Giving time to help on Mandela Day

As Nelson Mandela often emphasised, both before and after becoming president, the attainment of political freedom in South Africa would have little meaning if it didn’t go hand in hand with addressing the devastating economic legacy of colonialism and apartheid. He devoted much time and effort to going into the field to identify the needs of disadvantaged communities, and fundraising on their behalf. In honour of his life, his birthday came to be designated as Mandela Day. Now, every 18 July, South Africans across the board are encouraged to devote at least 67 minutes to helping the less fortunate in their society.

As reported on in last week’s issue, Jewish communal organisations countrywide involved themselves in a range of outreach projects, and the regional branches of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) were, likewise, active.

In Gauteng, members of our staff and Gauteng council attended the official opening of an eco communal centre and classroom at the Harvest Centre of Education and Equality in Brakpan. The facility was established by the SAJBD in partnership with the World Jewish Congress (WJC), and will be used as a multi-purpose space for extramural activities, community gatherings, and learning. The Harvest Centre was established on the premises of the old Brakpan Synagogue during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily to assist the children of impoverished foreign nationals and refugees from a nearby informal settlement known as Plastic City. From modest beginnings, it has developed into an officially recognised preparatory school for children ranging from toddlers to Grade 3 pupils. The SAJBD has been one of the organisation’s staunchest supporters, working with its founders, Jesse Nkosi and Yakima Waner. We were delighted this year to have the WJC come on board, and we thank them for their generous support.

In Cape Town, the SAJBD, together with the Joint Jewish Distribution Committee, United Jewish Campaign, and others, supported the Mensch Network’s “cook-a-thon”. Meals for some 4 000 people were prepared for distribution by The Angel Network, via its feeding programme, to 13 kitchens across the Cape Peninsula.

For their part, the Council for KwaZulu-Natal Jewry partnered with the Union of Jewish Women in hosting a sandwich drive at the historic premises of the Durban Jewish community, the Durban Jewish Club. Several corporates and 18 communal organisations and charities came together for the occasion.

In Pretoria, residents of Jaffa Retirement Home made toys and classroom necessities for Sunnyside Primary School.

Speaking at the event in Brakpan, SAJBD national director Wendy Kahn stressed how much the work of the Harvest Project has meant for the local migrant community, and praised all those involved for having “created hope where once there was only desperation”. For the SAJBD, our involvement with this and other praiseworthy initiatives in Gauteng and further afield enables us to make a meaningful, positive impact on the ground, thereby realising Mandela’s principles and, as Jewish South Africans, helping to further his legacy.

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