STAFF REPORTER

Jews quietly go about uplifting the very poor

The South Africa-Israel Chamber of Commerce and Chabad House join Jack Halfon in providing a library for an impoverished informal community near Lanseria Airport.

A sum of R85,000 raised by auction to establish a library for Malatjlie, an impoverished community near Lanseria Airport, came about through the co-operation between Jack Halfon, CEO of Atlas Finance, Sasfin Bank, Zendium and the auction house Stephan Welz and Co.

The initiative is the brainchild of Halfon, a keen photographer, who in 2011 published a book of his photographs, entitled “Faces and Places”, with the profits of the sales going to the “Stop Hunger Now” charity.

Another one of the charities Halfon’s company supports is Chabad House’s Miracle Drive.

“We like a portion of our funds to go to non-Jewish and preferably black causes through Miracle Drive’s programme, Grow Your Life. Rabbi David Masinter (of Chabad House) identified an informal, impoverished settlement near Lanseria Airport.”

The South Africa-Israel Chamber of Commerce approached Halfon to put on a charity auction of his best prints from “Faces and Places”. Stephan Welz and Co donated the space and auctioneer for the evening. Atlas Finance sponsored the printing and framing of the works and with co-sponsors Sasfin Bank and Zendium, R85 000 was raised.

This money will be used to buy a container and set up a library at Malatjlie.