Israel is ever-present in our minds and hearts, especially with recent events in Egypt highlighting that nothing is set in stone when it comes to the Middle East. While this new external issue will definitely be on our radar in the months ahead, in this edition of the Chronicle we begin to look at Israel’s internal issues, which are equally vital for us to understand and discuss.
We welcome you into this conversation about Israel with a number of different voices. On page 4, ex-South African Julian Resnick (who many of you may remember from Somerset West and Habonim), writes about how Israel is changing in challenging ways and how we in the Diaspora can continue to support the Zionist dream in this context. On page 5, former NBC correspondent Martin Fletcher discusses his new book, Walking Israel, which explores ‘daily living, rather than daily confrontation.’ It looks like a must-read!
Meanwhile, we take a look at an organisation called the New Israel Fund, which works to strengthen Israel’s democracy as it is stated in the Declaration of Independence; and in the same article we speak to Eliezer Yaari about Israel’s internal issues and his impressions of our community on his recent visit to South Africa. In addition, the SAZF Cape Council writes about Israel’s thriving economy on page 10.
In this edition we also pay tribute to Advocate Dr. Dave Meyerowitz, who sadly passed away in February at the age of 94. A stalwart of our community and an admired and respected legal giant, Dave will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.
March is the month of Purim, bringing celebration and simcha to us all! In appreciating the colour, carnival, magic and masks that Purim brings, we have interviews with artist David Sheldon and magician Larry Soffer (page 28). We hope they will brighten your month with art and amazement!
In this age of social networking, our new Facebook page is growing by the day. You can join the page on Facebook or on the right hand side of this website – giving you instant access to the community, events, photos, friends and family. On that note, please send us your Purim pics, which we can share on the Facebook page!
Wishing all our readers a Chag Purim Sameach!
