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NEWS
Zimbabwe Jewry Keep The Wheels Turning -- For Now
by D. Saks
Despite its steadily diminishing numbers and the unstable
political and economic environment, the small Jewish
community of Zimbabwe continues to function. There are just
over 750 Jews left in Zimbabwe, a landlocked African
republic on South Africa's northern border. Two-thirds live
in the capital, Harare, and nearly all the remainder in the
country's other major city, Bulawayo. Daily shul services
take place in both centers -- twice daily in the case of
Bulawayo -- and all yomim tovim are observed.
The situation in Zimbabwe has continued to deteriorate, with
Prime Minister Robert Mugabe adopting increasingly
repressive measures to remain in power and the fragile
economy rapidly disintegrating. Mugabe's strident anti-white
rhetoric and the orchestrated mob seizure of white-owned
farms over the past 18 months has led to fears for the
safety of the country's Jewish community. Thus far, however,
there are no plans to evacuate the community.
Zimbabwe Jewry recently suffered a double blow, with the
death of its Harare lay leader Harold Abramson and the
departure of Bulawayo's Rabbi Opert to take up a new
position in South Africa. In addition, due to the
unavailability of foreign currency, the community will be
less able to avail themselves of the services of Rabbi Moshe
Silberhaft, spiritual leader to the African Jewish Congress,
who is based in South Africa.
The Zimbabwe community still manages to run a Jewish day
school in both Harare and Bulawayo, although because of the
paucity of Jews of school age, 90 percent of the pupils at
these schools are non-Jewish. There remains, in addition, a
Jewish nursery school in Harare, but its counterpart in
Bulawayo was forced to close down at the end of last
year.
The Zimbabwe Jewish Board of Deputies, the recognized
representative body of the community, has busied itself in
recent years in selling off the assets of defunct rural
Jewish communities and taking steps to ensure the
maintenance of the Jewish cemeteries there.
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