World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder and Secretary-General Michael Schneider were amongst an impressive array of international guests participating in the 45th National Conference of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) in Johannesburg on 29-30 August. Both also took part in the meeting of the African Jewish Congress (AJC) held immediately afterwards. Mr. Lauder brought greetings from the WJC at the opening night of the conference and was the keynote speaker at the AJC meeting the following day.
The SAJBD conference may well have been the most successful such occasion ever hosted in the organisation’s 106 year-old history, arguably eclipsing its centenary conference in 2003. Apart from the high level of the local and international speakers involved, it also reached the highest number of Jewish community members yet, thanks to a history-making live broadcast of its opening night through the newly established Jewish radio station ChaiFM. Audio Stream listeners alone from areas outside the station’s broadcasting range numbered over 9000. As SAJBD National Chairman Zev Krengel, who was elected to serve a second term, put it, seldom, if ever, had “the multifaceted work of the Board been so thorough-showcased and before so wide and significant an audience”.
So far as “Big Names” go, none in South Africa come any bigger than President Jacob Zuma, one of two keynote speakers at the opening night. Just before the commencement of the opening night programme, a separate meeting took place between Zuma and prominent Jewish leaders, including Lauder.
Like his presidential predecessors on similar occasions, Zuma commented on the high number of Jews who had taken part in the anti-apartheid struggle and noted the important Jewish contribution to the country’s development in all walks of life. On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he pledged that South Africa was ready to play a constructive role, saying “We will continue to offer whatever assistance we can towards the resolution of this matter, including sharing our experience in ending apartheid through negotiation”.
The second keynote speaker was Professor Irwin Cotler, former Canadian Justice Minister and and an internationally renowned legal scholar and human rights lawyer. His stirring address on the pursuit of justice and human rights in the Jewish ethical tradition received a standing ovation.
In his message from the WJC, Lauder commended President Zuma on the goodwill he had shown towards his country’s Jewish population. With regard to the Middle East conflict, he urged that South Africa use its considerable influence on the continent to “support a just peace that reaffirms once and for all Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish State and that recognizes the right of every Palestinian to live in his own country, free from intimidation by its own radical elements, and free to prosper from the fruits of peace”.
A video presentation showed some of the highlights of the SAJBD’s activities during the inter-conference period, such as its work on behalf of xenophobia victims in 2008, its successful taking on of former Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Fatima Hajaig for antisemitic statements she had made and its central role in the activities of the International Jewish Caucus during the Durban Review Conference in Geneva.
This year’s SAJBD Human Rights Award, which is given to members of the local Jewish community who are adjudged to have made an outstanding contribution to advancing the cause of human rights in South Africa, was presented to Justice Albie Sachs. In his moving acceptance speech, Sachs recounted the close relationship he had enjoyed during the years of the anti-apartheid struggle with Zuma, a man he was now privileged to refer to as “My President”. Recipients of the Eric Samson Mendel Kaplan Communal Service Award were Rabbi Avraham Tanzer and SAJBD Deputy Director (Cape Council) Gwynne Robins.
The theme of the Sunday conference was “Facing Forward”. Three sessions were devoted to Security, Economics and a focus on local Jewish issues. In light of the global economic crisis, the Economics session had both an international and a local focus. Panellists were World Bank Vice-President for the African Region Oby Ezekwesili, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Colin Coleman, MD Goldman Sachs International. Panelists in the Security session were State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele, international expert on Security and Intelligence Michael Whine and Dr Jakkie Cilliers, founder and CEO of the Institute of Security Studies.
In the final session after lunch, politics, economics and security were looked at from an internal Jewish community point of view. These were addressed respectively by SAJBD Chairman Zev Krengel, leading Cape Town businessman Phillip Krawitz and past-chairman Cape Council and CSO National Chairman Mark Notelovitz.
The new SAJBD Executive comprises Zev Krengel (National Chairman), Michael Bagraim (President), Doron Joffe, Owen Futeran and Mary Kluk (National Vice-chairpersons and Gerald Leissner (Treasurer).
Delegates from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland were amongst those in attendance at the African Jewish Congress meeting, presenting reports on the situation in their respective countries. AJC Spiritual Leader and CEO Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft gave an overview of the AJC’s main activities also reported back on behalf of Mauritius and Mozambique. Lauder devoted the bulk of his address to discussing the Middle East situation and the importance of world Jewry using every available opportunity to speak up for Israel. Jews everywhere needed to act as ambassadors for Israel, doing whatever they could to counter media bias, fostering political contacts and, above all, constantly promoting Jewish and Zionist education.
A special AJC Humanitarian Award was presented to Bulawayo resident Ruth Bolnick-Feigenbaum for her activities on behalf of families of HIV victims in Zimbabwe. AJC President Mervyn Smith, who was recently elected as a vice-president of the WJC, was appointed Life President of the AJC “in recognition of his outstanding services to the Jewish communities of Sub-Saharan Africa”. Rabbi Silberhaft was congratulated on being chosen by the Commonwealth Jewish Council and Trust to receive their 25th annual award in recognition of his work in Southern Africa and Zimbabwe.
