ISRAEL
CAROL NOVIS
Special to The Jewish News
A
lthough the arrival
of Russian and Ethio-
pian olim has evoked
deep interest and emotion
throughout the world Jewish
community, other national
groups in Israel have also had
reason to feel a sense of ac-
complishment and pride late-
ly. One such group is the
Southern African Community,
now 17,000 strong, which
recently celebrated the 60th
anniversary of aliyah to Israel.
South Africans have reason
to feel pleased with their
Zionist accomplishments: pro-
portional to their numbers,
they have donated more
generously to Zionist causes,
have come on aliyah in larger
numbers than any other na-
tional group, and more of
them have stayed permanent-
ly in comparison to olim from
any other Western country.
"In general, South Africans
have brought a sense of work
ethic to Israel," says Sidney
Shapiro, director of the South
African Zionist Federation of-
fice in Israel. Employers know
that South Africans bring in-
itiative and innovative
methods to a job, and they are
considered desirable as
employees. You can see
evidence of South African
business and professional
talent all over Israel — in
Manof, the first_ industrial
moshav; in new forms of hous-
ing, such as rental projects in
Ashkelon; in travel, insurance,
food; in the many profes-
sionals practicing in high
positions.
Coupled with that, South
Africans have traditionally
had a strong sense of idealism
and pioneering and many
moshavim and kibbutzim
were settled by South
Africans.
Aliyah from South Africa
actually goes back further
than 60 years. As journalist
Philip Gillon records in a
specially commissioned book
to commemorate the occasion,
South African Zionism dates
as far back as 1896, the year
Herzl published his
Judenstaat. Within two years,
the fledgling Zionist move-
ment had spread to include
5,000 members, and by the
1920s aliyah from South
Africa had begun.
South African Jewry's finest
South African olim play at Ra'anana Bowling Club.
Home Influence
South Africans in Israel are marking
60 years of Aliyah.
hour was probably the
volunteering of some 800
soldiers, following World War
II, to serve with Jewish forces
in Palestine in the War of In-
dependence. They were known
as the Mahal (volunteers from
abroad), and were generally
acknowledged to have played
a courageous and important
part in that war, particularly
in the air force. About 300
stayed on to make their home
in Israel.
Subsequent wars have also
brought forth enthusiastic
volunteering efforts. During
the Six-Day War, 800
volunteers arrived from South
Africa and during the Yom
Kippur War 300 came. Fifty-
eight South Africans have
died in Israel's wars.
Since the 1920s, thousands
of South Africans have come,
but that does not include the
field of politics. Although
there have been a few former
South African mayors, one
cabinet minister and several
important World Zionist
Organization officials, South
Africans, by and large, have
eschewed political activity.
The reason for that may lie in
the fact that few South
Africans speak fluent Hebrew
with ease.
On the other hand, former
South Africans have made a
respected name for themselves
in the teaching of English. In-
ternationally known English
literature scholars include
Ruth Nevo, Hilel Daleski and
the late Dorothea Krook,
while hundreds of former
South Africans have revolu-
tionized teacher training and
the teaching of English for
generations of young Israelis.
In Israel's earlier days,
working the land was seen as
a primary Zionist value, and
many idealistic middle class
olim gave up lives of relative
luxury to devote their
energies to developing kibbut-
zim and moshavim. Among
the kibbutzim with a strong
South African influence are
Nir David, Yizreel, Hatzor,
Maayan Baruch, Kfar Blum
and Tzora, while a number of
South African agricultural
scientists have made contribu-
tions to fruit, poultry, egg and
cotton production.
Others have chosen to settle
new types of communities,
such as Manof, an industrial
kibbutz in the Galilee, and
Kochav Yair, an urban settle-
ment in the Sharon area, both
with strong South African
contingents.
But perhaps the strongest
South African contribution
over the years has been in
business and industry. One of
the first successful enterprises
started by South Africans was
the South African Group, a
conglomerate established in
the 1930s with the strong sup-
port of David Ben-Gurion.
They established the Binyan
Mortgage Co. to provide much
needed housing mortgages at
reasonable rates, a land-
purchase company and
Palestine's first cold storage
plant.
South Africans started the
first Jewish airline, which
later became El Al, as well as
major estate agencies, in-
surance firms and solar
heating enterprises. It was
South Africans who pioneered
a chain of hamburger
restaurants across Israel, the
underwater observatory in
Eilat, and the telephone
yellow pages.
In every field, South
Africans have generally been
acknowledged as exceptional-
ly polite, courteous and
helpful — no small thing in a
country where as one wit put
it, two Israelis talking sound
exactly like four Americans
arguing.
In their spare time, South
African olim have managed to
bring a distinct national flavor
to their two favorite pastimes,
volunteer work and sport.
Among the many projects
established or headed by
former South Africans are the
Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, Beit Issie
Shapiro school for mentally
handicapped children, and the
Israeli Debating Society.
Former South Africans have
placed the sports in which
they take a particular interest
— bowls, rugby, tennis, cricket,
golf and squash — on the map
of Israel. South Africans
helped build the Maccabiah
village in Ramat Gan, a sports
hall for disabled athletes at
Beit Hachayal and the Israel
Tennis Center in Katamon.
Tennis, in fact, was populariz-
ed by Dr. Ian Froman, who
was awarded the Israel Prize
in 1989 for his efforts in bring-
ing tennis, good sportsman-
ship and self confidence to
over 100,000 Israeli children,
including the disabled.
And what of the future?
Though aliyah from South
Africa is currently at a low
level, the S.A. Zionist Federa-
tion's Shapiro feels that an
upswing can be expected.
"Many people feel that there
is a chance now to achieve a
better South Africa, but I
don't see it that way. I can't be
as confident about the future
for Jews in South Africa and
I think if the country becomes
troubled, there may well be a
large wave of aliyah again.
The fact that so many of their
kinsmen are here will give
members of the Jewish com-
munity impetus to leave and
they can be sure that Israel
will welcome them with open
arms," says Shapiro.
❑
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 101