Hashalom March 2018
Established 1923
Volume 22. No 6
March 2014
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HASHALOM 1
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Editorial Out of Perspective Mishna Impossible
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Israel
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How ‘Zombie’ Grapevines Survive Drought 05 Israeli Water Experton South Africa Crisis: ‘Manage Water As Stock’ 06 Superstitions 07 The 3 Big Breakthroughs Coming To Digital 08 Health In 2018
Jewish World
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Unity, Camaraderie and Good Ol’ Tennis Florida School Shooting’s Jewish Victims Remembered For Their Kindness Poland’s ‘Holocaust’ Legislation Highlights Its Continued Shift To The Far Right
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Community News
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Bubkes Past Tense Durban United Hebrew Congregation Akiva College Beth Shalom Divoted DHC Eden College Limmud Talmud Torah Young Israel Centre Wotsup Wizo Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation UJC Union of Jewish Women KwaZulu Natal Zionist Council SAJBD Above Board Cooking with Judy and Linda Social and Personal Diary of Events
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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: Diane McColl 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: Jacqui Herbst Notice to Organisations/Contributors: All material to be submitted by email to hashalom@djc.co.za DEADLINE FOR THE APRIL ISSUE: 9 MARCH Advertisements Contact: Jacqui Herbst 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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EDITORIAL
WATER, BLESSINGS AND ACCOUNTABILITY Diane McColl Water covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and an astonishing 5065% of the average adult human body is water. No life forms can survive without it and indeed the emergence of life on Earth would not have occurred at all but for the presence of water. In Genesis 1 the primordial deep (tehom) is the stuff giving rise to all creation. And if you want a more technical rendition of Genesis 1 then Philip Ball, author of the book, Life’s Matrix: A Biography of Water says that liquid water is essential for the kind of delicate chemistry that makes life possible. (Life’s Matrix: A Biography of Water by Philip Ball. Copyright © 1999 by Philip Ball) Yet for all that fresh water remains a rare and precious commodity. Only about 3% of Earth’s water is potable. We are now facing a global water vulnerability crisis. According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation two billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services; 340,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases; water scarcity already affects four out of every ten people; eighty percent of all natural disasters are water-related; eighty percent of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused; around two-thirds of the world’s trans boundary rivers do not have a cooperative management framework. (UN-Water Bulletin Volume 82 Number 32 | Monday, 5 February 2018) In South Africa we are having to confront some harsh truths about our attitudes to water and its use. Many of us have laboured under the delusion that water is in abundant supply, just open the tap and there it is to be used at will without much thought about how, for what we are using it and for those who do not have it. We feel for the inhabitants of Cape Town who are facing the real prospect of dry taps. The water collection drive by the Union of Jewish Women and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies KZN Board, which once again highlights the generosity of the Durban Jewish community, is commendable and worthy of our support. But the future requires more than reactive responses to a crisis. A look at our biblical texts reveals that our ancestors understood water and its value far better than us. Praying for rain always was a focus for an ancient agrarian Jew. We know G-d as the One who “makes the wind blow and the rain descend,” and we request that G-d will “give dew and rain for a blessing on the face of the earth.” In the Torah we read that rainfall is a consequence of our doing G-d’s will; “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will give your rains in their time, the Land will yield its produce, and the tree of the field will give forth its fruit... You will eat your food to satiety, and you will live in security in your land, and I will grant peace in the Land.” (Leviticus 26:3-6) Praying for rain but persisting with ravaging the Earth and ignoring the impact of global warming is like praying for good health but continuing an unhealthy lifestyle. We need to remember that we are partners with the Creator and custodians of this world. Rain needs to be foremost in our prayers at the moment but our conduct should reflect the spirit our prayers. We must live by the words we pray and know that our actions can contribute to the wellness of the world. It is only by living upright lives which exhibit a reverence for the world and its resources that we can hope to leave to our children a world that is blessed by the Creator pouring water upon those that are thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground.
OUT OF PERSPECTIVE
Supergoal! Some insights from collecting Israeli soccer stickers David Arkin One of the biggest toy brands in Israel is Supergoal, which is basically a sticker collection album featuring football players from the teams in the local Premier League. While the brand is privately owned and marketed by a local toy distributor over the past twenty years, the two main umbrella bodies that oversee its publication are the Israeli Football Players Organisation and the Sports Division of the Histadrut.
of the Superhealth set.
I suppose the Trade Unions get some positive press by saying how they worry about the welfare of all the athletes? This year, for the first time, the Israeli Basketball Players Association also got involved, as the album was marketed as “Supergoal hosts Superbasket”, taking advantage of Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA.
The collection of social responsibility stickers was a lot more interesting. These were social-activist players across all the leagues (men, women, youth), striving for worthy causes like equality for the Ethiopian community, promoting women’s sport, coexistence between Jews and Arabs, fighting against Racism in football against foreign African players and against certain local minorities, collecting and distributing food for needy families and the like. My only criticism being that the print describing their activities was so small, that the average child probably wouldn’t read it and would miss the point.
A respectable market research company found that it sells to over two-thirds of its target market, kids aged 6-12. From this statistic, I infer that the same percentage of parents of this age group cringe when the album is released each year (always after Succot and usually for free). Its slick marketing and ubiquitous presence at POS (points of sale) means the stickers are elevated to a form of traded currency when bartered amongst kids. There are over 400 stickers to collect, and at NIS 4 for a pack of 5 or NIS 10 for a pack of 10, one can do the sums as to how much money is (lovingly) spent (wasted). Needless to say, at the end of the season, the stickers are rendered worthless. While it’s a relatively simple business model, the actual product (the album) provides some valuable insights into the challenges of raising kids in Israel. The format was tweaked this year, where stickers were not based on the teams in the Premier League, rather by sets of players by their positions (goalies, sweepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards). Interestingly, the actual team of the player is not mentioned at all, rather the place of birth. I speculate that the change was made as kids may identify more with the players this way. Other sets included an autographed series, a set of legionnaires (Israelis playing in foreign leagues) and a set of past soccer legends. Obviously there was also an Omri Casspi and basketball stars set to widen the appeal and market beyond football. So far, all these sets provide the basic framework for the collection as in the past. What was new this time was a clear vision and desire of the brand to influence and shape children through various educational messages covering healthy nutrition and exercise, equality, as well as volunteering. These appear to be lofty goals (pun intended) or at least clever strategic marketing aimed at parents. To this end, there were sets to be collected about a Healthy Lifestyle, Women Soccer Stars and Social Responsibility. An expert doctor in family medicine and sport from Shaare Zedek Medical Center was even consulted on the content
These stickers had messages like “Get nine hours sleep a day”, “Eat at the table, and not opposite the TV”, “It’s better to eat natural foods and not processed foods”, etc. Not exactly rocket science, but then again, raising kids is often way more complicated, and positive messages should be re-enforced everywhere.
An examination of Supergoal’s sponsors also highlights some ironies in raising children. There’s a good chance that finding the sticker to “Eat 5 helpings of fruit and vegetables in 5 different colours” may have been included in an order from McDonalds. Despite all the positive reinforcement in the album about exercising and playing sport, Babylon Park, (a chain of video arcade games located in malls across the country) is also one of the marquee sponsors. Sony even included Supergoal branding in its latest PlayStation, PS4 Pro (there’s obviously a competition to win a PS4 inside the album). Apparently, Supergoal does donate proceeds to Larger than Life, an NGO helping Israeli children with cancer, so I am sure I will keep that in mind when I send my kid down to the corner store to buy milk, and a 5 pack of stickers is purchased instead of the 2nd carton. A generation of Israeli kids has already grown up collecting these stickers, some of whom now grace the pages as a collectible. Role models are no doubt important and inspirational to children, but adulating Sport Stars is obviously not ideal. Eran Zehavi, a top striker, is positioned centre of this year’s album cover. One of the competitions on offer is to watch him play a match for his team in China, Guangzhou R&F. He was also the Captain of the Israeli soccer team, until the team lost to Macedonia in a world cup qualifier in early September. As the crowd booed the team, he subsequently threw his captain armband to the ground, prompting him to be suspended by the Israeli Football Association and accused of “trampling on the values we teach to future generations.” All this was a month before the latest Supergoal was launched. But he remained the top scorer in the Chinese league in 2017, so scoring goals and winning obviously sells a lot, albeit not necessarily in an Israeli soccer kit.
