Elections of the new Cape Jewish Board of Deputies

TALI FEINBERG

“The Cape Board of Deputies is the most democratic Jewish association,” says Liza-Jane Saban, the Board’s media officer. “Every two years, it runs two elections for membership of the Board. The first election is a public ballot, in which everyone on the Cape Town communal register votes for three members, out of those people who have put themselves forward for election. As a result of this election, three sitting members of the Board have to be knocked off.

“This happens at our conference, where the Board’s affiliated organisations, such as the SA Zionist Federation, Union of Jewish Women, all synagogues, and schools, vote for the future Board members, thereby ensuring that all sectors of the community are represented in the voting process.”

However, this year, only three people have put themselves forward for election, meaning there is no need for the first election – the public ballot. The new candidates are Michael Kushner, Marco van Embden and Adrienne Jacobson.

Jacobson is a psychologist in private practice, serves on the Herzlia PTA and participates in the Jewish Community Services’ Tikvah food project and the FAMSA domestic violence “Men Stopping Violence” programme in the Western Cape.

 “I have been saddened by the passing of so many wonderful leaders of our Cape Town community and I feel that it is time now for me and my generation to step up and contribute to the growth of a cohesive and dynamic community which is proudly Jewish,” she says.

Michael Kushner is a candidate attorney and an accredited commercial and court-annexed mediator.He is an assistant to Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft in conducting religious services in outlying Jewish communities across southern Africa, including officiating at weddings and funerals, visiting the sick and elderly as well as grief counselling.

“I believe strongly in the relevance of the Board of Deputies, as a body which stands for the protection and advancement of all Jewish South Africans, regardless of their observance, affiliation or otherwise,” he says.  

Van Embden is a businessman who is the chairman of the David Susman Community Foundation (DSCF) which he initiated as a stabilisation fund for the community, the chairman of the Friends of the United Jewish Campaign which he established to obtain support for the community from out-of-towners who have residences in Cape Town,  co-chairman of the South African Friends of the Israel Museum. “We live in challenging times, both globally and locally, and as Jews, we are acutely aware of our role in making the world a better place,” he says. “It starts with our back yard, here in Cape Town and South Africa.”

These three appear to embody the need for new, young and passionate leaders who want to be part of community service and who value the democratic process.  They will stand alongside the current members of the Board in this election. The outgoing chairman of the Cape Board is Eric Marx. He will be replaced by a new chairman who will be voted in by the new Board members at their first meeting.

“The Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies prides itself in the fact that we rely on a democratic process that calls on their entire community to participate in the voting experience. There are only three places that need to be filled on the Board so three candidates is not a low number per se. The number of candidates varies from year to year – in some years we receive four or five candidates and sometimes fewer, like this year.”

Explaining the voting process, Saban says that the Board consists of 12 members. “Since three new members have been voted in by public ballot, three current Board members will need to be knocked off. This is done at the biannual conference where the Board’s affiliates will vote for the 12 members.

“The Board encourages new candidates to lobby for themselves, since this contributes to our democratic process. It is up to the individual candidates to rally support within all segments of our diverse community, so that ultimately they are voted in.”

The conference, entitled ”State of Mind, State of Nation”, ’ will include panel discussions with top thought leaders; it looks to have an exciting line-up, including former Constitutional Court Judge Kate O’ Regan, Lawson Naidoo (executive secretary of CASAC, instrumental in the Secret Ballot Ruling), acclaimed journalist and political commentator Richard Poplak, and groundbreaking anthropologist Dr Susan Levine, all in dialogue with each other and the audience.

“We will be discussing issues that are at the heart of all South Africans, such as the state of law and higher education; looking at how these issues affect our community as well as looking for ways that we can affect change for the better in our capacity as Cape Jews,” adds Saban.