68 years old and still going strong

ANT KATZ

The SAJBD has posted the printed copies of their Chanukah issue Jewish Affairs journal and subscribers should expect them soon. They have been publishing Jewish Affairs for 68 years and it is still going strongly under the editorship of David Saks – in fact this edition is a whopping 54 pages.

JRSA Online users can DOWNLOAD A COPY HERE in a PDF format to save or print for holiday reading, It is a wonderful and intellectual read… 

DAVID SAKS: SUMMARY: Volume 68 Number 3
CHANUKAH ISSUE OF JEWISH AFFAIRS 2013

The articles in this issue are grouped under three headings: ‘South African Jewry – Historical and Contemporary’, ‘Diaspora Echoes’ and ‘Post-Holocaust Reflections’.

The first includes an appraisal of one of South Africa’s most respected art critics, Esme Berman, written by her friend and fellow art expert Natalie Knight; an analysis of how the SAJBD combats Hate Speech in South Africa by veteran Jewish communal leader and Cape Town lawyer Mervyn Smith, who has been centrally involved in this area for over two decades; from the archives, Dovidi Fachler unearths the until now unknown story of how an Israeli diplomat rescued a Jewish South African from an apartheid gaol and brought him to Israel and Gwynne Robins recounts the distinguished parliamentary career of women’s rights activist Bertha Solomon through linking it with one of the interesting items from the old Cape Town Jewish Museum now in the care of the Cape Council, SAJBD.

In the second part, Bernard Katz continues his popular ‘A brief journey through…’ series on various European Jewish communities, this time encapsulating the story of the Jews of England from the earliest times to the present. As a companion piece to the article, the Book Reviews section includes a review of a new book on Jewish emigrants from Britain.

Anny Wynchank writes on the enormous impact made by the Alliance Israelite Francaise on Jewish life in France, Southern Europe and North Africa over more than 150 years, a story surprisingly little known in the Anglophone world. The section concludes with final instalment of Gloria Sandak-Lewin’s series on Isaac Bashevis Singer’s epic ‘Family Chronicles’ saga.

Part Three looks at ways in which South Africans remember, record and teach about the Holocaust in the contemporary era. Michal Singer examines the work of the Cape Town Holocaust Centre in documenting the story of the Schragenheim family and how the Holocaust in Germany variously impacted on the lives of its members, while thought-provoking essays by Leah Nasson and Shirli Gilbert explore modes of Holocaust remembrance and education in the context of modern-day South Africa.

We hope you enjoy this latest Jewish Affairs issue, and again encourage you to pass it on to anyone who might likewise be interested.

• On behalf of the Editorial Board, I wish everyone a Chanukah Sameach and a safe and fulfilling end-of-year break. David Saks, editor.

Anyone wishing to subscribe to the print edition, or if you want to send a gift subscription to someone, it costs R140 locally and R300 overseas per year postage paid. Contact Shirley Beagle at the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, PO Box 87557, Houghton. 2041. Or call Shirley at 011 645-2583.