Throughout the days of Mandela’s passing in 2013 it rained incessantly. So too in Israel! During the memorial service at the residence of South Africa’s Ambassador,Mr Sisa Ngombane in Tel Aviv, the heavens opened. South Africans from all over Israel attended the ceremony held under a giant tarpaulin, with rain beating down on the canvas. […]
Breaking News!!!!!! BDS has moved into their new premises tailormade to their lies and deception about Israel. With the recent ruling in South Africa’s Equality Court against Cosatu’s (Council of South African Trade Unions) Bongani Masuku for hate speech against the Jewish community, what does BDS do? They circulate a 1975 United Nations resolution accusing […]
It’s incitement to Murder! Falseness, deceit, dishonesty, mendacity, pretense, duplicity – take your pick – can describe some of the Muslim world’s predictable knee-jerk reaction to Israel installing metal detectors placed outside at the entrance to al-Ḥaram al-Qudsī al-Šarīf, (“the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem”), or as referred to by Jews as the Temple Mount – but it is far worse. It […]
Christians from Southern Africa visit the Holy Land to see for themselves I am of the firm belief that if you really want to get to know and understand Israel, you must see the country for yourself. Anyone who has ever visited Israel is amazed by the vast beauty, extraordinary history, and unprecedented emotional ties […]
The events of the ‘Exodus’ that celebrates its 70th anniversary in July 2017 – and the South African connection The Jerusalem Post reported on July 18, 2017 – seventy years to the day that the unarmed ship was rammed by two British destroyers – that “Of all the illegal immigrant ships carrying Holocaust survivors to […]
By David E. Kaplan and Dr. Les Glassman With Lawn Bowls being a major sport at this year’s 2017 Maccabi Games, discover how this sport was introduced to Israel by South African immigrants. “HARD TO BEAT” was the message that resounded at the European Lawn Bowls Championships held in Israel in August 2015. Although England came out […]
From the lowest spot in the world to the high point of your holiday in Israel, the Dead Sea offers an oasis of beauty, relaxation, tranquility and excitement. The drive down to the Dead Sea, whether from Jerusalem or Arad, never fails to fascinate as you pass one sign after another marking the rapid descent. […]
An exhibition of the iconic 2017 Nobel Laureate at Tel Aviv University For those of us who grew up in South Africa in the sixties, the music of Bob Dylan was prescient. Although Apartheid was being brutally entrenched each day by Word and Boot, the lyrics of this Jewish boy from America was giving encouragement […]
“Take me down to the Paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty, take me home” – sings Guns ‘n Roses front man, Axel Rose, who will be performing in Tel Aviv this summer. Well, the song could literally be about Israel because Tel Aviv is the paradise city where the […]
Tel Aviv’s original train station, known as ‘HaTachana’, is a place for shopping, eating, drinking beer – lots of it – and mixing with locals and tourists. It is no more a place to catch a train but to catch a ride to a “destination” of fun. South Africans know all about trains. It […]
by Howard Feldman Anytime now. Maybe even as soon as Wednesday, but Thursday at the very latest, I intend to start a new organization. It won’t be Friday, because I have a lot to do and I am sure it will take up most of the morning (at the least). I have yet to decide […]
by Jonathan Danilowitz Welcome to 2017, a year of inclusion. Around 1980, someone at the Netherlands Embassy in Israel (perhaps the Cultural Attaché?) hosted a friendly dinner for several of the leaders of the then still-very-closeted local LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community. The gesture, with the Embassy’s approval, surprised us all. That attaché moved […]
“I never knew my grandfather,” writes Richelle Shem-Tov in the opening line to her ‘My Dear Papa – Letters From A Farm in Africa.’ In truth, her grandfather never knew her as he died in 1922, but it appears the writer knew him well! A retired physiotherapist living with her husband in Tel Aviv, Richelle, […]
Probably the best history lesson one can get of Israel is not in the classroom but walking the streets. While clearly a statement that any responsible parent might raise an eyebrow at – it is nevertheless true! That is provided of course that your “responsible” companion – if not a registered tour guide – is […]
It is often said that you must scratch the surface to discover true beauty. This is only half true about Eilat, for in this cherished part of Israel, its beauty is both above and below its magical multifarious surface – eternally alluring – inviting mesmerising discovery. Beneath the flowing shades of green and blue of […]