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MISHNA IMPOSSIBLE 19
HOLY FRIENDS By Warren Shapiro I am extremely proud of my wife and her incredible abilities. One of these is that she is an amazing teacher, who taught English 3 at a private university in 2017. As part of the syllabus, she had to teach (and I had to endure) a 1999 movie called “Fight Club”. The most iconic line from the movie being “The first rule of Fight Club is that you don’t talk about Fight Club!”. The same sentiment is true about our truly inspiring Chevra Kadisha – its activities are seldom discussed and its members do not flaunt what they do. They just do it, and do it in a humble and caring way that brings consolation to those going through a very dark time. I have been blessed to be on both sides – a member for quite some time and a mourner who was comforted by how we were treated and the kindness that we were shown. The holiness of the Chev’s work was underscored by a discussion that extended across Dafim 14, 17 and 18. It was taught that a gravedigger who is digging a grave is exempt from the recital of the Shema and the Amidah, from tefillin and from all other mitzvot stated in the Torah. The same dispensation applies generally to pallbearers at a funeral too. Stop for a moment and consider this: the work of preparing for a funeral and accompanying the deceased to their final resting place is so holy that prayer and mitzvot can wait. For those moments, nothing else matters – it is about the bereaved family and the departed. Shortly before we were married, Lauren’s late grandfather passed away and my dad came for the funeral. Dad had been to any number of funerals in other places. Yet he was so moved by how our Chev worked that he insisted on being buried in Durban, in a place of true peace and dignity. As he ailed, he and I often returned to this topic – sometimes seriously, sometimes humorously but never did he waver. And so to Durban he came on his final journey and from the moment he touched down at the airport, it was like the Chev were caring for one of their own family members. It might sound odd, but I was comforted knowing my dad was in their hands. I felt safe. It does not get said enough – the work of the Chev is holy, and the manner in which it is done (from the first gut-wrenching phone call to the last shovelful of earth) is an example to us all. Everyone is treated the same and with the same respect – be it a funeral with hundreds of mourners or one where only the Chev are in attendance. I count it as a privilege to be part of such an incredible organisation. So to all the men and women of our Chevrah Kadisha, our truly holy friends, I say the most heartfelt thank you.
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ISRAEL
How ‘Zombie’ Grapevines Survive Drought Ruth Schuster - the Haaretz Growing grapes in Jezreel Valley, Israel, where farmers will surely be delighted to hear they can probably irrigate less. Moreover, despite the current flooding in France, much of Europe and all of the Levant and Mediterranean basin anticipate mounting aridity as climate change bites down. For Israel, where wine exports totalled $40 million in 2016, and for Europe, the hardiness of the vine is good news. But how hardy is it, exactly?
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hey didn’t evolve in the desert but grapevines are bizarrely resistant to developing embolisms that kill other droughtstricken plants, which could help explain the 8000-year old wine industry. The grapevine is more resistant to summer drought than had been thought, scientists reported recently in the open-access journal Science Advances based on a 10-year study. Growers prone to prophylactic over irrigating vineyards lest their young vines dry up and blow away can probably stop doing that, despite forecasts of intensifying aridity throughout the American Southwest, parts of Europe, the Sahel and the Levant under conditions of global warming. People have been making wine for at least 8,000 years, going by the sediment found in giant Neolithic wine jars found in the Caucasian hills. (The prehistoric Chinese were making a mixed drink involving fermented juice from grapes and other fruit even earlier but their tipple isn’t considered a “true wine”). Wine is the focus of ritual in many religious systems. Ergo, the grape has been an important crop going back to the dawn of modern civilization and it remains so, though admittedly, the total world area planted with grapevines has crept down from 7.8 million hectares to 7.5 million in the last 15 years. The vine’s hardiness when times turn tough could be one reason for the industry’s persistence. Grapevines aren’t petunias: they’re perennial. You plant a vine and hope to reap fruit for decades. Combine that thought with the expectations of mounting freshwater stress in the world and you get frightened farmers fretting about what to plant in marginal zones that are, in some cases, already showing signs of drying out.
When water-depleted, plants become “drought stressed” they emit more water by breathing than they absorb through their roots. In water-starved plants, normal biological processes including photosynthesis slow or stop. Growth is constrained. Leaves shrivel. Somehow it hadn’t been scientifically noticed that under seasonal (i.e., summer) drought conditions that cause many other plants to flop over and die, grapevines do not. Note that there are thousands of varieties of Vitis vinifera growing in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. In drought, the viniferas sort of turn into temporary zombie vines, not doing much and barely breathing, but not going gentle into that good night, either. The berry developmental stage is observed at the period of highest drought stress. Plants regulate water loss by opening and closing their leaf pores (the stomata). When drought strikes, the stomata close. The idea is for the plant’s breathing to decrease before the internal conditions beckon embolism. Crucially, under conditions of seasonal drought, the vinifera vines observed never experienced hydraulic failure, namely, utter failure of their water transport. They didn’t die even under very dry conditions, though obviously, there are thresholds beyond which the climatic conditions would be fatal. With the dynamic and quantitative thresholds measured in this study, growers could control the level of stress experienced by the plant at any date, and adapt their management to the available water resource. At the end of the day, the world could save fresh water on irrigating vineyards so people can have their Chardonnay and drink it too. Ruth Schuster Ruth Schuster is Senior Editor at the Haaretz-
TheMarker English Edition. Schuster has worked in writing, editing and translation for English and Hebrew-language publications
for more than two decades. She holds a BSc in biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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ISRAEL
ISRAELI WATER EXPERT ON SOUTH AFRICA CRISIS: ‘MANAGE WATER AS STOCK’ By Abigail Klein Leichman
“You have to manage water as stock. You have to think about managing water as a flux, and you have to think about water as a commodity. “We want to see water as a basic human right, something that cannot be denied to people because water is life. But we must, however, also understand that water is not free, it costs a lot not for the water, but managing water costs money, treating it, storing it, pumping water all of that costs money.” Lipchin emphasized that without thinking of water in this way, “we cannot get to a point of figuring out all the solutions that are out there. We cannot rely solely on natural water.”
The countdown to “Day Zero” for Cape Town’s water crisis has been pushed from May 11 to June 1, but South Africa’s government has officially declared the impending catastrophe “a national disaster.” “Day Zero” is the day when water reservoirs across the city are expected to hit 13.5% of capacity and taps will be turned off. The Wandile Zulu Foundation, together with the South African Jewish Board Deputies, hosted a water crisis symposium on Tuesday,13 February, which saw several well-known experts in the field, including the director of Arava Institute’s Centre for Transboundary Water Management, Dr. Clive Lipchin, address possible solutions to the situation. Based in Israel, the Arava Institute is an environmental studies and research program that focuses on a range of environmental concerns and challenges throughout the Middle East. Around 150 people attended the symposium, including members of Rand Water that supplies potable water to the Gauteng province and other parts of the country, officials from the city of Johannesburg, water entrepreneurs and members of the Jewish community. During the event, Lipchin, who was born and raised in South Africa, explained that Cape Town is not the only city in the world facing a water crisis; Sao Paulo, Brazil and Brisbane, Australia, have also recently faced similar situations. Lipchin also spoke about the reasons behind water problems and the technology that can be used to address such issues such as desalination and water recycling. “Water is an infinite source. The problem is that it doesn’t rain in the right place or at the right time,” he said. “In the mid-1990s, Israel was where Cape Town and many places are, we were in a very significant drought and all of our stocks, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River, groundwater aquifers were all basically collapsing. This was a turning point for Israel.
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He said that this is when desalination came into play in Israel, adding that there are other options. “You have to go beyond natural water supply. Seventy to 80% of Israel’s drinking water supply comes from the sea and is desalinated but that’s not enough. You have to value every single drop of water and put it into productive use.” Addressing the Cape Town crisis, Lipchin said he does not doubt that South Africa will be able to find a solution. “The way to think about water and the way to move from crisis to management, you have to think about this issue very comprehensively. Where Israel is today, Cape Town and South Africa will be tomorrow, because you will solve this problem and the advantage here is that you do not have to start from zero,” he said. “It is happening all around the world. You can look at Israel, Australia, Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong there are many good examples out there, and Israel is just one of them.” “It’s not a water scarcity crisis but a crisis of water management,” he added. Lipchin also explained that to some degree there are similarities of water inequality in the townships in South Africa and in some of the Palestinian villages. “There is a large inequality of water access, in water distribution... If I go to a township in South Africa or a Palestinian village, one of the problems there is that there is lack of infrastructure, there’s no drinking water network or sewage network. One solution is that they must be connected to the network but that may not always be feasible politically or financially,” he said. He concluded by saying, “What we need for South Africa is to figure out how to provide sufficient, safe and affordable water to those who are on a network and those who are not on a network.”
