Rosh Hashanah 2009 - South African Jewish Board of Deputies

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