Temple Israel is excited to host Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon as our Rabbi in Residence for September and October, including the High Holy Days.
She comes to us from Modi’in, near Jerusalem, where she was the founding Rabbi of Kehillat Yozma, one of the largest and most dynamic synagogues in Israel. It also made her the first woman to work as a congregational rabbi in the history of the State of Israel. She has led congregations around the world, and we are looking forward to having her here. You can meet her while she leads services, teaches shiurim and gives over her unique reading of Torah and tradition. Visit our website and social media to learn more.
The Cape Town Jewish community includes a unique congregation known as Kehilat Tikva Tova.
For the past 20 years, the congregation has run Egalitarian Orthodox services, which follow the Orthodox Service for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, while embracing gender equality. Men and women count for a minyan, daven, are given an Aliyah to read from the Torah, and all may enjoy the honour of opening the Ark.
Our services are participative (and somewhat shorter than most traditional services) while the sermons are directed at making our tradition relevant to the context of our times.
For the current edition of the Cape Jewish Chronicle, click here.
Blue concrete wall textures for background - Vintage Film Filter
BENITA ARDENBAUM Family Law Attorney
Landmark judgment extends asset redistribution rights to more South African marriages.
A recent Constitutional Court decision is set to transform how asset division is handled in South African divorces, especially for couples married out of community of property without accrual. The ruling corrects a long-standing legal inequality that left many spouses – often women – without fair access to marital wealth they helped build.
Until now, Section 7(3) of the Divorce Act allowed for asset redistribution only in marriages concluded before the Matrimonial Property Act (MPA) of 1984 – and only if the marriage ended in divorce, not death. This limited application has been declared unconstitutional by the Court in the consolidated cases of EB v ER & Others and KG v Minister of Home Affairs & Others.
The Court found that this legal distinction – based solely on the date of marriage and how it ends – was irrational and discriminatory.
Many spouses, it argued, signed antenuptial contracts (ANCs) excluding accrual without fully understanding the long-term financial consequences. Others were pressured into such contracts or had little bargaining power at the time.
The accrual system, introduced with the MPA in 1984, is a default inclusion in antenuptial contracts unless explicitly excluded. It ensures that, at the end of a marriage, spouses share in the growth of each other’s estates. But where accrual was excluded, spouses had no automatic claim on assets acquired during the marriage, regardless of their contributions.
Section 7(3) was introduced to offer a remedy: it gave courts the discretion to order a redistribution of assets in marriages without accrual, but only if the couple had married before 1984. This excluded a significant group – those married after the cut-off date, and those whose marriages ended through death rather than divorce.
The Constitutional Court has now expanded the scope of this provision. The judgment means that spouses in ANC marriages without accrual – regardless of when they married – may now approach the courts for a redistribution of assets, provided they can show that they contributed (directly or indirectly) to the growth of their partner’s estate.
This ruling is expected to have a major impact. Courts are already seeing more applications from spouses seeking a fairer division of assets under the newly clarified provisions.
The Court also clarified that dissolution by death should not disqualify a spouse from seeking relief. Excluding such spouses served no legitimate government purpose and unfairly disadvantaged many long-term partners, especially in traditional gendered roles where one spouse sacrificed financial gain to support the other’s career or raise a family.
The pending Family Law Amendment Bill (2025) aims to formally amend the Divorce Act to reflect the Court’s findings. Legal commentators suggest the ruling could shift how couples approach marriage contracts altogether. With redistribution rights now potentially available even in ANC marriages without accrual, the days of rigid legal distinctions based on outdated marriage regimes may finally be behind us.
For many, this marks a long and overdue step toward greater fairness in South African family court of law.
For the current edition of the Cape Jewish Chronicle, click here.
We at the Gitlin believe that access to books should never be blocked by technology skills or income. When more people can read, reflect and connect our entire world grows stronger. May our books help to sweeten your New Year.
Reviews by JACQUI RODGERS Director, Jacob Gitlin Library
SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY by ALKI JOSHI. When renowned painter Mira Novak arrives in a Bombay hospital after a miscarriage, her nurse Sonia is excited to learn more about the vivacious artist who shares her half-Indian identity. When Mira dies unexpectedly Sonia falls under suspicion. The key to prove her innocence may be in a cryptic note and four paintings Mira left in her care. She visits Mira’s former friends and lovers across Europe.The book is based on Amrita Sher-Gil, the Frida Kahlo of India.
