Cape Jewish Chronicle

This Volume 24, No 11 issue doubles as the last of 2007 and the first of 2008, as we now ‘close shop’ – to resume operations again only in January next year to produce Volume 25, No 1 – the February issue.

Yes, we have never ever actually produced a ‘No 12’, always requiring a good end of year break, and particularly now, following a 52 pager and a record annual number of 452 pages.

The suggestion is that you download this web transmission of the 52 pages (10 Megabytes) and peruse them all at your leisure, noting first the brief boxed editorial on page 3 which highlights all our partners in this enterprise.

You will also have the opportunity to read some of the articles ‘out of column’ as below.

Individuals could influence public opinion in the “war of legitimacy” being waged against Israel, Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based human rights NGO, said at the gala opening of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape Council) 2007 conference.

The packed gala opening on the Saturday night at the President Hotel was addressed by the dynamic Mr Neuer. His address: ‘Israel at the United Nations: a nation that dwells alone’, outlined the harsh reality of the anti-Israel bias at the UN Human Rights Council. It was hard-hitting, sobering and very well received by the over 300 strong audience, setting the tone for a highly successful and well-attended conference, aptly themed ‘Challenges and Choices’.
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The Board of Trustees of the South African Holocaust Foundation (formerly known as the Cape Town Holocaust Centre Trust) has appointed a committee to establish a Holocaust centre in Johannesburg.

“Since its inception in August 1999, the Cape Town Holocaust Centre has successfully fulfilled its mission of preserving he memory of the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust and teaching about the consequences of unchecked bigotry and discrimination,” said David Susman, chairman of the Board.
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As the vital behind-the-scenes negotiations between Israel, the Palestinians and the Americans continued over the past weeks in advance of the Annapolis summit, one issue has taken centre stage — the notion of Israel as a ‘Jewish State’. The controversy that the subject has generated, and the fact that it alone may jeopardise whether the talks may yet even take place, speaks volumes about the differences that remain between Israel, and the Palestinians and the Arab world as whole.

This past week Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert publicly declared that the starting point for all negotiations with the Palestinians will be the “recognition of Israel as a state for the Jewish people …
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Whew! What a year this has been! Absolutely chronic! Virtually every issue has been at least 25% larger than anticipated. And speaking of virtually, we also have the website, cjc.org.za, which needs some attention to upload, so that web-readers can download. Loaded is the name of the game. A dicey situation!
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CAPE COUNCIL

I begin by congratulating our Cape Council on an outstanding conference, as well as the newly elected committee. In my congratulatory message to the Cape Council for the occasion, I made the point that South African Jewry owes a deep debt of gratitude to the Jewish community of Cape Town. Not only is it our mother community, where organised Jewish life first took root, but to this day it remains a vital hub of Jewish activity that caters for every aspect of Jewish communal life within a superbly organised, disciplined framework that allows for both growth and continuity.
The Cape Council, as the central representative and coordinating body of Cape Jewry, has always been served by people who combined vision, leadership abilities and experience, with a deep commitment to furthering the greater Jewish cause. This proud tradition continues to this day, with leadership of the highest calibre emerging to take up positions of responsibility on the community’s behalf.
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