Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft is the spiritual leader of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies’ country communities department and the African Jewish Congress. His territory encompasses 13 countries, including the entire African continent south of the Sahara as well as the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar and Mauritius.

Suzanne Belling is a veteran journalist, a Jewish communal professional, and a former editor of the South African Jewish Report whose writing has appeared in publications that include the Chicago Jewish News, the London Jewish Chronicle, and the Times of Israel.

Commonwealth Chief Rabbi Lord (Jonathan) Sacks is the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Jerusalem Prize and the Ladislaus Laszt Ecumenical and Social Concern Award, and he was knighted and made a life peer of the House of Lords as Baron Sacks of Aldgate in the City of London.

The Travelling Rabbi

My African Tribe

By Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft

Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd

Copyright © 2012 Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4314-0598-5

Contents

Foreword by Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks,
Preface by Mandy Wiener,
Prologue,
1. Western Cape – The Fairest Cape and a Legacy of Love,
2. Garden Route – My Garden (Route) of Eden,
3. Eastern Cape – Past, Present and Ensuring the Future,
4. KwaZulu-Natal – The Jewish Connection,
5. Vrystaat! – The Heart of the Farmlands,
6. North West Province – The Pot of Gold,
7. Northern Cape: Kimberley – Forever a Diamond Community,
8. Northern Cape – The Israeli Boerejood, His Land and His People,
9. Limpopo Province – Coming Full Circle,
10. Mpumalanga – The Big Five,
11. Botswana – A Gem of a Country,
12. Zimbabwe: Harare – The Remnant of a Community Soldiers On,
13. Zimbabwe: Bulawayo – From Their Unity Comes Strength,
14. Namibia – The Sands of Time,
15. Swaziland, Lesotho and Mozambique,
16. Kenya and Uganda,
17. Zambia – A Rich Jewish Heritage,
18. Mauritius – Paradise Lost and Now Regained,
19. Who Shall Be Upraised – ‘Rabbi, oh Rabbi, where have you been?’,
20. Some Perspectives,
Glossary,
Acknowledgements,

CHAPTER 1

Western Cape

The Fairest Cape and a Legacy of Love

Was this really me? Sitting beside the man I believed to be South Africa’s last Jewish hero – Chief Rabbi Emeritus Cyril K. Harris, OBE, and he was calling me ‘My Rabbi’!

Sadly, in his retirement house in Hermanus, not far from Cape Town, he was nearing the end of his life. His passing would close many chapters in the lives of those who looked to him for leadership and spiritual guidance, and I was among them.

From the day ‘The Chief’ – affectionately known by many as ‘The African Chief’ – set foot in South Africa in 1987, exchanging his Scottish tartan for the colours of our ‘Rainbow Nation’, he predicted that the new dispensation in the country would require a Jewish response and outlined what that response should be. He encountered opposition from many quarters with his verbal slaughtering of ‘sacred cows’. He was outspoken on issues ranging from racial intolerance and the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, to white emigration, the high Jewish divorce rate, women’s rights and communal discipline.

Cyril Harris, a direct descendant of the Vilna Gaon, was the giant who led our community into the new South Africa and eased our acceptance by the ANC, especially through his friendship, his chemistry with Nelson Mandela, his outreach work as founding chairman of Afrika Tikkun and through the National Religious Leaders Forum. Nelson Mandela, who called him ‘My Rabbi’, had a private ceremony with the Harrises at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, before his marriage to Graça Machel, widow of former Mozambican president Samora Machel. This was in order for Rabbi Harris to bless them as their wedding ceremony coincided with the Jewish Sabbath.

We are exhorted in the Pirkei Avot to provide ourselves with a rabbi and acquire a friend. To me, Rabbi Harris was both, and to him, especially at the end, I was both. In his last days he would not accept visitors, but he spoke to me for three hours – my visit was supposed to be limited to one. His junior in every way, I was awed at being his confidant. I suggested that I approach Rabbi Dr Abraham J. Twerski, the internationally renowned psychiatrist and author who was on a visit to South Africa, to counsel him. He could hardly muster the strength to sip a little of Ann’s chicken soup, but his mind was as sharp as ever. Rabbi Harris declined my offer and even rejected proffered visits from senior rabbis. He seemed comfortable to have me sitting and listening and I did not have the temerity to counsel him. Myriad emotions welled up inside me. I was desperately sad. I felt humbled, honoured, resigned and even angry that we would lose this great rabbi.

