What really happened to South Africa's Jewish community?

25 years after apartheid: Is there still a future for Jews in South Africa? A Haaretz special project Special Coverage [View in browser]( [Scenes from South Africa, including Angel Moses's bat mitzvah ceremony, seen with father Samuel Moses (TL); David Jacobson and Heidi Jane Esakov-Jacobson; Nat Bregman, Nelson Mandela and Lazar Sidelsky; and the old synagogue in Port Elizabeth.]([EMV URL]?utm_source=smartfocus&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SpecialCoverage&utm_content=EMV /URL]) [Judy Maltz] Judy Maltz [Most first-time visitors to Israel will tell you how struck they are by the difference between the normalcy of everyday life they witness on the ground and the frightening images they regularly view on the nightly news back home. I’ve often wondered whether the same held true for [South Africa](. After all, the news coming out of the country in recent years has been quite depressing – especially insofar as the Jewish community is concerned. Granted, the [boycott, divestment and sanctions]( movement is active around the world. But in South Africa, it appeared to have gained an extremely strong foothold, for a variety of reasons unique to that country. The South African government has recently [downgraded relations with Israel](, and pressure seemed to be growing to cut off diplomatic ties entirely. That, I imagined, could only be adding to the stress levels of many South African Jews, known for their resounding support for Israel. Add to that several unprecedented attempts to boycott and ostracize Israeli academics, which together seemed to point to a new low for a Jewish community that has known many ups and downs in the past. But were things really bad? I figured the best way to find out exactly what South African Jews were experiencing these days was to get on the ground myself, and that is how [this special reporting project]( came about. As one story led to another, and yet another and another, it eventually evolved into something larger than we had planned. The South African Jewish community may be relatively small and shrinking, but it is still extremely vibrant, providing a reporter on the lookout for story ideas with a wealth of irresistible options. Take Ilana Stein, for example, the first Orthodox woman in the world to be gainfully employed as a game ranger, affectionately known in her close-knit Jewish community as “[the woman who chases elephants](.” Or, for that matter, Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, who provides religious services to about 250 rural communities in the country, while also serving as the chief rabbi for [a host of tiny Jewish communities in 11 sub-Saharan countries](. The trip also provided an opportunity to sit down with the founders of the Jewish Democratic Initiative, who are aspiring to give [liberal Zionists in South Africa a political home]( of their own. I couldn’t have pulled it off, though, were it not for the dozens of fabulous people I met in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, who opened their hearts to me, their homes and their synagogues. And I would never have known to contact them were it not for some extremely helpful and knowledgeable ex-South Africans living in Israel who were generous with their time and insights and made sure I hit the ground running. So here are my key takeaways from a 10-day, whirlwind visit.]([EMV URL]?utm_source=smartfocus&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=SpecialCoverage&utm_content=EMV /URL]) [Scenes from South Africa, including Angel Moses's bat mitzvah ceremony, seen with father Samuel Moses (TL); David Jacobson and Heidi Jane Esakov-Jacobson; Nat Bregman, Nelson Mandela and Lazar Sidelsky; and the old synagogue in Port Elizabeth.]( [Jews Are Leaving South Africa Once Again — but Don’t Blame BDS]( [In the first of a series of articles from the Rainbow Nation, Haaretz finds out why there has been an exodus from the local Jewish community in ...]( Judy Maltz | 16.06.2019 [A collage of photographs showing South Africans protesting for and against Israel in Johannesburg and Cape Town.]( [LISTEN: Haaretz in the BDS Heartland: Explaining South Africa's Jewish Exodus]( [What's behind the alarming drop in the number of Jews living in the Rainbow Nation? And how do Jews there react when Israel is accused of aparth...]( Haaretz Weekly | 23.06.2019 Stay up to date with the free Haaretz.com app Download today! [Download]( [A Hanukkah event for the Jewish Democratic Initiative, December 2018.]( [These South African Jews Hate the Occupation as Much as They Hate BDS]( [After helping end apartheid, liberal Jews have turned to the occupation and formed South Africa’s answer to J Street | Part 3 of a special report]( Judy Maltz | 18.06.2019 [Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft with his road-worn Toyota.]( [On the Road With Africa’s Only Traveling Rabbi]( [South Africa’s Jewish rural communities are disappearing. This rabbi is in charge of 250 of them – but not for much longer]( Judy Maltz | 17.06.2019 [A guide speaking to a group of high school students at the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre.]( [From Auschwitz to Rwanda: Why South Africa Has So Many Holocaust Museums]( [Three museums commemorating the Shoah face a unique challenge on a continent where 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered 25 years ago]( Judy Maltz | 17.06.2019 [Worshippers, including Reeva Forman, right, at Temple Israel synagogue in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, during a Shabbat service in May 2019.]( [South Africa's Oldest Reform Synagogue Is a Place Where Few Jews Dare Venture]( [Once South Africa’s top model, Reeva Forman now leads a model Reform synagogue in the hardscrabble Hillbrow neighborhood — and she has no plans ...]( Judy Maltz | 19.06.2019 [Women who work at Hangar 18 being pampered by Chabad ladies at the local Chabad house in Cape Town.]( [The Jews Working to Leave Their Mark on Rainbow Nation]( [Some 80 social enterprises are part of the Mensch network, an organization that encourages Jews to help affect change in impoverished parts of S...]( Judy Maltz | 21.06.2019 [Ilana Stein, right, on a mokoro (canoe) safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana]( [How Do You Keep Shabbat if You’re Running After Elephants?]( [Ilana Stein was the world’s first Orthodox, female safari ranger, combining her two big passions: Judaism and nature]( Judy Maltz | 23.06.2019 [Haaretz.com - הארץ]() [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [RSS]( [Newsletter]( [Apple]( [Android]( For more Haaretz newsletters, [click here](. 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