The Work of the Foundation

Mindful of the late Rabbi Harris’ passion, love and enthusiasm for living Judaism and its values, the Chief Rabbi CK Harris Memorial Foundation decided to honour his lifetime of service by helping to enrich the skills of those who care for others.

When the founding trustees came together, it soon became obvious that the legacy which should especially be remembered, preserved and passed on was the late Chief Rabbi’s outstanding professionalism in all spheres of communal life.

Everything Chief Rabbi Harris did was carefully considered, researched and illustrated from the precepts of Jewish sources. The trustees set out to continue that path, providing staff skills training to organisations in fields that were close to his heart. The budgets of many organisations rarely allowed them to invest in staff enrichment. Assisted by many generous donors and supporters, the Foundation has since worked with a host of relevant organisations which fulfil its objects, assisting them to improve and expand their invaluable work through ongoing staff training.

The four main areas the Foundation has focused on are :

Training in practical skills for the community’s Rabbis
Medical care for vulnerable children
Professionals for Jewish community services
Development skills for staff working in disadvantaged communities

Rabbis for the 21st century

The Rabbinical Association of South Africa alerted the Foundation of the need for practising Rabbanim to enhance their practical skills. The Foundation has over the years been privileged to provide successful seminars in which over 60 Rabbanim have participated.

Well-known Rabbinic ‘trainers’ from Israel and the United States have joined with local senior Rabbanim to provide tuition in every aspect of practical Rabbinic endeavour. This included communication, preparation of addresses, behaviour and appearance in the pulpit, counselling , time management and addressing issues around antisemitism and State of Israel.

It also involved in-depth examination of the psychological and social problems confronting members of our communities and encouraging an understanding of the need for the mentoring of in-service Rabbanim.

My father z’tl loved being together with other rabbanim and comparing notes on the myriad of challenges, joys and frustrations of their Avodat HaKodesh - the holy task. Thank you for honouring his memory by participating in these programmes. You are fortunate to have attracted the most thoughtful, experienced and successful communal rabbi as their lecturers and mentors. I wish you all every success and every bracha and hatzlacha in your vital work for Am Yisrael

Rabbi Michael Harris

The main thing that came to me from these courses was "professionalism". We all have our difficulties and challenges, and to go to the training and to see how an experienced rabbi deals with these challenges was something quite incredible for me and had enormous benefit to my rabbinate.

Rabbi Matthew Liebenberg

One of the workshops was about how to work effectively with lay leaders in the community. By coming together and having discussions with real tools, guidance and experience taking us through, we learnt how to come to a real partnership in building communities. Rabbi Sam Thurgood

Rabbi Sam Thurgood

Rabbi Michael Harris

Rabbi Matthew Liebenberg

Rabbi Sam Thurgood

Medical care for vulnerable children

The Foundation was fortunate to create a partnership with the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, which has a unit with a worldwide reputation for successful treatment of paediatric oncology patients, treating children from all over South Africa.

The Foundation provided assistance to the medical staff of the oncology unit, enabling them to train medical personnel from hospitals in other centres. This allowed them to gain invaluable experience.

These specially trained staff were then equipped to run units in over half a dozen hospitals in the Southern and Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal. An added advantage was that the contacts made during the participants’ training at Red Cross provided them with a database of colleagues always available for advice and support.

I am writing to thank the Foundation for your support of our recent paediatric haematology-oncology shared care update meeting, which was attended by over 40 colleagues from across the Eastern and Western Cape. Your sponsorship was used to support the travel and accommodation of some participants, and certainly contributed towards the success of the meeting. May I take this opportunity to salute the Foundation for its ongoing support of our shared care projects. I've no doubt that these courses and training visits have a profound impact on the quality of care that children receive in our shared care centres.

Prof Alan DavidsonHead of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology Service, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital

Some people pass through the world and leave it as they find it. But people like you take the time to do special things for others that make the world more beautiful. Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity to update our knowledge. It is greatly appreciated

Ward A, Greys's Hospital and Sr Sarika Maharaj, Sr Faith Msomi and Sr Kavitha Dookie

Prof Alan DavidsonHead of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology Service, Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital

Ward A, Greys's Hospital and Sr Sarika Maharaj, Sr Faith Msomi and Sr Kavitha Dookie

Jewish community services

The Foundation challenged national and provincial organizations to go through a process of self examination to see if it could assist them to ‘do it better.’ This approach has led to the expansion and upgrading of services offered to the Jewish community where gaps in the framework appeared.

