Jewish Life Digital Edition November 2013 | Page 13

KIDDUSH HASHEM
One courageous and adventurous young
woman tested herself in unusual and demanding circumstances and challenged herself to be observant far from her home in
the USA, and far from cities where she
would have had access to kosher food and a
Jewish community. Jordy Meisler (21) studied Zulu while an undergraduate at Boston
University, and won a Foreign Language and
Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship to spend six
weeks in KwaZulu-Natal to further her
studies. Meisler, who is from Connecticut,
continued her studies at the University of
KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, where
she had formal instruction and experienced
‘cultural immersion learning’.
She spent time in the rural area of
Maqongqo and the township of Mbali,
which are both near Maritzburg. Meisler

also explored Zulu culture at the cultural
homestead of Ecabazini, and in her last
week, volunteered at the Sunshine Children’s Home Orphanage in Maritzburg.
“Living with the Zulus didn’t hold me
back as a Jew. I practise and express my Judaism every day, so I saw this experience as
an opportunity to make a Kiddush Hashem
– sanctification of G-d’s name – by living as
a Jew throughout my time there. I was very
privileged to be the first Jew some of the locals had ever met.”
Meisler says she wasn’t prepared to compromise her Jewish beliefs. Before she started her fellowship, she made clear what she
would need regarding her Jewish observance. However, she says it took conviction
and determination to keep Shabbos and eat
kosher throughout her time in SA. “Everyone respected my wishes and tried their

I SAW THIS EXPERIENCE AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A
KIDDUSH HASHEM – SANCTIFICATION OF G-D’S NAME – BY LIVING
AS A JEW THROUGHOUT MY TIME THERE. I WAS VERY PRIVILEGED
TO BE THE FIRST JEW SOME OF THE LOCALS HAD EVER MET.

best to accommodate my needs. There was
never a question of whether I would maintain my Jewish practice while in Zululand; it
just took some planning and I got a great
deal of help from others.”
It was keeping Shabbos that was the most
challenging aspect of her adventure.
The closest Jewish community was in
Durban, about an hour’s drive from Zululand. “I had to take minibus taxis to get to
Durban, and the Jewish community opened
their doors to me in the most gracious way.
Although my weekly Shabbos trips could be