FROM THE TEAM
FROM THE EDITOR
CREDITS
WWW.JEWISHLIFE.CO.ZA
L
LAUREN CLARICE CROSS
ess Hamas, more hummus. I wish the line was mine, but I actually I
saw it on a placard held aloft by students at Tulane University, New
Orleans, at a pro-Israel rally last month. The event was called Declare
Your Freedom, and was organised by an African American Christian
named Chloé Simone Valdary, who defines Zionism as the civil rights
movement of the Jewish people. Speakers included Sudanese human
rights activist Simon Deng and Dr Zuhdi Jasser, a Syrian American
Muslim and founder of American Islamic Forum for Democracy. Two
incredible friends of Israel with heavyweight credentials, strong
enough to counter the COSATUs and Tutus.
But friends of Israel are actually everywhere you look, even the roof guy who arrived at my
house today turned out to be a friend. Noticing the gold Magen David around his neck, I
asked him if he was Jewish. “No, but I love Jews and I love Israel,” he answered and proceeded
to tell me about his previous trip to the Holy Land and one planned for August.
Unfortunately, the anti-Israel vitriol is what makes the headlines and dominates South Africa’s
public spaces, to the extent that if you don’t actively search for truth, understand the broader
context and use critical thinking, you can fairly
easily be deceived into believing that Israel is
the oppressor of the innocent Palestinian
people suffering under an evil apartheid
regime. Accordingly, BDS and IAW are actually
gaining traction worldwide. And that is scary.
We as the Jewish community are hugely
indebted to the Board of Deputies, the SAZF
and SAUJS among others as they continue to
fight the battle for ordinary South Africans’
hearts and minds, but as individuals we also need to arm ourselves with the facts and speak
up for Israel, as well as support these champions of the Jewish State. The haters will hate, no
matter what we do, but for people of integrity, the facts speak for themselves. We hope this
Israel issue will in some small way help to remind you of those facts and of why we should all
be proud friends of Israel.
FEATURING…
ILAN OSSENDRYVER, our photographer, who has captured the spirit of Israel so
beautifully in these pages
EDS PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER
WELCOME
AT JEWISH LIFE, I… feel great pride in informing South African Jews through my
photographs of how amazing our Judaism is here. MY REAL FORTE IS… cooking
up a potjiekos with the sounds of the African bush in the background, and
following Latest Sightings, real-time live sightings. WHEN I’M NOT AT MY DESK, YOU
CAN FIND ME… taking photographic tours into Soweto and other townships. MY FAVOURITE DOWNTIME
IS SPENT… with my family, listening to rock, blues, playing my Irish bodhran and making biltong. I
AM CURRENTLY READING… 365 Ways to Change the World by Michael Norton. MY HERO IS… the person
who makes an effort to help others. MY MOTTO IS… Live now, and never be bored with life. MY
CRAZIEST DREAM IS TO BE… on the road driving from Cape Town to Tel Aviv. BUT NEXT YEAR, I’LL MOST
PROBABLY BE… driving around Glenhazel and surroundings with camera in hand.
PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR
Martyn Samuels
[email protected]
EDITOR
Paula Levin
[email protected]
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Linda Superfain
[email protected]
ART DIRECTOR
Rizelle Hartmeier
[email protected]
FEATURES WRITER
Chandrea Serebro
COPY EDITOR/PROOFREADER
Heidi Hurwitz
PHOTOGRAPHER
Ilan Ossendryver
[email protected]
DIGITAL MANAGER
David Blumenau
[email protected]
CONTRIBUTORS
Rabbi Levi Avtzon, Leonard Carr, Dan Chaitowitz,
Rachel Falkson, Tali Feinberg, Dr Linda Friedland,
Bev Goldman, Rabbi Yossy Goldman, Eileen Goltz,
Rabbi Craig Kacev, Wendy Kahn, Serenne Kaplan,
Riva Lange, Ilan Preskovsky, Ruth Rehbock,
Liz Samuels, Sarah Sassoon, Moira Schneider,
Dinah Shapiro, Rabbi Ari Shishler, I