Remembering Mervyn Smith

MARY KLUK

His passing occasioned a flood of fulsome tributes from throughout the Jewish world. Our national director, Wendy Kahn, was in Prague at the time, attending an international conference for Jewish communal professionals under the auspices of the WJC. She was thus on hand to join with WJC President Ronald Lauder and others in paying tribute to him.

On a personal note, I benefited immeasurably from Mervyn’s wise advice, experience and unfailing support, particularly in his mentoring me in terms of representing our community on the World Jewish Congress (WJC). It was he who was instrumental in South African Jewry being given a permanent seat on the WJC executive.

Mervyn was chairman of the SA Holocaust and Genocide Foundation and hence, in my capacity of director of the Durban Holocaust Centre, I also worked closely with him in this area. A third key area in which I engaged with Mervyn was in the legal fight against ant-Semitism. Here, several columns would be needed to deal with just this one aspect of what he contributed.

Above and beyond his remarkable leadership and organisational skills and intellectual gifts, Mervyn was a man of exceptional wisdom, fairness and integrity. I will greatly miss him, both as a mentor and as a friend.

Tragedy in Jerusalem

As I write, Jews around the world are still coming to terms with the latest shocking act of terrorist violence in Israel, this time carried out against worshippers in a Jerusalem synagogue. We extend our heartfelt condolences to those whose friends and loved ones were so brutally murdered, and pray for a complete and speedy recovery for those injured.

It is at such times that we need to focus on what unites, rather than what divides us. Diversity of opinion in our community is a healthy thing, but of late we have seen this taking the form of divisive, highly personalised attacks calling into question people’s integrity and loyalties. This is something we always need to avoid, but especially in these difficult times when our brothers and sisters in Israel are on a daily basis confronted with deadly threats to their very survival.   

Jewish women invited to build a better Africa

Wendy and I were among a select group of invitees who attended last week’s African Union Foundation “Women in Business” event, and heard AUC Chairman Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma present her “Agenda 2063” vision for the African continent. Dr Dlamini-Zuma is a truly inspirational African leader. We feel privileged that our community is seen by her as being able to add value to achieving her vision for African development and appreciate how our contribution is sought after and enthusiastically received.

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