CHILDREN OF RADIUM by JOE DUNTHORNE. A riveting memoir about Dunthorne’s German-Jewish great grandfather who had been a chemist in 1933 outside Berlin. Siegfried Merzbacher’s work began in the toothpaste industry, but his development of radioactive household products led him to produce chemical weapons and gas mask filters used by the Nazis. Although he successfully escaped to Turkey with his immediate family, many family members left behind were murdered in Auschwitz.
ON DEMOCRACIES AND DEATH CULTS-ISRAEL, HAMAS AND THE FUTURE by DOUGLAS MURRAY. He confronts the pressing issue that Western support of the Palestinian cause is playing into a more dangerous force. He takes readers through the aftermath of 7 October 2023 with accounts from victims, survivors and terrorists. He argues that Israel’s commitment to Western values has made it a beacon of progress.
THE NAZI MIND by LAURENCE REES. Renowned British historian Rees explores how the unthinkable became normal, and ordinary Germans tolerated the removal of the Jews. Rees charts the rise of Nazi mentalities including the conditions that allowed this ideology to flourish and the sophisticated propaganda that sustained it. He uses previously unpublished testimonies from former Nazis and those who grew up in the Nazi system providing in-depth psychological insights.
MASTERING AI by JEREMY KAHN. Kahn expounds how AI is likely to change art, education and the workplace. He provides an assessment of AI’s abilities and shortcomings suggesting that while the software may help artists with generating ideas it cannot produce anything novel without human input. It could expand educational possibilities but because of its writing ability degrade the human ability to think creatively.
A SWEET YEAR by JOAN NATHAN. The book opens with an introduction to kashrut and follows with a section of each of the nine Jewish holidays suggesting menus and blessings for each one. The recipes in the book are planned so that adults and children may cook together. Many of the recipes can be vegetarian or meat and some dishes are less highly spiced for children’s tastes. It reflects Nathan’s travels and lifelong interest in the foods of Jewish groups throughout the world.
THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE by ADRIANA ALLEGRI. Strauss has an idyllic life until she finds that her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling. She is forced into service at a state-run baby factory where she witnesses and participates in Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program. Allina must keep her identity secret, but when she discovers the neglect occurring, she is determined to save herself and the children in her care.
In the August edition of the Cape Jewish Chronicle, we asked our readers to share their recollections of “der blinde chazan”, Cantor Abraham (Abe) Immerman, whom our columnist, Professor Philip Lanzkowsky remembered with admiration.
One reader, Freda Tucker, told us: “I remember well his favourite saying when asked about his birthday. He said, ‘I came forth on the fourth of the fourth.’” Freda always remembers this because she also celebrates her birthday on 4 April.
Reader Malcolm Lee recalled: In the early 2000s we attended a Simchat Torah Shachreis Service/Barmitzvah at the Green & Sea Point Shul. Cantor Immerman was not only conducting the service, but also read the Torah portion. Despite his disability, he was able to give the Art Scroll pagination before the commencement of each section of both the Shachreis and subsequent Musaf services.
We were guests of the Barmitzvah family and, at the subsequent Brocha, found ourselves sitting at the same table as the worthy Cantor. We introduced ourselves to our fellow table guests, and the moment that Cantor heard our surname, replied asking if I was related to the Late Dr Harold Lee. When I indicated that this is so, Cantor immediately told me the exact date of my parents‛ wedding in 1929 and that he had done the Cantorial duty at the wedding in the old Roeland Street Synagogue. What a memory! But this was not all. He went on to tell me that the bridal couple had driven on the then Garden Route for their honeymoon before settling into married life in Beaufort West. A fantastic man, with a wonderful memory!
Avron Buirski remembers: I have such fond memories of Cantor Immerman. Coming to Herzlia School from the country, the little Hebrew I learned was from Cantor Immerman.
He taught both my brother and me our Barmitzvah portions. My brother and I could be near him and, as soon as he heard one of our voices, he would say, “Buirski – which one?” He had a wonderful memory.
