Winelands Community
Recently, Rabbi Stuart Serwator received a truly meaningful letter of support for the Jewish community of Cape Town – in fact, for Jews around the world.
It came from the Reverend André Aubrey Louw of the New Apostolic Church, Wellington North.
Rabbi Serwator told the Chronicle, “I first met Reverend Louw about five years ago, when he was part of a group of schoolteachers who attended a seminar about the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, organised by the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre. Following our initial meeting, he later contacted me regarding the restoration of the foundation stone of the original Wellington synagogue, which was subsequently deconsecrated and is now owned by the New Apostolic Church. The occasion was the coming centenary celebration of the building, and the foundation stone was restored. This gesture clearly demonstrated the enormous respect that Reverend Louw has for the Jewish community.”
At year-end last year, Reverend Louw again contacted Rabbi Serwator. He was in Paarl at the shul, hoping to find a representative of the Jewish community because he had an important message of support for our community: in the wake of the terror attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Reverend Louw’s community wanted to express their sympathy and show their support for Jewish people.
Since the shul was closed, the Reverend then contacted Rabbi Serwator, in an effort to get his message to the Cape Town Jewish community. Reverend Louw made the following comments, and sent a card to Rabbi Serwator, which he asked should be shared with a wider Jewish audience:
“Hereby our deepest sympathy and prayers to the Jewish community in South Africa and abroad. We trust that our GOD will comfort and keep you through this bitter hour and tend to your needs. Be assured that we think of you and hold you constantly in our prayers.
“Keep as comfort the words of Isaiah, ‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your GOD; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10).”
Rabbi Serwator concludes, “This gesture really touched me! One wonders which other faith leader would have gone to such trouble.” ●
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