No truth to myth that Wits doesn’t welcome Jews, say experts

There’s a strange myth about Jewish youth battling to get into the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and not being very welcome there, but it’s exactly that: a myth that needs to be exposed, say experts.

Arnold Basserabie, the chairperson of the Wits Foundation Board of Governors, points to the statistics pertaining to Wits’s feeder schools and governance structures, which show high levels of Jewish representation guiding and supporting the university.

Through annual tracking of its top feeder schools, Wits has found that King David Linksfield ranked in second place in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

King David Victory Park recorded 14th place in 2020, 11th in 2021, and 15th in 2022. Yeshiva College came 22nd in 2020, and 14th in 2021, while its stats for this year are still being sourced.

In all these three years, Parktown High School for Girls ranked first place.

Regarding Wits’s governance structures, the board of directors includes Stanley Bergman, Jane Levy, Jonathan Joffe and David Schneider. “None of the board members would stand for the reality of such a myth,” says Basserabie.

In addition, Adrian Gore is a governor and trustee of the Wits Foundation, while Sir Sydney Kentridge QC is a patron and trustee of the Wits Foundation UK. Moreover, Wits council members include Dr Jonathan Broomberg, Professor Michael Katz and Dr Maurice Goodman.

Asked about the myth, the latter says, “I have no knowledge of it. I sit on council and convocation exco, and I can assure you that there’s no policy in that regard. So I’m really not sure where this myth comes from. I certainly don’t subscribe to it.”

Goodman and Basserabie are alumni of Wits, with the former obtaining Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration degrees. The latter not only attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Maths and Math Stats, but also participated in an executive development programme at Wits Business School.

“I loved my student time at Wits,” says Goodman. “I was involved in extramural activities, mainly sport. I played soccer for Wits. I really had a good time. Obviously, I had to work hard.”

As a student, Basserabie enjoyed intervarsity rugby against the University of Pretoria, and the annual Rag (Remember and Give), a procession of floats and fancy dress, collecting donations and selling Wits Blitz magazine.

“I found the education at Wits excellent,” says Basserabie. “We had great lecturers – Professors Kerrich, Bleksley and Boyd come to mind. We weren’t spoon-fed but taught how to think and solve problems by ourselves. The camaraderie among students was fantastic. We learnt as much about life as an education. One highlight was when the late Bobby Kennedy visited Wits and addressed us on the steps of the Great Hall.”

Today, Basserabie is a member of the Wits Investment Committee and on the board of the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre.

“In my current roles, I have found a dynamic, hard-working institution with committed and motivated people who are really trying to make a difference,” he says. “We have an experienced and competent board of governors which adds significant value to the university’s activities.”

Basserabie’s sons also studied at Wits. “Darren completed a BCom in Law and Accounts, and Lance a BCom in Actuarial Science,” he says. “My oldest grandson, Yishai, is studying Electrical Engineering and seems to work harder than any of the rest of us ever did.”

Basserabie says Wits lays the foundation for an enriched life and presents a gateway to the world. “The standard of education remains high, degrees are highly regarded [also overseas], and the opportunity to engage with students from all backgrounds is a good life experience. Many Wits graduates have gone on to become world leaders in their fields of endeavour. For example, Patrick Soon-Shiong, Sir Sydney Kentridge, Natie Kirsh, David Fine, Stanley Bergman and many others.”

“Wits is well respected in South Africa, Africa and globally,” says Goodman. The most important thing is the quality of the asset that you are acquiring. Besides the degree, there’s a rich student life at Wits. Wits is also rich in sport. You can play soccer, rugby, water polo, etc.”

Goodman advises those considering going to Wits to partake in extramural activities, but not to the detriment of their studies. “First and foremost, study hard. But you can definitely get involved both in terms of your own growth and in terms of influencing. Important debates go on at Wits. Some have an impact on us as Jews or on Israel, but others genuinely have an impact on the country. Wits students have always made their voices and opinions felt, and there’s a great opportunity for Jewish students to do that.”

To Basserabie’s mind, “Wits, very ably led by Vice-Chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi, is a dynamic and progressive institution determined to produce highly qualified graduates who are able to hold their own in any society. Wits carries out world-class and ground-breaking research, engages in leading-edge initiatives, and enhances society not only in South Africa but well beyond. Wits is an essential part of South Africa and its future.”

He said some examples of Wits initiatives include “the rollout of an ambitious innovation strategy; the conversion of the Planetarium into a Digital Dome; the establishment of a world-class high performance sports, health and wellness faculty; the construction of a burns unit, regarded as among the best in the world. Finally, he points to the success of the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre, “a highly-regarded private hospital and specialist training centre, and the only one of its kind in the country, which has over the past 20 years funded and trained about 100 postgraduate students and a further 500 doctors for the benefit of South Africa’s healthcare community in the private and public sectors”.