Another reader recalled this amusing incident: “My uncle would often give Cantor Immerman a lift home after the shul service. On one occasion, they arrived home in the dark. My uncle took the Cantor to his door, said goodbye and returned to his vehicle. He waited outside, checking to see that the lights were turned on and that the Cantor was thus safely settled inside. But no lights came on, and so, after a while, my uncle went back to the front door, rang the bell, and asked the Cantor if all was okay at home.
But, as he spoke, he realised his mistake: being blind, Cantor Immerman did not need to turn the lights on at night!”
Cape Town’s Lisa Chait released the only film made about Cantor Immerman, Legacy of Light – A film about Light and Darkness. Click here to watch it on YouTube.
For the current edition of the Cape Jewish Chronicle, click here.
A new popular diet, the Carnivore Diet, involves the cutting out of all starches, fruits and vegetables.
It permits only the consumption of animal products such as meats, eggs, butter and other dairy products including cheese, yoghurt and kefir. Its proponents are claiming spectacular results.
But what does the research tell us?
We asked Cape Town dietician, Rael Koping, for his opinion. According to Rael, the research is mostly descriptive at this stage, meaning that studies are performed on people who are already following the diet, and describe their experience. “This introduces a bias of self-selection because people who experiences ill-effects or poor results would abandon the eating plan, and so their experiences are not included; the research reflects only those who have successfully adopted the diet,” Rael cautions.
A large survey conducted on over 2000 people who had been on the Carnivore Diet for over 14 months indicated, on average, very good weight loss, reduced cholesterol, improved diabetic control, and, among diabetics, a reduction in diabetic medication. However, it is concerning that most reported a rise in LDL cholesterol, which is the ‘bad’ cholesterol. Very few reported stomach issues, somewhat surprising since it is widely accepted that fibre from whole grains, fruit and veg is important for a healthy gut. One study was done on an individual who had been on Carnivore for four years. His gut biome was found to be very similar to a person eating a healthy diet rich in unprocessed foods and fibre-rich vegetables. His gut was far healthier than that of a person eating a Western diet featuring meats, as well as highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates.
But is it possible to have a balanced diet without the vitamins and minerals from plants?
“That is an interesting question,” responds Rael, “because most nutrients are more bioavailable from animal sources than from plant sources. So if an animal’s diet has adequate vitamins and minerals, then a person eating that animal should absorb them well, and not be deficient. That said, the most likely deficiencies when following a Carnivore Diet are Vitamin C and Calcium.”
To conclude, we asked Rael whether he recommends this diet. “No, I do not,” Is his frank answer. “Aside from increased bad cholesterol, other red flags include if you have had a history of yo-yo dieting or of addiction, especially where the addiction may lead to an eating disorder. Such an extreme diet, with its social implications, is likely to trigger addictive patterns in susceptible people.
People at risk of heart disease, kidney disease, or osteoporosis should also beware. Although many lifestyle risk markers seem to improve in the short term, it is not clear if they will translate to longevity in the long term. If you intend to follow Carnivore, I suggest that the plan is modified for you personally, and that your risk markers are regularly checked,” Rael advises.
For the current edition of the Cape Jewish Chronicle, click here.
When billionaire philanthropist Frank Lowy unveiled a refurbished cattle car at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2024, it was not just an act of remembrance – it was deeply personal. The cattle car stands as a chilling symbol of the Holocaust: the cramped, windowless wagons used to transport Jews and other victims to Nazi death camps. But for Lowy, it is also the final trace of his father’s journey – and of his death.
Frank Lowy was just 13 when the Nazis invaded Hungary. He and his father, Hugo, were separated in Budapest in 1944. That was the last time he ever saw him. Hugo Lowy, a devout man who had taught Frank Jewish values and resilience, was captured and deported to Auschwitz in one of these cattle cars. Hugo was taken to the camp and beaten to death soon after arrival. The crime that resulted in this? He refused to hand over his tallis bag containing his tallis and teffilin. There was no grave, no marker – just a name and a terrible silence.
