Wits Jewish SRC candidates can make a difference

ANT KATZ

Three Jewish students were elected to the Wits SRC last year on the Project W ticket and all made substantial contributions to campus life. All three are bowing out as the election of a new SRC looms next week – to be replaced by another three quality Jewish candidates.

RIGHT: Kira Genende, the younger sister of current SRC member Ethan, who excelled as a member of the current SRC

This year’s Jewish SRC candidates are Ilan Kirkel, Dani Hovsha (who is a member of SAUJS and is involved in interfaith work) and Kira Genende, the younger sister of Ethan who excelled as a member of the current SRC.

The elections are being held next Tuesday and Wednesday, September 2 and 3. The candidates are hoping that both Jewish and non-Jewish students who are their friends, will turn out in numbers to vote as they did last year.

LEFT: Dani Hovsha, who is a member of SAUJS and is involved in interfaith work 

Project W’s website lists the many positive contributions by the party and the Jewish students on the Wits campus over the past year. These include helping to “create a calmer campus” and making “the SRC accountable to the students”. They also ran new initiatives such as the Wits Safety Week and HIV testing events. Project W also raised money through a raffle of iPads that were donated to the Wits humanitarian fund.

The website lauds the effective delivery of Ethan Genende, the strategic officer, “who helped to review a number of processes in the university that had become problematic”. One such process was the so-called Kudu bucks machines that students use to pay for library services.

RIGHT: Ilan Kirkel, the sole male Jewish SRC candidate, makes the sign of Project W

Ethan also conducted the “Food and Residences Review” and a review of the election rules of some of the other non-SRC structures at the university.

Avigal Cutler was the community and transformation officer on the current SRC and, says the website, “assisted and worked on issues close to the heart of Wits students such as the Wits silent march against abuse”.

She also helped set up the first Wits Food Bank for hungry students.

The third Jewish member of the current SRC, Jarred Hart, worked with different clubs and societies on campus and “assisted their work in making Wits a vibrant campus,,” says the Project W website.