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The Jews of the New South Africa:
Prof.
Gideon
Shimoni (Hebrew
University,
Jerusalem) For example, South African Jewry led the world for many decades, until the early 1990s, in its per capita contribution to the United Jewish Appeal. Around the beginning of the 1970s some 71 percent of South African Jews said they had belonged in the past to one of the Zionist youth movements (no other community in the world, after the establishment of the State of Israel, can make such a claim). In the field of immigration to Israel, too, while 80,000 Jews are living today in South Africa, about 20,000 have immigrated to Israel. In this area, too, there are no similar cases among Jewish communities in the West. The overwhelming majority of South African Jews claim to be Zionists, in the sense that they consider the State of Israel central to their Jewish experience. South Africa has experienced a tremendous revolution—from a country ruled by apartheid to a democratic state. This change has no doubt brought about a considerable decline in the institutional life of the Jewish community, but on the other hand, there has been a deepening of religious feeling in the community, that is, a move toward Orthodoxy. This includes the Zionist trend but has not taken its place. The community continues to regard Israel as its center, but from the organizational and institutional point of view, Orthodoxy is gradually supplanting Zionism. These new religious leanings are also due to Jewish ethnic awareness and have resulted in increased immigration to Israel. The community used to be secular-Zionist; now, under the influence of various rabbis, it is becoming more religious. There are now 14 percent ultra-Orthodox ( haredi ) Jews in South Africa, as against 10 percent in British Jewry. This is not a big difference; but if one is speaking not of strictly haredi Judaism, but traditional, which constitutes about 15 percent of British Jewry, the parallel figure for South Africa is 61 percent. On the other hand, while 23 percent of British Jews are secular, that sector accounts for only 6 percent of South African Jewry (according to a 1998 survey). This is a trend evolving alongside Zionism, not in its place. It is interesting that South Africa instituted apartheid in 1948, the same year in which the State of Israel was established, and the whites in South Africa always tended to compare and even identify their situation with that of Israel. They sometimes even lumped Zionism—wrongly—together with apartheid. In its early years, Israel was one of the countries that condemned and criticized South Africa. This attitude changed after the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when most African states severed their relations with Israel. This was a very comfortable time for the leadership of the Jewish community. It had access to the white authorities and maintained very good contacts with them; this, however, changed in 1994. Since then, the black-African majority, through the African National Congress (A.N.C.), has controlled the country, and access to the authorities has become difficult and unpleasant. Interestingly, there are now several Jews in key positions in government, as never before in the history of the country (president of the Supreme Court; director of the tax system; etc.), including ministers; the leader of the opposition is also a Jew. These Jews, however, are highly antagonistic toward Israel and champion the Palestinian cause. Israel, for them, is a reincarnation of apartheid. In this situation the Jews are receiving three messages:
Despite the different messages, some of them quite negative, there have been no serious anti-Semitic incidents as in Europe. Moreover, there have even been joint discussions by Israelis and Palestinians, in attempts to see what may be learned from the South African experience. The Jewish community must deal primarily with the unsympathetic attitude of the authorities. The community leadership, which is becoming, as we have stated, more religious, identifies with the aspirations of the Israeli right wing, so that it finds the aforementioned messages even more difficult to confront. Mr. Yehuda Kai (General Deputee Board of Department of South African Jews) In the early 1990s, people asked why only the Jews were permitted to send money out of South Africa and not others. The answer was because they are the chosen people and we have to look after them. Following the first meeting between Nelson Mandela and Arafat in South Africa , which was very friendly, Mandela responded to the concerns of the chairman of the Board of Deputies [an umbrella group of South African Jewish organizations] as follows: “Your enemies are not necessarily my enemies and my friends are not necessarily your friends.” This anecdote clearly illustrates the differences between South African's attitude to Israel before and after the rise of Mandela and the African National Congress . Today, South African Jewry consists of around 75,000-80,000 people: 70% in Johannesburg , 20% in Capetown, with the rest living primarily in Durban , Pretoria and so on. These figures are much less than the 120,000 at the beginning of the1980s. The community's representative organization is the Board of Deputies, to which most of the country's important organizations are affiliated. As Gidi has mentioned, most of the community is Orthodox, while a minority belongs to the small progressive congregation. About 70% of the Jewish children attend the main Jewish