ISRAEL
SUPERSTITIONS By Robert Gresak
Superstition dates back to early man’s attempt to explain nature and his own existence. There was a deep belief that animals, nature and objects held a connection to spirits and the spirit world. In order to have a feeling of appeasing these forces different behaviours or customs arose that would dictate a favourable fate and good fortune. Many superstitions have come from mythology where omens were common. They live on because they have been passed on from generation to generation. Even today where direct evidence and facts outweigh superstitious beliefs, there are probably very few people who can categorically deny that they do not, at least secretly, harbour a slight belief in one or two superstitions. Let’s take a look at some of the more common ones starting with the number 13 which seems to be prevalent in many countries and cultures and which is considered to bring bad luck, and indeed to be an evil number. It is so strong that many hotels, offices, and apartment buildings do not have or recognize a 13th floor, and there are airports who do not have a 13th gate. Also many people will stay at home if the 13th falls on a Friday. Opposite to this the Chinese believe the number brings good fortune. One theory why this negative belief about 13 exists is that Judas who betrayed Jesus was the 13th person to be seated at the last supper. Way back in 1881 a group of New Yorkers set out to debunk this superstition and formed a group called the 13 Club with its first meeting taking place on a Friday the 13th at 8.13pm and 13 people sat down to dinner in room 13. To get into the room each guest had to walk under a ladder. Needless to say that all of them survived and for the next forty years thirteen clubs cropped up all over the USA but eventually they faded away. Some people believe that in order to bring good luck you must hang a horse shoe in the bedroom with its ends pointing upward. This stems from the fact a horse shoe has seven holes which is considered a lucky number and the shoe also is made of iron thereby warding off bad dreams. In Russia believe it or not, there is a belief that if a bird, or birds, defecate on your car or your property it is a sign of good fortune to come. The more birds involved the richer you will be. Most people have heard the saying that if a black cat crosses your path its bad luck. This interesting superstition has its origins in the middle ages due to the misconstrued belief that single women, usually elderly, who associated themselves with many cats were actually witches who could turn themselves into cats. Thus a black cat crossing your path could be a witch. Crossing ones fingers is a gesture also used for good luck. It derives from the times of the ancient Christians persecutions by the Romans and it was a sign identifying another Christian as well as a sign of peace.
Wishing on the evening star or a falling star. This one’s origin is uncertain, however, Europeans believed that the Gods would occasionally peer down and when they moved the sky a star would escape and fall down. The ancient Greeks also believed that falling stars were actually falling human souls. According to superstition if you open an umbrella indoors you are literally asking for bad luck to rain on you. One explanation comes from the days when umbrella’s were used as protection from the sun so opening one inside the home was a insult to the sun God who would then curse you with bad luck. There are many superstitions associated with brooms but there is one which is very curious. As the lore goes you cannot sweep dirt out of a new house or apartment with a new broom unless you sweep something in first. If you don’t sweep something in first then you will be sweeping out your good luck. Knocking on wood after making a hopeful or positive statement has its roots in the idea that you are tempting fate by acknowledging your good fortune. It is believed that the expression comes from an ancient belief that good spirits lived in trees so by knocking on something wooden a person was calling on the spirits for protection. Just another reason why we should all be tree huggers. What about mirrors which are believed by many to be soul sucking mystical items ( which is bad enough) but what happens when you break these? Why, seven years of bad luck of course. Now here is one which probably hundreds of thousands of people use every single day after someone near you sneezes. We say ‘bless you, or God bless you’. It is such an automatic common response. It is of course a gesture of politeness but finds its roots interestingly in Pope Gregory the Great who would say to it to people who sneezed during the time of the bubonic plague and from the erroneous belief that the soul escapes from the body during a sneeze and the heart momentarily stops. Therefore saying ‘bless you’ was a way of welcoming the person back to life. Itchy palms; There are a lot of variations on this but the idea of having an itchy palm generally refers to someone who is greedy. Some believe that if the right palm itches you will lose money while an itchy left means money is coming your way. Robert Gresak is a member of the Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation and contributes to their annual publications
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ISRAEL
The 3 big breakthroughs coming to digital health in 2018 By Abigail Klein Leichman
Israel is pioneering digital health developments for the world. Which ones will hit their stride in the coming months? Medication personalization, personalized disease management and reducing chronic pain will be the three biggest breakthroughs in digital health this year, predicts Dr. Yossi Bahagon, a family physician, global digital health consultant and managing partner of OurCrowd Qure, Israel’s first exclusively focused digital health fund. Digital health is a booming business, projected to be worth $230 billion by 2020. Over the course of 2017, investments skyrocketed in hardware and software solutions and services – including telemedicine, wearable technology, mobile applications and remote monitoring sensors – to help healthcare professionals and patients prevent and manage illnesses and health risks, as well as promote wellbeing. “Digital health is not about technologies; it’s about creating a different human experience and quality of care while utilizing advanced technology,” Bahagon tells ISRAEL21c. “Patient-centric platforms using big-data tools to improve quality of care, efficiency and transparency are at the essence of all the systems being developed,” says Bahagon, one of the people responsible for Israel’s fully digitized healthcare system, a rarity in the world. According to figures from EY Israel, Start-Up Nation Central and IATI, which co-sponsored the fourth DigitalHealth.il conference in Tel Aviv on January 23, Israel is prominent in the global digital health landscape, with more than 450 active startups and companies in a variety of digital health-related fields and more than 700 local and global participants. In the face of rising costs, an aging population, fragmented care and wasted resources, digital technologies are reinventing the way we consume and receive healthcare by expanding access, improving quality and managing costs. The 3 breakthroughs Bahagon explains his three picks for digital health breakthroughs in the near future, noting that there are Israeli startups involved in all of these areas. 1. Medication personalization: “Medicine is one-size-fits-all today, even though each patient has completely different DNA and habits. This is going to change dramatically in the next few years.”
“When one patient comes into my clinic he will get a certain treatment and a different patient with the same or similar disorder will get a different treatment. This personalization will be based on analyzing patients’ genetic, clinical and physiological data.”
2. Personalized disease management: “There are already platforms for this today but they are not yet seamlessly personalized to the patient. This will happen soon.” 3. Pain reduction using digital health tools: “In the United States, there is a big buzz about the overuse of opioids. We see companies targeting the area of chronic pain reduction using advanced digital tools such as augmented reality.” At the OurCrowd Global Investment Summit on February 1 in Jerusalem, thousands of visitors had a chance to try Israeli digital-health technologies in a demo space dubbed Doctor’s Office of the Future. People explored DarioHealth’s personalized, pocket-sized glucose meter coupled with a real-time mobile app to manage diabetes;
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ISRAEL ElMindA’s mapping tool for visualizing neural activity to optimize management of brain disorders and injuries; HIL Medical’s radically cheaper and smaller proton-beam laser-based cancer therapy system; Intendu’s adaptive motion-interaction brain rehabilitation platform for at-home therapy; KolGene’s system for connecting clinicians with genetic labs worldwide; Memic’s internal laparoscopic surgical robotic system; RealView Imaging’s medical holography visualization system for medical images; and TytoCare’s suite of products for simple tele-health examinations and consultations. Introducing Israeli digital health to major stakeholders As part of the summit, Bahagon and fellow OurCrowd Qure Managing Partner Allen Kamer hosted a three-day event for visiting digital health and innovation executives Dr. Ryan Noach of Discovery Health, Dr. David Stein of Siemens Healthineers, Valerio Nannini of Nestle, Dr. Marco D. Huesch of Ping An Group’s Global Voyager Fund, Andre Crawford-Brunt of Oxford Science Innovation, Haim Regev of Siemens Healthcare Israel and Stavit Navon of SAP Israel. Exploring everything from nutrigenomics and personalized medicine to the smart medical home and remote diagnostics and care, these experts met with the head of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Yeda tech-transfer company, innovation officers from the ministries of Defense and Economy, the head of the prime minister’s office and Prof. Avi Simchon, head of the National Economic Council. The visitors were introduced to seven Israeli digital health startups (Cytoreason, Scopio, AEye, Tyto, Games 4 Pain, CyberMdx and BrainQ) followed by an hour-long discussion with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on how Israel is anticipated and aspiring to grow in the digital health space. “Netanyahau said this will be one of Israel’s major growth engines in the next few years,” Bahagon reports.
Panel discussion on the future of digital health, at the OurCrowd Global Investment Summit in Jerusalem, February 2018. Photo: courtesy
Digital health delegation meeting with the chairman of the Israeli Innovation Authority and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO
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ISRAEL
Netanyahu in deeper peril as more Israeli officials are arrested on corruption charges By NOGA TARNOPOLSKY
L
ess than one week after Israeli police recommended that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted on several corruption charges, a new legal minefield has opened up beneath his feet. Seven Israelis were arrested on Sunday, 11 February in what the police call “Case 4000,” a new investigation in which members of Netanyahu’s innermost circle are suspected of intervening with regulators to help the Bezeq group, an Israeli communications giant then run by a close friend of the prime minister, in exchange for favourable coverage of Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, on a news portal owned by the company.
