Each December holiday season, our offices close between Christmas and the first week of January, usually reopening around the 5th. With public holidays and weekends, the office is, in essence, only closed for a few days. What was different this year, you may ask?
This December, my phone did not ring. WhatsApp messages were not flooding in. Emails were limited to spam and news alerts. No one was calling to report antisemitic or anti-Israel incidents. I also didn’t seem to see the usual barrage of anti-Israel articles in
the media.
Am I dreaming?
For the first time in two years, I can honestly say that I was able to switch off, relax, and spend some much-needed quality time with my family. More importantly, I was able to recharge my batteries. My days consisted of lazing by the pool, swimming, and binge-watching Stranger Things – Season 5 was amazing!! I did, of course, check my emails, read the news, and follow the usual sites, just to be sure I wasn’t dreaming and that, in fact, all was quiet on the Western Front.
It appears the haters were also on holiday. The one protest that did take place outside Kirstenbosch barely mustered a handful of protesters. (I saw a video of a broken-down car belonging to one of the protesters – perhaps that explains the poor turnout.) Or maybe they’ve simply lost steam, and no one, including their own supporters, is interested in wasting time anymore. Not even the inclusion of the DRC and Sudan flags on their marketing paraphernalia seems enough to persuade people to miss the beach or the local derby in favour of parading through our streets under the banner of ‘human rights activism’.
Let’s hope I’m not dreaming and that 2026 brings with it a largely protest-free year. That may be wishful thinking – I don’t expect the protests to disappear entirely. However, statistics show that anti-Israel protests in Cape Town have dropped by more than 50% in both frequency and attendance. The turnouts were, quite frankly, dismal.
So, what should we be focused on in 2026? I’m going to repeat what I’ve been saying for the past two years: we must continue to live our Jewish way of life. We must continue living as proud Jews and proud Zionists. We do not need to back down because a small group of ragtag professional protesters decides to scream and shout. I also encourage everyone to watch ED Talks, my new Board podcast which focuses on our community, the work of the Board, and who’s who in the zoo! Check it out on You Tube and our social media pages.
Having participated in several Chanukah events this December – driving around the peninsula with a menorah on my car and dancing the night away on the final evening of Chanukah, surrounded by hundreds of fellow Jews – I feel invigorated and full of beans. Not the kind that give you gas, and not the kind that grow beanstalks. I’m talking about Yiddishkeit beans: the kind that fill you with song, prayer, and a deep longing to be with your fellow Jew. The kind of beans that get me to shul on Shabbos, inspire me to drive 500km to see our youth movements in action, and continue to motivate me to do more for our community.
2026 is not a year for dreaming. It is a year for doing. Do more Jewish activities. Spend more time working within communal organisations. Engage more with your fellow Jew. On holiday, I slept late and had good dreams. I’m now back at work, wide awake – no need for dreaming.
Although, perhaps, the occasional nap to recharge wouldn’t hurt. ●
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