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

Today, 07 May 2020, Philanthropists from the Jewish community in South Africa announce the establishment of the Gesher Small Business Relief Fund (“the Fund”) to offer interest free loans to small businesses in the South African Jewish community adversely affected by the impacts of COVID-19. The Fund is a new, independent entity that will draw on the operational and administrative infrastructure and expertise of the Chevrah Kadisha, in order to quickly and effectively assist

A chance communication with a domestic employee brought home to a Jewish community member in Johannesburg the desperate plight facing people who are not being paid during the lockdown period. Determined to do something about this the member (who wishes to remain anonymous) got in touch with SAJBD Chairman Shaun Zagnoev and was referred by him to the Angel Network. This organisation, a social upliftment initiative founded and run by a dedicated group of Jewish women, has been

Loving Classroom South Africa, a PBO that works to foster a healthy and safe environment in South African schools, is amongst those working to alleviate the plight of those young learners whose critical daily needs are not being met. Through the efforts of Glynne Wolman of the Angel Network and Rabbi David Shaw of the Sandton Shul, a substantial amount has now been raised enabling the organisation to donate food parcels, hand sanitizers and face masks to children of the schoo

Jews have been part of the fabric of Johannesburg from the very beginning. Veteran journalist Lionel Slier reflects on the current state of the community. Lionel Slier is a veteran contributor to South African Jewish publications, including Jewish Affairs and the South African Jewish Report. Not long ago, I read an article in an Australian publication where the following informed guess was made about the number of Jews living in South Africa: “In the early 1970s, seeking mor

Government is partnering with Banks in a R200bn loan guarantee scheme to enable Banks to guarantee a portion of and make available emergency, easy to access loan finance to businesses at rates linked to prime, with a 6-month payment moratorium, repayable over 5 years, to be used to fund 3 months of operational expenses. Although usual credit criteria will be applied, the approval process will be accelerated and credit will be relatively easy to obtain due to the Government gu

Two great ancient civilizations, Jewish and Greek, influenced and impacted upon one another, and collectively altered the course of world history. Bernard Katz summarizes 23 centuries of Greek Jewish history. Bernard Katz a frequent contributor to Jewish Affairs is a Chartered Accountant who does freelance corporate finance advisory, investigations and sits on several boards . The earliest known Jewish presence on the Greek mainland dates to the 3rd Century BCE. However, it i

“We live in parallel universes and the inequality and hopelessness is palpable”. This is how SAJBD Gauteng Council member David Cohen describes the situation in Riverlea, a poverty-stricken, mainly coloured suburb in south-western Johannesburg. The community there is one of those that is being assisted through the CAN (Community Action Network) Initiative, in terms of which a group of people – it could be a study group, book club or simply a group of friends - works together

The Covid-19 crisis invites comparisons with an even deadlier pandemic, the 1918 Spanish Flu. A survivor describes the Flu's impact on Jews in Cape Town. Emeritus Professor Howard Phillips has taught and published extensively in the fields of the social history of medicine (including epidemics and pandemics) and the history of universities, including in the University of Cape Town’s faculties of Humanities and Health Sciences. This article is abbreviated from an interview, co

The Coronavirus and related lockdown have resulted in massive economic consequences across South Africa. This document is to assist members of our community and is intended to set out a high-level summary of the relief measures available. Care should be taken to research and get advice to suit your particular circumstances. We shall provide updates as required and your attention is drawn to the email address at the end of this document for assistance and input.

Although influenza vaccination will not protect against coronavirus infection, it is strongly recommended, in particular, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Influenza could well be an important aggravating underlying condition which would exacerbate Covid-19 disease. Furthermore, the diagnosis of Covid-19 would be complicated by influenza because the symptoms are very similar , and this could well compromise the management of Covid-19 illness.