A synagogue in Johannesburg recently welcomed Avi Kagan, the newly appointed director of the Israel Center and Jewish Agency representative in South Africa. The visit came as the congregation completed construction of a protective wall around its campus, a project substantially funded by the Jewish Agency. The organization is supporting similar security upgrades at Jewish institutions worldwide.
Jewish communities internationally are enhancing their security measures in response to rising threats. The local community benefits from a dedicated, professional security organization with volunteers stationed at synagogues and schools during peak traffic times.
The writer recalled his late father's experience during World War II, sheltering in a bunker in Poland as the Luftwaffe conducted airstrikes. When a bomb exploded nearby, Jews of all backgrounds - Chassidim, the religious and irreligious, Bundists, Socialists, and Communists - instinctively recited the Shema together. The late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks quoted Rabbi JB Soloveitchik in describing this phenomenon as the "Covenant of Fate."
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has demonstrated national unity under attack. However, as immediate threats have subsided, divisions have resurged, particularly over draft exemptions for yeshivah students. During the writer's travels as Life Rabbi Emeritus, prayers for hostages held in Gaza resonated across Jewish communities worldwide, inspiring global solidarity.
The writer distinguished between two types of covenant. Fate - negative circumstances imposed unwillingly - describes unity born of persecution. Destiny, by contrast, represents chosen commitment. While Jews did not choose to be born Jewish, the writer argues, they chose God at Sinai and continue that choice across generations.
The distinction frames Jewish identity not merely as survival through adversity, but as an active, affirmative commitment maintained regardless of circumstances.