This year, Refugee Shabbat is coming to South Africa with HIAS South Africa and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies! Learn more about Refugee Shabbat here and let us know if you will be marking this special Shabbat in your community.

The 50th Annual Mission was honored to be hosted by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana - אמיר אוחנה at the beautiful Chagall Hall of the Knesset attended by national director Wendy Kahn.

We witnessed the release of three more hostages from Gaza with a mix of joy at their return and horror at their condition. Their emaciated bodies are a harrowing testament to the suffering they endured under Hamas and a grim reminder of the ongoing suffering of those who are yet to be freed. We are further outraged and disgusted by the repetition of a despicable Hamas staged propaganda display. In a particularly depraved act, they forced released hostage Eli Sharabi to read a

South Africa's Holocaust survivors and their families light candles to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz at the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre.

We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world, sharing in the relief and gratitude for the safe return of Emily, Romy and Doron to their families in Israel. We pray for their physical and emotional healing as they and their loved ones embark on the journey of recovery. We continue to call for the safe and immediate release of all remaining hostages.

As Holocaust Survivor Elie Wiesel said “For the dead and the living, we must bear witness”. Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz, we honor the memory of the six million Jewish lives brutally murdered by the Nazis and the resilience of the survivors who ensure the Holocaust is never forgotten. Today, the SAJBD’s national Chairperson Prof Karen Milner and Vice President Mary Kluk stood with Holocaust survivor

The funeral of Olga Meshoe Washington took place in Haifa on January 22 at 13:00 South Africa time. While the funeral will took place in Israel, the Meshoe family arranged a memorial service for Olga which took place on Sunday, 26 January. All of the Jewish community were invited to attend with transport both to and from the memorial service. Olga continued to show up for the South African Jewish community, now was our time to show up for her and give comfort to the family. A

We are proud of Wendy Kahn for being recognised by the Algemeiner as one of the top 100 people influencing Jewish Life in the world today. Wendy was specifically mentioned for her contribution to safeguarding Jewish life post October 7, especially in light of our government's harsh stance to Israel. Algemeiner's top 100 people: SAJBD National Director, Wendy Kahn The first woman to hold the position when she was appointed as national director of the South African Board of Jew

The Board of Deputies is proud to be part of this wonderful initiative. A huge mazeltov and congratulations to our partners UJ and Hanyani School for the incredible improvement in the school’s matric results. Well done to all the successful matriculants, we look forward to many more successful outcomes in the coming years. Read Times article here

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies is heartbroken to learn of the untimely passing of Olga Meshoe Washington. A true friend of our community and Israel, we will forever remember Olga for her outstanding ability to communicate effectively even in the most challenging circumstances. Her hallmark was her intelligence, grace and poise. As CEO of DEISI (Defend, Embrace, Invest, Support Israel) International, she dedicated her life to strengthening ties between Africa and I

We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Melbourne following the deplorable arson attack on the Adass Israel synagogue. Such acts of hatred and intimidation against Jewish communities, whether in Australia or globally, are utterly reprehensible and must be condemned in the strongest terms. We call on authorities to take swift and decisive action to bring those responsible to justice. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured worshiper as well as the entire Aust

SA Jewish Board of Deputies calls on President Ramaphosa to condemn hate crime against the Jewish community Last Thursday, a suspected explosive device was thrown over the wall of the Jewish communal offices in Gardens, Cape Town. This was an act of antisemitism aimed at the Jewish community, whether intended to intimidate or to cause physical harm. It was an illegal act that constitutes a hate crime. This incident is concerning not only to SA Jewry, but also to the greater S

We understand that a motion that was due to be tabled in the Johannesburg City Council regarding the renaming of Sandton Drive has been withdrawn. The outcome appears to reflect a willingness by the political parties in the City of Johannesburg to explore alternate solutions to the renaming of Sandton Drive and we await further details in this regard. The SAJBD is cautiously optimistic that a way forward will be found that will move away from the polarizing name change that h

On Monday evening, 11 November, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies celebrated its 120th anniversary with a gala dinner attended...

On Monday evening, 11 November, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies celebrated its 120th anniversary with a gala dinner attended by more than 300 guests, including ministers; deputy ministers; the heads of parliamentary portfolio committees; representatives from eight political parties; members of the diplomatic corps; a 16-person delegation from the American Jewish Council; two chief rabbis; more than 40 journalists; student leaders; interfaith community representativ

The SAJBD was saddened to learn of the passing this week of Lionel Slier, a much loved and respected member of the Jewish community. Lionel was actively involved in many aspects of Jewish communal affairs, including many SAJBD initiatives, throughout his long life. He had a particular interest in recording, promoting and celebrating the history of the community, notably through his popular column "Community Buzz" in the SA Jewish Report as well as through his regular contribu

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) notes that former Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda has been arrested and charged with fraud for scamming Soweto residents through a fraudulent funeral scheme. Gwamanda, recently appointed as the MMC for Community Development, has also been involved in overseeing public participation in the controversial proposal to rename Sandton Drive. Gwamanda recently stated that the renaming of Sandton Drive is “budgeted for, and will h

Professor Shabir Mahdi, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, glorifies terrorism, extols the virtues of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and demonises his detractors as "the most despicable people in history”. He does so through a series of retweets on the X platform. In one of the posts Madhi endorses a hate-filled trope referring to the "most despicable people in history". This deeply offensive statement has no place in academic discourse,

On October 6, the South African Jewish community came together to reflect on the Hamas attack against Israel last year on October 7. Then, Hamas brutally killed, raped, burnt, murdered and kidnapped innocent Israeli civilians, leaving over 1 200 dead. Our various community organisations united to put together a powerful memorial space, October 7 Square, in which we could express the day’s meaning and impact through our eyes. The exhibition was open to the public from 12h00 to

Statement on African Global Dialogue Conference The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) is aware that a conference, titled “Narrative Conditions Towards Peace in the Middle East,” hosted by the African Global Dialogue, has been subjected to intimidation by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Coalition and their allies. While the SAJBD disagrees vehemently with the sentiments of many of the speakers, some of whose views we find repugnant, we recognise the im