school systems: King David in Johannesburg and Herzl in Capetown. In Johannesburg , there is also a Haredi [Ultra-orthodox] day school. Since 1994, various organizations, including the Tikun Union (a Jewish women's organization), are engaged in work among the general population as a Jewish contribution to the fight against poverty. What are the basic problems facing the community? The first is immigration. Our community has declined by about one third since 1980. Moreover, more than 20% of the kehila [community] is over 65 years old, compared to only 5% of the general population. The political unrest, falling standards in public services, and growing crime wave have encouraged many people to leave (this is a general phenomena, not only Jewish). Over the years, around 20,000 Jews immigrated to Israel , but many have also left to Australia , the USA , the UK , Canada , New Zealand , etc. In the last two years, the immigration process has slowed, but unfortunately the Jewish community continues to lose members on a regular basis. South African Jews have preferred not to immigrate to Israel for several reasons: the language barrier, although Hebrew is taught at Jewish day schools; the situation in the Middle East ; and the fact that professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, are forced to pass entrance examinations. Crime is the most pressing issue facing the Jewish community, and for that matter the entire South African population, whites and blacks alike. To enhance the security of the community, the Board has established the Community Security Council, which protects the Jewish community's institutions and organizations, but is also involved in protecting Jews as individuals. The Board also has devoted much time and energy to fighting the biased propaganda against Israel and antisemitic unrest. Thanks to the work of our media team, Israel 's image in the media has improved, especially in the aftermath of the World Conference against Racism in Durban . The latter was the most severe anti-Israeli and anti-Jewish campaign that the world has seen since the Second World War. Accordingly, the Board made sure to meet with President Mbeki and members of Parliament. The community is under increasing pressure to raise funds. Many potential donors have left the community, and there is widespread unemployment. These factors have had a notorious effect on the financial balances of the day school system. Also the equality and anti-discrimination laws pose a potential threat to Jewish organizations, as they must open the doors to all people, Jews and non-Jews. We have moved all the main communal organizations into one building in order to save costs. Despite these difficulties, the fund raising campaign continues to be a success. Fortunately, South Africa does not have a major problem with antisemitism. There are no traditional anti-Jewish trends in this country, and most of the antisemitic propaganda comes from the extremist Muslim organizations. Today there are more than 700,000 Muslims in South Africa . The Muslim violence in Capetown, from the nineties until today, has become a serious problem not only for Jews, as American and public places are being bombed, and so on. This is a serious problem for Jews living here especially given the climate under the existing crime waves. What does this mean for Jews living in the new South Africa ? Since 1994, a multi-racial democracy has raised a number of challenges to the previously privileged Jewish community. We have become a minority group in a country whose focus is now on the betterment of the previously disadvantaged majority. The community had integrated into South Africa , but we must now also cope with and thrive in a new society. The atmosphere of crime, the terror, and the new social challenges have caused the community to turn inwards, but the 80,000 remaining Jews are very active in outreach programs on behalf of previously disadvantaged people. In these efforts, we must mention the chief rabbi of South Africa , Rabbi Harris, and the current Israeli ambassador, Mrs. Tova Hertzl, who is warmly accepted by the media and the Government. Despite the above-mentioned problems, Jews choose to remain in South Africa for many good reasons: economic, political stability, and others. Many Jews continue to be extremely successful financially. The South African Constitution is the envy of the world and protects our lives as Jews in South Africa . The level of antisemitism is low. This is related to the ethos of the non-racist political culture in the post-Apartheid era. As mentioned, our community is very well organized. Inter-marriage is low. Religion has become stronger and deeper, and Zionism is also steady. Last year, more than 2,500 children attended Zionist summer camps. Besides for the education system that was previously mentioned, other Jewish children also study in the Jewish schools ' afternoon and weekend programs , so that some 86% of our children receive a Jewish education. There are also Kollelim [institutes in which Jewish men study on a full-time basis] and Yeshivot [Jewish religious school]. We have a Jewish Museum in Capetown, a Jewish studies program in the city's university, and also a Holocaust Museum , which is visited by people of all faiths, including Muslims. Notwithstanding the many problems that we face, South African Jewry remains optimistic about the future. The greatest challenge to the community is the need to overcome its own negative perceptions about the country, and this can be achieved.
