Kudos for new Memorial Foundation President Marlene Bethlehem

Warmest congratulations to SAJBD past-president Marlene Bethlehem, who was confirmed as the new president of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture at its recent meeting in Mexico. That one of our own has been elected to head up this prestigious organisation s a signal honour not just for Marlene, but for the whole of South African Jewry. The MFJC was established after World War II with the primary purpose of rebuilding Jewish life in post-Holocaust Europe. It has since become a dynamic vehicle for grooming future Jewish leaders in all parts of the world, largely through its flagship Nahum Goldmann Fellowship Programme project. Graduates of the latter include a number of senior SAJBD professional staff members and lay leaders. The close fruitful relationship that exists between the Board and the Foundation has very largely been due to Marlene’s dedicated efforts over many years.

Recent Articles

SAJBD Responds to DIRCO's Abandonment of South Africans stuck in Israel

The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on Sunday issued a travel advisory urging South African citizens in Iran to exercise caution and register with the South African Embassy in Tehran. It is outrageous that DIRCO did not offer similar assistance or services to its citizens in Israel. With the Advisory the Government and DIRCO have clearly shown disinterest and abandoned the many South Africans, be they Christian, Jewish or Muslim who are stranded in Israel. The Government's stance on this current situation confirms once again its lack of concern for not only the citizens of Israel, but its own citizens in Israel.

​DIRCO supports terror regime once again

DIRCO supports terror regime once again

South Africa’s expression of concern and condolences for the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran serves once again to show their decision to always side with dictators, terror organisations and human-rights abusers. DIRCO supported the Assad regime in Syria, Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir in Sudan, Sadam Hussein in Iraq, Hamas in Gaza and now Ali Hosseini Khamenei in Iran. All these dictators have a strong history of oppressing their own people and exporting terror.