FROM THE TEAM
FROMTHE EDITOR
WWW.JEWISHLIFE.CO.ZA
PHOTOGRAPSH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER
I
recently learned that one should begin preparation for the
upcoming festival one month beforehand, but I usually leave
Pesach almost to the last minute, especially the cleaning and
shopping. In fact, my friends know they are not to so much as
mention the ‘P’ word prematurely, because it causes me so much
anxiety. This year, however, I spent most of Purim working on this
fabulous bumper Pesach edition! My kids were stuck at home with
chickenpox, and I was on deadline, but because of the nature of
my job, I was also afforded the opportunity to enrich my Jewish
knowledge with hours of reading on the various themes of Pesach.
One of the themes that resonated with me this year was that of Jewish identity. We
learn that the Children of Israel who were redeemed had defining characteristics
that distinguished them from their surrounding Egyptian culture: they had Hebrew
names, they dressed in a particular way, and they spoke a different language. This
separate identity is part of what enabled G-d to take one nation out from the midst
of another. Ask yourself if the same can be said about you and your family, or if this is
even a part of your value system, and if not, why not? Personally, I have always found
it a challenge to live among a non-Jewish general population and adopt a ‘Jewish’
mode of dress. I’m not even sure what that is! Is it the Chassidic look, long peyos
(sidelocks), white socks, long black coat? I did some research and it’s not even clear
that the origin of that style is Jewish. It could possibly have been the fashion of the
Polish gentry, or date back earlier to the robes worn by Babylonian merchants. On
the length of peyos, customs differ among Jewish sects, but Torah forbids cutting a
boy or man’s hair above the cheekbone. The point is that the Jews of Egypt did not
look like Egyptians, so should we, by extension, somehow be differentiated from the
broader population? Perhaps this may take the form of modest dress? If so, how so?
The world has certainly lost the plot on that account if the billboards along the M1
are anything to go by!
And that’s not even scratching the surface of hair covering for married women,
wearing a yarmulke or hat, speaking Hebrew and owning and using your Hebrew name!
Jewish identity means different things to different people, but one thing I can’t go
along with is the result of the 2013 Pew Research Centre study. It found that young
American Jews are more likely to view a particular sense of humour and taste for
certain ethnic foods as more central to their Jewish identity than any particularistic
religious beliefs or practices.
It doesn’t take a long essay to explain why this is a problem. Jewish identity is
intrinsically connected to Jewish continuity. Anyone who defines being Jewish by
the (admittedly) sublime combination of chicken soup and kneidlach is going to
have a hard time telling their child to give up the non-Jewish love of their life for
soup. One generation later, no Jewish grandchildren – the vanishing Jew. It
happened to Theodore Herzl. It happened to Moses Mendelssohn. Jewish identity
without Jewish practice, even if it’s ‘just’ a name, a language, and a mode of dress, is
a road to oblivion. It starts with walking like an Egyptian and soon you are an
Egyptian. Is that such a bad thing? If you, like me, believe the Jewish people have a
special role to play in the destiny of humanity, then yes, every loss is a tragedy. Let’s
celebrate our unique Jewish identity!
Next year in Jerusalem
WELCOME
CREDITS
PUBLISHER & MANAGING DIRECTOR
Martyn Samuels
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EDITOR
Paula Levin
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OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Linda Superfain
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ART DIRECTOR
Rizelle Hartmeier
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FEATURES WRITER
Chandrea Serebro
COPY EDITOR/PROOFREADER
Heidi Hurwitz
PHOTOGRAPHER
Ilan Ossendryver
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DIGITAL MANAGER
David Blumenau
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CONTRIBUTORS
Rabbi Levi Avtzon, Rabbi Benjamin Blech, Lila Bruk,
Leonard Carr, Dan Chaitowitz, Shira Druion,
Rachel Falkson, Esther Gluckmann, Bev Goldman,
Rabbi Yossy Goldman, Ronit Chaya Janet, Wendy Kahn,
Serenne Kaplan, Dr Jonathan D Moch,
Sara Yoheved Rigler, Jonathan Rosenblum,
Dovid Samuels, Liz Samuels, Moira Schneider,
Rabbi Ari Shishler, Rabbi Naftali Silberberg,
Robert Sussman, Michelle Vinokur
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Distribution
Neil Jacobson