Jewish leaders from southern Africa exchange views in Cape Town

Leaders of the African Jewish Congress (AJC), which federates Jewish communities in sub-Saharan Africa, met in Cape Town last week for a conference and an exchange of views.

Following a keynote address by Rabbi Gidon Fox, president of the South African Rabbinical Association, on the challenges of preserving Jewish identity, Chris Eden, chairman of Bridges for Peace, explained the aims and work of this Christian Zionist organization.

A session on Israel followed, where messages from the Israeli ambassadors to South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mauritius,  Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia were tabled. 

A comprehensive illustrated presentation on the history and current political position was given by Ronnie Gotkin of the Herzliya United Schools and the Florence Melton Institute of Hebrew University Jerusalem. All delegates commented on the state of relations between Israel and the governments of their respective countries.

Two workshops followed. The first, chaired by Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, covered the current cultural and charitable work undertaken in each country. A report from Mauritius on these topics was tabled.

Mary Kluk, a vice-president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), chaired the second discussion on the future of African Jewish life, which discussed the challenges, hopes and plans of all these small and often isolated communities. 

A senior member of the South African Community Security Organization spoke on the current world security situation and how it impacts on Africa. The final session of the conference covered the important relationship between the WJC and the AJC, the affiliation of the AJC with the Commonwealth Jewish Council, and a future project to involve the youth of some communities to participate in a joint Tikkun Olam venture both inside and outside the communities 

AJC President Ann Harris declared: "The conference proved to us that even small communities living isolated from mainstream Jewish life are not prepared to abandon their Jewish identity. This opportunity to spend time with colleagues from all over Africa inspired them to renew and strengthen their efforts."