The 4th annual Matric Community Day, held in late March this year, again saw Herzlia and Cape Town Torah High matriculants, experiencing communal life in Cape Town’s Jewish community.
The project, which is put together by the Eliot Osrin Leadership Institute, is geared to expose young people to a snapshot of the initiatives and services run by our community organisations.
“These are the people who may well become our future community volunteers and leaders, and so their exposure to what is currently on the go serves an important role,”explains Ashley Hurwitz, the co-ordinator of this EOLI programme.
A range of organisations joined the Day, offering students the opportunity to visit various projects and to engage with the mandates of the organisations and their leadership and beneficiaries. This year, the organisations taking part were:
- Astra/Glendale
Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape SAJBD)
The Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre (CTHGC)/South African Jewish Museum (SAJM)
Highlands House/JCS Group/Cape Jewish Seniors
ORT SA Cape Education/ORTJET
The Union of Jewish Women (UJW)/ORT SA/Mensch
Jewish Community Services (JCS)/Tikvah Foodbank/Nechama/Oranjia
SA Zionist Federation Cape Council
Matric students who selected to join the SAZF Cape Council gained some valuable insights into the work of the organisation in these trying times. Among other activities, discussions about social media in the current climate of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment provided useful guidance about how to navigate the online world.
The Union of Jewish Women (UJW) again ran a successful day at their Kensington Educare Centre, working together with ORT SA CAPE EDUCATION and Mensch. 12 Herzlia matriculants visited the Centre on the day, interacting with the children and carrying out activities with them. According to Su Lubner of the UJW, “We had pre-prepared pillowcases with designs that each child had chosen. The Herzlia students assisted to decorate, stuff and sew up these pillows. We also had a group of enthusiastic chefs who assisted with the rolling and frying of 70 vetkoek under our chef’s disciplined and watchful eye!”
Having enjoyed fun time with the preschool children, the Herzlia students also gained insights into how quality education can positively impact disadvantaged communities in the Western Cape. Hearing what makes for a quality preschool environment – including a focus on important pillars such as meaningful education, nutrition, safety and technology – the students engaged in an activity to build what they believe is the ideal ECD Centre of the future, using LEGO.
According to CEO of ORT SA CAPE, Bev Da Costa, “The experience allows all those involved to cultivate empathy and foster a sense of responsibility to community. It provides these young people with an improved understanding of the ECD sector and how they can start thinking about giving back. It also showcases how Jewish organisations are supporting other communities.”
As regards the goal of giving back, it’s clear that the Matric Day has had this impact. The UJW, for instance, has seen tangible evidence of this from previous such Days. One matric learner from the 2024 cohort organised for her BBYO peers to collect and pack items that were donated to the Kensington Educare Centre. In addition, when her grandmother passed away, a student who had been moved by what she saw at the Educare Centre arranged for the donation of some of her grandmother’s possessions to be sent to a family of the Centre’s community, whose house had burned down.
In addition to the knowledge gained about the work of ORT JET, the 14 students who visited the ORT JET offices for the day gained valuable skills relating to entrepreneurship – skills that could fashion their own futures as business-owners. They explored the importance for entrepreneurs of collaboration, networking, creativity, and problem-solving.
Nicole Friend of ORT JET comments: “Through the speed networking activity, learners engaged directly with beneficiaries, gaining insights and inspiration from their stories. The discussions were lively and meaningful, leaving learners inspired and enriched by the experience.”
The Sea Point branch of the Cape Jewish Seniors Association hosted some learners. Here they interacted with members of the Seniors, and participated in various craft activities together with the members. The past Chair of the CJSA , Philip Todres, also explained the mission of the organization: to keep Seniors active and part of the community.
Other learners also chose to interact with Seniors in our community, when they visited Highlands House. After being exposed to a range of elements of the care facility – from the residents’ own explanations of their lives at Highlands House to the meal preparation at the Home to medical services – learners left having experienced “the mutual benefits of inter-generational exchange and volunteering, as well as understanding career opportunities afforded by working in a facility such as Highlands House,”comments Adrienne Todes, Senior Social Worker.
The SAJM and CTHGC worked together to host about nine students. The learners gained more knowledge about the local Jewish community and also got to understand the role of the museums in “educational programming and outreach for students and teachers across the wider Cape Town region,” explains Orli Barnett of the CTHGC.
Su Lubner believes that the exposure offered to students who have had little or no involvement in communal affairs can be life-changing. “We hope to inspire young people to understand that one should never expect
to be rewarded for doing the right thing…the reward in one’s soul is far greater. So we encourage these young people to step out of themselves and look beyond their own worlds,” she explains. ●
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