Lifestyle/Community
Confidence or victimhood – the choice is ours
Who are the Cape Town community’s young Jewry? What are their views? How do they identify as Jewish and as South African? How are they revolutionising their Judaism to meet their unique needs and world experiences?
LAUREN KESSLER
From those who feel at home on the periphery of the community, to those at the heart of it, the launch of GenerationNext was the first opportunity for them to speak and be heard.
A Cape summer evening brought together a bustling crowd of Jews of all ages. Such congregations, however, don’t usually consist of over 80 per cent being under the age of 30! Indeed, as a first of its kind, the event – the official launch of the Cape Jewish Board of Deputies’ new portfolio, Generation Next – saw passionate, interested and engaged young Jews who felt inspired to take up the cause of community development and leadership.
The event took the form of a panel of six young adults, each representing a different point of interest and identification with the Jewish community. They spoke powerfully and personally of the places where they felt comfortable to identify as proudly Jewish, as well as the places with which they struggled to identify.
The speakers made the point that several competing identities-gender, sexuality, political views, social networks and even forms of religious affiliation-are currents in a pool of competing identities.
The event concluded with an address by British Jewish educator and innovator Clive Lawton, who said that despite the challenges discussed, there were many reasons to be hopeful. “Jews are probably the most privileged and educated group of people on the planet right now. We can choose to see the world through a lens of confidence or of victimhood.”
Lawton added that he had heard much about the need for unity from the panel who expressed weariness with the divisions the community faced. He agreed with the call for unity, but stressed that it was only good if it also meant guarding against uniformity.
He further encouraged the diversity present in the community, that it is better for seven people to want to host a Purim party than only one person and six indifferent people as a result. He left the audience with the message that, “We are here to make the world a better place. That’s what Jews are for. There are many reasons to be optimistic and hopeful – and after being here tonight, I don’t have to try very hard.”
* For more information about this new communal initiative, contact the GenerationNext co-ordinator, Lauren Kessler, on laurenk@ctjc.co.za