In a reversal of the trend for synagogues in rural communities, to close as their members migrated to the urban centres, the newly-built synagogue and community centre of the Hermanus Hebrew Congregation was consecrated in the presence of communal dignitaries and representatives of the different faith groups of the seaside town on Sunday 7 September.

Also present was Freda Auerbach, Hermanus’s longest-standing Jewish resident, who has lived there for 68 years. Though the town has 31 permanent Jewish residents, the numbers swell considerably over weekends and holiday periods, when the estimated 349 holiday home owners arrive at the popular resort.

Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein, who offi ciated at the ceremony, noted that the yahrzeit of the late chief rabbi Cyril Harris was due to fall during the coming week.
“The hand of Hashem has guided us to have (the ceremony) two days before his yahrzeit — it wasn’t planned that way,” he said.

For the past five months fourteen young Jewish adults have taken part in the Young Jewish Leadership Development Course. The aim of this is to train and encourage young leadership within the various communal organisations in Cape Town.

The course has run since the beginning of March this year, with sessions being conducted fortnightly on Thursday evenings. It concluded with a graduation ceremony on Thursday 28 August. Those present at this function were the conveners, Gerald Kleinman, Melvyn Gordon, UJC Chairman Marco van Embden, representatives of many communal organisations, the course participants and their family and friends.

Have you ever written the beginnings of a new Torah?
“No,” said Rabbi Maizels, “this is a first in my career as a scribe.”

On Sunday, 31 August an almost Yom Tov like atmosphere descended on Chabad Centre as a group of Cape Town families came forward to write the first letters of a new Torah.

Each family chose to purchase the dedication of a specific parsha to be written on their behalf by the designated scribe in Israel.

“The Sofer will have you in mind when he writes that particular parsha,” said Rabbi Popack at the ceremony, “and when the Torah is completed, you will receive the quill used to write ‘your’ parsha.”

Aunique aroma of Israel’s ethnic flavour wafted through Cape Town during two glorious weeks in August. Eight talented, warm and wonderful ethnic cooks; ambassadors of the Women’s Empowerment Programmes from the Beit Shemesh/Mateh Yehuda region, together with two highly- rated professional chefs arrived to treat Cape Town’s generous spirited community to a feast of functions!

We opened our hearts and our homes and we treated our taste buds to a festival of ‘Ethnic Aromas’ in a string of events that emphasised the close connections of the three joint sponsors; Partnership 2000, Bnoth Zion Association WIZO and the Western Province Zionist Council in support of the P2K partnership with Israel concept.

The cooks and chefs were ‘homehosted’ and enjoyed the hospitality and beauty that the Cape offers, while the ‘host committee’ organised a wonderfully successful Gala Dinner in the ‘ethnically — decorated’ Adele Searll Hall at the Wynberg Claremont Synagogue and a popular Community Tea at the Green and Sea Point Synagogue Hall.

Za’atar, saffron, oreganum and fennel flavoured the diverse and varied courses served at the dinner, and cinnamon and honey dominated the flavour of the exquisitely prepared delicacies served for dessert and tea. The meticulously and lovingly prepared mouthfuls were a tantalising treat for all who crowded into the venues for the events.

Anyone who craved the ‘flavour’ of Israel’s diverse and fascinating culinary cuisines was able to experience just that without the effort of air travel.

The cooks, whose backgrounds are rooted in Tunisian, Moroccan and Kurdistani culture, used their expertise to prepare dishes redolent of faraway countries, while the chefs employed their professional skills to ensure that all the best ingredients were sourced and the final results were ‘plated’ as expertly as possible.

Mickey Blumberg, liaison to South Africa for the Keren Hayesod, IUA and Partnership 2000, was the driving force and the mastermind behind this Ethnic Aroma Festival — a very ambitious but hugely successful example of Partnership 2000’s ‘People to People’ project.

Shabbat dinners, prepared by the ethnic cooks and served in the homes of host families, provided a special and meaningful opportunity for Cape Town’s community to enjoy yet another occasion with these talented and conscientious ‘ambassadors of cuisine’, who arrived in Cape Town with enthusiasm and motivation — and left with the love of all those who worked with them and shared their warmth and passion.

The ‘behind the scenes’ activity, preparation sessions and support given by the P2K Beit Shemesh Mateh Yehuda staff and committee contributed to the success of this Ethnic Aroma Festival, which took place in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.

The farewells were not only filled with emotion, but also with a deep sense of gratification at a job well done!

Barbara Flax

The UJW of Cape Town built two houses simultaneously in Mfuleni as part of the Habitat for Humanity project, which is designed to expedite the building and provision of houses in township communities. Various partners were approached in a bid to make it an interfaith, cross-cultural, bridge building experience.

The build took place in collaboration with Power Construction, Associated Magazines, Habonim, SAWID (South African Women in Dialogue) and the Rotary Club of Sea Point as well as four UJW groups — namely Kesher, Constantia, Milnerton and Naarot. Both homes were built over 5 days, mainly by women and five men. On the final day the keys to the homes were handed over to the delighted new owners in a simple but moving ceremony.

Participants in the build were involved in mixing concrete in the road with spades, shovelling it onto wheelbarrows, which were then wheeled up a ramp to the building teams. Others stood in lines passing cement bricks and necessary equipment.