUNITY NEWS NEWS COMMUNITY

By Cheryl Unterslak During my last trip to Israel I delivered backpacks filled with letters and gifts for the siblings of Officer Hadas Malka who was murdered by terrorists in July of this year. This beautiful vibrant young woman was stabbed to death at Damascus gate outside the Old City of Jerusalem when she and her police unit heard gunshots and went to help.

I travelled down to Moshav Givat Ezer to meet with her lovely family. I came on a very emotional day as Hadas’s whole family was there for the Hachnassat Torah. A Torah was being dedicated in her name to the community. In one photo you can see the trailer where the Torah would be placed when it was going to be taken around the community to the shul. There is a photograph of Hadas in the ark. In another photo is Hadas’s two youngest siblings with their bags full of gifts from the children at Yeshivah College in JHB and on the table behind is the Torah. The family were very grateful and emotional, for the love and support that they received. I left with a very broken heart for this beautiful family who had lost their precious daughter/ sibling/grandchild. Please see attached a letter that an older sibling sent via email, after they had received a wedding box from DIVOTE. There are a few photographs here of some of the children in Israel affected by acts of terrorism with their gifts from the primary school students of Yeshivah College. The children received their grey packets with a child’s name on it and they filled them with gifts as their Elul chesed project. They also wrote the most magnificent letters that were full of love. This project was a huge success. With this article are a few of the many photos of some of the children with their bags of gifts. The children in Johannesburg gave the children in Israel a great deal of happiness.

Hello, My name is Tamir Malka, 29 from Israel.

My sister Hadas, a border patrol police officer was murdered in a terrorist attack over 2 months ago just 1 month before my wedding.

A wedding she so wanted to be a part of.

This week you have came to our house to offer your condolences and sympathize with us, I wasn’t present but my mother Geula was deeply inspired and touched by this gesture, she really appreciated it.

Even through our darkest hour - we cannot ignore all of the support we are getting from the Jewish community across the world and from police organizations.

You are the meaning of “Kol Israel Achim” (all of Israel brothers) and hearing about your visit gave me power & hope.

I am attaching a goodbye letter from our family to Hadas, we have read this at the end of the “Shiva’a” at the cemetery Thank you & Shabat Shalom!

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COMMUNITY NEWS Mrs Montgomery and her Grade 2 & 3 students presented an assembly on the choices we make. How we have the choice to respond in a positive manner to our difficult situations. To look at what we have rather than what we have lost.

“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.” ― Viktor E. Frankl The Israel Centre visited the school and spoke to the older students about programs available as a gap year in Israel. Our Grade 10 students, Danielle Burne and Ethan Plen, are in Israel on the Kfar program and are having a wonderful experience. When they return in January they will continue their active participation in our community.

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December 2017

From Beth Shalom to Birmingham

DURBAN 2017 Wherever you ďŹ nd yourself, Limmud will take you one step further on your Jewish journey

Huge thanks to everyone who participated in and contributed to Durban Limmud's journey this year. We may be small but we hold our own among the 80 communities in 43 countries on 6 continents that host Limmud events each year.

Lynn and Heidi are proud to represent our community at the agship Limmud Festival in Birmingham, England in December - to be one of the more than 2500 people from all over the world partaking in this amazing one week long Limmud. We're sure they'll return with some inspirational ideas for 2018.

WHAT DOES LIMMUD REPRESENT: DIVERSITY - among Jews RESPECT - no one is more important than anyone else LEARNING - anyone can be a student and everyone can be a teacher EMPOWERMENT - we inspire and encourage people to tell their story PARTICIPATION - volunteering is a key feature of almost everything we do ENABLING CONNECTIONS -we aim to create opportunities for communities and individuals to connect COMMUNITY - Limmud is a community of learning RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE - we seek to create an inclusive environment for all participants whatever their religious observance practices EXPANDING JEWISH HORIZONS - we strive to create individual, collective and communal experiences through which we strengthen and develop our Jewish identify

Help us make 2018 even better.

Be involved in the planning of these exciting events or register as a volunteer. We look forward to hearing from you.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN 2018 Contact: durban@limmud.org.za for more information December 2017

HASHALOM 27

COMMUNITY NEWS

Women of Actiom Durban’s annual Shabbos Project Challah Bake, hosted by the Union of Jewish Women Durban, was another huge success. Thank you to all 190 ladies who joined us for a moving, beautiful, uplifting evening which was filled with ruach and much laughter. We are so grateful to Rebbetzin Estee Stern, Robyn Smookler and Ronit Sarakinsky from Johannesburg for giving up their time to enrich our experience. We love the sense of unity and community which the Challah Bake always manages to create. We look forward to an even bigger and better Challah Bake next year.

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December 2017

COMMUNITY NEWS

December 2017

HASHALOM 29

Above Board Mary Kluk National Chairman

Above Board

Mary Kluk, National Chairman

A Column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies

CHANUKAH

LET’S CELEBRATE!

A column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies

Safe-guarding the Israel-South Africa Relationship

Traditional Potato Latkes

At the time of writing, Board primary focus is its response to a proposed downgrading of the South African embassy in Tel Aviv.

The proposal was put forward at the ANC policy conference in June and will be voted on at the party’s much-anticipated elective conference in December. Much of our time and effort has since gone into conveying to the ruling party that such a step would not only be harmful to this country’s own interests – economic, diplomat, technological or otherwise – but would result in South Africa effectively precluding itself from playing any meaning role in furthering peace prospects in the region.

