Ensuring religious rights

In my previous column, I expanded on the various ways in which the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) works to ensure that Jewish religious rights and freedoms are upheld. Though we are privileged to live in a country where the right to practice one’s particular religion is respected and legally protected, the practical realisation of that when it comes to living in the wider society cannot be taken for granted. Often, it needs to be explained and motivated for, and therefore, as the representative voice of the Jewish faith community, it’s a core part of the mandate of the Board to intervene on behalf of members of our community when they are unfairly disadvantaged because of their religious commitments.

On Women’s Day, SAJBD National Director Wendy Kahn gave a presentation to the rabbinical conference, held in Durban, where she briefed rabbanim from around the country on this vital aspect of the Board’s work and provided specific areas where they could assist and support us in this regard. It was an exceptionally lively and interactive session, with Wendy answering numerous questions from the floor and afterwards engaging further with those who had specific issues and areas of interest they wished to raise. Depending on the issue at hand, the Board often works closely with its affiliate organisations when acting on the community’s behalf. The Union of Orthodox Synagogues and the Beth Din are obviously vital partners when it comes to safeguarding Jewish religious rights, and this very positive engagement will have gone a long way towards solidifying this important relationship.

Lessons from Cycalive

In 2002, Torah Academy Grade 11 pupils joined their counterparts from two local public schools in cycling from Johannesburg down to Durban to raise funds for education in under-resourced Gauteng schools. So successful was that venture, it became an annual event, bringing together young people from across the social and ethnic spectrum in celebrating their diversity and shared humanity. On 13 August, members of our Gauteng Council were among those who gathered to give this year’s Cycalive group a rousing send off before their departure. One council member, Rabbi Dovid Hazdan, wasn’t there simply to wish the young participants well, but to take part in the journey alongside them. It was Hazdan who launched Cycalive more than 20 years ago, and he has headed up and personally participated in each event ever since.

The purpose of Cycalive is to raise funds for worthy causes. Far more than that, however, it aims to be a community and team-building exercise that brings together young South Africans from widely differing cultures and backgrounds. As Kahn stressed in her message from the Board, it’s ultimately about the journey, not the destination. Cycalive has accomplished so much in terms of generating goodwill and forging meaningful friendships between those who previously had no interaction with or even knowledge of one another. As for the event itself, it’s difficult to imagine a more inspiring way of bringing young South Africans together than through striving side by side in a journey across the beautiful, majestic land that they share.

• Listen to Charisse Zeifert on Jewish Board Talk, 101.9 ChaiFM, every Friday from 12:00 to 13:00.