SAJBD: Committed to realising SA’s goals

JORDAN MOSHE

His greeting and message of support – shouted above the din of tumultuous revelry in the background – elicited a hearty applause from the audience of hundreds at The Venue in the Houghton Hotel. He wished the attendees all the best for the conference and thanked them for all their continued support. 

Said SAJBD national director Wendy Kahn: “We were told it would be easier to get a greeting from the Queen, but they don’t know our vice-president, Zev Krengel. The president of SA Rugby, Mark Alexander, this afternoon in East London in the midst of celebrations, stopped Kolisi for a message for us.

 “A week ago we celebrated our incredible win in Japan,” said Kahn. “The Springbok victory was the unifier we all needed. Tonight, we host many more heroes who will hopefully inspire us to write ourselves into our country’s and community’s history.”

Investec Group CEO Fani Titi paid tribute to local Jewry’s tireless efforts to contribute to the country. “South African Jewry continues to be a vital, innovative and contributing part of our society,” he said. “Investec has always had a close relationship with the community, and this is something the new generation of leadership at the company is committed to maintaining and building into the future.”

Titi said the conference was taking place at a time when South Africa is grappling with many serious challenges, particularly in terms of the economy, government infrastructure and service delivery.  “In many ways, progress has been disappointingly slow,” he added. “Government has yet to make the necessary tough calls concerning the economy and tackling head-on the need to bring to book those implicated in serious acts of criminality and corruption.”

Still, he believes that South Africa is in a better place today than it was two years ago. “It may not feel that way when you look at the headlines, but if you look at the facts, we are in a different place,” he stressed. “We are seeing encouraging progress.” 

Titi maintains that South Africa needs to become more business-friendly, and trust between the private and public sectors must be rebuilt. “The private sector has a critical part to play in taking the economy forward,” he said. “We need to be resilient, building on our strengths, and take a long-term view of things. We need a mindset of endurance and a willingness to tough things out while being sufficiently flexible to respond to hurdles of the day.

“We cannot afford to lose faith in ourselves and our abilities, since such negativity can become self-fulfilling. Our country has the potential to grow and flourish.”  

Several recorded messages of support were screened at the conference, among them from Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein, the Israeli ambassador to South Africa, Lior Keinan, and the chairperson of the South African Zionist Federation, Rowan Polovin.

SAJBD chairperson Shaun Zagnoev suggested in his address that South African Jewry often takes its uniqueness for granted. “Our community remains active and vibrant, admired throughout the diaspora,” he said. “Our Chevra Kadisha has no equivalent in the world. Our Limmud and Sinai Indaba continue to attract thousands of Jews. We birthed the global Shabbos Project. With few small exceptions, there is harmony amongst all Jewish organisations.”

He added that the local Jewry plays an outsized role on the international Jewish stage as well. Citing examples, he explained that SAJBD president Mary Kluk heads up the security portfolio of the executive of the World Jewish Congress; Kahn participates in forums such as the global coalition against anti-Semitism; and past SAJBD president Marlene Bethlehem is serving a fourth term as president of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.

Zagnoev also mentioned that the SAJBD continues to be recognised by South African authorities, having met with more than 10 government ministers and senior ANC and other party officials in the past 12 months.

The SAJBD has also made certain changes over the past year to ensure its own viability and relevance, he reported. “To assess our progress to date, we commissioned Ernst & Young to review all financial transactions over a 12-month period and we received a clean bill of health.”

He added: “The SAJBD remains committed to protecting the safety and civil rights of South African Jewry, and to leading our community in being an active and contributing part of our evolving democracy.”