The president also received a book about the annals of the Sidelsky family from Mr. Dov Sidelsky. Dov’s father, Lazar Sidelsky of blessed memory, was the managing partner of the only law practice in the country that agreed to take on a young intern by the name of Nelson Mandela. At the time, Mr. Mandela was a young lawyer making his way through the ranks of the ANC. He, of course, went on to become a great statesman that liberated his country from the shackles of apartheid and hailed in a new era on the Cape of Good Hope. The book sheds light on a little known chapter in the life of Nelson Mandela, which includes his relationship with the Sidelsky family.
Q - A row of factors have been tied to the religious revival that has sprung up in South Africa’s Jewish community. To begin with, South African Jewry has historically had among the lowest intermarriage rates in the Jewish Diaspora. This is apparently connected to the fact that the majority of the community’s children have always attended what has perennially been a first-rate Jewish education network. Additionally, the community has always maintained a rather traditional Jewish bearing, for most of the founders arrived from Lithuania with strong religious backgrounds. Given the realities in their new home, their devotion waned or was cast aside, but it was never completely abandoned. Therefore, all it took were the right circumstances to foment the robust religious reaffirmation that the community is immersed in. Besides for these historical factors, many people contend that the most influential factor behind the reawakening is the country’s internal security problems, which have engendered widespread fear of robbers, rapists, and murderers. In their view, the steep rise in crime constitutes the central and most decisive factor in the metamorphosis. Do the distinguished lecturers agree with this hypothesis? Mr. Yehuda Kaye’s Answer – The lecturer notes that the ba’alei tshuvah (secular Jews that decide to adhere to the tenets of Orthodox Judaism) have indeed galvanized the entire Jewish community. However, he doesn’t believe that the fear stoked by the present upsurge in crime is the determining or decisive factor. Without going into detail, the main impetus behind the religious renewal is the country’s Jewish education system, especially the King David network of schools. Prof. Gideon Shimoni’s Answer – The religious awakening has indeed kept Prof. Shimoni, a scholar of South African Jewry, quite busy over the past few years. In the recently-published book Community and Conscience, he tracks the manifold factors behind this salient phenomenon. He too is convinced that the crime wave has nothing to do with the religious resurgence. More than anything else, this development should be attributed to the devoted efforts of the Jewish education system. Q - Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and several other countries boast large, firmly entrenched, and extremely influential Zionist movements. The tremors that convulsed Argentina and South Africa over the past decade have precipitated a mass flow of Jewish immigration. The Jews that left Argentina primarily turned to Miami, Florida, Spain, and Mexico, while their South African counterparts ended up in Australia, Canada, the United States, and New Zealand. In fact, some 12,000 South African-Jewish expatriates currently reside in Australia. At times of crisis and decision, only a handful of these Zionist Jews settled down in Israel. Therefore, the question that begs asking is whether Israel is still an attractive destination for communities with strong Zionist credentials? Mr. Kaye’s Answer – Without going into detail on this particular question, the fact remains that there are 20,000 South African olim living in Israel. This constitutes the highest rate of aliyah from the Jewish communities of the West and is cutting proof of the vitality of this country’s Zionist movement. Today, with the assistance of the Jewish Agency, there are nine centers in South Africa which offer Zionist activities and information on Israel and aliyah. Much to his regret, many South Africans have admittedly failed to withstand the temptations and have moved to countries other than Israel. Australia has proven to be especially attractive in light of its similarities—topographic, climatic, and others—to South Africa. On more than one occasion, family members that immigrated to Australia subsequently convinced the rest of their family to come. In any event, the Zionist activity to encourage aliyah shall obviously continue, and we hope to merit achievements in the future as well. Prof. Gideon Shimoni’s Answer – The lecturer considers education to be the barometer for successful aliyah. As aforementioned, the Jewish education system in South Africa has had its share of success. However, the level of its students’ Hebrew is not enough to guarantee a smooth transition into Israeli society. With all due respect, the Hebrew of the typical graduate of the South African Jewish education system pales in comparison to the children that studied at the Tarbut network of schools, which existed in Europe between the wars. Consequently, the wherewithal of the Jewish education network to overcome the language barrier is what will ultimately determine whether the country can improve its hitherto disappointing performance in all that concerns immigration to Israel. Question for Mr. Yehuda Kaye – How many yordim (Israeli expatriates) are there in South Africa? And are they a part of the community? In other words, do they take part in its activities and what is the extent of their influence on Jewish life in South Africa? A - Today, there are between 5,000 to 6,000 yordim in South Africa. It pains him to say that they have scarcely integrated into the community and there influence is thus nil.
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