By Tzvi Brivik
The Cape SAJBD does incredible work for the community. Through the events in which it participates, we breed diplomatic channels and exercise quiet diplomacy.
Recently we were involved in a United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week event celebrating our interfaith community and relationships, which we are privileged to have. In the interfaith space, Gwynne Robins has done incredible work to ensure we deliver on our constitutional mandate of promoting and engendering harmony and relationships with other communities.
As an executive director, Stuart Diamond shared what is an extensive network in the Western Cape that facilitated the opening of doors, so we could have meetings set with various key role players, both in provincial government and key institutions. He also had the benefit of historical relationships through the lay leadership of the current Cape SAJBD members, as well as past members.
It is being able to function so effectively and respond so rapidly that makes our organisation the premier organisation.
It is therefore with great sadness that, in the last month, we announced the departure of Stuart from the organisation. Stuart has been our executive director for close to three years and almost everyone reading this newspaper would have had some involvement with him or some communication from him. He has worked tirelessly for this organisation and the benefit of our community.
Many may not appreciate that the work of the Cape SAJBD is not your typical 9 to 5 job; in fact, we have many affiliates with many different interests, we participate in and create so many events during a year, and video calls for work often continue late into the night, sometimes over weekends. Much can be said about Stuart’s diplomacy in his relationships with members of our community and affiliates, as well as those relationships with other senior leaders outside of our community.
At the end of the day, the continuity of these relationships relies on people —the way that we interact with people, the words we use with people— and Stuart understood that well.
The Cape SAJBD has numerous administrative roles which it fulfils by thoughtful leadership and accountability, also on behalf of other organisations such as the COVID-19 Risk Committee, which requires great attention to detail. Stuart set a beautiful example with his accountability background, leading professionals, senior members of our community, and ordinary persons to all express their love, loss and gratitude for the reliable service he has done for this community, together with his wife, Lindy.
We wish Stuart the best of luck with his new ventures. #WordsMatter, and so we say, “Todah rabah u’lehitraot nitracha bekarov!”
Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies website: www.capesajbd.org, Instagram, and Facebook page.
• Published in the print edition of the March/April Pesach 2021 issue. Download the March/April 2021 issue PDF here.
• Visit our Portal to the Jewish Community to see a list of all the Jewish organisations in Cape Town with links to their websites.
• Sign up for our newsletter and never miss another issue!
• Please support the Cape Jewish Chronicle with a voluntary Subscription. For payment info click here.
Follow the Chronicle: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
