Celia Gurevitch Jewish Community Library

The library received an email inviting Jews to discover the Jewish community in South Africa. I will share the letter (almost) in its entirety below. But first I would like to recommend two books from our collection that you could read in preparation for the trip or just to learn more about the community through books.

Let me point your attention to Helen Suzman’s autobiography, “In no uncertain terms.” The author was a member of South African Parliament for more than 35 years. She was a member of the Progressive Party and for 13 of the above mentioned years was the only representative of the party in the parliament. Throughout her career she has been fighting not just anti-Semitism, but apartheid too; often alone. She visited Nelson Mandela in prison, who wrote a passionate foreword for the book. The book contains not just extensive notes and index, but also 24 pages of photographs.

Ms. Suzman is one of dozens of persons interviewed for the second book I wanted o mention. “Cutting through the mountain: Interviews with South African Jewish Activists” is edited by Immanuel Suttner. The 600+ volume is divided by areas of activism, such as unions, education, culture, civil disobedience, legal area. Each interview, conducted between 1004 and 1996, takes up 20-30 pages. The interviewer asked short questions only and the interviewees had freedom to answer as in-depth as they wished.

And now the email we receieved:

Dear Jewish Community Leader,

I am Ivor Heyman, Director of Faith & Resilience South Africa
(Faith). Faith is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to
discover Jewish communities around the world that have been
successful in adapting to local conditions while staying true to
their traditions.

Of all Jewish communities around the world, none exemplifies the
tenets of faith and resilience as much as the South African
Jewish community. We would like to invite you and interested
members of your community to gain an inside view of four
communities in South Africa that have been able to preserve their
traditions and their faith amidst the swirling tides of change
and uncertainty that now affects Jewish communities globally.

In addition to meeting community leaders and seeing first hand
how these communities have been successful, our visitors will be
able to experience much of the natural beauty that makes South
Africa such an attractive tourist destination. After the Jewish
portion of the trip ends, interested visitors can also sign up
for an optional three-day safari that we have organized at one of
South Africa’s premiere game reserves.

This tour will introduce you not only to places, but to the
people that have been key to the success of the communities in
which they live. Owing to the personal nature of the trip, space
is limited, and we encourage you to register online as soon as
possible.

Please forward this invitation to others who might be interested
in this once in a lifetime experience, and feel free to contact
me if you have any questions.

Sincerely, Ivor Heyman

Director
Faith & Resilience South Africa
www.faithandresilience.org

==============================================
Details of Next Faith and Resilience Tour to South Africa

DATE
Main tour 11-18 August, 2008
Optional safari 19-22 August, 2008

For more information about the tour, go to:
http://www.faithandresilience.org/FR/tours.html

For more information about our organization, go to:
http://www.faithandresilience.org