Elation and inspiration: achievers hit the highlights

Nervous nominees, proud sponsors, and delighted winners set the tone at this year’s 25th Absa Jewish Achiever Awards at the Sandton Convention Centre on 17 November, a highly anticipated event that celebrates the contributions made by the Jewish community.

A dramatic reel of rousing video highlights led the event, showcasing two and a half decades of past Jewish achievers. Making up only a tiny 0.9% of the total population, it was encouraging to be reminded who built our nation, and who continues to do so.

The stage then opened to an impassioned address by Howard Sackstein, the chairperson of the SA Jewish Report and the driving force behind the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards.

“Forgive me for not listing the thousands, no tens of thousands, of Jews who have made this nation greater than its potential,” he said, paying tribute to the icons who formed the backbone of our country.

“Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants that came before us, unbridled by our nation’s dark history, and enormously proud of all we have done.”

Highlighting the relevance of our community’s history in South Africa, Sackstein said, “We didn’t land on these shores as privileged colonialists; we arrived as penniless refugees fleeing pogrom and persecution. In an inhospitable land, in a troubled divided nation, the Jewish community took root and flourished. We travelled from town to town, smousing goods; and we laboured on farms, in sweat shops sewing suits, and selling coal. We didn’t just build businesses, we built a society, a nation.”

More than 800 guests attended, including Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu, ANC KwaZulu-Natal Regional Secretary Mzwandile Mkhwanazi, Action SA leader Herman Mashaba, leader of BOSA Mmusi Maimane, Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Michael Bagraim, among other DA dignitaries. There were also a few diplomats including Israeli deputy ambassador Adi Cohen-Hazanov and Lithuanian Ambassador Rasa Jankauskaité. Among the numerous celebrities was Kitty Lewis, the late Princess Diana’s niece.

The guests were treated to a delicious detailed multi-course meal by Delores Fouché, while host and master of ceremonies, Nik Rabinowitz, added his renowned comic flavour to the evening by dishing out plenty of laughs.

A livestream of the event by the SA Jewish Report invited a global network of family and friends from around the world to tune in. Before commencing with the award ceremony, Rabinowitz welcomed an online audience of 10 000 viewers from as far as Toronto, New York, London, Melbourne, Tel Aviv, and Sydney.

No celebration is complete without good music, and this one was made great with appearances by famed local musician Ard Matthews, previously of Just Jinger fame, as well as acclaimed teenage singer, Josh Bouwer, who tagged each other on stage in a series of spectacular live performances.

On the tables, guests found gifts of yarmulkes and glasses cases beautifully crafted by Shalom From Africa, with Delainé Shalem’s artwork of four different Jewish faces in 2024.

In his speech, Sackstein drew attention to the plight of South African Jews, saying, “Over the past 13 months, we have witnessed the rise of bigoted Jew hatred in this country. Yet, we are resilient, we will not slumber, we will not sleep, we are the moral conscience of our nation. It is us who built this country, and we will continue to employ our nation and educate our youth. We are the ripples of hope in a river of debris.”

Among the record number of 825 nominees, spread across nine categories, 11 well-deserved winners left the Sandton Convention Centre on Sunday evening elated by the acknowledgment. The rest left inspired in pursuit of more and even bigger dreams.

For all the highlights of the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards and all the photographs, go to https://linktr.ee/editorialsajewishreport