Just because your own eyes aren't deceiving you doesn't mean that the other person is wrong: A metaphor for understanding other points of view. Charlotte Cohen is an award-winning short story writer, essayist and poet, whose work has appeared in a wide variety of South African publications since 1973. She is a regular contributor to Jewish Affairs. Let us presume ‘the truth’ were represented by a statue. You stand in front of the statue. I stand behind it; and we both write d

58% of Jewish deaths in South Africa in 1918 occurred during the period of the Spanish Flu pandemic. The authors cast new light on this tragic and still neglected episode in SA Jewish history. Naomi Rapeport is a retired specialist physician with an interest in South African Jewish Genealogy and Medical History. Colin Schamroth is a cardiologist in private practice in Johannesburg. Both have been extensively involved in the South African medical fraternity being past presid

From the outset of the Covid-19 crisis, the recently established South African chapter of CADENA, a Mexican-based Jewish social outreach and international disaster relief agency, has immersed itself in a range of critical humanitarian initiatives in Gauteng. This has included setting up a CAN with the flagship project of fundraising for the 5cees Centre, a church organisation that for the past twenty years has provided accommodation, education and counselling for orphans and

A criminal charge has been laid against Pretorian Simone Abigail Kriel for allegedly posting antisemitic and inflammatory messages on her Instagram page on 16 May 2020. The charge was laid by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) through its legal representatives Ian Levitt Attorneys. Ms Kriel, is widely known in Pretoria and in fitness/athletic circles. Included amongst the offensive material allegedly posted by Kriel were such comments as: The f***n Jews are gr

Paul Trewhela is a journalist, author and former anti-apartheid activists now living in Aylesbury, UK. From 1964-1967, he was imprisoned for his political activities, which included editing Freedom Fighter , the underground journal of Umkhonto we Sizwe during the Rivonia Trial . He has since written extensively on the lives of fellow Jewish political activists and other aspects of the liberation movement. He is the author of Inside Quatro: Uncovering the Exile History of the

Most importantly —the science of the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving at an extremely rapid rate. Evidence-based decisions to most effectively respond to this serious public health threat must be based on the best current science sourced from authentic validated expertise published in peer-reviewed scientific literature. It has been shown in studies in countries throughout the world, and published in peer-reviewed scientific publications, that transmission in the classroom envir

For over seven decades, the venerable Forest Town School in Saxonwold has provided specialized education, care and expert support to children with physical and other disabilities. Today, a substantial proportion of its pupil body come from under-privileged homes, and the school thus has a feeding scheme whereby such children are provided with breakfast and lunch at the school - their only daily meals. There are approximately seventy students who together with their families a

Last week Nobody in Limpopo got enough food to survive for the next 21 days. This weekend was the turn of a number of other villages in the Giyani District. Thanks to the Save a Soul project, funded by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), nobody will go hungry in Nobody for the next three weeks. The food parcels are being distributed under the auspices of The Angel Network, a Johannesburg-based non-profit volunteer organisation, that has fed, clothed, housed an

Illovo CAN Ikageng (together with a small group in Glenhazel and Westcliff) with the assistance of Selpal in aiding with the distribution of food and hygiene goods - are making a huge difference to the lives of the community in Soweto supported by Ikageng. Our CAN started around 20th April and to date have provided around 15 000 meals. Ikageng are an NPO who provide ongoing support to children in Soweto who have been orphaned or are affected by Aids or living with HIV. Togeth

In 2016 a group of young South African women took part in a Women’s Renaissance Programme in Israel. They included Anne Zwarenstein, on whose initiative the group recently came together once more to form the founding core membership of the Melrose 2 CAN. Since then, their numbers have been augmented by other residents of Anne’s street, Victoria Avenue, Melrose, as well as adjoining streets in the suburb. Working through the Angel Network and Gauteng Together, the Melrose 2 CA

