‘We must welcome them with open arms – we’re one family’

NICOLA MILTZ

That’s how some converts of colour describe how they feel in South Africa – or worse, a terrorist.

It is not a walk in the park if you happen to be black and Jewish – a minority within a minority – in a country with such a racially fractured past with worldwide anti-Semitism on the rise.

“I get that people are naturally curious, but it’s rude to gawk,” says one black South African woman who converted to Orthodox several years ago. She prefers to remain anonymous so as not to “insult or offend” members of her small community who have warmly welcomed her into the fold.

“When I go to KosherWorld before Shabbos I can literally feel the eyes on my back. Sometimes I’ve even been asked to point things out on the shelf as if I’m an employee.”

Her friend, also an Orthodox convert of colour, refuses to even be interviewed for fear of “a backlash”. 

“Our own small communities accept us but if we air our dirty laundry in public about the community at large, we may offend the very people who have opened their hearts and homes to us and welcomed us.”

When they attend a simcha in a neighbouring suburb or a shiur in a different community, they are often “interrogated” by members of the Community Security Organisation (CSO) which makes them feel uncomfortable, they say.

She says she’d rather stay away from events like Sinai Indaba and challah baking get-togethers, because it’s “humiliating” having to explain herself every time she faces a member of the CSO.

“You are not supposed to remind someone they are a convert or to shame them in public.”

Such sentiments prompted Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein to hold a meeting with several converts of colour recently, to hear of their “pain” due to the “racist attitudes” from fellow congregants.

“As a community, we need to confront the problem of racism,” he said following the “heart-breaking” meeting.

“Our rejection of racism must also reflect in how we engage with South Africans from all races who have converted to Judaism and have joined our community. We must welcome them with open arms; we are one family.”

He asked the community to implement practical steps by “inviting them for Shabbos and Yomtov, engaging warmly at shul, and sharing school lifts”.

“We must appreciate their incredible sacrifices and devotion to the Torah that has brought them to voluntarily choose our way of life.”

Rabbi Goldstein has raised this issue with community rabbis and the CSO.

Some converts of colour were outraged when a suggestion was put forward to carry “conversion cards” to show the CSO in a bid to “prove” their Jewishness.

Said CSO director of Operations for Gauteng, Jevon Greenblatt: “Due to the fact that many of the new converts, irrespective of colour, were largely unknown to the community, a suggestion was made to issue a card confirming their participation on the conversion programme. As some felt uncomfortable with this system, it was immediately stopped.” 

He said the CSO was “deeply committed” to addressing this issue and that it had met with some of the converts who had had bad experiences.

“We will be instituting new systems to address these real concerns and to find ways to make all our converts feel more welcome at our installations.

The CSO recently held a training seminar attended by over 120 CSO protectors and community marshals. Rabbi Ron Hendler, Registrar for Conversions at the Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa also attended and offered advice on how best to approach and question people “in an effective, respectful and dignified manner”. More seminars will be held in the future, he said.

 “The CSO’s mandate is to protect Jewish life and the Jewish way of life. This is a very serious and onerous responsibility. Anyone who is not known to a security official, should be vetted and if necessary, questioned. The reason for this is to establish if they belong and is not intended to cause offence. Belonging is not determined by race, gender, age or religion, but rather whether their intentions are nefarious or not.”

Chava Shervington, an African-American Orthodox Jew, says that for Jews of colour it is possible to be an integrated member of the community but it requires “an abundance of self-confidence, tact and tenacity”.

It takes confidence, she explains, to keep going to synagogues when every time you show up at a different shul you get questioned and “interrogated”.

“It takes tact to politely rebuff yet another inquiry about your journey to Judaism or why ‘you read Hebrew so well’.

“It takes tenacity to keep going to kosher restaurants and Orthodox-run stores when all eyes gravitate toward you the moment you walk through the door.

Soweto-born Mike Sadike and his Xhosa-speaking wife, Pnina Sadike, say they have never experienced overt racism and that the community has always been “accepting and welcoming”.

The couple who formally tied the knot earlier this year under a chuppah after years of Torah study, describe the South African Jewish community as “loving and warm”.

“People have been lovely,” insists Pnina who has only positive things to say.

“I guess it’s about attitudes. We choose to understand people’s natural curiosity and don’t take offence to the questioning. When I’m at a restaurant, many of the waiters are black, so I explain to them why I need a benching card. I politely tell them, it doesn’t bother me.”

At present there are about 30 to 40 converts of colour in South Africa.

According to Ron Hendler registrar for conversions at the Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa, there is a steady interest in people from different backgrounds choosing a Jewish way of life.

“We are very excited to welcome sincere converts from whatever race or background and we are seeing an increase in applications from many different population groups. It must be emphasised that the path of conversion to Orthodox Judaism is extremely challenging and people, regardless of their background, struggle.”

He said that it could take “anywhere between two years and forever” to convert, depending on individual circumstances.

Candidates are required to learn about Judaism, Jewish history and practical Jewish law and to integrate it into their daily lives, until they are living a committed Jewish life.

They are required to live in a Jewish community, keep kosher, Shabbat, family purity and their children must attend a Jewish school.

“Obviously they are becoming a minority within a very established and tight-knit community. In addition to that they may have different cultural norms. As with all converts, they may also become somewhat less connected to their biological families and friends. This can lead to alienation and loneliness.”  

From his experience, Rabbi Hendler assures: “Most South African Jews are interested in the whole concept of conversion and the challenging path that converts have chosen. They are generally welcoming and supportive, especially when they see the sincerity of the conversion candidates.

Said Rabbi Hendler: “The CSO has assured us that their shul security policy is completely non-racial and they are actively participating in sensitisation programmes as part of their general training and in line with similar sensitisation programmes being rolled out across the community as a whole.

“In general, the broader Jewish community has been very warm… in the past, the community was very insular but over the years has become much more open.”