Story of tenacity: Board honours great South Africans

If there is one thing that South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) chairperson Karen Milner says she knows as a Jew and a South African is: “You cannot move forward without knowing where you come from”.

Addressing the SAJBD 120th anniversary gala dinner at the Wanderers Club on 11 November, Milner said that because of that fact, as Jews, and as South Africans, “we understand the importance of storytelling to keep a people’s memory and culture alive”.

The story of the South African Jewish community is “a story of tenacity, resilience, family values, entrepreneurial spirit, and the value of education”, Milner said.

Milner was addressing the many dignitaries present, including South African Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein; Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, Sir Ephraim Mirvis; Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie; Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa; Deputy Minister of Small Business Development Raesetja Jane Sithole; Member of the Executive Council Mbali Hlophe; African National Congress Treasurer General Gwen Ramokgopa; and politicians Helen Zille, Herman Mashaba, and Mmusi Maimane.

Along with the South African politicians, the event was attended by ambassadors and diplomats from Israel, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Austria, India, and the Czech Republic.

Milner told the distinguished audience that the stories of most – if not all – Jewish South Africans were of fleeing poverty, the pogroms of Eastern Europe, and the Nazi war machine to make a life for themselves in which they not only survived but thrived.

She said nothing signified this story of integrity and courage more aptly than the way that Jewish South Africans helped to fight apartheid.

African National Congress stalwart, anti-apartheid freedom fighter, and former premier of Mpumalanga, Dr Mathews Phosa, agreed with Milner, saying that the story of South Africa was a tapestry of countless voices, acts of courage, and unwavering conviction.

“The South African Jewish community’s embrace of justice and inclusivity has left a mark on the values of this nation,” Phosa said.

He said that though things may seem tense in terms of the community’s relationship with the current government, the bonds that the Jewish community forged with the wider South African community at the time of apartheid wouldn’t be forgotten.

Phosa said that in recent years, the voice of the Jewish community in political and civic spaces had been less prominent. This absence had at times allowed radical elements to step into the void, distorting the narrative and misrepresenting our nation’s greatness. “This doesn’t represent the heart of South Africa,” he said.

He fondly recalled those who stood shoulder to shoulder with black South Africans in the battle against apartheid such as Joe Slovo, Ruth First, Arthur Goldreich, and many more.

“Those heroes and heroines were living proof that the South African struggle was a struggle for all people, irrespective of race,” Phosa said.

He recalled the close relationship many prominent members of the Jewish community had with the late Nelson Mandela, particularly lawyer Lazar Sidelsky. “Sidelsky not only gave Mandela a chance, but a foundation upon which he could build a vision of justice,” he said.

Phosa said that looking at the many faces who were honoured at the venue reminded the community that justice was never simply given, but must be fought for.

The gala event honoured 100 remarkable Jewish South Africans who had improved the country around them, from Johnny Clegg to Ali Bacher, Raymond Ackerman, Helen Suzman, Irma Stern, and many in between.

The SAJBD gave three prominent members of the South African Jewish community special awards. National president of the South African Zionist Federation, Avrom Krengel, received one of the prestigious Eric Samson Mendel Kaplan Awards for Communal Service; and Lester Hoffman was awarded the other for his countless years of service in various Jewish organisations in Cape Town.

Hoffman has been a member of the Cape Board since 1999, and was the chairperson of the Cape Board of Deputies from 1995 to 1997. He has held the positions of chairperson of the Herzlia board of governors; chairperson of the Community Security Organisation; chairperson of the Cape Jewish Chronicle; and chairperson of the Cape Bursary Foundation. He’s now treasurer of the Cape Board.

“In my years of involvement, we have had many debates and many successes,” Hoffman said on accepting his award. “I remain steadfast in the belief that whatever they do, with the challenges facing Jewry worldwide and particularly in this country, we will come out stronger.”

The Chief Rabbi Cyril and Ann Harris Humanitarian Award was presented to Stanley and Marion Bergman, the founders of the American Jewish Committee African Institute. Their award was presented by SAJBD President Zev Krengel and the vice chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi.

On accepting his award, Stanley Bergman emphasised that it was more important than ever to stand together as a Jewish community with Jewish values. “The South African Jewish community will go on for decades, if not centuries,” he said.