Though Netanayhu has not been named as a suspect in the case, numerous Israeli news outlets reported on Sunday that he is expected to be questioned “under caution,” a term used for suspects in criminal cases. The names of those arrested were not officially announced. But for about an hour before the imposition of a gag order on all details of the investigation, the Haaretz news website reported that they included Nir Hefetz, a close friend of the Netanyahu’s and the prime minister’s former communications director, and Shlomo Filber, a Netanyahu associate who served as director general of the Communications Ministry. Sunday’s revelations came only five days after the police announced their recommendation, presented to the attorney general, that Netanyahu be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two unrelated cases in which Netanyahu is alleged to have inappropriately given associates political favours. From Germany, where Netanyahu was attending the annual Munich Security Conference, he said the arrests of members of his close circle revealed “yet another futile investigation, a contrived bubble that will burst.” Netanyahu was in German holding meetings with world leaders and acting outwardly as if nothing was amiss. While addressing the plenum Netanyahu brandished a large shard of what he said was an Iranian drone downed February 10 by the Israeli air force, he said that “Israel will not allow the Iranian regime to put a noose of terror around our neck.” The drone’s incursion into Israeli skies precipitated an exchange of fire that resulted in the loss of an Israeli F-16 that was downed by a Syrian antiaircraft missile. It was the first loss of an Israeli fighter jet since 1982. Speaking directly to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in the audience, Netanyahu asked, “Do you recognize it? You should. It’s yours. Don’t test us.” Tal Schneider, the political analyst for the Israeli financial daily Globes, who accompanied Netanyahu to Munich, said the prime minister “appeared unruffled, projecting that business is as usual, carrying on with scheduled meetings.” As he departed from Munich, Netanyahu refused to answer questions from Israeli reporters about the criminal investigations that surround him. Israelis, however, appear to be asking the same questions. Three polls published before the weekend show many Israelis believe the police version of events rather than that of Netanyahu, who claims he is the victim of a political witch hunt. A poll that aired on television channel Reshet said 49% of Hebrew-speaking Israelis believe Netanyahu acted improperly. Twenty-five percent accept Netanyahu’s claims of innocence and the remaining 26% do not know what to believe. A poll by Channel 2 showed that 45% of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign even before the attorney general decides whether to indict, versus 40% who said he should not. The police recommendations were the product of a yearlong investigation and were presented Tuesday to Atty. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit, the nation’s chief prosecutor, who will have to decide whether to indict Netanyahu. Israel feels increasingly alone as it confronts a difficult dilemma on its northern border: to allow Iran to gain a permanent foothold just across its border with Syria, or to go to war to prevent that from happening.
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March 2018
JEWISH ISRAEL WORLD
UNITY, CAMARADERIE AND GOOD OL’ TENNIS This February saw the coming together of the Israeli and South African tennis players, at the Davis Cup Tie In’s at the Irene Country Club.
Photos: Reg Caldecott
Sadly, yet expected, the destructive behaviour by the BDS and cohorts was present at their protest on the Friday. It was met with stun grenades dispersed by police, due to their aggressive and non compliant mentality. Luckily this did not dampen the competition at all. As they say, the “game went on”, in a peaceful, spirited and exciting way.” Playing to a packed stadium with spectators waving both South African and Israeli flags, the international teams lived up to the camaraderie of sport, bringing people together in unity. Community members who attended these historic matches were moved by the beautiful anthems of Nkosi Sikileli Africa, being played alongside the Hatikva. Both teams were met with stiff competition, with Israel pipping South Africa at the last moment. We congratulate the South African and Israeli teams, as well as the organisers, Tennis South Africa, for two memorable days of tennis. To view the final SA vs Israel results, visit: https:// www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie. aspx?id=M-DC-2018-G1-EPA-M-RSA-ISR-01
Israeli team captain, Harel Levy hugs Dudi Sela after they won the tie against South Africa during day 2 of the Davis Cup tie between South Africa and Israel at Irene Country Club on February 03, 2018 in Pretoria
March 2018
HASHALOM 11
JEWISH WORLD
FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING’S JEWISH VICTIMS REMEMBERED FOR THEIR KINDNESS BY BEN SALES/JTA, JOSEFIN DOLSTEN/JTA
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School being ushered to saftey by Law enforcement
Jewish students and staff were among the 17 people who were killed when a gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Wednesday afternoon, 14 February 2018 and began shooting. Among the Jewish victims are first-year students Jaime Guttenberg and Alyssa Alhadeff, senior Meadow Pollack, student Alex Schachter and Scott Beigel, a geography teacher who saved students’ lives by closing a door as he was shot. “It’s chaos here and devastation,” Rabbi Jonathan Kaplan of the local Temple Beth Chai told JTA on Wednesday on his way to console bereaved parents in his congregation. “Everyone is just waiting and praying. No words can describe what happened here.”
my son Jesse Guttenberg lost his sister. I am broken as I write this trying to figure out how my family gets through this.” Guttenberg and her brother were volunteers at The Friendship Initiative, a program that pairs neurotypical students like them with special needs kids. Another volunteer at the centre, Gina Montalto, also was killed in the shooting. Jeb Niewood, president of The Friendship Initiative, remembered Guttenberg as a genuine person who loved helping others.
Jaime Guttenberg and her brother Jesse were students at Stoneman Douglas High School. While her brother managed to escape the school, Jaime was killed.
“Jaime was quite an amazing human being, she had a maturity and compassion far beyond her years, she had an aura, a glow, that radiated from her smile and her eyes, she was beautiful in every way,” Niewood told JTA. He added the Guttenberg family had faced tragedy just months earlier when her paternal uncle, a first responder, passed away from complications of an illness contracted during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.
“My heart is broken. Yesterday, Jennifer Bloom Guttenberg and I lost our baby girl to a violent shooting at her school,” her father, Fred Guttenberg, wrote on Facebook. “We lost our daughter and
“Her huge passion aside from helping people was dance, and [she was an] extremely dedicated and talented dancer,” Niewood said. “She’s the daughter that everyone wanted.”
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March 2018
JEWISH ISRAEL WORLD
Poland’s ‘Holocaust’ legislation highlights its continued shift to the far right BY MUKUND PADMANABHAN, THE HUNDU
A
new law in Poland that makes it a crime to blame the country for Nazi atrocities has reopened the Holocaust denial issue. Expressions such as Polish death camps to describe concentration camps including Auschwitz have touched a raw nerve over the years. Now the ruling ultra-nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) appears intent on drawing political mileage from this dark chapter in Polish and European history. The government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has enacted legislation to impose a fine and three-year
imprisonment for all references that imply the complicity of the Polish nation and the state in Nazi
war crimes. Its contention that artists and scholars
would be exempt from the restrictions has not assuaged critics, who are challenging assaults on freedom of expression. Clearly, responsibility for the atrocities perpetrated against Jews during the Holocaust rests with the occupying Nazis, and not the people of Poland. Yet, to discount or deny the complicity of some Polish officials who may have acted in collusion with the Nazis would be
tantamount to falsifying history. Any refusal to recognise the heroism of Poles who rescued and rehabilitated Jews would also be
liable to over-simplification of that larger narrative. The motive behind the latest law is to suppress evidence that has emerged of
some of those uncomfortable truths. But then, rewriting Poland’s recent history has been a persistent preoccupation with the current dispensation since its 2015 election.
Predictably, the ‘Holocaust’ law has stoked a major controversy with international reverberations. In an equally selective reading to counter the Polish move, some Israeli lawmakers are for expanding the definition of Holocaust denial to include a refusal to admit the
role of those who collaborated with the Nazis. The U.S. State Department has cautioned Warsaw about the implications of the law for its strategic relationship with Washington.
Warsaw has already come under sharp scrutiny from the European Union for attempting to undermine the independence of the judiciary. A formal sanction by Brussels for the breach of the rule of law and deviation from European values would be an
unprecedented step. Moreover, the resulting loss of Poland’s voting rights in the bloc would be most ironic for a government that has staked its position on the assertion of national sovereignty on the EU stage. Polish President Andrzej Duda seems more alive to the ire the Holocaust legislation has invited internationally. He gave his assent to the bill, but sought a review from the constitutional court, a body already rendered toothless by parliament. Moderates within PiS should exert greater influence to roll back the extreme steps taken by the government, such as the ‘Holocaust’ legislation, or Poles risk denial of the fruits of their 2004 EU membership.
March 2018
HASHALOM 13
JEWISH WORLD
Statement by SAJBD on election of president
T
he SAJBD warmly congratulates Mr Ramaphosa on his becoming President. He hit all the right notes in his SONA address, and he certainly has what it takes to get South Africa’s economy growing and South African’s working. We appreciate his commitment to fighting the huge inequalities between our citizens while uniting us under our common pride as being South African We wish him courage and fortitude in leading our beautiful country in the future.
But who is Cyril Ramaphosa and what is his relationship with the Jewish World?
