Eliot Osrin’s name is associated with every dimension of Cape Town Jewry.
His vision, compassion, counsel, and mentorship helped build a cohesive Cape Town community that will forever be his legacy. He was the architect of the communal and financial discipline that is the envy of many a community here and abroad.
In the aftermath of the shock of Eliot’s passing in February this year, a steering committee was established to consider how he should be honoured and remembered. After reading through his many speeches and writings, his wife Myra proposed that a most appropriate and powerful way to do so would be to establish a senior leadership institute that would serve to upskill current professional and lay leaders as well as to recruit potential new leaders, thus future-proofing our community. “We are gratified that the institute will be closely associated with The David Susman Community Foundation and that Ronnie Stein has agreed to chair this new initiative,” Myra said.
To quote Ronnie, “Eliot led from the front and modelled an honest, values-based leadership that needs to be imparted to the generations of leadership now and that follow. The broad objectives of the Eliot Osrin Leadership Institute will be to develop and empower senior leadership with ethical, strategic and innovative skills.”
Vivienne Anstey, who will serve as the institute’s director, says, “We look forward to engaging with stakeholders in the community to explore needs and challenges and share ideas that will tap into international leadership models and draw on national resources and consultants. Our strategy will include calling for applicants to ‘trailblaze’ our first senior leadership programme, scheduled to commence early next year.”
