Changing of guard at Cape Council conference

In my National Chairman’s message delivered at last month’s South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) Gauteng Council conference, I applauded the outgoing council for providing the firm, forward-looking, responsible leadership that these testing times so urgently call for.

This Sunday our Cape Council will be holding their biennial conference and I will, without hesitation, be able to similarly commend our colleagues down south. In rising to the unique challenges of the day, they have shown boldness, energy, innovation and unfaltering dedication, providing the community with as much guidance, reassurance and support as possible.

On behalf of the National Board, I say yasher koach to the outgoing Cape Council, and especially to its chairperson Rael Kaimowitz. It has been a real pleasure to have worked with Rael over the past two years. His impressive leadership skills and extensive communal experience, combined with his exceptional personal qualities, have contributed immeasurably to the excellent working relationship that exists between the National Board and the Cape Council. I am pleased to report that Rael was recently appointed to the Board of Governors of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (MFJC) in recognition of his more than two decades’ involvement in the Foundation’s flagship Nahum Goldmann Fellowship Programme. He joins past SAJBD President Marlene Bethlehem, who in June stepped down as President of the MFJC after serving three consecutive terms. Together with former Cape Council director, David Jacobson, Rael was one of those at the forefront of pioneering the concept of regional Nahum Goldmann programmes, several of which have since been held in the Western Cape.

Tribute to Dr Mickey Helman

Bloemfontein has had a Jewish presence since as far back as we can remember, and for much of the last century it was one of the country’s most vibrant centres of Jewish life. Even today, despite its greatly reduced numbers, the community remains active and committed. Last week saw the passing of one of the former stalwarts of the community, Dr Mickey Helman, who headed up the Free State Council of the Board for many years before moving to Cape Town. Those of us who sat with Mickey on the SAJBD National Executive Council will remember him as a true mensch and gentleman. We extend our sincere condolences to his family on their loss.

Window for Middle East peace

On Monday, following the historic announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates would be normalising relations, a senior US-Israeli delegation arrived in Abu Dhabi to finalise the agreement. The delegation travelled on the first-ever commercial flight between the two countries, and it was also the first time Saudi Arabia had allowed an El Al flight to cross its airspace. After so many years of both countries refusing to accept Israel’s legitimacy and maintaining a strict boycott against it, these are encouraging developments indeed. Hopefully, it will lead to further diplomatic breakthroughs, which in turn will help foster a favourable environment for the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

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