Cyril Ramaphosa’s long and eventful career has taken him from trade union activist to multi-millionaire, deputy president and now president of South Africa. It was after Ramaphosa failed to clinch the ANC nomination to succeed president Nelson Mandela in 1999 that he swapped politics for a foray into business that made him one of the wealthiest people in Africa.The 65-year-old’s impressive rise to eventually lead the ANC following its December 2017 conference would have come as no surprise to Mandela. Mandela once described Ramaphosa as one of the most gifted leaders of the “new generation” of young campaigners who rose in the 1970s, filling the void left by their jailed elders. Out of politics for a decade, Ramaphosa returned to the fray in 2012 when he was elected to the ANC’s number two post. He became deputy president of the nation in 2014 but was forced into a careful balancing act. In December 2017, in a bruising election battle against Nkosizana Dlamini Zuma, Ramaphosa by a narrow margin won the presidency of the ANC. In the past month Ramaphosa has shown his skill and political savvy navigating the ANC through the quagmire that led to the Jacob Zuma’s eventual resignation. But the question remains; what will South Africa’s position on Israel be now that she has a new president and most certainly a new cabinet? In 2014 News24 quoted Ramaphosa saying that South Africa would lose its leverage to mediate in the Middle East if it heeds calls to sever ties with Israel, He was responding to questions in the National Council of Provinces where he rejected a suggestion by Economic Freedom Fighters MP Leigh-Ann Mathys that it was unconscionable to maintain diplomatic ties with “an apartheid state”. “The government of South Africa has communicated its unequivocal and strongest condemnation of Israeli against Palestinians in Gaza to the government of the state of Israel, and we have done this through a number of measures. But he added: “Maintaining diplomatic relations with Israel allows our country to continue to engage with Israel on issues of mutual interest, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” It is hoped that this policy of engagement and diplomacy prevails in the thinking of the new president and his government.
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March 2018
BUBKES
You 're invited to a Terumah Party Lauren Shapiro Isn’t it curious how we have so many modern rituals for acquiring stuff – birthday and anniversary presents, Shabbat and Yom Tov gifts, stocking up weekly at the grocer, monthly at the supermarket, seasonally at H&M, annually at the stationer’s, etc. – yet we have developed no practices for letting stuff go? Clutter has become a malady in 21st century middle-class society. In our home, it manifests mostly in the form of children’s toys. Because, despite Psalm 23’s entreaty that “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want,” kids do want. And somehow, they keep getting. This week, I could hardly take a step without squishing a piece of train track, Lego or Barbie accessory under my foot (and believe me, it hurt). Books and puzzles buckled the playroom shelves and stuffed toys occupied every couch, chair and crevice. I knew something had to be done, but I wasn’t sure how. So I turned to our scriptures to see if I could find any guiding wisdom there. As it turns out, I couldn’t find any precedent in the Torah for getting rid of children’s toys. I did however find something thought-provoking: in parashat Terumah, the Children of Israel (of all ages) were encouraged to contribute some of their possessions to Hashem towards the building of the mishkan. “Speak unto the Children of Israel, that they bring to Me an offering,” cites Shmot, 25:2; “of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart shall ye take as My offering”. Rashi notes that although the original Hebrew reads “v’yikhu li terumah” – take to Me an offering – Hashem means that the offering is to be dedicated in His name (because seriously, what’s Hashem going to do with gold and wool and spices and stuff? This last bit is mine, not Rashi’s). Practically speaking, most of the biblical commandments to share our material wealth, from ma’aser (tithing) to bikkurim (Shavuot’s first fruits ceremony), today mean donating to tzedakkah (charity), to help others less fortunate than ourselves. The link to toys is obvious, right? Eager to emphasize this moral to my impressionable progeny, I went down to the library but was disappointed to discover that they didn’t have any books on the subject of charity. So I had to get creative. I sat the sprogs down and spun them a story about a little boy named Chaim-Shmeryl (why not?) who had so many toys that couldn’t find his Magic Master Monkey Monster (why not?). He threw a tantrum, so his mommy took him for a walk down the road to cool off. He saw a little girl sitting on the side of the road with
her mother, begging. She had nothing and she looked so sad that he felt so sorry for her. He started thinking of ways that he could put a smile on her face (you can see where this is going, right?). Chaim-Shmeryl decided to give her some of his toys, but he didn’t want to let any of them go. So he gave it some serious thought. He realized that he really was a bit too old for his quacky duck; he was tired of his tea set; and had far too many dinosaurs anyway, so he could easily part with a few. When he walked back down the street to give the toys to the little girl, she broke into a huge smile which made Chaim-Shmeryl so happy. And when he got home, of course there was less clutter in the way so he found his Magic Master Monkey Monster lying under the desk. After story time, I got the children crouching behind the rim of the couch to act out a puppet show version, so that they could “own” it. My eldest particularly enjoyed enacting Chaim-Shmeryl’s tantrum (which went on a bit longer than strictly necessary), but when they got to the scene where he gave the little girl the toys, I knew the message had hit home. The whoops of delight and cries of gratitude embodied in the puppets’ – i.e. the kids’ – reactions demonstrated their ability for empathy. Yet still, when I led them to the playroom to begin the process of choosing toys to give away, they baulked. That night I lamented their miserliness to my husband, who delivered a novel solution. Really, I sometimes think he should have gone into youth-niche advertising. He can put a spin on almost anything to get kids to willingly buy into things they wouldn’t ordinarily do – he came up with “ice cream peas” to entice our tots into consuming more vegetables (with the added parental bonus that we don’t even have to defrost the frozen peas); he coined “Darth Vader breathing” to get our middle child to use his asthma pump; and in a fit of desperate genius, he invented on the spot a new game called “Four Ball Bing Bong” to entertain our then-three-year-old when her brothers wouldn’t let her join in their game. FBBB was an immediate hit, with the result that the brothers abandoned their game to join in hers (true story). Addressing our current dilemma, he proposed a Terumah Party, to celebrate the mitzvah of giving. If the kids donated toys grudgingly, it would be a chore. If, however, they gave with joy, they would be rewarded with chips and juice (treats usually reserved for Shabbat and birthdays in our house). It worked – kind of. My 7 year-old is still a bit sulky at having to part with some his toys, but I hope that – with repetition – the Terumah party will become a regular ritual in our home. And you’re all invited to celebrate with us. Until next time.
March 2018
HASHALOM 15
PAST TENSE
PAST TENSE
HASHOLOM – February 1943 – Extracts
By Pundit
HASHALOM – February 1968 – Extracts
EDITORIAL – THE NORTH AFRICAN?? Seventy five years ago, the editor of our magazine considered the title of his diatribe against the Vichy-imposed radicalistic laws that still operated in North Africa although the Allies were by now in full control there warranted the two question marks he inserted in it. Hence, too, his criticism of Lieutenant General Eisenhower, the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in North Africa.
JEWISH SURVIVAL This was the heading of the guest editorial. We are not given the identity of the “guest”. Pundit admits that he found the article itself somewhat disconnected but it contained one sentence of profound importance: “The existence of a centre presupposes the existence of a circumference.” Just imagine that! The “guest” proceeded to tell his readers about the importance of the survival of Israel (the “centre”) and suggested that its “circumference” was Diaspora Jewry. DURBAN JEWRY MOURNS This was the title of the full report of Durban’s response to the Day of Hence, went on the writer, the necessity of the survival of the Diaspora, Mourning organised on 29 December by South African Jewry. Durban from which followed , as the night the day, the proposition that it was stores, offices and tearooms closed at 3.30pm and “crowds wended their essential to support the 1968/9 U.C.F campaign which was about to way to the Synagogue” where parts of “Lamentations” were recited and the be launched. Congregation “as one said Kaddish” for the “two million of the Jewish faith who (had) already been exterminated.” In the evening a mass meeting of Jews and non-Jews was held at the DJC DISTINGUISHED PERSONALITY TO VISIT DURBAN as which messages of sympathy were read from General Smuts, Col. This article reported that Professor Yigael Yadin, justifiably described C.F. Stallard, Dr Colin Steyn and Senator F.C. Hollander. The speeches as “one of the world’s greatest archaeologists”, was to deliver a public were delivered by: the Mayor of Durban (Mr. Rupert Ellis Brown), the lecture at the University of Natal on 3 April, 1968. The visitor’s wellAnglican Bishop of Natal (the Right Rev. L.N. Fisher), Father Sheldon Kelly known connection with Masada and the Dead Sea Scrolls was described. (representing the Vicor Apostolic for Natal), Senator Edgar Brookes, Rabbi A.H. Freedman and Mr. A. Goldberg, M.P. Hasholom provided quotations FINE ART OF SCHNORROLOGY from each one of their speeches. That’s a word Pundit admits has not previously entered his vocabulary. DURBAN JEWRY RESPONDS MAGNIFICENTLY! This was the headline to an article recording how generously and enthusiastically the Durban community had responded to the S.A. Jewish War Appeal with its dual aim of aiding Jewish war victims and assisting S.A. Jewish soldiers and their dependants. THE NOISY NUISANCE Have you met him, asked NEAS, “the man who knows anything about everybody and everything”? IN TOWN AND OUT Congratulates • Sylvia Proops and Aubrey Miller on their recent engagement. • Mr. & Mrs. Lionel Abrahams on the birth of a son. • Mr. & Mrs. B Hirson on the Bar Mitzvah of their son. • Monty Yudelman, younger son of Mr. J Yudelson of Matatiele, who had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. • In a special article, Ms. Mimi Smo (former secretary of the DJC and of the Hasholom committee on her engagement to Mr. Harry Rose of Johannesburg. DJC SECTIONAL NOTES CANTEEN reported that • It losses during the past three months has been in the vicinity of £500 to £600 per month. • Mr. C. Davidson had made a handsome gift to the Canteen of 70 lbs. of fried fish.
