Poignant reminder of Mauritius’ Jewish presence

MARY KLUK

The main event was the official opening of a memorial centre and exhibition recording that story. We also visited various sites associated with the detainees, including the Beau Bassin Prison where the men were held and the cemetery where 126 of those who died on the island are buried.

Listening to the various speakers, it made me very proud to remember how during those difficult years, the SAJBD provided so vital a source of support and comfort to their incarcerated brethren. Thanks to the Board, the detainees did not feel that they were completely isolated and abandoned but that they were connected to a greater Jewish world that cared about them.

The Board also provided much material support, including siddurim, essential medicines and other provisions. After the war, the Board’s connection with Mauritius continued through ensuring the upkeep of the Jewish cemetery, which is today fully restored and beautifully maintained.

What was also a great source of pride to me was learning how the detainees, despite the harshness of their circumstances, were able to foster a sense of community and get on with living, both in a Jewish sense and as normal, civilised people. They established schools and three shuls (they were divided into three main groups, all speaking different languages) and conducted a range of cultural and educational activities.

While men and women were held in separate quarters, a degree of mixing was possible, and a number of marriages took place. One of those who joined us, Tali Regev, was one of 60 children born on the island. Today, he serves as Honorary Consul General for Mauritius in Israel.

In all, the story of the Mauritius detainees testifies both to the resilience of the Jewish people and the solidarity that Jews throughout the world have with one another. In recent weeks, that resilience has again been put to the test with the horrific series of terrorist murders that have taken place in Israel. The situation as I write remains very tense, and we can only pray that the violence will not escalate into something even worse.   

Tonight, I will be participating in the final Black-Jewish Entrepreneurs Network (B-JEN) event for this year in Johannesburg. B-JEN, an initiative of the Cape Council of the Board and generously supported in both Cape Town and Johannesburg by Investec, was conceived as a forum through which black and Jewish entrepreneurs could share their experiences and create networking opportunities.

It was introduced with equal success by the Gauteng Council at the beginning of 2014, with this evening’s function being the third such event held since the inaugural launch in March. B-JEN has done much to forge bonds of friendship and co-operation between our community and up-and-coming young black entrepreneurs. It is gratifying to see how the Board, while continuing to pursue its primary mandate of upholding the civil rights and safety of South African Jewry, has also been able to involve itself – and therefore the constituency it represents – in meaningful nation-building activities of this nature.

• Listen to Charisse Zeifert on Jewish Board Talk, 101.9 ChaiFM every Friday 12:00 – 13:00.