Pretoria has become a city of Torah, learning and growth

DIANE WOLFSON

PRETORIA

Pictured:  Rabbi Gidon Fox.

 PHOTOGRAPH: JULIAN POKROY

He has led the Machon LHora’ah of Pretoria since its inception in 2001. His reputation extends far and wide and students have come to Pretoria from around the world to get smicha when they could go anywhere else. 

He was joined by Rabbi Aron Grinshtein who has assisted in the teaching, making a formidable team.

The impact that the Yeshiva has had on the Pretoria Jewish community is substantial. The mere presence of this group of top-notch students has added a new dimension to the city’s kehilah. The healthy interaction between the bochurim and congregants – both frum and traditional – occurs daily, with bochurim available for one-on-one shiurim with members of the community each evening.

There has also been a very positive spin-off into our youth, making Pretoria a city of Torah, learning and growth.

One of the latest group of graduates, Avi Waren from Connecticut, says he is grateful for the opportunity to have learnt in a very rigorous but conducive environment.

The new Rabbi Levi Rosenbaum from Melbourne, said: “From the first day we arrived, we were welcomed to this warm community. We have felt like an integral part of the Pretoria Hebrew Congregation (PHC) and have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people during our time. We will cherish our memories of the Jacaranda City.”

September 2015 also marks the 10^th anniversary of two important occasions – the arrival of Rabbi Gidon and Aviva Fox and their family from Melbourne as well as Chazzan Asher and Avigail Goldberg.

While Rabbi Fox has been a source of guidance and spiritual leadership and is a sought-after speaker nationally on the subject of fertility, his wife Aviva, has also been a tremendous asset.

Rabbi Fox has recently been appointed chairman of the SA Rabbinical Council.

Asher and Avigail Goldberg have brought much to the community since their arrival. Asher combines his day job as a physiotherapist with his position as chazzan, keeping the community spellbound with his magnificent voice. Avigail runs a highly successful kosher catering business. and teaches Jewish studies at Crawford College.

Six three-bedroom simplexes are presently being built on the shul campus with the units becoming available in January 2016 on a subsidised basis to newly-married couples willing to relocate to Pretoria.

“It is my hope and prayer that the PHC will continue to provide a location for communal spirituality, a meeting place for communal interaction, a home for communal learning and a dynamic centre of Jewish activity,” says Ian Hertz, president of the PHC.

“Building on the successes of the past, we will endeavour to transform our shul into a powerhouse of Jewish religious, social, cultural and educational activity imbued with young couples and children who see the value and future of living in Pretoria”.