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True or not, it’s a great story. And it goes like this. Atatürk, in his efforts to modernise Turkey, sought to reduce the influence of traditional...
Clever Hans was never on Twitter (or X). He didn’t have Instagram or Facebook accounts, and amassed no followers on TikTok. The likely reason is that...
It started with glace cherries. Or more accurately, when our hosts thanked us for the cake that we didn’t send them. It was an old-fashioned chocolate...
We had big dreams back then. We were filled with hope, glitter, love, and rainbows. It was the 1990s. The transition from the apartheid regime to...
One of the most annoying statements is, “Well, that’s 30 minutes we’ll never get back”, often said when reflecting on an experience that was a waste...
When the editor of media giant News24 dismissed Jewish columnist Howard Feldman, it exposed what appears to be double standards at the widely read South African...
Adriaan Basson, News24 editor, is fortunate that my mother is no longer alive. So too is “Hogarth” who crowned me “Mampara of the Week” in the...
One would think that considering all the praying we are about to do over Rosh Hashanah and then Shabbat, someone might remember to ask G-d for...
There’s nothing quite as anxiety producing as a relaxed host – those who nonchalantly wave their arms as if they haven’t a care in the world,...
Rumours that I sustained an injury while cage fighting might be greatly exaggerated. By me. The truth is worse. Because it could be argued that the...
To have adult children is to know that though you are expected never to make a wrong decision, you always will. It’s to know when to...
I would hate to be G-d. Whereas having the power to do pretty much anything must be cool, the job comes with terms and conditions that...
There are two types of people in the world: those who are happy for their WhatsApp phone contacts to see when they were last seen, and...
In the unlikely event of my forgetting to look in the mirror, I have social media to remind me that I’m bald. For good measure, a...
They walk among us. But they aren’t one of us. They are the people pleasers. And they not only invite unhappiness and misery into our personal...
It’s been a long winter. And while it might not have been colder than it usually is, it has felt more desolate. Perhaps because the season...
I’m becoming increasingly concerned that Penny might be an antisemite. Or that even if she isn’t an overt Jew hater, she harbours a deep seated and...
The social media post didn’t go as she would have liked. Because although “get ready with me” reels are all the rage, no-one wants to see...
Honestly, childbirth isn’t what it used to be. I’m not talking about the 19th century, when the mortality rate was higher than the Zambian gross domestic...
It’s hard to imagine a more colonialist endeavour than the Olympic Games. It was, after all, the invention of Greece, one of the greatest land-capturing nations...
It must be one of the more perplexing aspects of the 7 October war: how is it possible that the “woke” left and Hamas terrorists have...
It might not be the same as the story of Purim, but it’s worth celebrating. South Africa and her Jewish community have once again defied the...
Arguably one of the most annoying phrases known to man must be, “I told you so.” For generations, wives have reminded husbands of their unheeded warnings,...
It’s not difficult to spot a fellow South African anywhere in the world. At a restaurant, they’ll be the ones trying to get the attention of...
“I’ve been very angry with you.” Pause. “For years!” he said. And then he went quiet. Clearly, he was waiting for me to apologise. Which I...
It might have taken me some time, but I’ve made the decision to support the call for a ceasefire. As a Jew, I cannot ignore the...
It was just after the soup course this past Friday night that I was sent to my room. This was the first time in some years...
I dedicate this column to the South African and global left. This is their time of need. I acknowledge that all too often, I get so...
It’s difficult to imagine a world so devoid of challenge that I would be intrigued by a solar eclipse. It’s equally difficult to imagine a scenario...
Our “call-up papers” didn’t arrive by mail. They didn’t reach us in a phone call, or by way of a community announcement. Nor did we receive...
As much as I might be a fan of the CSO (Community Security Organisation), I’m not a fan of pilchards. Or lentils. I also avoid drinking...
A few weeks ago, I met Rabbi Doron Perez in Israel. I managed to catch up with him after he shared the experience of his family...
The Israel-Hamas war has brought me significantly closer to the Neturei Karta. It’s even possible that I have more photos of it on my phone than...
Travel stories so often involve taxi drivers. And this was no different. I must have been around six years old when my parents returned from a...
“What are you?” was the first question she was asked. University had just started, and as a first-year student, my daughter was trying to figure out...
It might sound like the start of a joke, but it’s not. What do red cars, front row seats, and lumberjacks have in common? The answer...
A few weeks after the start of the war following the 7 October Hamas attack, I heard of a “solidarity” mission to Israel. My feelings were...
The night is dark, but not too dark, so we can make out the silhouette of two men as they fight in the moonlight. They are...
I don’t want to brag, but I do consider myself “gutsy”. Gutsy as in brave, not as in flabby in the region of the stomach. I...
There’s something alluring about extreme makeovers. Home renovations; a dramatic transformation of a homeless person into a potential employee; and hairstyle and make up before-and-after posts...
