In the time between writing this piece and it being published, SAUJS shall have had its election for the next committee for 2017/2018.
I find it fitting then, in the last article that I write as Chairperson for 2017, to reflect on what the organisation has achieved over the year by the outgoing committee.
Under the current committee, SAUJS in the Western Cape has seen a plethora of activity happening on campus, and our cooperation and relationships with other Jewish organisations has seen a big improvement.
One of our core mandates is to enrich the lives and welfare of Jewish students on campus. SAUJS has offered a wide range of events to our members this year to achieve this, and we have experienced overall high attendance this year.
One of our other mandates is to advocate on behalf of Jewish students. This year our activities centred around our campaign during the annual hate fest ‘Israel Apartheid Week’, and opposing a campaign by the BDS movement to get the University of Cape Town to boycott Israeli universities. We have also engaged the university whenever issues such as Antisemitism appear on campus.
One of my goals for my term was to strengthen internal structures within SAUJS, and I can say that this goal has been reached.
Through restructuring our internal processes, and building strategic partnerships and relationships for the future, I am confident that the next committee will be in a good position to carry SAUJS forward and achieve whatever it sets out to achieve. It has been an honour to lead this organisation, and I hope that the groundwork laid by this year’s committee is built upon and SAUJS grows to even greater heights.
Jordan Seligmann, Chairperson 2017