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March 2018
The article tells us about Meyer Weisgal , who was then (1968) the President of the Weizmann Institute. He proudly described himself as a “Schnorrologist” which he described as “one who has elevated begging into a fine art”. He says all educational institutions beg and it is understood that he regards himself not as a cheap Schnorrer, but as an expert – thus his self-styled title. The article mentioned that almost single handed he had raised £16 million. In 1968 that deserves a WOW. BOOK REVIEW J.C.U. (must be Jack Usdin) wrote a very interesting review of “The Adventures of a S.A. Brain Surgeon” by Dr. D Gamsu, who had recently retired from practice to Durban. BRIDGE CHAMPION This was a brief biography of Alma Shneider, who with her partner Petra Mansell, had recently won the S.A. Trials to select the S.A. Contract Bridge team to play in the Bridge Olympiad. HIGHLIGHTS OF STUDY COURSE IN ISRAEL Errol M. Bushalter described some of his experiences as one of the 32 South African Jewish who spent some six weeks in Israel on a leadership course under the auspices of the S.A. Zionist Federation and the S.A. Board of Deputies. One of the people the group met was former Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion, at SDE Boker, when he lived in retirement.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Michael Selikow Cell: +27 83-675-5504 E-Mail: mike@silbert.co.za
March 2018
HASHALOM 17
COMMUNITY NEWS
A FAMILY AFFAIR The Calo Family have been members of the Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation for 20 years. Seven of the eight Calo children have celebrated their bnei mitvah with the DPJC. Rabbi Hillel Avidan has officiated at all seven bnei mitzvah, the seventh one taking place on 27 January 2018. Pictured above with Rabbi Avidan on the steps of the Durban Jewish Centre are Dov Calo and his eight children on the occasion of Joshua’s bar mitzvah. Rabbi hopes in three year’s time to be at the bar mitzvah of Eli, youngest of the Calo Clan.
RABBI EMERITUS ATTENDS CONSECRATION CEREMONY Rabbi Avidan recently attended the consecration of the new Bet David Reform Synagogue in Sandton, Johannesburg. Although a well established congregation, Bet David, due to a streamlining initiative, built a new sanctuary and invited Rabbi and Ruth Avidan to attend the opening and consecration events. Rabbi Avidan, before relocating to Durban thirteen years ago served as the rabbi at Bet David for eleven years and was made Rabbi Emeritus on his retirement from Bet David. The dedication of the new sanctuary was a poignant moment for Rabbi since his connections and affection for the Johannesburg congregation are still strong. Pictured above with Rabbi Avidan are Ruth Avidan and Desmond Sweke, immediate past management committee chairman of Bet David.
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March 2018
COMMUNITY NEWS
Eden College By Norma Bloch
Shalom, The theme for the Eden Judaica Department this year will be centred around the values of Gemilut Chasadim – Acts of Loving kindness. What better way to start off our year than with a visit to Open Air School, which caters for children with Special Education needs? On the morning of Tu Bishvat, armed with a tree and box loads of treats for the pupils, we arrived at the school. We were touched by the warmth and gratitude with which the heads of the school as well as the teachers and pupils welcomed us. We were honoured to be joined in our celebrations by Mr. Brian Moshal and Mr. Ezra Altshuler, who have both been associated with Open Air School for many years. The pupils from both schools chatted happily and many high fives, greetings and handshakes were exchanged. Shlomo addressed us, comparing man to a tree. The take-home lesson was that just as a tree whose roots are firmly planted in the ground can withstand the volatile and sometimes destructive elements of nature, so too can man withstand the challenges and hardships he may face if his belief and faith are rooted in a morally strong and ethical value system. Then it was time to plant the tree. The pupils were all excited to be part of this activity, patting down the soil to secure their new tree and giving the tree water to sustain it in its new home. What an absolute treat it was to hear the rendition of the school song performed by the talented Open Air school choir. We all sat quietly, enjoying the beautiful tune. The pupils presented us with a wonderfully creative handmade card and were all rewarded with a packet filled with an assortment of sweets, kindly donated by Shlomo Weiner. Back to the Judaica Centre we went, where we enjoyed the fruit kebabs we each had fun assembling with our favourite fruits. I can honestly say that for me this outing stands out as one of the best that I have had the privilege to be part of over the years of teaching.
March 2018
HASHALOM 19
COMMUNITY NEWS
Union of Jewish Women
MITZVAH DAY INTERNATIONAL
T
he Union of Jewish Women of South Africa has been involved in Mitzvah Day since it was introduced to South Africa several years ago. The types of functions arranged for participation in this special day have varied tremendously. Whether collecting and then delivering basic necessities to the needy, visiting the sick or having special functions arranged at homes for seniors or children, it has all been done with dedication and a sincere wish to bring some joy to where it is needed most. In recognition of all of this the UJW of SA is one of 4 nominees for a newly established award for organizations involved outside of the UK. With dozens of countries and 100’s of organizations participating we, the Durban branch of the Union of Jewish Women, are truly proud of our collective achievement and salute our National Branches and, of course, thank Rabbi Silberhaft for bring the concept to South Africa. At the end of last year we arranged entertainment and a scrumptious tea at Beth Shalom, invited guests from the Issy Geshen Home and sent treats back with those residents for their colleagues who were unable to attend. As an extension of Mitzvah Day members of the UJW committee and friends baked, bought and begged for cupcakes to distribute to the homeless and to the Denis Hurley Feeding Scheme where they stayed to help serve lunch to over 100 people.
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March 2018
COMMUNITY NEWS
DURBAN JEWISH SOCIAL SERVICES
December Outings The December holidays are always an exciting time for the Jewel House family. Thanks to the generosity of so many in our community we get to go on lovely outings like the movies, Mitchell Park, Botanical Gardens and two special outings we won’t forget... thanks to the UJW we saw Sinbad the Sailor at the Sneddon theatre and thanks to a generous group of ladies, we took a trip to Flag Farm.
Time to Party! Thank you to Anthea Silove and family for purchasing a beautiful braai for us and hosting a wonderful birthday celebration to honour the memory of Myron, a great friend of Jewel House and Masada. The party was a great success with Stephen Abrahams and Stan Lipschitz providing music that had everyone on their feet. The sign of a great party is when the music is over and everyone is still in the party mood! The braai will be put to great use and we will think of Myron every time!
22 HASHALOM
March 2018
By Cheryl Unterslak
I
n the first two photos are soldiers that were badly injured while in the IDF. I visited them while they were healing and receiving treatment in Tel Hashomer Hospital. I gave them all backpacks, letters of support and gifts. In the first photo is a young man who was in a coma the last time I visited him and I was happy to see that he was now awake and on the road to recovery, although he has a long way to go. In the second photo is a young woman who was also injured in the IDF and sustained severe head injuries and Baruch hashem, she was also on the road to recovery. After Pesach I will be visiting her in her home with more gifts from Jewish Children in Johannesburg. Every single soldier and their families appreciated the kindness and support. It was sad to see the soldiers injured (I saw many others on that trip that I wasn’t allowed to photograph) and I am always inspired by their courage and strength and the spirt of their families. I left the hospital and went to visit another soldier who had been very severely injured in a car ramming attack. He sustained bad injuries to his hips, legs and internal organs as well as to his head. He had a long recovery and as he said to me, he is a walking miracle. I visited him after leaving the hospital at a nearby army base. He was very grateful and kept saying that the support from others who don’t know him really warmed his heart. After the visit, I left feeling positive for those that I visited in the hospital. “Please God, these heroes who are defending Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael should all have a refuah shelama.”
By Les Levin [President] The Hebrew order of David International is growing from strength to strength. Well, not in Durban, where we are struggling with an aging community from which to draw stock, and the steady erosion of our membership with emigration and “natural causes”. But we still carry on. We have interesting meetings on the third Monday of the month. We still visit patients at Entabeni and St Augustines on a Wednesday night. If there are patients at other hospitals that need visiting, please phone Aaron Rose [082 466 2173] and we will make a plan. Residents of Jewel House are still taken out regularly to a member’s house for a braai. This is becoming expensive, however, and we would appreciate donations for the cost of kosher meat. [FNB branch code 220 526 a/c no. 508 400 53967] HOD Members are available to run stalls at the Yom Ha –atzmaut function- when called upon to do so. What we need now are more members, so we can have more meaningful meetings, with interesting guest speakers. We can expand our fund-raising efforts and entertain Senior Citizens more often. If you aware of a Jewish man who would be interested in our Organisation, then call Josh Oshry [ 031 5649072]and he will tell you what it takes to be a Brother in a Fraternal Organisation.