But in the beginning we had had our differences. When I was appointed spiritual leader of the country communities in 1993, I had to have the ‘okay’ from him for my appointment. He had nothing personal against me, but there was friction between the Union of Orthodox Synagogues, which incorporated the Office of the Chief Rabbi, and my department, which fell under the auspices of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, relating to the assets of the defunct communities and who would receive them. On occasion, this conflict spilled over into the public arena and became a much-talked-about dispute. Setting aside our own opinions, which was the correct thing to do, as each of us had to stick up for his own organisation, I fought to keep country communities in the Board’s realm, as we catered for all streams of Judaism.

While I do not officiate at any form of Reform service or at marriages where one partner is of a different faith, I cooperate with any clergymen concerned lest a single Jew stray from the fold. In my position I cannot be, nor do I wish to be, judgmental and concentrate on an inclusive approach. This has been beneficial because many Jews who have intermarried, or have turned from their roots, have heard about my visits and have requested to meet with me and urged me to be part of their town’s Jewish community, however small it might be.

My relationship with Rabbi Harris remained ‘iffy’ until his relocation to Hermanus. The community in the whale-watching paradise was growing, with 250 Jewish holiday and weekend homes and 38 permanent residents. It had a shul, established in 1936, with the foundation stone laid by the founder of the Board of Deputies, Morris Alexander, KC. The same synagogue was refurbished and officially rededicated by me after 20 years of inactivity on the fifth night of Chanukah, December 1997, as a result of holidaymakers approaching the Cape Board to revive the services.

Shortly after the Harrises had made their home in the town, I dislocated my back and was off the road for three weeks. Unexpectedly, one day my telephone rang. ‘Is that Rabbi Silberhaft?’ Recognising the unmistakable Scots accent, I replied ‘yes’ hesitantly. ‘This is Cyril Harris. My wife and I are your new congregants in Hermanus.’ Pulling no punches, he said, ‘When will you be coming to welcome us?’

I attribute Rabbi Harris’s change of heart to the fact that, firstly, the British are firm believers that the rabbi of their town is their rabbi and, secondly, I feel he saw the sincerity with which I undertake the work I regard as my calling.

I made my first trip to his home, armed with a bottle of his favourite Scotch and the inevitable welcoming cake. His home was warm, its walls adorned by mementoes and awards. In spite of the best medical treatment in South Africa and abroad, his condition worsened. We moved the Friday-night services to his home and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes when he was almost humble in his gratitude. In September 2005, this larger-than-life spiritual leader and ‘conscience of the community’ passed over into olam habah. ‘Shalom to Rabbi Harris’, the newspaper posters proclaimed from the streets (I saved one, which has pride of place in my office), obituaries filled the columns of the secular and Jewish press, and the phrase ‘the world wept’ kept turning over and over in my head.

I was unable to attend his funeral at Har Hamenuchot in Jerusalem, but was present at a memorial service at the airport in Johannesburg and at the consecration of his tombstone in Israel, together with Ann and their sons, Rabbi Michael and Jonathan, and his successor, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein. I was privileged to be asked to deliver a eulogy in which I recalled that he had grown up in Ayr, a small Scottish seaside town with its 100-strong close-knit Jewish community. I went on:

In choosing to go to Hermanus, the note he struck in shaping his life, silently, privately, but equally powerfully, was a return not only to the kind of community in which his father had been chairman, but – given the South African context with its predominantly Litvak heritage – also one which continued to evoke the Litvak atmosphere of his early life.

