(Vol. 63, #3, Chanukah 2008)
Aleck Goldberg, who passed away just after Succot at the age of 85, was a much loved and respected Jewish communal leader. A true scholar and gentleman, he epitomised the dedication and professionalism that characterised a now vanished era of Jewish communal service in South Africa. Goldberg served on the staff of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies from 1958 until his retirement in 1990, for the last ten years as Executive Director. He was also a prolific writer on South African Jewish themes, regularly contributing to Jewish Affairs and other local Jewish publications.
Aleck’s long career at the SAJBD commenced with his appointment as Secretary of its Public Relations Committee. Part of his brief in the early years was to monitor the press, both English and Afrikaans, and prepare summaries of items of Jewish interest. These enabled the leadership of the Board to assess levels of anti-Jewish sentiment.
Over the years, he created a special niche for himself within the Board as its country communities ‘ambassador’, making frequent visits to the country districts to update the small platteland Jewish communities regarding the work of the Board and the situation in the country as a whole. He also took particular pleasure in the cultural and educational aspects of the Board’s work, and was involved in arranging numerous events in this field, including lectures and exhibitions.
The most pressing issue facing the Board during the years when Aleck was Executive Director was that of apartheid and how the Board, as the representative political voice of the community, should respond to it. As he put it later, the Board was forced to walk a tightrope, caught between its duty to protect the Jewish community and the moral imperative to condemn a policy that was contrary to the ethics of Judaism.
Shortly after his retirement, Goldberg joined the editorial board of Jewish Tradition. His book Portrait of a Community: South African Jewry, drawn from his own intimate experience and knowledge of the local Jewish community, was published through the Rabbi Aloy Foundation Trust in 2002.
Aleck Goldberg was born to Leib and Malka Goldberg in Ermelo, in the then Eastern Transvaal, in 1923. He matriculated at Ermelo High School before moving to Johannesburg, where he obtained a B.A. from Wits and a teacher’s diploma from the Johannesburg College of Education. Thereafter, he held a number of high school teaching posts, including at Parktown Boys, Highlands North, Krugersdorp, Athlone and King David (where he was the first male teacher ever appointed). He also taught briefly in London. In 1955, he married Musa Katz, and the couple had two sons and a daughter.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