March 2018
HASHALOM 23
DURBAN 2018
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work!
Lynn Matisonn
Rivka Hermelin
Miriam Maltz
Arlene Foreman
Co-Chair
Co-Chair
Programming
Programming
Rochelle Puterman Treasurer
Bradley Vinnik
Venue Co-ordinator
Helene Levitan Presenter Care
Amy Groer
Young Limmud
We, the Durban Limmud committee members, are raring to go to make 2018 the best ever. We welcome any suggestions or ideas you may have that could help us achieve this dream.
Please either email: durban@limmud.org.za or call: Rivka: 031 303 8948 082 578 0466
Heidi Matisonn Marketing
We look forward to hearing from you 24 HASHALOM
March 2018
Helen Kuttner Advertising
COMMUNITY NEWS
By Sylvia Collins
Tu B’Shvat Beth Shalom celebrated Tu B’Shvat on the 31 January, 2018 in our beautiful garden. Dr Fisher gave a talk; this was enjoyed by a few residents during morning tea time. Gerselle Epstein purchased the tree in loving memory of her late sister. The tree was planted by Emmanuel who maintains our lovely gardens.
Audrey Levy dancing with Denise Abraham at Joan’s birthday
March 2018
HASHALOM 25
DURBAN
Wotsup Wizo
Wheelchairs of Hope
“In South Africa, many children cannot afford an item as expensive as a wheelchair, leaving thousands of disabled children without mobility and without hope,” explained Tamar Lazarus, honorary president of Women’s International Zionist Organization (WIZO) South Africa. “Most of these children will not attend school and they do not have access to formal education, thus disabling them even further.” However, for some South African children, that is about to change. Together with Israeli NGO, Wheelchairs of Hope and the Israeli Embassy, WIZO South Africa has taken on an outreach program to bring wheelchairs to needy and underprivileged children across South Africa. Lazarus told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that WIZO South Africa was approached by the Israeli Embassy in 2017. The organization was asked to partner with Wheelchairs of Hope to find donors and worthy recipients for wheelchairs in the country. “It was a task which we gladly undertook as part of its local outreach program, as it fits perfectly with its own objectives of working to uplift underprivileged women and children in Israel, with an emphasis on early childhood education and promoting hasbara (public diplomacy),” she said. “The Wheelchairs of Hope project is another example of Israel’s contribution to the world in terms of technological innovation made available at minimal or no cost.” Thanks to the generosity of ex-South Africans Bernhard and Pearl Lazarus and donors from Cape Town, the first consignment of 50 child-size wheelchairs arrived from Israel, and several were distributed to the Maitland Cottage Children’s Orthopedic Hospital in Cape Town on Wednesday. The wheelchairs are being distributed around South Africa to hospitals, schools and individual children. “On each wheelchair is a sticker: ‘To the children of South Africa with love from Israel,’” Lazarus said. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 25 million people around the world who are immobile and cannot afford a wheelchair.
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“The pervasive stigma is one significant factor. Lack of resources and accessibility are also daunting obstacles, forcing their dependence on family and friends to get around. In fact, for some children, the only way to get around is to crawl, making it almost impossible to attend school,” Lazarus said. “We often take the ability to move in our home and community for granted, and with that, the ability to learn, interact with others and participate in family life. We are so pleased that we are able to assist, for now, 50 children with mobility impairments and give them these wheelchairs to enable them to lead active and fulfilling lives.” Aimed at children aged five to nine years old who can push themselves, the colorful, ergonomically designed wheelchairs are lightweight and robust enough to handle urban and country terrains. The Wheelchairs of Hope were developed by Israeli doctors and engineers from ALYN Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel’s leading pediatric and adolescent rehabilitation center, with the simple wish to empower education through mobility. “We know that the receipt of these wheelchairs will have a truly lifelong impact on these kids and their entire family unit will be transformed by the gift of the basic human right of mobility,” Lazarus added. In addition to Maitland Hospital, recipients of the 50 wheelchairs include Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Johannesburg, The Give a Child a Family organization in Margate, individual children and other organizations identified by WIZO. (Credit - Jerusalem Post 12 Feb 2018) On Tuesday 20 Feb in a collaborative effort, 30 Wheelchairs of Hope were assembled by the Durban youth from various local schools. Following our 84th AGM on Wednesday 21 February 2018, WIZO Durban leadership handed hand over the wheelchairs to the ‘Give a Child a Family’ UNICEF facility in Margate We are very proud and believe that this incredible gesture of charity & good will be of immense benefit to our Durban & SA Jewish community. Watch this space for an update in the next issue of Hashalom.
“In South Africa, children with disabilities are among the most neglected groups in the country. The majority of these children face enormous economic and social barriers that have an adverse impact on their physical, social and intellectual development and well-being,” Lazarus added. She said a wheelchair was something completely out of reach for most. “And so this month, we have joined forces with Wheelchairs of Hope to bring 50 child-size wheelchairs that will give 50 South African children the dignity of mobility.” It is estimated that as many as 600,000 disabled children across South Africa are not receiving an education.
L’hitraot dear friends
On 7 December 2017 at the KNZC cocktail party, WIZO leadership, members & friends bid a fond farewell to Antony & Marion Arkin as they make Aliyah to Israel.
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Prof. Antony Arkin has always been a steadfast Zionist and champion of our WIZO cause. They will be sorely missed. We wish them both much happiness and success in their new life in Israel.
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COMMUNITY NEWS
Talmud Torah By Cheryl Unterslak
T
he Talmud Torah lessons started off well with the students in the primary schools learning about Tu B Shvat and they all decorated their trees with pink and white marshmellows and marshmellow fluff. The almond trees all blossom around Tu B Shvat in Israel and that is why their trees had pink and white delicious “blossoms�. We are very happy and excited that Shlomo Weiner will be more active in teaching more Talmud Torah lessons. He will be teaching the Jewish children up the North coast which is a wonderful addition. The mishna and chumash lessons have started and we would love any of the children and their parents to join us for these lessons. If you are interested in any of the Talmud Torah lessons please can you contact me on 083 7996440.
Young Israel Centre
By Jess Stout
The Young Israel Centre got 2018 off to a busy start. We are very excited to be hosting 2 Shlichot from Israel twice every month for the year. Sari and Ruti are spending the year teaching at Akiva College and will be spending every second Shabbat with us in Durban. The Cholant Club hosted its first Shabbat lunch of the year on Saturday 20 January. With over 30 people attending, it was once again highly successful. Everyone is looking forward to the next Cholant Club lunch which will take place in February. Cheder has also had a great start to the year with 2 new students joining our class. The students come every Sunday morning for a 45 minute lesson where they learn to daven and read Hebrew.
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HASHALOM 27
COMMUNITY NEWS
Welcome to our two new Shlichot a Project of Hatikvah Trust. We are delighted to welcome Ruth Nardi and Sarah Lichtenstein to our community. Ruti and Sari aged 24, are Practical Engineer graduates from Bet Yaakov Seminary, Jerusalem. They will be with us for a year as Shlichot living at UJC. Their duties will include daily teaching at Akiva College which is a great boost to our Limudei Kodesh department. In addition they will work with the general community taking youth services at both Shuls and assisting youth movements and informal education. It has been quite some time since Durban has had Shlichim from Israel and we are delighted to renew this magnificent
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link with Israeli’s youth. Yishar koach to both young ladies who decided to volunteer a year to the Diaspora Jewry and I am sure we will benefit much from their services. Morah Ruti and Morah Sari have already made a significant impact, enhancing Jewish education, teaching Hebrew and reigniting a connection to Israel. Th’bshivat The KNZC hosted the annual Tu’bshvat event this year at the Akiva College JNF garden. Youth movements and project 10 participated in the ceremony and everyone was able to get their hands dirty and assist with the planting of herbs.
Grade R’s planting with Mr Friedman
Sivana Stout planting her herbs
Rachel Rosen and Daniel Meltz planting
Anashya Singh planting her herbs
The Student Executive Committee with Mrs Katzer and Mrs Ducasse
Akiva College has had a fun and busy start to the 2018 school year. This year, Akiva College has introduced an Executive Council made up of high school students. Mazel Tov to the following students who were chosen to be a part of this council: • Rachel Rosen: Executive Head of Arts and Culture. • Cameron Wulfsohn: Executive Head of Outreach • Daniel Meltz: Executive Head of Sports • Danielle Burne: Executive Head of Student Support • Ethan Plen: Executive Head of Discipline
Cameron and his Outreach team have started off the year with two very successful projects. Together with the Union of Jewish Women, five litre bottles of water were collected for those who need in Cape Town. Books were also collected for a project in collaboration with Project TEN, who are building a library for an underprivileged school in Amaoti. Project TEN, a volunteer group of young international Jewish students who dedicate three months to voluntary outreach into needy communities in several countries around the world, has refurbished a building at Susan Ngcoba School in the Amaoti community in the North Durban area for use as a library. Many of the children living in this area are AIDS orphans and being raised in difficult household situations. Well done on the fantastic response to both of these collections. This year Akiva College celebrated Tu B’Shvat by planting herbs in the garden donated and established by the JNF. The Grades 00 and R classes will take responsibility for watering the garden regularly.
