(Author: Shirley Zar, Vol. 78, #2, Winter 2023) Recently, I read the book Kabbalah in Art and Architecture by Alexander Gorlin, which opened my eyes to my understanding of a building with which I as an architect am familiar, but which remains an
(Author: David Saks, Vol. 77, #4 Summer 2022) When he arrived in Johannesburg in 1892 to take up a position with the newly established Johannesburg Hebrew Congregation, Reb Yehuda Leib Schrire would certainly have been aware that standards of religious observance would not be on
(Auther: Mickey Glass, Vol. 77, #3, Spring 2022) I am often asked – why interfaith? Why is it necessary for different faith communities to work together? Surely, it’s perfectly OK for each of us to do the best we can within our own circle,
(Author: Martin Zagnoev, Vol. 77 * No. 1 * Summer 2022) Judaism is arguably the oldest surviving religion, going back some four thousand years. During this long period there have been surprisingly few challenges to the mainstream orthodoxy, even though there were numerous
(Author: David Saks, Vol. 75 * No. 4 * Spring 2020) Of all South Africa’s minority groups, the Jewish community is “among the most thoroughly dissected and psychoanalysed” observes Irwin Manoim at the beginning of Mavericks Inside the Tent – The Progressive Jewish movement
(Author: Charisse Zeifert, Vol. 75 * No. 3 * Winter 2020) “This is true freedom: Our ability to shape reality. We have the power to initiate, create and change reality rather than only react and survive it. How can we all educate our children
(Author: Gwynne Schrire, Vol. 65 #1, Pesach 2010) Jews living in the British Colonies in the 19th Century were generally proud to be British citizens. They appreciated being able to live in peace, religious tolerance and security and were satisfied to accept the institutions
(Author: Sheila Saffer, Vol. 66, #2, Rosh Hashanah 2011) It has always puzzled me that Kol Nidrei occupies pride of place in the whole line-up of prayers of our High Holy Days – Yamim Nora’im – the period from our Jewish New Year to
(Author: David Saks, Vol. 66, #2, Rosh Hashanah 2011) Beginnings are always difficult, but once rooted in the right soil and if properly nurtured, the smallest seed has the potential to grow into a forest. So it happened that a part-time Torah-learning programme in
