Jewish Life Digital Edition November 2013 | Page 3

FROM THE TEAM FROM THE EDITOR WWW.JEWISHLIFE.CO.ZA T his has been a whirlwind of an exciting month, and I’m so honoured that once again I am coming to you live from the Jewish Life editor’s desk. I must start by wishing the Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein a massive yasher koach for the most phenomenal Shabbos Project. I spent it ‘keeping it together’ with family and friends, some of whom keep Shabbos and some who don’t. Thankfully, my beautiful babies even felt the Shabbos spirit in the air and allowed our Shabbos guest (and me!) a bit of peace and quiet on Friday night. Glenhazel was abuzz with a special energy, and it reminded me of just how exciting every Shabbos ought to be. How Shabbos should always feel like a yom tov, one that we don’t have to wait another year for, but which we rather get to experience every week. How lucky we are as Jews that we get this time dedicated to reconnecting, no matter what else might crop up in other aspects of our lives or our calendars. (See just how lucky we are in ‘Being a Jew in a non-Jewish world’ on page 10, and find out the significance of keeping Shabbos in ‘Can one Shabbos change the world?’ on page 30.) And as a write this, I have just returned from the pulsating sounds of Benny Friedman and Gad Elbaz at The Voices Concert, organised by CSO and Sydenham Shul – what an exciting, uplifting night it was, another celebration of all things Jewish! Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Benny Friedman on our digital edition. Till next year, keep celebrating your uniqueness, your Jewishness, your special selfness! Have a great holiday, travel safely, and I look forward to catching you all on the flipside of a successful 2013. CREDITS PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR Martyn Samuels [email protected] EDITOR Paula Levin [email protected] GUEST EDITOR Chandrea Serebro [email protected] OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Linda Superfain [email protected] FEATURES WRITER Chandrea Serebro COPY EDITOR/PROOFREADER Heidi Hurwitz ART DIRECTOR Rizelle Hartmeier [email protected] PHOTOGRAPHER Ilan Ossendryver [email protected] DIGITAL MANAGER David Blumenau Chandrea INTRODUCING… LINDA SUPERFAIN, operations director AT JEWISH LIFE, I… am responsible for everything behind the scenes, from distribution, printing, invoicing, flat-planning (or flat-lining, more like), editorial/ad ratios, marketing, sales, client, staff and supplier liaison, signing off the mag, managing staff and general operational issues. MY REAL FORTE IS… heck, I’d love to be a singer. WHEN I’M NOT AT MY DESK, YOU CAN FIND ME… walking, schlepping to extra murals and playing outdoors with my kids. MY FAVOURITE DOWNTIME IS SPENT… reading a book, playing board games with my kids and soaking up the sun by the pool. I AM CURRENTLY READING… Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. MY IDEA OF A FUN NIGHT OUT... is going out to dinner with friends. MY MOTTO IS… try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud. MY CRAZIEST DREAM IS TO BE… a dolphin trainer. BUT NEXT YEAR, I’LL MOST PROBABLY BE… in this bizarre world of publishing. ILAN PRESKOVSKY, freelance writer EDS PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER WELCOME AT JEWISH LIFE, I… write feature articles on all sorts of things, usually having to do with Judaism, philosophy, psychology or anything that’s bound to annoy at least a few people. MY REAL FORTE IS… well, writing. And going on and on about movies, music and comic books. WHEN I’M NOT AT MY DESK, YOU CAN FIND ME… in a cinema or at a coffee shop. Also, what’s a ‘desk’? MY FAVOURITE DOWNTIME IS SPENT… re-watching The Office (the US version) for the 563rd time. I AM CURRENTLY READING… The Believers by Zoe Heller, and moving on to Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young. MY IDEA OF A FUN NIGHT OUT... is hanging with friends, catching a movie/show/concert, maybe some supper. Anything not including that fatal mixture of crazy crowds and unbearably l