Record number of nominations for Jewish Achiever Awards

Though the South African Jewish community may be getting smaller, the number of nominations for the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards is growing in leaps and bounds.

This year, the SA Jewish Report received a record number of nominations. Though the team hasn’t audited the numbers, it’s clear that as far back as it can recall, it has never received this many.

There were 825 nominations tallied across the 10 different categories, with the Absa Business Leadership Award and Eric Ellerine Entrepreneur Award receiving the highest number of nominations, the former getting 169 and the latter 175.

Following closely behind those two was the Europcar Women in Leadership Award, with 102 nominations.

In 2023, the numbers in these categories were also high, with the Absa Business Leadership Award garnering 83 nominees, and the Entrepreneur Award getting 167. Last year, the second highest number of nominations in a category was for the Rising Star Award, which was in its first year, with 105 nominations.

“We have been overwhelmed by the number of nominations we have received this year,” said SA Jewish Report Director Dina Diamond. “In a time when the community seems to be getting smaller, we are massively encouraged by the achievements of the individuals and companies in this country that continue to innovate, contribute, and make a difference to the lives of all South Africans, punching way above their weight in all spheres from business to philanthropy.”

The nomination process wrapped up last Thursday, 15 August, completing the initial process of the awards.

Each nominee in the following categories will be contacted to see if they are willing to accept their nomination. These categories are: Absa Business Leadership Award; Absa Professional Excellence Award; Eric Ellerine Entrepreneur Award; Europcar Women in Leadership Award; Absa Business Icon Award; and Rising Star Award.

The other nominations, including for the Mann Made Community Service Award; Kirsh Family Lifetime Achievement Award; Art Sport, Science, and Culture Award; and Bertie Lubner Humanitarian Award in honour of Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris go directly to an esteemed judging panel whose decision will be final.

The SA Jewish Report is working behind the scenes to contact the nominees, who will then move forward to a stringent judging session in which they will come before experts in their field.

The public also has a huge role to play, and will be called upon once again to vote for who they believe are the deserving winners in the different categories. Public voting opens on Thursday, 19 September.

The decision of the judges is final.