Even prior to the Covid-19 lockdown Caron-Leah Resnick, together with Ilan Ossendryver, has over the last few years been involved in upliftment projects in the Kliptown area of western Johannesburg. With lockdown conditions having greatly exacerbated the already dire living conditions in Kliptown, she now coordinates the efforts of the Waverley 2 Kliptown CAN, which is registered with Gauteng Together and the Angel Network to provide food to destitute families living there. W

Elaine Kotton heads up a second CAN whose membership largely comprises participants in the annual Women’s Renaissance Programme in Israel (the other is the Melrose 2 CAN, headed by Anne Zwarenstein). Today, the programme goes under the name of Momentum, and Elaine was part of the 2019 group. After consultation with Robyn Smookler and the Angel Network’s Glynne Wolman, it was decided to support the Siyathanda Stimulation Centre in Benoni as the CAN’s core project. Siyathanda l

Dr Clarke Zlotchew is Distinguished Teaching Professor at State University of New York. He is the author of seventeen books, including anthologies of short fiction, translations from the Spanish of short stories and poetry by Nobel Laureates and literary criticism of Spanish and Latin American authors. His short stories have appeared in both his Spanish and English versions in the U.S. and Latin America, as well as in Jewish Affairs ( http://www.clarkzlotchew.com ) The slim

​Just as many Jewish community members in Johannesburg have involved themselves in various hunger relief initiatives in and around the city, so has Pretoria Jewry thrown its weight behind a range of crucial humanitarian projects in the greater Pretoria area. The work is being spearheaded by the Pretoria branch of the Union of Jewish Women, with the support of the Pretoria Council – SAJBD. The UJW is represented on the Council and functions as its social outreach arm. Currentl

LIV Lanseria is a Section 18 PBO that serves the needs of the Lanseria community northwest of Johannesburg. Prior to the lockdown, the organisation’s primary focus was on looking after the children in the area through an orphanage it runs and supporting the creches. Currently, it is helping to support some 1500 residents and fifty essential workers who have been effected by the lockdown. For its core project the Melrose Birdhaven CAN, headed by Dana Lazarus, is assisting Live

The SA Jewish Board of Deputies is delighted to announce that it has created a R9 million fund to provide help feed communities most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The donation has largely been made possible by a generous contribution from an anonymous donor while the balance has been given by various Jewish organisations and community members. Throughout the lockdown, the SAJBD has involved itself in a number of outreach projects, including establishing numerous CANs (Co

Hayley Glasser, as an executive and founding member of the Angel Network, was much involved in helping the needy even before the Covid-19 crisis struck. Over the past few weeks, she has continued this essential humanitarian work through her involvement with the Sandown Strathaven CAN. The group has to date collected money for 600 non-perishable food parcels, as well as for clothes, toys and books. Throughout this time, social welfare activist Clive Mashishi has been an indisp

The Atholl CAN (Community Action Network), ably headed up by SAJBD Gauteng Council member Liza Essers, Peter Machlup Fine Wristwatches, Carol Anstey Cesman and Harold Cesman, has made assisting recyclers its key focus during this period. Through the funds raised by the Athol community, 600 recyclers and their families in Alexandra have been provided with food. In the past two weeks, enough has been amassed to get a soup kitchen in Alex up and running. According to official st

The Covid-19 loan scheme is the outcome of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and the National Treasury partnering with members of the Banking Association South Africa (BASA) to help small and medium enterprises, support the economy and save jobs. The scheme will allow qualifying businesses to apply for loan funding from their bank for up to three months for certain operational costs, which loan amount will be drawn down monthly. The Covid-19 loan scheme is the outcome of

Foreign migrants from other parts of Africa are a particularly vulnerable sector of the South African population and have been among those especially hard hit by lockdown. In Hillbrow the Temple Israel Heritage Centre (TIHC), headed up by long-serving SAJBD Gauteng Council member Reeva Forman, has partnered with Africa Awake, headed by Jewish community member Romy Peterson, to provide Congolese and Nigerian refugees/migrants in Hillbrow, Yeoville and Bellevue with food parcel