מאגר סיפורי מורשת

Gabi, as you know, my apartment in Raanana is dominated by beautiful woven baskets, gifts of his Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhetuzulu. He was the much loved monarch of the Zulu nation, South Africa’s largest ethnic group. To the Jewish community he was a firm friend and an ardent Zionist. He was very much part of the outreach programs of the Durban Jewish community where you were born, some ten years ago.

The King's basket

Durban is a multicultural city of over three million people in South Africa. About 80% are Zulu. The largest Indian community outside the subcontinent make up about 10%. The remainder are Whites. The Jewish community is tiny, at its largest in 1980 about 7000, now at most 1500.

As you have lived most of your life here, in Raanana, I'm not sure how much you remember of the Durban Jewish community. When you were born you were a fourth generation Durbanite living in a small, vibrant, warm community that is both ageing and diminishing. But it is not yet a declining community. Resources are generously made available if one wishes to participate in a full Jewish life. All three congregations, Chabad, the Durban United Hebrew Congregation offered to name and bless you.

Though South Africa remains a broad constitutional democracy, there are increasing difficulties. The community’s bedrock commitment to Zionism and support for Israel as the natural state of the Jewish people is confronted by a sophisticated, well-funded propaganda campaign. Members of the ANC leadership, together with other structures of civil society such as the trade unions and the SA Council of Churches have increasingly taken a vicious anti Semitic stance. This may well get worse, as the economy tanks.

Durban became notorious in the Jewish world as a result of the 2001 UN anti-racism conference. Initially we were delighted to have Durban host the conference to show the huge progress after the scourge of apartheid by the previous regime. It became the template of anti Israel rhetoric, codifying the argument that Israel is an apartheid state deserving of isolation. It was an eye-opener of how criticism of Israel can be co-opted by a anti Semitic agenda. The failure of the human rights organizations present to come to the defense of the Jewish participants who walked out to jeers and threats, created a rift that persists until today. Your mother, Talia, was the South African Jewish student representative while your uncle David was the coordinator for the World Union of Jewish Students. As the chairman of the Natal Zionist Council I represented the local community.

One of the saddest moments was when I had to stand in front of the Durban Jewish Club, one of the venues of the conference. I stood between mounted police and armored personnel carriers turning away the Jewish delegates from entering, as the police were afraid for their safety. The police had lost control of the streets of Durban and huge anti Semitic mobs were marching in the city. The only people who came to support us were the Christian Zionists who gave unstinting aid. Organizations such as Bridges for Peace, and the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem have become firm friends and have become core components of the  SA Friends of Israel movement.

So for many years, I saw a large part of my role as head of the Zionist Council, was reaching out to  the rest of the population to strengthen ties with Israel.

The King holding the menorah

About a year before you were born I was part of a delegation of the South African Zionist Federation to visit the King. One of my graduate students was a bright young Jewish woman Jenna Reinbach who was from Zululand. She went to school with one of the King’s daughters who became a close friend. Through her I was introduced to members of the King’s circle and an invitation was extended to meet with him. We were very warmly received at his palace in early 2012 as the King’s guests at the Maruk and dance ceremonies. The King emphasized his concern for the scourge of HIV and lack of food security, especially among his rural subjects.

The Zulu people

A range of programs initiated both by the local Jewish community with the assistance of the Israeli Embassy, were discussed and welcomed. King Goodwill spoke of how impressed he was on his visit to Israel, that all leaders were requested to plant trees. He was particularly touched that among our gifts was a JNF tree certificate that trees had been planted in his name in the South African Forest in Israel. He was pleased to accept the invitation extended through the Israel Embassy to visit Israel. This was the start of many meetings over the years. Some were small intimate discussions, others part of large  forums.

Building a better future 

A few weeks later our delegation including Ya’acov Finkelstein, the Israeli  Deputy Ambassador, met again at Nongoma with the King who was discussing with all his tribal leaders (some 300) about a future growth plan under the auspices of the Ingonyona Trust. The King is the sole trustee safeguarding some 2.8 million hectares of Kwa Zulu-Natal’s rural land on behalf of the Zulu nation. Present also was Prince Buthelezi and the KZN Premier, Dr Zweli Mkhizo. Our delegation was formally welcomed and the proposals for the SA Jewish community to bring medical and environmental expertise  gratefully accepted.

These included the building of a clinic situated at the Africa Centre in Mtubatuba, which is involved in extensive research on HIV/AIDS. It was agreed that the Jewish community would assist with a male circumcision clinic, with the experts to be brought by the Operation Abraham Collaborative  (OAC) of Israel. Advice on agricultural  projects was offered by the Embassy of Israel.

The OAC brings highly trained doctors and nurses to KwaZuu Natal for intensive further local training of selected South African medical practitioners specializing in Adult Male Circumcision. Following recommendation from the World Health Organization, based on research showing that male circumcision reduces the risk of contracting AIDS by 60%. The project was endorsed by the King. The training as well as the ongoing circumcisions are all provided free of charge. The OAC repeated visits for training other medical teams, allow for the performance of high-volume and high quality medical male circumcisions for HIV protection. The project was sponsored by a major Jewish trust in Durban, The Victor Daitz Foundation together with Discovery Health and the Jerusalem Aids Project.

