IUA-UCF’s Naomi Hadar moves onto new challenges

JORDAN MOSHE

For those who know Hadar, she is a connector of people, with an extraordinary list of friends and contacts, someone always willing to go out on a limb to help others.

In fact, Israel Ambassador Lior Keinan expressed gratitude to her for exactly these qualities. “She was the first to introduce me to Jewish community leaders so that my transition to South Africa would be easier when I arrived,” he said. “She cares for Israel passionately, and though you can take her out of Israel, you can never take Israel out of her.”

Hadar’s sojourn in South Africa was not meant to be long term. She came here 25 years ago because her husband, Ishi, landed a two to three-year contract as a mechanical engineer, and they didn’t leave.

The daughter of Holocaust survivors, Hadar was born on a moshav into an environment of familial warmth. Her father – who lived to be 103 – was especially proud of raising a Jewish family in Israel. Says Hadar, “He and my mother arrived in Israel in 1946 after marrying the previous year a few months after the war ended. He used to say that he had defeated Hitler by creating a family, educating them as Jews, and raising them in Israel. He believed it was his way of taking revenge for what the Nazis had done.”

Though there were few other children her age on the moshav, she has only good memories of her upbringing. “My mom worked two jobs and my father worked three to support their growing family,” she says. “They did everything they could for us. I had the most amazing childhood because of their commitment to me.” After completing six years of primary school on the moshav, Hadar went on to attend high school, served two years in the Israeli Air Force, and then completed a degree in science and biology.

Eager to serve others, Hadar began volunteering in every sphere imaginable. “I’m hyperactive,” she says. “I’ve always involved myself in volunteering, organising, and being part of big projects. From cultural clubs to adult education, I involved myself in whatever I could.”

When she and Ishi first arrived in South Africa, their stay was finite. “We arrived here with our two children, and though we were really settled in Israel, we looked forward to seeing the wider Jewish community and exposing our children to it.”

A staunch Zionist from the beginning, Hadar remained determined to return to the moshav in which they lived as soon as possible. She recounts: “All the furniture we bought here was purchased with Israel in mind. We always tried to envision where it would be placed back home. We even considered not opening the gifts we received here, thinking there was little point if everything would be going back to Israel.”

Still, Hadar became increasingly involved in the South African Jewish community. Approached by Rabbi Zigmund Suchard, Hadar was invited to teach Hebrew at Wendywood Primary and High School in an informal setting. “The rabbi asked me to be involved for only three weeks,” she laughs. “It became a commitment of a few years.” Thanks to Hadar’s involvement, the programme became part of an educational curriculum, and would eventually inform the teaching programmes of other schools.

Although principals headhunted her and sought to involve her in their teaching programmes, Hadar opted to volunteer at the IUA-UCF, and became a lay leader in the organisation. After chairing the Partnership2Gether project for some time, Hadar rose up the organisation’s ranks, eventually heading up the organisation.

Under her leadership, it made multiple, meaningful contributions to the local Jewish community. “One of the things that really troubled me when I arrived was the way in which Yom Hazikaron was observed,” she says. “It was a minor day for the community. I went to the commemoration and saw no more than 50 people in the room. It really upset me.

“I had lost a friend to one of the wars fought for Israel, so I took it on myself to promote Yom Hazikaron and show the community just how important it was. Today, I think it is something of a highlight. More than 1 000 people attend the ceremony. That is something special.”

Hadar’s other achievements include arranging several missions to Israel and Poland, organising a visit to South Africa by the late Shimon Peres, and supporting Israel continuously through projects which included donating playgrounds to the Jewish state on its 60th birthday.

She says that she befriends every person she meets, thereby establishing an impressive network of true friends to whom she can turn to for assistance on any occasion and for any cause.

From ambassadors to politicians, academics to ministers, Hadar certainly has an impressive circle. “People always tell me that I’m the one to call when there’s an issue,” she laughs.

Although she has stepped down, Hadar will continue to serve the community by playing the role of Executive Director of the South African Friends of Sheba organisation, a position which she intends to take up with zest starting next year.

“If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never dared. I want to continue pushing myself and taking on new challenges, helping people along the way, and making a difference,” she says.

Says Zev Krengel, the vice-president of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, “Naomi has always been very caring and committed to South African and world Jewry. She was always willing to help, especially when working with the Israeli government. I wish her luck as she begins this new step in her journey.”