Decades later, having built a life and fortune in Australia as co-founder of the global Westfield shopping empire, which has a presence in Australia, New Zealand, USA, UK, and in many European countries, Frank funded the restoration of one of the original cattle cars and returned it to the grounds of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Not just as a relic of horror – but as a way of reclaiming a voice for the millions, including his father, who were silenced.
At the event when the cattle car memorial was unveiled, Frank Lowy placed his own tallis bag into the cattle car. “It is a memorial to him [my father],” Lowy said, “and to the many others who were taken to their deaths. We must never forget.”
For the current edition of the Cape Jewish Chronicle, click here.
Image credit: The Robert Henry Freedman Collection, Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre Archive.
PROFESSOR PHILIP LANZKOWSKY
The Cape Jewish Chronicle has brought you a series of articles that reflect the memories of Professor Philip Lanzkowsky of Jewish life in Cape Town during the 1930s and 1940s. In this edition – the last in the series – Philip recalls what it felt like being aware that one’s Jewish brethren were facing huge suffering in Europe, but being unable to do much to assist them.
I often think back to March 1939, when my father’s cousin, Taube, arrived in Cape Town from Poland. She was young, beautiful, clever, and full of life.
She came only on a visitor’s visa, which meant she was supposed to return to Poland in September – just as the world descended into war.
In those few short months she met and married Max Israel, a naturalised South African. That marriage saved her life. She never had to return to Poland and the fate that awaited so many of our family there. I have always thought of Taube as the living embodiment of the verse from the book of Zechariah: “Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”
As a child in Cape Town, I remember the war not through bombs and destruction, but through conversations around our kitchen table. My parents worried constantly about the family in Poland. My father sent money to them in September 1939, but the Red Cross returned it marked ‘Undeliverable – the addressee in enemy territory’. We imagined they were hungry, cold, and suffering. What we did not yet understand was the full horror of what they were really enduring.
Most families had maps of Europe pinned up on their walls, and we children marked the relentless advance of the German army with pins. News came to us through the crackling of the wireless or the newspaper. Cape Town itself felt only the faintest echoes of war – small food rationing, windows covered with blackout shades, cars with their headlights painted black. At school, we had practice drills, and volunteers in the civil defence corps were trained in basic first aid and how to put out fires with the most primitive equipment.
The strongest reminders of the war were the people. Men in uniform became a familiar sight on the streets of Cape Town, and even in shul on Shabbat. Many of my cousins enlisted in the South African army – some fighting in North Africa against the Germans and Italians. My female cousins also volunteered, driving lorries or working in clerical posts. When Australian troopships docked in Cape Town on their way to Europe, Jewish soldiers were welcomed into our homes, especially over Shabbat and the festivals.
I have always felt a deep pride that around 10 percent of South African Jews – approximately 10 000 men and women – volunteered for service.
One of my clearest memories is of June 1940, when France fell to Germany. The despair in Cape Town was overwhelming, as though there was no hope left. I remember a special service at the Great Synagogue. Chief Rabbi Professor Israel Abrahams spoke with great passion, and when the buglers played ‘Taps’ – usually reserved for funerals – it felt as though the whole community was in mourning.
In the period after the War had ended, people exhibited the stress of wondering whether their relatives had survived. I remember the depressing comments that, “If anybody had survived, we would have heard from them.” This moment is seared in my brain.
We were far from the battlefields, but the war shaped us deeply. We lived with fear for our loved ones, pride in those who served, and the haunting knowledge that, while we were safe, our people in Europe were not. Those memories have never left me.
Read previously published Cape Jewish Chronicle articles from Philip:
Share your memories of the War years with other readers.
Perhaps you remember something yourself or you heard about things from a parent or a grandparent. We’d be interested to know, so please send your stories to editor@ctjc.co.za.
EDITOR’S NOTE: My mother recalled regularly going somewhere on the Foreshore with her mother in the months after the end of the War to search through the Red Cross lists for news of family members. They did not, unfortunately, find any such information. On the other hand, my father, a survivor from Lithuania, was identified on such a list by an American family member who had joined the US Army in Europe to fight against the Nazis.
Image credit: The Robert Henry Freedman Collection, Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre Archive.
For the current edition of the Cape Jewish Chronicle, click here.