• • • • • • •

The campaign against the downgrade is itself just the latest instalment in what has been an ongoing political battle against BDS attempts to persuade government to adopt its hard-line anti-Israel agenda. While the outcome of this particular matter is still uncertain, we can nevertheless point to a number of positive developments in recent months. August saw a visit by a delegation representing various parties in the Knesset which, despite vociferous opposition, had positive meetings with political leaders from across the spectrum. In November, Israel’s Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzachi Hanegbi was in the country, inter alia meeting with Minister Edna Molewa, head of the ANC committee on International Relations and Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe. The two initiatives constitute the most significant governmental-level interaction between South Africa and Israel in a long time. When one adds to this the visit to Israel by the Zion Christian Church, Southern Africa’s largest Christian movement, we see that despite the incendiary anti-Israel rhetoric emanating from certain quarters, dialogue and engagement between the two countries is continuing.

The Board will continue to work with all parties to help ensure that such interaction continues, and indeed is stepped up.

SA Jewry and International Jewry – Connected and Respected The World Jewish Congress National Directors’ Forum, held in Cape Town from 22-24 October, combined focused formal discussions and presentations on core issues facing global Jewry with the equally important informal interaction that took place between individual delegates outside of the formal sessions. Representatives of Jewish communities numbering in the millions, as in the case of Israel, through to those numbering just a few thousand, took part in what was truly a memorable experience for all concerned. The conference was also an opportunity for us to introduce our own community - its history, structure and current activities - to our international colleagues. Visits to communal projects showcased three key aspects of what our community is committed to: outreach to disadvantaged South Africans in the wider society, imbuing the next generation with a knowledge of and attachment to their Jewish heritage and assisting those within our own community in need of a helping hand.

It was gratifying indeed to see once again how highly SA Jewry is regarded in global Jewish circles, to the point that we are described as being a model for other Diaspora communities to emulate.

Delegates were astounded by how much the community, despite its relatively small numbers, is achieving, from the comprehensive range of communal activities and services it is able to maintain to the high level of on-the-ground involvement by its members.

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December 2017

6 large potatoes, peeled 2 onions 1/2 cup flour 3 egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons salt oil for frying

Grate the potatoes and onions – squeeze the liquid out of each using a dishcloth. Once liquid is removed, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Drop batter into hot oil and brown till golden on both sides. Place latkes on greaseproof paper or paper towel to soak up excess oil. Serve either plain or with apple sauce OR with a dollop of cream cheese/sour cream and a slice of smoked salmon.

Fluffy Corn Fritters • • • • • • • •

1 cup flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt white pepper 1 cup cream style sweet corn 1 tin drained corn kernels 2 eggs, slightly beaten oil for frying

Combine all the ingredients and fry in hot oil until golden Churros • • • • • •

1 cup flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 cup cake flour oil for frying

Combine the water, sugar, salt and 2 Tablespoons oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil and remove from heat – Add the flour and stir until mixture forms a ball. Heat the oil for frying – Place the batter in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.

Pipe strips of dough into the hot oil and fry until golden. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towel. Mix the castor sugar and cinnamon together and roll the churros in this mixture. Serve with warm chocolate sauce Chocolate Sauce • • • • •

4 Tablespoons water 2 Tablespoons sugar 150g dark chocolate 2 Tablespoons cocoa 90g butter or margarine

Melt all ingredients on stove EXCEPT the margarine. When chocolate is melted, add margarine.

Keeps in fridge for ages………just reheat!

MARRIAGES Mazaltov to Shimon and Bev Cohen on the marriage of their daughter Shani to Eitan Eloz; to Les and Zelda Levin on the marriage of their grandson Dovi Chait in Jerusalem.

ANNIVERSARIES Mazaltov to Natie and Shirley Klein on their 70th wedding anniversary.

BIRTHDAYS Mazaltov to Stan Oshry on his 70th birthday; to Sandy Getz on her 60th birthday.

December 2017 Date Time

Event

Venue

1

8.30am

Final Assembly and Prize givingAKIVA

Akiva

3

3.00pm

DPJC Farewell to Antony and Marion Arkin

DJCentre

7

6.30pm

Community farewell to Antony and Marion Arkin

DJCentre

CONDOLENCES Our deepest condolences to Dr Julie Frankel on the passing of his brother Myer, husband of Josephine and father of Larry, Linda and Melanie; to Rev Gilad Friedman and family on the passing of their father Jonathan; to Avron, Elion, Gavin, Nadine and Shaun on the passing of their father Natie Krok; to the family of June Berkowitz; to the family of Jacqueline Dodo Adley; to Jonathan Manduell on the passing of his father Sir John Manduell in England.

BAR/BAT MITZVAHS

& Co (Pty) Ltd

BOOKSELLERS AND STATIONERS

With warm wishes for you at Chanukah.

Mazaltov Leon and Maureen Pevsner and Larry and Lindy Sack on the barmitzvah of their grandson and son, Ethan.

Hashalom is not responsible for errors and omissions. Please submit your information in writing to The Editor, PO Box 10797, Marine Parade 4056 or fax to (031) 3379600 or email hashalom@djc.co.za.

Hashalom is not responsible for errors and omissions. Please submit your information in writing to The Editor, PO Box 10797, Marine Parade 4056 or fax to (031) 3379600 or email hashalom@djc.co.za.

December 2017

HASHALOM 31

baby city advert

TM

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December 2017