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a motion that was due to be tabled in the Johannesburg City Council regarding the renaming of Sandton Drive has been withdrawn.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

The SAJBD joins the people of South Africa in paying tribute to the late Dr Pravin Gordhan. We mourn the loss of this outstanding public servant, who throughout his long and varied career combined exceptional skill and acumen with the utmost personal integrity. Dr Gordhan held many important positions over the decades. However, it is for his role as Finance Minister from 2009 to 2014 and again from 2015 to 2017 that he will perhaps be best remembered. During these difficult y

As an expression of our grief for the brutal murder of our hostages in the past week, the SAZF and SAJBD are embarking on an initiative for our shuls and our community members so that we go into this shabbat remembering these hostages. This Shabbat we will remember Hersh, Eden, Carmel, Almog, Alex and Ori. We have asked the shuls to display photographs of the 6 hostages which we sent as a PDF and to light 6 yarzeit candles in the entrance. We also ask community members to lig

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), the democratically elected representative body of South African Jewry, notes with dismay that after nearly a week, the South African Government has failed to condemn the cruel execution of six innocent Israeli and American hostages by Hamas. The hostages were held for 320 days in Hamas underground tunnels in conditions that are unacceptable by any human rights standards, including a denial of access of the International Red

Our hearts go out to the families of the 6 hostages whose bodies were found today, murdered by Hamas in Rafah, Gaza. The 6 were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October. We mourn with the people of Israel and global Jewry. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23 Eden Yerushalmi, 24 Carmel Gat, 40 Almog Sarusi, 27 Alex Lubnov, 32 Ori Danino, 25 May their memories be a blessing and may their loved ones find comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

The SAJBD was saddened to learn of the passing of our good friend Nic Wolpe, with whom we had many fruitful collaborations over the years. Following his return to South Africa after the unbanning of the ANC in 1990, Nic devoted himself to preserving and building upon the legacy of the anti-apartheid struggle, in whose ranks both of his parents, Harold and Ann-Marie, served with distinction. To this end, he founded and was the director of the Liliesleaf Trust, through which th

#throwbackthursday to Women's month in 2016 when our leadership proudly participated in the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March. In this memorable photo are Chaya Singer, Mary Kluk, Sophie de Bruin (the last living member of the leadership of the 1956 Women's March), MEC Faith Mazibuko, and National Director Wendy Kahn.

National Women's Day 9 August 2024

SAJBD’s Response to Dirco’s statement on Ismael Haniyeh which exposes their hypocrisy The South African Jewish Board of Deputies notes the statement of the South African Government condemning the killing of arch-terrorist Ismael Haniyeh. The Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation’s (Dirco) pro-Hamas bias has been evident since former Minister Pandor call to Haniyeh in the immediate aftermath of the Oct 7 atrocities. The depiction of Haniyeh in Dirco's statement i

The children who were killed are: Finis Safari, 11 Alma Pachraladin, 11 Naji Halabi, 11 Milar Shaa’r, 10 Fager Abu Tsalach, 16 Amir Abu Tsalach, 16 Haz’m Abu Tsalach, 15 Hazan Abu Tsalach, 12 Jon Ibrahim, 13 Izil Ayub, 12

On 4 April 2024 and during the Dialogue segment on the Manyathela show, guests and Clement discussed the situation in Gaza and referred to the "judgement" of the International Court of Justice in South Africa's genocide case against Israel. 702 wishes to clarify the status of the ruling to in the show. To date, the ICJ has only issued interim orders and prescribed preliminary measures. The ICJ is yet to decide the ultimate case and issue its judgement.

The SAJBD is aware of a version of Mein Kampf (published by Wilco Publishing House) available at Estoril Books. Unlike the versions of Mein Kampf sold in other stores, we note that this edition does not provide contextual understanding into the evil concepts inherent in this book. The SAJBD has been in contact with Estoril Books and we will update the community as we receive clarification. Unlike the versions of Mein Kampf sold in other stores, we note that this edition does