Showing 130 results

Archival description
The Jews for Justice and Jews for Social Justice Collection
Print preview Hierarchy View:

128 results with digital objects Show results with digital objects

Jews for Justice, "Summary of JFJ activities from Sept 1985 till Sept 1986 - Page 2"

Summary of JFJ activities - Page 2: 8-17.11.1985: Meetings banned. 28.11.1985: First public meeting to launch JFJ. Speakers: Denis Davis, Anton Richman, Jill Rosenfield, Rabbi Isaacson, Jakes Gerwel. +/- 400 people attended, Issued Resolution. 5.12.1985: 1st JFJ AGM, adopted constitution and elected a formal committee of 15 people, Jill Rosenfield elected Chairperson, Denis Davis and Benny Miller, Vice-chairs, +/- 90 people attended. 11.12.1985: Lit a Chanukiah on Sea Point Beach Front as part of the candle-light vigils for detainees. 13.2.1986: 1st Forum Meeting, "Stay or Leave. Is there a future for us in S.A.? Speakers: Di Boshop, Sally Frankental, +/- 250 people attended. 28.2.1986: Conscription Awareness Seminar addressed by ECC members, +/- 40 people attended.

Jews for Justice

Jews for Justice, "Summary of JFJ activities from Sept 1985 till Sept 1986 - Page 4"

Summary of JFJ activities - Page 4: 5.6.1986: Joined with 25 organisations to protest against new Security Bills - Public meeting, posters, pickets, pamphlets. 10.9.1986: 4th Forum Evening, The Right to Know, Speakers: Menan Du Plessis, Nic Borain, +/- 100 people attended. During the year we have also met with the following organisations to discuss JFJ and our aims: 1) Jewish Board of Deputies, 2)Zionist Council, 3) Bnei Brith, 4) Union of Jewish Women, 5) Labour Zionists, 6) Members of the Call of Islam and executives, 7) UDF, Western Cape, Executive members. We have addressed the following organisations: 1) Anton Richman spoke at the Labour Zionist Conference, 2) Jill Rosenfield addressed the B.O.D. annual conference, 3) Jill Rosenfield and Renee Usdin addressed Herzlia Middle School, 4) Organized for the Conscription Action Group Play to be done at Herzlia High School.

Jews for Justice

Jews for Justice, "Summary of JFJ activities from Sept 1985 till Sept 1986 - Page 5"

Summary of JFJ activities - Page 5: The school group has also organized many discussions and guest speakers. We have organized +/- 10 house meetings from St James to Somerset West, to Sea Point Areas. The Jewish Relief Committee has been helping and looking after +/- 400 refugees at the D.R.C. church in Nyanga for +/- 4 months. Have initiated a self help programme for the refugees now.

Jews for Justice

Jews for Justice, "Summary of JFJ activities from Sept 1985 till Sept 1986 - Page 3"

Summary of JFJ activities - Page 3: 13.3.1986: 2nd Forum Meeting, Botha's Reforms, Path to Peace or escalating violence, Speakers: Prof Denis Davis, Dr CJ van der Merwe, +/- 140 people attended. 28.4.1986: 3rd Forum Evening, "Let My People Go" A Freedom Seder, Allan Boesak, John Simon, Rabbi Franklin, Published a Freedom Seder + 2 press articles on JFJ and views on Pesach, +/- 600 people attended. 21.5.1986: Joined with 13 organisations to picket against Police brutality to schoolchildren - meeting at St George's Cathedral Hall. 27.5.1986: "Crossroads in Crisis" meeting, +/- 200 people attended, Speakers: Refugee, Rev Sid Lucke, Rabbi Franklin. May 1986: Formation of Jewish Relief Committee - a sub committee of JFJ.

Jews for Justice

The Jews for Justice Photograph and Document Series

This Series gathers materials from the anti-Apartheid group Jews for Justice, which was active from 1985-86. The group was predominantly based in Cape Town. Among the themes for the group were the Jewish principles of justice, equality and human dignity. The chairperson of the group was Jill Rosenfield.

The Series features items including a Cape Argus newspaper article by Rose Korber gives a clear understanding of how Jews for Justice worked to compare the unbearable atrocities of Apartheid to the Jewish search for freedom in the traditional Jewish Pesach festival. Similarly, a poster invitation to the Let My People Go Pesach forum meeting includes a cartoon which clearly compares apartheid police brutality to the Jewish slavery in Egypt told during Pesach. The forum meeting at Albow Centre had prominent speakers Dr Allen Boesak and Mr John Simon.

Donated by Jill Rosenfield and includes her speech notes from several forum meetings. Her speech at Cape Jewish Board of Deputies Conference speaks out against oppression and exploitation in South Africa. She highlights her solidarity with democratic organisations like the UDF and ECC, fellow Cape Town groups which were banned during the State of Emergency. Young Jewish men were being conscripted to serve in the South African Defence Force. The Black education system was in disarray, training them to be subservient. The Jewish response to South Africa 1986 was to be more vocal and more active in aiding those who had suffered most.

The Jews for Justice and Jews for Social Justice Collection

  • Collection
  • 2021

This Collection gathers materials from two Jewish organisations that were formed in 1985: Jews for Justice (in Cape Town) and Jews for Social Justice (in Johannesburg).

Including items such as newsclippings, photographs, speech cards, meeting minutes and an interview, this collection further sheds light on organisations that played a role in the fight for human rights in Apartheid South Africa.

Whenever possible research has been conducted to enrich these collections. If you have anything to add please contact us.

Jews for Justice, "New look at festival of freedom"

Cape Argus newspaper article written by Rose Korber. Looking at the Passover message of freedom and Jews for Justice's role in the Jewish community and the abolition of apartheid. Jews For Justice aimed to make people aware of "the fundamental Jewish priniciples of human dignity, justice and equality before the law" and "an abhorrence of all forms of racism and oppression in general, and the system of apartheid in particular." The article shares views from Rabbi Selwyn Franklin, minister to the Green and Sea Point Hebrew Congregation; Prof Dennis Davis, Associate Professor of Law at UCT; and Jill Rosenfield, chairman of Jews for Justice. According to Rabbi Selwyn Franklin, Jews for Justice "emphatically places the traditional Jewish recognition of the rights of the individual on the basis of an active platform." Prof Dennis Davis speaks about being involved with an "ethnic" organisation such as Jews for Justice. Jill Rosenfield shares Jews for Justice is the "first real Jewish political organisation in South Africa."

Rose Korber

Results 1 to 10 of 130