Our roots go deep

Cape and national representatives of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) participated in a memorable evening on 24 May to celebrate the opening of the newly restored Old Synagogue in Gardens.

Consecrated in 1863, the building is the oldest existing synagogue in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fittingly, it forms part of the South African Jewish Museum complex today, which in turn forms part of a greater Jewish cultural campus that comprises, among other things, the Great Synagogue (which replaced the old shul building and dates back to the early 1900s), the Jacob Gitlin Library, the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre, and a popular restaurant, Cafe Riteve. Just across the street are the civic offices of the Jewish community, including the offices of the Cape SAJBD, South African Zionist Federation, and others.

Having all these communal bodies concentrated within a small, easily accessible, and well secured area is one of the major strengths of the Cape Town Jewish community, and the fact that the area is located in the historic heartland not just of the Cape but South African Jewry as a whole makes it that much more significant. Whereas the SAJBD has been based at a number of different premises during its 120-year history, the Cape Town Hebrew Congregation, the mother congregation of South African Jewry, has been located in Hatfield Street for most of its existence. Events like last week’s function remind us how far back Jewish roots go in South Africa. They also further put into perspective the malign agenda of those who of late have gathered outside these premises and declared that Jews have no place in “their” country.

The Old Shul restoration was made possible through the support of the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, in recognition of the building’s historical and architectural significance. In his address, United States ambassador to South Africa, Reuben E. Brigety II, spoke about why the US supports initiatives of this nature, commenting that buildings aren’t just about bricks and mortar, but have their own stories to tell about those who built and used them. We extend our sincere thanks to the US Mission to South Africa for supporting this very meaningful project.

One step closer for Hate Crimes Bill

Last week, the SAJBD presented its written submission on the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill to the Select Committee on Security and Justice (National Council of Provinces). Our political and social justice liaison, Alana Baranov, has headed up this process ever since the proposed legislation was first introduced about eight years ago, and was responsible for updating and submitting our proposal. From the Board’s point of view, anti-hate-crime legislation is of crucial importance when it comes to fulfilling our mandate of protecting the Jewish community and upholding its civil rights, hence we have been involved with this issue from the outset. Baranov was also part of the team which updated the submission of the Hate Crime Working Group, a body co-founded by the SAJBD and other human rights organisations in the wake of xenophobic attacks against foreign migrants in 2008. I congratulate her on her recent election as deputy chairperson of this important body.

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