Ties that bind across faiths December 4, 2025

There are weeks when the soul of our country feels a little lighter, when the ties that bind us across faith and tradition grow visibly stronger. Last week was one such week. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) was privileged to take part in two significant interfaith gatherings: a conference co-hosted by the Institute for Global Engagement and the South African Council of Faith Based Fraternals; and a session of the Gauteng Ethics and Anti-Corruption Council.

At the first event, Rabbi David Shaw, representing the SAJBD, spoke movingly about how interfaith dialogue has forged deep and inspiring friendships between him and religious leaders from diverse traditions. He expressed the quiet hope we all carry: that these personal connections might ripple outward, modelling the possibility of understanding in a society that too often feels fractured.

At the second event, Gabi Farber-Cohen joined a panel alongside leaders from the Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Rastafarian, and KhoiSan communities. Together, they explored how faith can strengthen integrity, uplift society, and inspire real, positive change.

The interfaith space is a crucial platform for our community. In a South Africa where public discourse can sometimes feel closed and hostile, interfaith spaces remain one of the few open doors. Here, leaders can meet as equals and engage with the areas in which there is common interest. We are always so pleased to learn that many of the pressing issues for other faith groups are the same challenges with which we grapple: education; safety; religious rights. This is also a rare space in which deep set differences can be placed to the side in favour of rigorous and honest engagement.

What strikes me every time is how readily religious leaders lean into compromise and cooperation. One might imagine that those most anchored in sacred tradition would be the least flexible, yet the opposite proves true. Because they serve something far larger than personal ego or narrow interest, they create room for the other. Their commitment to the holy makes space for the human.

There is also so much we can learn from one another’s outreach initiatives, from the way different communities care for the vulnerable and mobilise for the common good, and how other religious groups are benefiting South African society. These aren’t abstract lessons, they are practical ideas that we can carry back into our own work.

Over the weekend, representatives of the Board from across the country met in Johannesburg to discuss the work of the Board, debate the situation for our communities, and look forward to the coming years. This provided a crucial opportunity for our regional leadership to work through the various challenges that affect each of us, and to attempt to formulate a strategy that will address these issues proactively. Our community is heterogenous, and our challenges are varied. These conversations are vital in ensuring that our unity isn’t uniformity, but the hard-won harmony of diverse voices determined to move forward together.