Youth and the Chief Rabbi lead the drive to help Cape Town

JORDAN MOSHE

While many initiatives are in place, the Chief Rabbi, Dr Warren Goldstein, has made it his mission to help bring relief to the city’s residents.

“Life often includes difficult times, but if a community pulls together, great things can be achieved,” he said, after meeting with communal leaders and stakeholders in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Goldstein wanted to better understand the reality of the situation and what the Johannesburg Jewish community could do to assist. “As much as we want to prevent Day Zero from becoming a reality, we must be prepared for it as a community,” said Goldstein. “We need to prepare from both a logistical and spiritual point of view. This means that, aside from implementing practical measures to alleviate the problem, we also turn to G-d and pray for his help and guidance for us and our country’s leaders.”

Over the past two weeks, Johannesburg Jewish schools, community organisations and local businesses have all joined in efforts to bring some relief. The tiny Darchei Noam School in Highlands North launched a campaign on social media, challenging others to assist in collecting water to be donated to Cape Town’s Jewish home for the elderly, Highlands House, as well as other needy establishments, through their partner Jewish schools.

“Every term, our school has an outreach programme. This term, we decided to do a water drive, given the terrible situation that Cape Town is experiencing,” says Shireen Sacks, principal of Darchei Noam. “We felt we could make a difference, and numerous schools and organisations have united with us in this drive.”

Within hours of this school launching its campaign, hundreds of bottles of water were brought in, and other schools and organisations accepted the challenge.

King David Sandton, Torah Academy, Sinai Academy, Shaarei Torah Nursery School and the Union of Jewish Women have all joined forces to make a difference. Individuals were invited to donate bottled water and grey water in any sealed container. If they were unable to donate water, they were invited to make a monetary donation. The money would be used to buy water that will be added to the trucks bound for Cape Town. They are sending two truckloads of water to Cape Town this week.

Kind David Linksfield is running its own water campaign as part of the Gift of the Givers initiative to send water to Cape Town. At the initiative of its student leaders, a collection ran this week and will culminate in supplies collected being sent to Gift of the Givers on Friday, for delivery to Cape Town. King David has created a competition among pupils to see who can bring in the most water.

“In 70 days Cape Town will become the first major city in the world to run out of water,” say King David student leaders Ben Atie (17) and Hannah Bloch (17). “Our friends, family and fellow South Africans face an uncertain future, ironically in a city with a sea beside them.

“Lives are threatened by the impending water restrictions. Whatever your opinion on Cape Town’s water crisis, this much is true: it is happening and as Jews, as King Davidians, as South Africans, as human beings, it is our responsibility to look out for those who cannot do so themselves.”

Also committing itself to helping Cape Town is local mobile bar service Thirst Bar. Founded by Clyde Ackerman and Rael Laserow, Thirst Bar provides refreshments at functions and corporate events around the country, but its owners have taken up this cause. Through their #ThirstDroughtDrive campaign, their Johannesburg and Durban branches have turned into water collection points. From there, water will be transported to Cape Town and distributed to orphanages and animal shelters.

“We want to help where we can, and I think everyone should be doing their bit to assist.” Says Thirst Bar’s Adam Chaskalson. “Cape Town is in a crisis and all South Africans should be trying to help. Our business in Cape Town has been part of the community in many ways. We have been very fortunate to grow year after year in Cape Town and feel indebted to the city for taking us in and trusting us. We are in a position, with our sister branches in Durban and Johannesburg, to help Cape Town prevent Day Zero and ensure that animals and children who cannot help themselves are sorted out with water should Day Zero happen.”

The commitment shown by the Johannesburg community is appreciated. Zeesa Deren, the principal of Sinai Academy in Bloubergstrand, has thanked the Johannesburg community “for caring about Cape Town”.

“We’re managing the water crisis with an added spiritual dimension: thank, save and pray,” added Deren.

“We are trying to bring an awareness that Hashem can at any time shift this crisis for the good. It is up to us to daven for what we need from Hashem earnestly.”

The chief rabbi’s campaign includes a half-day fast, declared a few months ago, three separate prayer gatherings held over recent weeks, and will also feature a nationwide daily Tehillim recitation initiative within the coming week.

He is considering the possibility of using the upcoming Sinai Indaba event as an opportunity to assist Cape Town further, by using it as a platform to call on the community to donate water.