The Cape SAJBD continues to play a pivotal role in fostering leadership and advocacy skills among Jewish youth in Cape Town.
Through its recent engagements, namely the Grade 11 Leadership Day and the Matric Community Day, the Cape SAJBD has provided young leaders with the opportunity not only to learn about careers in the community but to be provided with the tools and knowledge to navigate the challenges of Jewish communal life and broader society.
Grade 11 Leadership Day
The Grade 11 Leadership Day was a platform for emerging young leaders to engage with seasoned professionals in community leadership. Daniel Bloch, Executive Director of the Cape SAJBD, shared his personal journey in leadership, offering reflections on the responsibilities and impact of a career dedicated to communal service. His insights provided the Grade 11 pupils with a deeper understanding of leadership within the Jewish community and the significance of taking on roles that advocate for and uplift Jewish life in Cape Town and beyond. The session inspired these future leaders to consider their potential contributions and how they, too, could shape the future of Jewish communal life.
Matric Community Day
The Cape SAJBD hosted 12 Matric pupils for the Matric Community Day which offered an action-packed programme that showcased the Cape SAJBD’s crucial role in advocacy and Jewish communal affairs. The day commenced in the scenic Company’s Garden outside the historic Gardens Shul, where Vice Chair Simone Sulcas led an engaging workshop. Pupils were introduced to the legal frameworks around protests, constitutional rights, and the fine line between freedom of speech and hate speech. This session provided critical insights into the legal mechanisms that protect Jewish communities while ensuring active and informed participation in civic discourse.
The programme continued with a collaborative session with the SAZF Cape Council, focusing on the complexities of social media and its role in perpetuating antisemitism. Pupils were presented with real-world examples of antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric through video case studies, enabling them to critically analyse trends on social media, both locally and internationally. This segment emphasised the importance of digital literacy and equipped the students with strategies to respond effectively to online hate speech.
The highlight of the day was an exclusive tour of the Civic Centre, where pupils met with key city leaders, including Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, and Executive Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis. These interactions underscored the Cape SAJBD’s advocacy efforts in ensuring that Cape Town remains a safe and inclusive space for the Jewish community. The pupils gained first-hand insights into the collaboration between Jewish communal leadership and local government in fostering a secure and supportive environment.
The day concluded back at Herzlia with a closing plenary session. The Cape SAJBD’s Programme and Development Manager, Josh Friedman, shared with the full matric grade his journey into a career within the Jewish community, highlighting the diverse opportunities available within structured Jewish communal organisations in Cape Town. This message resonated deeply with the students, encouraging them to consider the many paths they could take to contribute to Jewish life and leadership.
Through these initiatives, the Cape SAJBD reaffirmed its commitment to empowering the next generation of Jewish leaders, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and passion to advocate for their community and uphold Jewish life in Cape Town and beyond. ●
Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies | www.capesajbd.org | Instagram | Facebook
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