In September 1995, I was in my fifth and final year or rabbinical
studies at Hebrew Union College. I
travelled to South Africa to help a progressive congregation in Pretoria
observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The trip was actually a mutual ‘look-see’ for a possible long term
posting upon completion of my fifth year and my ordination. I was intrigued with the idea of living and
working in South Africa; after my trip, Clara and I seriously considered the
prospect. In the end we did not go; I
accepted a chaplain’s commission in the US Air Force instead.
I had a friend, Rabbi
Dana Kaplan, an American who had made Aliyah and was ordained through
Hebrew Union College’s Israel program, who was working with a progressive congregation
in Cape Town at the time. Talking about
his life and work there, he was very enthused.
He told me that he had been privileged to host Nelson Mandela for a Shabbat
service in his shule. That had been the
highlight of his time in South Africa to then, and a memorable occasion it was!
In preparation for
my trip to South Africa, I read Mandela’s autobiography, Long Road to
Freedom. I remember reading of his
life on the run as an anti-apartheid activist, and his eventual trial and
imprisonment. After reading of his
struggles, I could not fail to be astounded at the direction his young presidency
was then taking. His forming a coalition
with his former ‘enemies’ of the National Party, and his graciousness toward FW
de Klerk. His convening of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission, as a forum to air the grievances of the Apartheid
Era and give the nation a chance to come to terms without the perpetrators
needing to worry about punishment. These
acts spoke of a stature rarely seen in a politician or office-holder. But Mandela was much more than a
politician. He was a true statesman.
It is hard to
seriously criticise Nelson Mandela’s character.
He endured 27 years of imprisonment under the apartheid regime. And yet, when released and subsequently
elected first black president of South Africa, his conciliatory approach to his
former oppressors was the glue that kept the country from falling into
chaos. In talking to the Jews of South
Africa during my visit, their biggest fear for the future was that none of the
upcoming leaders of the African National Congress was of a stature even
approaching that of Mandela. The fear
was that, upon Mandela’s exit and retirement, the degree of racial harmony that
then existed would diminish seriously.
And since in that year Mandela was already 77, the fear was that his
retirement would come sooner rather than later.
Mandela did retire
soon after that, in 1999. And yesterday,
after a long illness, he passed away. Baruch
Dayan Emet.
During the years of
his presidency and since, Mandela was known for his close associations with the
South African Jewish community. He had a
close friendship with Cyril Harris, the former Chief Rabbi of South Africa, to whom
he referred as ‘my rabbi.’ In fact Rabbi
Harris, an Orthodox rabbi, offered a special prayer and blessing upon Mandela’s
second marriage, at the age of 80. Mandela
has spoken to gatherings of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies, in
synagogues – including the aforementioned progressive congregation in Cape Town
– and in the year 2000 he dedicated South Africa’s Jewish museum.
Mandela’s
relationship with the State of Israel was a bit more complicated. This, in large part, to the ANC’s long-time alliance
with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.
But he did have a warm relationship with Israeli ambassador to South
Africa, Alon Liel. And he did visit
Israel, in 1999, shortly after completing his term as President of South
Africa. And he is on record as
supporting the aspirations of the Israeli nation to live in peace with their Arab
neighbours.
A number of you in
this congregation have migrated to Australia from South Africa. In the 1990’s Jews and other whites were
leaving South Africa in large numbers, despite a widespread respect and regard
for Mandela, because of rising crime rates and the aforementioned fears for the
country after Mandela. Since the Mandela
years, South Africa has lurched from crisis to crisis. As South Africa has hovered over the abyss
during Mandela’s presidency and especially since, it has been easy to dismiss Mandela’s
pioneering work. But whatever the
ultimate outcome for South Africa in the 21st century, it is hard not
to revere the life and person of Nelson Mandela. A great man has left us. Goodbye, Mandela.
No comments:
Post a Comment