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NEWS
The Growing Botswana Jewish Community
by D. Saks
Botswana, a landlocked, largely arid African republic that
borders South Africa to the west, now has a Jewish community
numbering some hundred souls, located mainly in Gaberone, the
capital. Contrary to expectations, most of its members are
not Israelis but former South Africans. It is a young
community, having yet to record a funeral whilst holding a
number of simchas, such as brissen and bar
mitzvahs, during 2003. A daily minyan is held in a
private house and a cheder has been set up for the
community's more than thirty children.
Jews have settled in Botswana in recent years thanks to
financial incentives provided by the government and its "zero
tolerance" attitude to crime, the last a major plus for South
African Jews. South Africa currently has one of the highest
levels of violent crime worldwide. Botswana is currently the
only Jewish community on the African continent that is
growing.
The small Botswana Jewish community received a welcome boost
at the beginning of this month when it received a well-
publicized solidarity visit by representatives of the South
African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and the African
Jewish Congress. The delegation included SAJBD chairman and
vice-chairman Michael Bagraim and Ivan Levy, AJC president
Mervyn Smith and Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, Spiritual Leader to
the African Jewish Congress. In addition to meeting the local
Jewish community, the also met with Botswana's president
Festus Mogae, in the course of which they requested a grant
of land for the building of the country's first synagogue.
Also attending the meeting were local community leaders
Michael Goldberg and Richard Lyons, the latter the only Jew
who is currently a "Motswana," or full citizen of the
country.
While poor, Botswana enjoys political stability and
antisemitism has been described as nonexistent. The
government has friendly relations with the State of Israel,
in part due to many of its members having attended various
training courses there. Mr. Smith nevertheless took the
opportunity to stress to Mr. Mogae the importance of African
leaders standing solidly against terrorism and to be vigilant
against attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions.
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