While I was ministering to him and was pleased to be able to help him, I still felt like his student. I sat next to him in his tranquil home in Hermanus …

He was extremely humble. When he could no longer walk to the Hermanus synagogue, I arranged for services to be held at his home. He would always remark ‘You are doing this for me?’ …

I would like to end by sharing with you the words of former president Nelson Mandela who, on hearing of the passing of Chief Rabbi Harris, wrote: ‘In that difficult challenge of our transition and early democracy to pull and keep our country together, Chief Rabbi Harris played a central role that will be remembered in our history. We today remember a great spiritual leader, a man of exceptional humaneness, one who has made his mark in the social transformation of South Africa. And, in African fashion, we say: ‘Hamba kahle Cyril.’

Rabbi Harris remains an unending source of inspiration to me and from him I have learnt the meaning of real greatness, coupled with humility and strength. These lessons are a source from which I draw in every aspect of my working and personal life. Whenever I have a few moments to ponder in my office, my eyes travel to the ‘Shalom’ poster and to his pensive portrait, under which I have inscribed ‘South African Jewry’s last religious hero’. He bequeathed me a legacy of forgiveness, love of humanity and leadership, and maybe, in some small measure, the work I am doing will serve to perpetuate that legacy.

Ann remained in Hermanus, working towards outreach and interfaith at the highest levels and is a pivotal figure in the shul. Whether it be in the town itself, or in Cape Town, where she is deeply involved in her husband’s ‘baby’, Afrika Tikkun, she has proved herself a lady of immense strength, intelligence, integrity and capability. I am always made welcome in her home and she is my first stop on my pastoral visits to the area.

Change is inevitable. The new traffic circle at the busy interchange outside the Hermanus shul rendered the site no longer worship-friendly. With the ongoing influx of Jews and holidaymakers to the area, I supported the sale of the shul building. A new committee was constituted, the building was sold, and with part of the proceeds we built a conveniently situated synagogue on land purchased from the municipality.

During the time of construction, I travelled regularly to oversee the builders. I collected artefacts from synagogues of defunct communities – the mechitzah came from Bloemfontein’s old shul; the pews from Robertson, Ceres and Worcester; the bimah from Robertson; the rabbi’s benches and pulpit from Witbank; the parochet and Ark curtain from Bethlehem and Upington and I brought siddurim,Chumashim and machzorim from Mafikeng, Musina and Welkom. The Ten Commandments from Randfontein, which have pride of place in the new shul, were dedicated by me ‘in sacred memory’ of Rabbi Harris. I stated at the opening of the synagogue that he was ‘a great spiritual leader, humanitarian and man of vision’, and his personality embodied the values contained in the Commandments.

The foundation stone was laid by Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein in September 2008 at an official opening attended by nearly 300 people, including the Mayor of the Overberg and clergy of all denominations from Hermanus. In my address, I appropriately referred to the synagogue as ‘a shul with a neshoma‘ and expressed the hope of making ‘this house one of thriving Judaism for generations to come’. There is a rabbi’s house adjacent to the shul and a hall for functions. An ambience of warmth and spirituality permeates the completed building.

I spent a number of Rosh Hashanah and other festivals in Hermanus, with services conducted at different times by Chaim Ehrlich and Michael Kushner. I officiated at two barmitzvahs, at several funerals, unfortunately, and unveilings at the Hermanus Jewish Cemetery.

After my first Rosh Hashanah in Hermanus, I received a letter from Jonathan Lipman, the president of the congregation, which expressed the appreciation of the community. It was good to know that my efforts had not gone unnoticed.

There is a saying that goes, ‘if you’ve got it – flaunt it’. ‘Got it’ you most definitely have and ‘flaunt it’ you did perfectly over Rosh Hashanah in Hermanus. The Jewish community is abuzz with your name – ‘Rabbi Moshe’ (I think the surname they find to be a bit of a tongue-twister, but then nobody can be perfect) and ‘mensch’ we hear used in the same breath by locals and visitors alike …

As you are aware, the Jewish population of Hermanus was held in very high esteem by other locals and holidaymakers alike. As a resurging community, it is of utmost importance that we keep the name of our ‘forefathers’ high and it is therefore so pleasing for us to get such positive feedback from the locals about your visit to us. The only downside about your visit is the fact that it had to come to an end.

