Camps Bay and Hatikvah
by Gwynne Robins When the British took over the Cape in 1806, it took possession of Dutch properties including the shabby Camps Bay farmhouse bought from Von Kamptz, after whom…
All local narratives and histories, anything Gwynne wrote
No Place for Hate
With our elections coming up under the Cape SAJBD's new democratic constitution, it seems appropriate to take this opportunity to explain the Cape SAJBD's stance on forms of hatred. At…
JPR-Kaplan Report: The Jews of South Africa in 2019, released March 2020
The report details Jewish identity, community, society and demography, and was compiled by Dr David Graham, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Jewish Policy Research in London and Honorary Associate at the Department of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies at the University of Sydney.
Be kind, but be fierce
“Be kind, but be fierce. You are needed more than ever before. Take up the mantle of change. For this is your time.” —Winston Churchill Thursday 12 March feels like…
Yom HaShoah 2020 – Why Is This Year Different from All Other Years?
by Gwynne Robins “I thought I had been through everything in the camps. I never thought I would be experiencing this,” a survivor confided to me. During the Holocaust —…
Personal Reflections on May Day
This special personal narrative was shared with the Cape SAJBD ahead of Workers’ Day 2020, when trade unionists and political activists Leon and Lorna Levy will celebrate 58 years of…
Bestowing kindness: Who needs you most right now?
To all our community members, We appreciate the good you are doing for our community during this extraordinarily difficult time. Without your support —be it through donations or volunteering— many…
Local Organisations You Can Support
Understanding the importance of gemilut chesed and tzedakah, which motivates us to give back to our own community, we have identified a list of organisations who are helping other vulnerable communities and are in need of support too.
Limitations of Freedom Today Given the Lockdown
By Tyla Dallas It is almost ironic to celebrate Freedom Day today when our freedoms are so severely restricted under this national lockdown. The Constitution cements —inter alia— that we…
How Did the Bnoth Zion Association Begin?
By Gwynne Robins It is 19 August 1901 and Moses Zuckerman has called a general meeting for Jewish women in the Masonic Hall. "By 1901," writes Marcia Gitlin, "Zionism…