Grade 00 planting herbs
By: Karen Plen March 2018
HASHALOM 29
COMMUNITY NEWS
IS Purim the Jewish version of Halloween?
Or a Hebraic take on Mardi Gras? Well, not exactly, although there are some similarities and common quirks. They all involve costumes, merriment and some general weirdness. Purim, which this year falls on the evening of 28 February and concludes at sundown the following day, is one of the most joyous and downright giddy holidays on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the deliverance from extermination (yet again!) of the Jews living in Persia in the fourth century B.C.E. It’s also darned good yarn. Just ask the producers of “Esther and the King” a 1960 biblical epic calamity starring Joan Collins and Richard Egan, a bargain basement biblical epic which did not receive rave reviews on its release nor has it improved with age. As with many epics, liberties are taken with history. Much of the plot turns upon a coming war between the Persians and the Greeks under “that young Macedonian upstart Alexander”. The Biblical Ahasuerus is normally identified by historians with the Persian King Xerxes I, who reigned from 485 to 465 BCE, well before the time of Alexander (356-323 BCE). When war comes in the film, the Persians defeat the Greeks, whereas Alexander was in fact victorious in his war against Persia. In order to strengthen the religious tone of the film, a contrast is made between the monotheistic Jews and supposedly polytheistic Persians; in reality the state religion of Persia at this time was Zoroastrianism, a religion which only recognised one god, Ahura Mazda. But for the hardened and courageous movie buff “Esther and the King” is available on Youtube https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SQ6qYypfmIo
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COMMUNITY NEWS
Above Board Mary Kluk National Chairman
A Column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies
Above Board
GREAT GARBANZO A column of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies SALADS
Mary Kluk, National Chairman
Hate Crimes Working Group shows the way forward Last month, the Hate Crimes Working Group released its report on hate crimes in South Africa over the past five years. The Board, a founding and steering committee member of the HCWG, organised the official launch, held at the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre. The Report threw much-needed light on the serious problems of bigotry and intolerance that plague our society. It was found that foreign nationals and members of the LBGTI community were disproportionately affected by hate crimes. While antisemitism levels are comparatively low in this country, it is nevertheless noteworthy that in terms of hate crimes based on religious identity, Jews were most likely to be the ones targeted. The HCWG’s findings will hopefully provide practical guidelines for lawmakers and judicial bodies to refer to in confronting these problems. From the SAJBD’s point of view, our participation on the HCWG helps us to fulfil our broader mandate of leading SA Jewry in addressing issues of concern to the greater South African society. It hardly needs be emphasized that in order to maintain a safe and secure environment for our own community, it is incumbent on us to do whatever we can to ensure that the rights of all citizens are likewise upheld. The political arena The Board continues to meet with political leaders from across the ideological spectrum, bringing to their attention issues of concern to the Jewish community while also exploring areas where the community can involve itself in areas of national concern. In late January, the Board’s senior leadership held its first official meeting with the executive committee of the Economic Freedom Fighters. The EFF differs sharply from mainstream Jewry on many critical issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian question, but as the elected representative spokesbody of SA Jewry, our mandate is to be the interface between our community and the greater society, including those with whom we may disagree. Our meeting with the EFF also enabled us to identify crucial points of commonality. At the end of the day, we both want to see a South Africa that works, and we explored some of the areas, including those of public health care and education, where the SA Jewish community can contribute in that regard. The Cape water crisis One of the most pressing challenges confronting South Africa today is that of ensuring water security, something that the disastrous drought in the Western Cape has placed in sharp relief. These challenges, as the Israeli example has shown, can be overcome through such technologies as waste water recycling, drip irrigation and desalination. As a contribution to that debate, the Gauteng Board recently organised a water symposium, where experts in the field, three local and one from Israel, shared their views on the best way forward. Israel has long offered to assist South Africa in the field of water management. So far as the immediate crisis is concerned, the SAJBD Cape Council is busying itself with various initiatives aimed both at helping the Jewish community get through this difficult time and at contributing to the greater effort to meet and overcome the myriad challenges that the drought is posing.
CHICKPEA & SPINACH SALAD 150g Baby spinach leaves 1 Cup sliced celery ¾ Cup cranberries 1 Tin chickpeas, drained
2 Firm pears, , unpeeled Juice of ½ a lemon ½ Cup toasted pecan nuts 1 Cup croutons
Place spinach leaves on a nice platter and top with celery, sliced pear (drizzled with lemon juice), cranberries and chickpeas. Drizzle with the dressing then top with nuts and croutons. DRESSING: Place ingredients in a bottle, add some salt and pepper then shake it well. 1/3 Cup olive oil 1 Tablespoon sugar 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar Pinch of paprika 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 Tablespoons sliced basil leaves Salt and pepper CHICKPEA AND AVOCADO SALAD 2 Tins chickpeas, drained 1 Red pepper, sliced 1 Cup cubed cucumber Shredded lettuce
1 Red onion, thinly sliced 4 Sticks celery, sliced 4 Avocado pears, cubed
Place the chickpeas, onion, red pepper, celery and cucumber in a bowl and mix together. Pile in the centre of a nice platter. Surround with some shredded lettuce and top lettuce with the avocado cubes. Drizzle the dressing over the entire salad. DRESSING: Place all ingredients into a bottle and shake it very well. ¼ Cup fresh lemon juice ½ Cup oil ¼ Teaspoon crushed garlic ½ Teaspoon cumin powder 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley Salt and freshly ground pepper CABBAGE AND CHICKPEA SLAW 2 Small green cabbages, shredded (or 1 small green and 1 small red) 3 Large carrots, coarsely grated 2 Unpeeled green apples, thinly sliced ½ of a fresh orange melon, cubed 100g Pumpkin or sunflower seeds 150g Dates, coarsely chopped ½ Cup sliced fresh chives 1 Cup coarsely grated raw butternut 1 Tin chickpeas, well drained Toast the pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Reserve 2 tablespoons to sprinkle on the salad. Combine the remaining seeds and all ingredients in a bowl then add the dressing. Spoon into a salad bowl and sprinkle with the diced oranges and the reserved 2 tablespoons seeds. DRESSING: Combine the mayonnaise, orange juice, honey, mustard and seasoning then mix into the salad. 2 Cups good mayonnaise ¼ Cup fresh orange juice 2 Tablespoons honey 1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard Salt and pepper
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Message of thanks
We are so grateful to Rabbi Zekry, religious leaders of our community, our family, colleagues, friends and acquaintances for your calls, messages, meals and prayers during, and after, our son Grant’s recent operation. He is making wonderful progress, as are we, now that he has overcome all the obstacles he had to conquer. We are so privileged to have had your support and will always be grateful to you for your love and positive encouragement throughout this past awful month. Thank you all! Michael and Maureen Caminsky
Births
Mazeltov to: Grason and Jacklyn Beare on the birth of a son, grandson to Julian and lIz Beare, Cyril Kibur and Sue-Ellen Beare. Elisha and Rachel Puterman on the birth of a granddaughter born to Adir and Danielle in Israel. Barry and Reizel Dogan on the birth of a granddaughter Zahara, born to Yoav and Varanna.
March 2018 Date Time
Event
Venue
7
9.30am
Friendship Club - UJW
UJW
13
8.30am
Sinai Indaba
DUHC
19
7.30am
HOD Lodge Meeting
DJC
Margo Botha www.djc.co.za
Engagements
Mazeltov to: John and Anna Moshal on the engagement of their daughter Karyn to Paul Goldin in London
Bat/Bar Mitzvah
Mazeltov to: Danielle, daughter of Aubrey and Michelle Nathan, granddaughter of Max Nthan. Ethan Hess, grandson of Paddy Meskin.
Deaths
Condolences to: Glenda Burnstein on the passing of daughter, Charise, wife of Larry, mother of Joel and Mark, sister of Mearle. Gloria Hoff, Husband to Mike, father of Damon, Evan and Jason.
Hashalom is not responsible for errors and omissions. Please submit your information in writing to The Hashalom Editor, POisBox Marine or fax to (031) or email hashalom@djc.co.za. not 10797, responsible forParade errors 4056 and omissions. Please3379600 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. 32 HASHALOM
March 2018