He tried to persuade me to settle in Hermanus and, appealing though the prospect seemed, my travels made it totally impractical. But there is no doubt that, apart from Plettenberg Bay, Hermanus is the most thriving, vibrant and sociable community in the Western Cape and it is always with a sense of anticipation that I travel there to perform my pastoral duties.

* * *

In the mid-1990s, I was contacted by an attorney, a lifelong friend of Gerald Goodman who lived in Onrusrivier, the resort adjacent to Hermanus where hundreds of children flock every year to the Habonim Campsite, a permanent site for the youth movement. He felt I should know that Gerald had added a codicil to his will ordering his cremation on his death. Gerald grew up in an Orthodox and kosher home, but had opted for cremation because of the escalating cost of Jewish burials.

Accompanied by the shul president, I visited Gerald at his home and embarked on my usual persuasive talk against cremation for Jews. After our discussion, Gerald agreed that he would be buried in a Jewish cemetery on the understanding that the cost would not exceed R6,000, the standard price for cremation.

Gerald found out that the shul’s president had shown his commitment to the cemetery by buying a plot for himself and, as the Hermanus Cemetery had been re-consecrated and was back in use, Gerald had taken up the option of buying the last plot next to his. This was a tangible way of showing his commitment to be buried.

He was pleased and felt touched that I had taken the time to consult with him regarding this sensitive issue. This spurred Gerald on to become more active as a Jew in Hermanus. He attended services on a regular basis and, after a short while, became the unofficial shammes of the Hermanus Hebrew Congregation. He carried this title until the day of his passing. I found Gerald, in his quiet but jovial manner an inspiration to all Jews. May his soul always rest in peace.

* * *

Inland, but only a short distance away, is the lush green town of Greyton. Reminiscent as it is of a rustic English village, the words ‘a river runs through it’ swirl around my head when I approach this place. Some 13 Jews have chosen to make their homes there. The quaint shops stand beside modern businesses, including estate agencies, such as Acorn Estates, owned by Sharon Beaumont, and another where Beverley Blumberg is employed.

Sharon has two lovely children, whom she has schooled in Hebrew and Jewish studies. Her son, Shlomi Avichzar, always laid tefillin with me on my visits. Shlomi and his sister, Nicole, have strong ties with Israel, as their father, Sharon’s former husband, lives there.

Linda Isaacson, a divorcee, and Mervyn Rosenstein are long-time residents, living in a cabin on the banks of the river. Linda’s former husband, Morris, the son of Sea Point Shul’s beloved shammes, Normie Isaacson, was a victim of the devasting 2004 tsunami in Phuket. Naturally Linda had to travel back and forth to Cape Town to comfort her son, David, who received his father’s personal effects from the Board of Deputies, which was among the first on the scene to provide relief for victims.

Some of the Jewish residents of Greyton maintain their Yiddishkeit and attend shul either in Hermanus or Cape Town. For our get-togethers, I bring kosher eats from Sea Point and, on one occasion, we were joined by the editor of the Greyton Sentinel who found the Travelling Rabbi interesting material for her newspaper. Greyton has featured on the pages of the magazine Country Life and it has my personal recommendation for a truly relaxing getaway.

The Western Cape covers a vast area, with majestic mountain ranges, coastal roads, unparalleled sea views, green valleys and vineyards on the wine route. I am awed by the beauty of the Cape and endorse Sir Francis Drake’s description, ‘the Fairest Cape in the entire circumference of the earth.’

Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester are key towns on the route, as are Somerset West at the foot of the Hottentots Holland mountains and Strand, with its never-ending white sandy beaches, although these are less frequent stops on my travels because of their proximity to Cape Town. I am, however, gratified to be greeted by the Somerset West congregants – the shul has moved but the community has existed as an entity for well over a century – with the words, ‘We welcome your visits, we cannot wait for you to come here.’

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