The next stage was to get the clinic built. Project Build is an organization that collects money from large firms and builds classrooms for poor schools. It uses local unskilled builders and closely supervises and trains them. An old friend, Mrs Suzanne Edmunds, was the director. She had asked me some years previously to be the trustee.  As an ardent Zionist, Suzanne was delighted to be involved.

While a beautiful, environmentally friendly clinic was being built, the following stage was slowly put in place. Suzanne and I had to travel to the provincial capital, Pietermaritzburg, to arrange for the clinics to be included in the operating budget of the Health Department. This was finally achieved.

Within a short period then, the Jewish community with the Dischem Foundation created a Community Wellness Centre at Mtubatuba. Princess Mogay, the King’s daughter, managed the Royal Household’s engagement with the outreach program. In addition, The Victor Daitz Foundation generously developed the medical circumcision clinic in eMondlo in the Vryheid area.

With Princess Mogay, the King’s daughter

King Goodwill also participated in Jewish communal events. He was the guest of honor at the Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremony at the Israel Embassy in Pretoria in 2013. I was there in attendance. In his speech the King praised the ability of the Jewish people to always rise above challenges, categorizing Israel’s history as one filled with paradox and tragedy, but ultimately triumph. He also expressed a desire  to cooperate in the arena of agriculture and to promote youth exchanges between the two countries.

At one of the largest community events ever held in Durban, A Night to Honor Jerusalem, more than 500 attendees, members of the KZN Jewish community and Christian Zionists, came to the Durban Jewish Centre. The keynote speaker was His Majesty and his wife Her Royal Highness, Queen KwaLinduzulu.

“Operation Abraham remains the strongest bond that has bound  KZN and Israel together for many years to come. When I announced the revival of circumcision, I received support from a team of experts in Jerusalem. They offered to collaborate with me and the department of health to drive the circumcision campaign”, said His Majesty. “A few months ago I was informed that more than 20,000 young men in KwaZulu Natal had been circumcised without any complications, none had died”.

The last part of the process was to find kind, interested volunteers to actively help the local indigenous community. I was informed of a wonderful Israeli program run by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) called Project Ten. Many young Israelis, after they complete their army service, travel to India and South America. There they often do charity work. The Jewish Agency then organized these on a structured basis in India, Ethiopia and Mexico.

I was told by the head of the Israel Centre in Johannesburg that if I could find half the funding for three years, JAFI would establish a center near Durban in partnership with the Zionist Federation. Young Israeli volunteers, together with Jewish students from the Diaspora and South  African Jewish youth movement madrichim would come to work in the various programs with local charities that I initiated.

With Natan Sharansky 

The  official launch of the Project Ten Centre in Durban was February 2017. The guest of honor was Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency, and former Deputy Prime Minister of Israel and well known “refusnik” . I had the privilege of interviewing him during his visit. He said that Durban resonates with him very personally. “Durban for the Jewish World was the disgraceful Racism Conference of 2001 where the program to delegitimize Israel and accelerate anti Semitism was introduced. Project Ten is the perfect antidote as a response.

Project Ten empowers young Jewish adults both from Israel and the Diaspora to create change in vulnerable communities. It brings together young Jewish volunteers to work with local NGO’s. This Jewish Peace Corps embodies the essence of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. The Durban Project is unique in that it is a partnership between JAFI and the SAZF with funding from The Victor Daitz Foundation. It fits perfectly into JAFI’s mission of building Jewish identity and fulfilling Herzl’s vision for Israel to be a partner in African emancipation. There can be no better answer to the racism of the 2001 conference in Durban than the volunteers in Project Ten Durban“.

Over the past decade one of the most serious issues confronting the Jewish community are attempts by the SA government to promote an anti-Israel boycott. South Africans are discouraged from visiting Israel, not just at the official but even at the individual level. Immediately after the Deputy Minister of International Relations, Ebrahim Ebrahim, unveiled the policy, Israel’s then Ambassador Dov Segev-Steinberg stated that the King had accepted an invitation to visit Israel and “vowed to use his official visit to explore ways to intensify the cooperation between South Africa and Israel, and especially between the Zulu people and the Israeli people. Ambassador Segev-Steinberg applauded the King’s commitment to visit as ”a sign that Israel still has good friends in this country, friends who are happy and willing to share experiences and ensure love and respect for Israel.”

I wrote the King’s obituary in March 2021 in the Jewish press. ‘Your Majesty, King Goodwill Zwelithini ka Bhekuzulu, you were an honored and treasured supporter of the South African Jewish community”.

Since then, many South Africans continue to love Israel and support the local Jewish community. But the SA government has been captured by radical Islamists and their followers. The vicious attack by Hamas on October 7th was justified by the SA government and anti Semitism has been normalized. After 180 years the long term future of the Jewish community must be questioned.

Gabi, it is wonderful to  help others.  Each person must be recognized as a valued individual. But if we, the Jewish people are truly responsible for each other, it is essential that the democratic Jewish state of Israel is fully supported. Only then do we have the ability to protect ourselves and for both the Jews in the Diaspora and in our reconstituted Homeland to live in peace.

הזוית האישית

גבי הנכדה המתעדת: התרגשתי והתעניינתי בסיפורו המופלא של סבא עם המלך זולו.