News

We have been busy over the past 6 months, with a strategy to turn our community towards growth, and a sustainable future for us and future generations. We started with putting into clear words, the VISION for our future. Then we set the strategy, and finally, began executing on that strategy

The process and the progress is described below. Some members have volunteered to work towards the success of the project, and now is the time for all members to come forward and help secure their communal futures.

Communications

A communication strategy has been developed to keep our members informed and connected. This involves:

  • Weekly newsletter (currently being upgraded)
  • Biannual publication – Kaminando y Avlando
  • Social media posts relevant to member interests
  • WhatsApp messaging

Marketing and Social Media

  • Rosh Marketing: Paolo Franco
  • Rosh Social Media: Chiara Franco (We hope to rotate this role among our youth members)
  • Community Library: Being established, overseen by Carole Levin.
  • Publishing: Responsible for communal notices, newsletters, adverts, annuals, etc.
    • Rosh Editor: To be appointed
    • Shiurim: Expanded to include Shabbat morning shiurim
    • Hiking Club: Coming soon
    • Mentorship and Leadership Development Programs: Aimed at empowering younger generations, to be established by 25 February.

Social Committee Portfolio

A Social Committee Portfolio has been created to build on past successes and develop this programme, led by Tracey Franco. Current initiatives include:

  • Creative Kehila: Commencing 27 August
  • Cards Club: Re-established
  • Kids Club: Re-established
  • Padel Club: Established, overseen by Terri Marks and successfully run by Aaron Marks

Rituals & Religious Services

  • Re-activating the Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat (already started), with ongoing ideas to increase member engagement.
  • Introducing opportunities for young members to participate in services, such as leining and conducting short parts of services.
  • Exploring the possibility of starting a choir, beginning on a small scale for Shabbat, with hopes to expand by the High Holidays.
  • Matanel will join us again this year, from Yom Kippur to the end of Sukkot, bringing his energy and enthusiasm.

Community Support Teams

Two teams provide opportunities for members to assist fellow members and the community:

  • Bikur Cholim Team: Supporting members in distress, whether medically, emotionally, etc.
  • Culinary Team: Currently doing great work; plans are underway to grow this team by increasing product sales and improving the member experience to encourage greater participation.
Cultural Preservation, and Education
  • Food: Forms the basis of our connection to Sephardi heritage. The Ladies Guild continues to produce excellent results. Efforts are underway to boost sales, modernise facilities, and expand production. Ian Halfon is assisting in reviewing and structuring this crucial aspect for growth.
  • Library: A community library is being established and should be operational by mid-September. Carole Levin is curating the SHC library and is well into the research phase.
  • Sephardi Heritage Trust: Launching soon, it will focus on preserving various aspects of our heritage.

 Community Administration

  • Administration & Finance: The organisational centre of SHC is being reconfigured to support our growing volunteer team. Finance processes have been reorganised to better manage costs, establish clear controls, and provide necessary information to manage community affairs. Richard Hasson has kindly agreed to take over as Rosh Accountant.
  • Fundraising will focus on services such as venue hire, catering, and sponsorship opportunities for members. A new category of heavily reduced fees has been created for young adults.

This information will be updated continuously and communicated weekly in Novedades. 
To get involved, or for questions, ideas, initiatives, or solutions, please email heritage@sephardi.co.za.

From the President

Hello Dear Kehila.

In this week’s Parsha, Parshat Pekudei, the Torah reiterates many times that we built the Mishkan/Tanernacle just as GD commanded to Moshe. The Talmud at the beginning of the Tractate of Pesahim, goes out of its way to emphasise that the Torah was written with extreme accuracy without an extra word being added for no apparent reason.

Accordingly, the Torah reiterating the same idea many times seems to be redundant with no apparent reason. What can be the reason that the Torah wants to emphasise this idea so many times?

HaRav Yosef Doc Soloveichik, of blessed memory, in his book Beit HaLevi (Shemot 31, 13) explains that the building of the Mishkan by us was an atonement for the Chet Ha’egel, the sin of the golden calf. He explains that we actually had positive intentions when making the golden calf!

They thought that Moshe, our teacher, wasn’t coming down from Mount Sinai and that they needed someone or something to take Moshe’s place to be an intermediary between them and The Almighty. Our mistake was that we chose to worship and tried to achieve closeness with The Almighty based on our own feelings and thoughts. We did not ask the sages, such as Aharon HaKohen, if this was the proper way to bring ourselves close to GD, or perhaps do something else. In order to atone for this mistake, we built the Mishkan exactly as GD had commanded to Moshe – we didn’t add or take away anything. This was the ultimate atonement for Chet Ha’agel — we didn’t try to worship our Creator as we saw fit but rather waited to hear how GD wants us to have a relationship and serve Him.

Many times we find ourselves thinking that we can achieve a closeness to The Almighty with things that “feel spiritual”. The danger with this approach is that if there is no direction from our sages, we can end up worshipping idolatry, mistakenly thinking that we are actually serving and following our Infinite Creator. It is for this reason that Haham Moshe Haim Luzzatto, in his book Mesilat Yesharim/Path of the Just, (chapter 1) emphasises that our goal is to achieve closeness to GD. How? This can only be achieved by putting effort into understanding our Torah and the Mitsvot, through the eyes of our sages, (written and oral Torah) and emulating GD, which he has commanded us. This is the importance of receiving guidance in our relationship and service of the Almighty.

“Listen with curiosity. Speak with honesty. Act with integrity. The greatest problem with communication is we don’t listen to understand. We listen to reply. When we listen with curiosity, we don’t listen with the intent to reply. We listen for what’s behind the words.” —Roy Bennet.

Shabbat Shalom – Rachel, Naftali and girlies.

Peter Greenberg