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20 HASHALOM November
2016
November 2016
HASHALOM
21
By Michael Greenbaum
COMMUNITY NEWS
Creating A Fresh Perspective
The High Holy Days of the month of Tishrei were observed by the DUHC with the traditional communal solemnity and the importance
of personal self-reflection. The themes of Rosh Hashanah and the Yamim Noraim (Days Of Awe) until Yom Kippur were highlighted
by the meaningful and thought-provoking sermons by Rabbi Zekry and Rabbi Leibowitz who reminded congregants of the obligation
of the predominant theme of the day, to do
teshuvah,
to “return” each day to Judaism, through Shul attendance, Jewish education
and community involvement, all of which contribute to the continuation of the rich and vibrant culture of Judaism in our community.
The celebrations began with a magnificent first night communal Rosh Hashanah dinner attended by nearly 150 congregants, family
and friends. The DUHC thanks Selma Lurie and her team for providing the outstanding meal with the traditional foods of Rosh
Hashanah.
Before commencing with his opening sermon on the well-attended first night Rosh Hashanah service at the Great Synagogue,
Rabbi Zekry said that this would be the last time the congregation would be observing Rosh Hashanah at the Great Synagogue as
the sale of the Shul and Sharona School property had been finalised and the congregation would soon be moving to a new location.
The Council of the Durban United Hebrew Congregation has negotiated the sale of the property to Curro Holdings who will be
establishing an educational facility on the premises. The DUHC Council is in the process of acquiring new premises for the Shul
at Silveroaks nearby in Silverton Road. Despite the decrease in its members, the DUHC will continue to be a vibrant congregation
contributing to the future of Orthodox Jewish life in Durban in order to be able congregants to live a true Torah lifestyle. We can be
justifiably proud and fortunate that this is happening here in our community and will continue to so in the future.
In his opening sermon this Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Zekry paid tribute to Shimon Peres z/l, the late President of Israel who served
twice as the Prime Minister of Israel and as Foreign Minister in a political career of nearly 70 years and was known as a Man of
Peace. Shimon Peres won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize, together with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat, for the peace talks that he
participated in as Israeli Foreign Minister, producing the Oslo Accords. Rabbi Zekry also paid tribute to Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel z/l,
the Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor, and the author
of 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz and
Buchenwald concentration camps. Rabbi Zekry portrayed these men as examples of having the faith, courage and human attributes
we should try to achieve as individuals as we reflect on our lives over the past year. During the Rosh Hashanah services, Rabbi
Zekry’s informative sermons included a reflective and interesting story of one of the descendants of the famous Rothschild family,
the wealthy German family descending from Mayer Amschel Rothschild who established an international banking business in the
1760s. During the 19th century, the Rothschild family possessed the largest private fortune in the world, as well as the largest
private fortune in modern world history.
In his Rosh Hashanah sermon, Rabbi Leibowitz spoke on the subject of the heavenly Book of Life in which Jews pray to Hashem
on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to be inscribed and sealed for a good year. Rabbi Leibowitz explained that on Rosh Hashanah,
some people are inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life, and some are not. He said those who are not still have the opportunity
during the Yamim Noraim between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to do
teshuvah
and atone to be inscribed and sealed in the
Book of Life. Similarly we should ask ourselves where we are spiritually on Rosh Hashanah and how to renew our efforts for self-
improvement and personal spirituality through prayer, study, charity and communal work. We are given the opportunity for complete
atonement on one occasion a year, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, when we say “hayom” (today) many times during prayers,
meaning that we only have “today”, the present, for
teshuvah,
to begin again in spirituality, faith and commitment to Judaism and
Yiddishkeit, with fresh perspectives on Orthodox Jewish life and traditions in our vibrant community.