From South Africa to Southern Hospitality

Moving memories, personal stories and gratitude for being in Birmingham.

These were among the themes that Birmingham Jewish Federation board members Cynthia Tobias, Pam Ruttenberg and Hannah Helman (pictured from left) touched upon at a recent program at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute for The BJF's Lion of Judah group. "Growing up Jewish in South Africa during Apartheid" was the theme of the panel discussion featuring the three women, all of whom grew up in South Africa during the apartheid era. The Lion of Judah program was held in conjunction with the BCRI's current exhibit, "Helen Suzman: Fighter for Human Rights," chronicling the life of Suzman, an iconic South African leader who devoted her life, with great courage and integrity, to the fight against apartheid. Suzman, who was Jewish, was a member of the South African Parliament from 1953-1989. The Birmingham Jewish Federation has helped underwrite the Suzman exhibit which will be on display through Sunday, August 21. TENSION & PREJUDICE While apartheid was a system of enforced legal racial segregation, the oppressiveness of the system created a continued background of tension and prejudice which made an impact on Jews growing up in South Africa, according to these three speakers. Hannah, Pam and Cynthia talked about their upbringing. Hannah and Pam are first generation South Africans; Hannah's family arrived from Latvia in the late 1920s and early 1930s and Pam's from Germany in 1936. Cynthia is second generation as her ancestors came to South Africa from Latvia in the early 1900s. Their ancestors came to South Africa to escape the increasing anti-Semitism that gripped Europe at the time. Each was raised in a strong Jewish home. Pam's Johannesburg school was 80% Jewish. In the Cape Province where Hannah and Cynthia lived, there were approximately 35 synagogues. Anti-Semitism mainly existed in the form of taunting and name calling although Cynthia remembered an isolated incident when her brother was beaten up by a playground bully for being a "dirty Jew." Interesting was Hannah's account of the Jewish youth groups they joined at an early age. Their choice of which group to join was based on which Israeli political party their parents favored. She also talked about the intense feeling of Zionism among Jewish South Africans. "Aliyah (immigrating to Israel) was commonplace," she said, adding with a sense of pride and touch of humor, that "it was well known that South African Jews, per capita, raised the most money for Israel -- and I might add that none of the donations were tax deductible!" Even though their lives were for the most part, relatively calm, they each saw and felt the effects of the oppressive apartheid system and the growing anxiety and turbulence it was creating in their country. BURGLAR BARS Pam recounted a time in the 1970s when rioting broke out in the business district where her family had a business that catered only to "non-Whites" -- a designation made to comply with the apartheid system. During the riots, they locked themselves in the store, "put up the burglar bars and just prayed it would end soon." The effects of growing up in that tense environment are still felt. "To this day, I'm afraid to discuss too much on the phone," said Hannah. "We were always very afraid to divulge anything about ourselves or talk about politics on the telephone as we knew that our phones were tapped." Tapping of phones was commonplace during this era. All three knew that they would leave South Africa as soon as they were able. Reflecting on the riots she witnessed, Pam said, "With that type of experience it was a fairly easy decision to leave South Africa so that we could seek a safe and better future for our children." Each of their journeys eventually led them to Birmingham; Hannah and Pam arrived in 1977 and Cynthia in 1987. They and their families have been wonderful additions to and important parts of our Birmingham Jewish community. All three serve on our BJF Board of Directors. Their passion for Birmingham is evident. As Hannah said, "We consider ourselves so fortunate to be a part of this warm, giving and caring community. I can't think of any other place that I would want to be. I thank you all for being so welcoming to me and my family and may the Birmingham Jewish Federation go from strength to strength. You certainly depict Southern Hospitality at its best!"

Click for more on the South African Jewish community.