Cape Jewish Chronicle

This September, Rosh Hashanah issue is very largely a GREAT BIG, COLOURFUL WISH – to and from all ‘players’ in the Cape Town communal arena.

Individuals and families, organisations, rabbinical leaders, and very notably, local business, have taken this opportunity to express goodwill and share warm wishes for a happy and healthy and peaceful 5771. The greetings vary in expression but the feeling is one.

Yes, the issue does come out earlier than usual, with September yet to grace its threshold. This is to ensure that by the 9th all will have read the greetings and the advertisers will have had fair exposure.

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A definite surge has shown a rise in our barometer this month — erev Rosh Hashanah — and as at time of writing, 4 August, we assess the increase as about 6%.This means that we are now approximately 27% of the way to our target.

Thank you, readers, for that ongoing support.

A target of 100%, we all know is absolutely unthinkable and definitely not envisaged (though not entirely impossible, perhaps!). But
50% would be really fantastic and we will continue reminding — or nagging if you prefer — to that end!

Some very generous readers have presented us with over and above the suggested R200, for which we are even more grateful.

Then too there was a generous ‘subscription’ from an overseas reader — which caused us all to gush with delight. Writing in very warm tones, he said that he had just received his July copy and noted that we were apparently facing a ‘financial crunch’.

“What a tragedy if they close,” he adds. “It will certainly impact on my life. I look forward to receiving my monthly uplifting tonic from ‘de heim’. The closely knit Jewish community of Cape Town is acknowledged in the Jewish world as quite unique …. ”

An even warmer thanks to that supportive reader.

Julie Berman reads a meaningful message to the crowd.

“Today is not about politics. Today is not about the complicated and complex situation in the Middle East. Today is not about who’s right and who’s wrong. Today is about one young man who has spent over four years without access to any international human rights organisation or any contact with his family.”

With those words Julie Berman, executive director of the SAZF (Cape Council), addressed a large and growing crowd outside parliament on Friday 16 July.

The vigil was organised by the SAZF in order to stand in solidarity with captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. To that date Shalit had been in captivity for 1482 days (35,568 hours).
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This year’s big walk was held in Newlands forest.

After a long “soccer fever” holiday where Phyllis Jowell held a very succesful camp which was open to children from all over Cape Town, we arrived back, ready to tackle a very busy term. We are only in our third week and already we have done so much. Our Cultural Extravaganza has been the highlight, with our Big Walk and General Knowledge Quiz adding to the excitement.

What can one say?
July – or the first half of it, which is what this issue covers – has been virtually all about the World Cup Soccer.
That applies to the whole of the country, of course, but Cape Town really exceeded expectations – even the ‘half the glass empty’ types fell under the spell of the vuvuzela, with people flooding the fan walks and the games too, if they managed to get a ticket.
And our community were well represented, no matter our size.
Nonetheless the usual communal activity did go ahead apace. The fact that this issue is smaller than usual is because of the need to send it out in great haste. We were thus, with a few exceptions, not able to cover things that happened after deadline date – which was 1 July, believe it or not!

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