Prayer and protection of rights

It’s lovely to be back after the December break, which I hope was a time for rest and recovery for all. Although there hasn’t been a column for the past few weeks, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) continued to work through the holiday period on matters of importance for the Jewish community.

I was given the honour of delivering a prayer on behalf of the Jewish community at the African National Congress (ANC) conference held at Nasrec on 16 December. It was a great opportunity to see the ruling party ANC at work and observe first-hand the atmosphere and interactions of those who, at least until the next elections, hold the future of this country in their hands. This was a critical event for South Africa as a whole as well as the Jewish community, and I reflect on it in more detail in an op-ed also published in this edition of the SA Jewish Report.

As part of our core mandate of protecting the religious rights of South African Jewry, we work closely with universities to make alternate arrangements for observant Jewish students with exams on chaggim and on Shabbat. The SAJBD has been working over the past four months to find fair accommodation for our University of South Africa (Unisa) students in this situation. As of this week, we have now finally confirmed alternate assessments for all of the 69 exams that were reported to us. Throughout the holiday, our professional team worked with Unisa to resolve the final six exams so that our students will be able to proceed with their studies this year. Last year, our office worked with several universities, private tertiary institutions, and high schools to resolve exam clashes with Jewish holy days to ensure that our community members aren’t disadvantaged due to their religious practices.

Heartbreakingly, last year ended with tragedy for residents and workers in Boksburg. We have all watched in horror as the full extent of the devastation and death toll from the tanker explosion has emerged. Our only comfort at such times is to come together and provide assistance where help is needed. Last Thursday, the SAJBD, The Angel Network, and community members visited Boksburg to support our team who have been working tirelessly on the ground to help those affected. SAJBD beneficiaries – The Clive Mashishi Foundation, Fingertips of Africa, and The Sibambisene Foundation – have been helping out with funeral arrangements, preparing food, handing out food parcels, and fixing windows (including of the old-age home). We’re also grateful to trauma counsellor Arielle Susman for volunteering to help those experiencing grief. We visited families who lost loved ones, those who were badly burnt by the explosion, and paid our respects at the Brits funeral for the four siblings who were killed. We’re grateful to all our partners who were able to provide some comfort to those grieving.

Our hearts go out to those who were so catastrophically affected by this tragic disaster.

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