Rosh Hashanah 2009 - South African Jewish Board of Deputies

More documents

Recommendations

Info

JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009TWO NEW COLLECTIONS OFOLD ARCADIAN MEMORIES*David SaksThe South African Jewish Orphanage, betterknown as Arcadia after the premises it occupied inParktown for most of its existence, has been a vitalpart of the Jewish communal fabric for over a century.By the time it celebrated its centenary in 2006, theinstitution could claim to have taken care of over3000 children in residence and assisted an evengreater number who were never in residence. It isestimated that at least one Jewish South African outof twenty would have a direct connection withArcadia, whether this be that they, their parents orgrandparents had lived there or received help from it.It is also estimated that at one time, 50% of SouthAfrican Jewish families would have been financialmembers of Arcadia.In 2006, some of the stories of ex-Arcadians weretold in 100 Years of Arc Memories: Arcadia – SouthAfrican Jewish Orphanage 1906-2006. A heftyvolume of essays, reminiscences and photographs, itwas compiled by ex-Arcadian David Sandler (aresident at the home from the age of four untilseventeen). Its publication resulted in such a flood ofreminiscences from other ex-Arcadians that a meretwo years later, Sandler has been able to bring out anequally comprehensive sequel, entitled More ArcMemories: South African Jewish Orphanage 1899-1908.Sandler, who has been living in Perth for the past25 years, is currently working on yet a third volume.This one will focus on the so-called “OchbergOrphans”, who were brought to South Africa fromthe war-torn Ukraine in the early 1920s and of whommore than half ended up in Arcadia. More ArcMemories includes a significant section on this subject(which has previously been featured in the Pesach2007 and Pesach 2009 issues of Jewish Affairs and isdealt with at some further length in Veronica Belling’sarticle in this current issue).The two books amount to a great deal more thanthe history of a single communal institution, andindeed can be seen as “people’s history” in the bestDavid Saks is Associate Director of the SA JewishBoard of Deputies and Editor of Jewish Affairs.sense of the term. Collectively amounting to wellover a thousand pages, the books include the storiesof some 250 individuals. Their enduring value lies intheir being compelling repositories of oral history,comprising as they do the memories of a wide arrayof members of the Jewish community at a formativestage of its development. Some of the contributorswent on to considerable fame and fortune whileothers led relatively quieter lives, but their respectivestories are accorded equal status.Within SA Jewish historiography, there has beena move away from writing what might be termed“Macher History”, that is history focusing exclusivelyon individuals who achieved a certain level ofprominence during their lives, towards ahistoriography of inclusivity. The two Arc Memoriesvolumes may not be telling the story of SA Jewry perse, but those reading the multiple individualtestimonies they contain will gain a very real andimmediate sense of what growing up as a JewishSouth African (albeit those of a particular socialbackground) was like at various times over the lasthundred years.A second area in which the books make a valuablecontribution is that of the growing field of Jewishgenealogical research. They are naturally repletewith names of family members, whether of spouses,descendants, cousins or relatives by marriage, andalso provide information on where such people nowlive (a very relevant feature of the South AfricanJewish story, given how dispersed around the globeits members are today).The books have been printed and paid for by Ex-Arcadians and are on sale in Canada, the US, UK,New Zealand and Israel, where many Old Arcs andtheir descendants now live. The full proceeds of thesales will go to Arcadia. Information on the booksand how to purchase them can be accessed atwww.arcadia.ca.com.au.100 Years of Arc Memories: Arcadia – South AfricanJewish Orphanage 1906-2006 (2006, 524pp) and MoreArc Memories: South African Jewish Orphanage 1899-1908 (2009, 588pp with index for both volumes), compiledand edited by David Solly Sandler.53
JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009RISING TIDE : HOW FREEDOM WITHRESPONSIBILITY UPLIFTS EVERYONE*David SaksOver the past two decades Jack Bloom, a seniormember of the DA caucus in the Gauteng Legislature,has acquired for himself a well-founded reputationas an astute, incisive thinker, one whose views aretaken as seriously by his political opponents as theyare within his party. The high profile he enjoys in themedia is unusual for a regional-level politician,particularly for one in opposition, and is testimony tothe effort he makes to bring the matters he deals withto the public’s attention. His latest book, Rising Tide– How freedom with responsibility uplifts everyone,is the record of a working politician who cares aboutissues, and who wants others to care as well. As such,it is an antidote to the political apathy that characterisesall too much of South African society, particularlywithin the white minority.Rising Tide consists of 46 essays, comprising ayear’s worth of Bloom’s thoughts on a wide range ofrelevant contemporary issues. These range fromcritiques of South African democracy to bread andbutter matters such as public transport, health careand job creation. They were originally sent out as aweekly e-mail column to senior media people andkey opinion-formers, and a number weresubsequently published in the mainstream press(mainly in The Citizen, for which Bloom now writesa regular column). Several sparked off lively publicdebate over the airwaves, as well as generatingextensive email correspondence.The book contains a thoughtful foreword byProfessor Seepe, President of the SA Institute ofRace Relations, who commends Bloom for his energyand initiative in stimulating much needed publicdebate. For his part Radio 702’s John Robbie, quotedon the back cover, describes Bloom as “a perfectexample of what politicians should be”.What makes the essays easy to read, even whenthe subject matter might not be to a particularindividual’s taste, is Bloom’s lucid style of writing,combined with the skilful manner in which eachessay is structured. The author begins by introducinga problem or question and then proceeds to answer it,marshalling a series of facts and logical argumentand elegantly rounding the whole off at the end. Abrief item of interest – usually the author’s sardoniccomments on some of the more bizarre statements bypublic figures – is appended to each essay. It certainlyhelps that Bloom, while arguing strongly againstthose trends and ideas he opposes, never resorts topersonal attacks or crude invective.The book’s subtitle can be seen as Bloom’s credoas a convinced liberal who nevertheless believes thattrue liberalism does not mean evading responsibility.As he writes in the introduction, “I believe inindividual freedom, but I have come to appreciatethat it can only endure when there is a degree of selfcontrol, which is the capacity to defer instinctualgratification”. This theme – freedom withresponsibility – recurs throughout the collection.Rising Tide – How freedom with responsibility upliftseveryone by Jack Bloom, Johannesburg, 2009,138pp. Copiescan be obtained from the author at JBloom@jpl.gov.za.OUTWITTING HISTORY*Robert SchwarzFrom time to time, the media have been warningthe public of the peril of losing a number of animalspecies which had not even been on the endangeredlist for any length of time. It seems that modernhomosapiens begins to worry about the extinction oforganic life when it is, as it were, five minutes tomidnight.What is true for approaching the inevitable andRobert Schwarz, a regular contributor to JewishAffairs, is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy andEuropean History at Florida Atlantic University.irrevocable moment when the last polar bear, the lasttiger, the last feral African wild dog, is gone foreveris also true of such treasurers as languages, culturepatterns, and even whole tribes. We wake up when itis too late.I am referring in particular to the real threat thatYiddish, as a spoken or printed tongue, is in dangerof being a victim of the proverb “Use it or lose it”,unless people who care find a way of preventing itsdemise.What Outwitting History is all about is a splendidlywritten account of a team of dedicated Jewish young54
Page 3: VOL. 64 NO. 2 ROSH HASHANAH 2009E
Page 6 and 7: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009t
Page 8: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009T
Page 17 and 18: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009s
Page 19: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009S
Page 22 and 23: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009a
Page 24: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009r
Page 28 and 29: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 20098
Page 30 and 31: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009b
Page 34 and 35: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009I
Page 40 and 41: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009T
Page 42: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009p
Page 46 and 47: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009T
Page 48 and 49: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009i
Page 52 and 53: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009W
Page 56 and 57: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009m
Page 58 and 59: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009D
Page 60 and 61: JEWISH AFFAIRS ROSH HASHANAH 2009R

Rosh Hashanah 2009 - South African Jewish Board of Deputies

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?