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January 16, 2000 When summer hits in South Africa, vacationers on the resort beaches of Cape Town are greeted by the pristine sand, world-class surf, coral reefs and… the Chabad-Lubavitch Center's seaside Chanukah Menorah lighting. In this scenic city on the southernmost tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, December marks the opening of the Chabad summer camp. This season more than 150 Jewish children attended Camp Gan Israel at the Cape Town Chabad Center. In recent years many South African Jews have been flocking to Cape Town in the hot season, and have been attracted by the Chabad Center activities. This port city's year-round Jewish community of 15,000 swells to triple that size as vacation time gets underway. Rabbi Mendel Popack and his wife Avigail established the local Chabad Center in 1976. They arrived with the Rebbe's assurance that "things will be good for the Jews of South Africa until Moshiach comes, and even better afterwards." Indeed, the Lubavitch emissaries here see it as part of their assignment to convey a message of stability and optimism to both vacationers and residents, by broadening their educational programs. After all, they note, a country is only as strong as its Jewish community… |
