New Cape Board tackles its problems head on

NICOLA MILTZ

Following allegations of “election rigging” from disgruntled members of the community, the new Board has appointed an independent panel, made up of three highly respected members of the Cape community − Milton Seligson SC, Hilton Saven and Sally Frankenthal.

The Board has acknowledged there are members of the community who are unhappy with the election results, specifically that two prominent women, the one a vice-chairperson and the other a former chairperson of the Cape Board, were voted off. The Board is taking the allegations very seriously, according to Board Chairperson Rael Kaimowitz.

“The Cape Committee undertakes to implement and abide by the panel’s findings,” he said.

“We are committed to moving forward with purpose and the full support of our community in fulfilling our important mandate and objectives of representing the entire Jewish community in the Western Cape.”

The panel will investigate two separate matters, including the outcome and lead-up to the August 6 Board elections and the issue of gender equality within the community.

A group of Cape Town women wrote an open letter in the SA Jewish Report last week in which they expressed their “distress” at the Cape Board event hosted on August 30, “Women with a Voice − Advancing Leadership: Women Within the Community”.

“Our distress emanates from the recent Cape Board elections, where the only two people voted off the Board, were women… the women voted off were the standing vice-chairperson, Bev May, and former chairperson of the Cape Board, Li Boiskin − two senior women leaders, in a community where we have so few women in roles of such senior leadership.”

The current Board of 18 members now has only four women representatives.

“It seems particularly shocking to host an event titled “Women with a Voice”, when two of the most audible women’s voices in elected leadership have effectively been silenced,” the letter said. 

The Board said, however, it had planned this event in June with the intention of ending Women’s Month (August)  with an event to celebrate extraordinary women within the community and was planned with the Board’s support.

In a letter to its constituents, the Board explained that “following the outcome of the elections at the conference, various allegations have been made relating to possible improprieties in both the lead-up to the election and during the election itself.

“As a result, at short notice, the Board conducted an internal investigation and also consulted senior counsel on the issues raised.” 

The outcome of its investigation, “confirmed by advice obtained from senior counsel” is that the election was “valid”.

However, the Cape Board has decided, due to the nature and seriousness of the allegations, that the claims will be investigated by an independent three-person review body, chaired by Milton Seligson SC. 

In a statement, the Board said it had “voluntarily undertaken an independent inquiry to ensure the integrity of the process”.

Tensions have been running high at the Board and within the broader Jewish community, ever since the protracted issue of women being allowed to sing at Jewish communal events, particularly at Yom Hashoah memorial services.

The controversial issue was somewhat resolved after the Equality Court reached a settlement agreement stipulating that a memorial service was to be held in two parts with women singing solo in the first.  

Member of the community, Gilad Stern said: “There is widespread opinion that there is a direct line between this current crisis at the Board and the manner in which the Board dealt with the ban on women singing at Yom Hashoa last year.”