Surf, sun, and Sefer Torah: Muizenberg’s new rabbi

When Rabbi Ryan Goldstein left Johannesburg and moved to Muizenberg in April to take over the Muizenberg Hebrew Congregation, he was staying true to his belief in second chances.

This week on 15 July, Goldstein proposed to self-employed mother of three, Nicky Malka Leib, originally from Johannesburg, on the beach across the road from his apartment in a beautiful display.

The pair met while getting IV drips, and were told not to talk to each other, but they couldn’t help but connect, and all these years later, they are starting a new life together. Goldstein wouldn’t say any more about this or anything else about their relationship, saying it was personal.

Leib stays in Johannesburg with two of her three children – one child lives in Israel. But she plans to join Goldstein in Muizenberg. Three of Goldstein’s children live in Israel, with three others living in Johannesburg.

“Nicky was here visiting. The beach is right across from my flat, and three of my children were here for the school holidays, so it seemed like a no-brainer to do it now,” said Goldstein.

“The proposal was put on Facebook, not by me, but the response has been amazing. We’ve been getting great comments,” he said.

Goldstein jumped at the chance to take over the Muizenberg Hebrew Congregation as full-time rabbi when he was told last year that the very popular Rabbi Ryan Newfield, known as the “surfing rabbi”, was looking to go back to the United States after four years in Muizenberg.

“There’s so much work to be done here and so much potential in Muizenberg compared to Johannesburg, so when the option came up, I jumped and did a secret trial run in June of 2023,” said Goldstein, “You want to experience Hashem’s world, you want to live life, and you can also learn Torah and do good. There’s so much thirst for it.”

Goldstein said that through living in Muizenberg and engaging with the people there, he had discovered a whole new side to the beachside town. “There are a lot of secret, hidden Jews. You’ll find them on the beach and in the bars and their flats, but they don’t come to shul,” he said, “Our mission is to find them all and show them that our shul is amazing, our brochas are amazing, the Torah is amazing, and just to give us a chance.”

He described an incident when he was talking to a Jewish woman on the beach one day, and told her she should come and join the shul service for the coming Shabbat. The woman came to the Shabbat service and at the brocha, told him she hadn’t set foot in a shul in more than 20 years. She’s now a regular attendee on Shabbat.

Goldstein said he was drawn to Muizenberg because of the simpler way of life there. “Muizenberg is like a little shtetl,” he said. “Just to live in a town without a bank is amazing and different. It’s got just the basics, and it’s such a good lifestyle. There are so many activities to do. It’s refreshing and exhilarating. I’ve been trying my hands at surfing, fishing, and hiking. I love it.”

The shul’s activities have gone back to normal after it celebrated its centenary in December, when South Africa’s chief rabbi, Dr Warren Goldstein, and the United Kingdom chief rabbi of the Commonwealth, Ephraim Mirvis, were in attendance.

“My plan is for monthly events to let people gather, and to make sure we have minyanim every Shabbat,” Goldstein said.

“I’m also trying to grow the shul and get people to join us for a daily minyan,” Goldstein said. “We also have weekly shiurim on a Tuesday night, where people can join us in person or via Zoom.”

Those who don’t live in Muizenberg are urged to participate in these shiurim so that when holiday-goers visit Muizenberg in December, they can come to a shul where they already feel part of the community.

“We’re even thinking about getting a deli going so that people don’t have to schlep to Sea Point to get kosher food,” he said.

Goldstein sees much potential in the small Muizenberg Jewish community, and cannot wait to invite many others into this “special place that we are building”.

He still maintains his business of providing gravestones to the community, even while being on the other side of the country from some of his clientele.

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people realised that you didn’t need to have like a sit-down interview, and that tombstones could be made virtually over email and WhatsApp, and that’s what most of my customers do,” said Goldstein. “But the seniors who like the traditional method can still meet my mother. She’s retired, but assists me in Joburg by meeting people to discuss tombstones.”

Goldstein has also been using the opportunity in Muizenberg to hone his skills as a sofer (scribe) and run his website Ketubah.co.za where people can order ketubahs. He has also used this new space to write a Torah, which he intends to do over the next five years.