Moves to create awareness and increase religious observance among Cape Town’s Jewish community have seen the introduction of two new initiatives: the establishment of the Cape Town Kollel and the arrival of two American bochurim who have joined our community under the auspices of the Gardens Shul.
According to Steven Liptz, the driving force behind the establishment of the Cape Town Kollel, “The establishment of the Kollel is crucial in helping to build a Jewish Cape Town for the next generation.”
Steven explains that, “After a few months of living in Cape Town since moving here from Johannesburg, it struck me that the future of Jewish life in Cape Town could be under threat. With pressures on our numbers – because of emigration, assimilation and intermarriage –
I began to wonder whether we will be able to sustain the elements of Jewish life important in a community in the future: things like Kosher restaurants, a supply of Kosher food products, and attracting religious leadership. This concern led me to realise that an institution like a Kollel could be a good way to support and grow our community. While this is an institution well established in many cities around the world – including Johannesburg – Cape Town has not previously hosted a Kollel of this nature for an extended period of time.” (In fact, Johannesburg hosts more than one Kollel, and the backbone of Jewish leadership in Johannesburg can be traced to the Kollelim.)
The concept of the Kollel is similar to a yeshiva, but it’s also significantly different. In the case of a yeshiva, the students (the yeshiva bocherim) are young, unmarried men, and they pay a fee to be part of the institution. The Kollel is different in that it takes in married men, and they are paid by the Kollel. “In fact,” Steven explains, “this income is their livelihood. And, in addition to their own Torah study, they reach out to community members to involve them in learning and assist wherever there is a need for more learning and guidance.”
The Cape Town Kollel has been launched in stages, with the planning for it taking place over a number of years. “When it became known that Rabbi Kotler of the famous Lakewood Yeshiva in America would be visiting Johannesburg, I invited him to come to Cape Town, too,” Steven explains. This happened in late 2022; although planning had already begun earlier that year, following the visit, the necessary steps were taken to progress the establishment of the Kollel.
Starting with one Avreich (student), Rafi Sackstein, there are plans to grow the Kollel by inviting suitable candidates from other parts of
South Africa and from other countries to join.
While the Kollel is not affiliated with any one congregation in Cape Town, it is recognised by the local Rabbinical Association.
“We offer a range of programmes,” Steven says, highlighting the opportunity for local Rabbis to learn and to engage in discussions with others. “Any individual who wants to explore Jewish learning may study with Rafi, and we have been running a Meaningful Mondays programme for many weeks,” Steven explains. “So far, this initiative has been well supported with about 40 people attending every session. We invite particular speakers for these sessions, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for members of our community to engage in thinking and learning about Jewish concepts.” Programmes targeting women will also be launched in the future.
The Kollel is a place of learning that is open to everyone from morning to night. So, if you’re interested in deepening your understanding of the concepts of Judaism, you may well want to join in for one of the programmes on offer.
Bobba Ada and the Bochurim
The Gardens Shul is currently hosting two bochurim, whose visit to Cape Town was set in motion by Rabbi Osher Feldman. Mendel Scheiner and Tzvi Stolik, who both hail from Florida, are 20 years old and have completed a stint at the Yeshiva Oholei Torah in Brooklyn. They also spent some time learning at the Beth Shemesh Yeshiva near Jerusalem.
The ‘Bochurim’ are part of the Gardens Youth Outreach Programme, generously supported by the Eric Samson Legacy Fund, and dedicated in loving memory of the late beloved Eric Samson, Ezriel Ben David z’l, who was a pillar of the Cape Town Jewish community.
Their year in Cape Town will be spent promoting Judaism and Jewish identity, strengthening community, and conducting various learning and outreach initiatives with young (and young at heart!) people in Cape Town.
Soon after arriving here in September, they embarked on organising a host of exciting and meaningful activities for children and teens at the Gardens Shul for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and they will also run special youth programmes and activities for Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
Commenting on their reception by the local community, Tzvi and Mendel say that, “People here have been very kind and supportive.” They mention in particular the friendliness and kindness of stalwarts of the Gardens Shul women’s group, Hazel Kosviner and Ada Sher, humorously describing Ada as “our Bobba here in Cape Town!”
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