BONNY FELDMAN Editor
At the recent AGM of the Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), something struck me that, in an ideal world, shouldn’t have felt unusual: the number of women in senior leadership roles.
Outgoing Chair Adrienne Jacobson, Simone Sulcas in the fight against antisemitism, and a host of incoming leaders – all women stepping up to the front lines.
This is especially significant in a body like the SAJBD. Women have long led within Jewish women’s communal structures such as WIZO or the Union of Jewish Women, but the Board operates on a different stage – political battles, government relations, and diplomacy. Seeing women in these spaces is a welcome shift.
In a just world, leadership would never be surprising based on gender, race, or orientation. But history reminds us otherwise. That’s why glimpses of genuine progress are worth celebrating.
The contrast became starker when, in the very same week, two headlines jolted me. In India, a 20-day-old baby girl was found buried alive – yet another act of femicide in a society where boys are valued above girls. And in Afghanistan, the Taliban banned all university texts written by women, dragging half a nation further into darkness.
Against such brutal reminders of inequality, the sight of women leading our community is more than symbolic – it’s a sign that change is possible, and that we should never take it for granted.
In this edition, we carry a particularly well-written article about the artist, Irma Stern, researched and written by a Cape Jewish Chronicle volunteer, Karen Miller. Karen has done some outstanding work for the publication, and we acknowledge this with gratitude.
Our gratitude also goes to another volunteer, Beryl Eichenberger, for her regular book reviews. ●
If you’d like to volunteer with the publication, please contact us via email on editor@ctjc.co.za.
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