The bulk of this work was in the welfare and education sectors and the Foundation has supported a range of ongoing in-service practical management training.

The Foundation has, among other things:

assisted groups of several welfare organisations to provide training for all their staff in basic health care and enhanced care for the elderly, physically and mentally challenged and the very young.
provided bereavement counselling training, ranking with the best society has to offer.
provided training for teams of teachers and youth workers in identifying evidence of child abuse.
assisted with training of academic staff for adult Jewish education.

I worked for the Cape Town Holocaust Centre between 2012 and 2018 as an educational facilitator for both school and adult groups. With financial support from the CK Harris Memorial Foundation, I was provided with a remarkable opportunity for professional development, including a trip to Yad Vashem for three weeks to attend the International Summer Seminar for Educators through the International School for Holocaust Studies. This intensive programme included more than forty educators and museum professionals from ten countries, and offered fascinating and valuable pedagogical lessons that directly influenced and guided my work at the Holocaust Centre for the next seven years. I am grateful for this opportunity, which provided the necessary training and education required to adequately teach about the Holocaust and genocide. Not only that, but it also opened me up to a community of practice by exposing me to many wonderful like-minded people, some of whom have become life-long friends.

Michal SingerFormer Educator, Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre

It is with much appreciation and loving kindness that we thank the Trustees of the Chief RabbiCK Harris Memorial Foundation, for supporting us at Jewish Care Cape from 2012 till the current time. The funding, guidance and motivation that we have received, has enabled us to up skill and develop the potential of staff at JCC. This support facilitates our growth as people and as staff, promoting excellence of service for those we care for in our communities.

Zia Adler Jewish Care Cape

Recognising the need for development of all members of staff over the years the Foundation assisted in international programmes for the development of staff and national seminars in the education faculties of the Holocaust & Genocide Centres in Durban (DHGC), Johannesburg (JHGC) and Cape Town (CTHGC). It has also aided the development the incumbent CTHGC director's knowledge of Holocaust Education as well as allowing her to develop important international connections. The long-term benefits of these significant contributions will have a lasting impact on the Centres and on Holocaust Education and Memorialisation in South Africa.

Richard Freedman Former Director, Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation

It is my pleasure, on behalf of our Board and Management, to thank you and the Trustees of the Chief Rabbi CK Harris Memorial Foundation for the generous donation of R50,000 that we have received. As requested these funds will be allocated toward training our staff on the vaccination programme. We are sending some of our staff for training on how to administer the vaccine so that they will be ready when the opportunity presents itself. In addition we are embarking on an educational campaign for staff so that they can fully understand the benefits of the vaccine and can transmit that knowledge to colleagues as well as to residents. When the vaccine becomes available we hope to have a positive, enthusiastic acceptance of it. In the merit of your wonderful efforts in memory of your late husband, may you and all the Trustees of the Chief Rabbi CK Harris Memorial Foundation be blessed with good health, joy and great hatzlacha in your endeavours.

Saul TomsonCEO, Chevrah Kadisha Group

Michal SingerFormer Educator, Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre

It is with a sense of deep appreciation that I write to thank you for your generous award of R75 000 toward the cost of a Business Development Systems course offered to 9 members of the Chevrah Kadisha's senior management. Consistent with the educational vision of the Foundation, this valuable course provided fundamental leadership skills and taught our senior staff how to implement the systems that enable them. On behalf of our Board of Governors, management and staff, I express sincere gratitude to you for this generous assistance in gaining professionalism in our work and thus enhancing our efforts to serve our community.

Michael SieffFormer Group CEO Chevrah Kadisha

Zia Adler Jewish Care Cape

Recognising the need for development of all members of staff over the years the Foundation assisted in international programmes for the development of staff as well as provide opportunities for national seminars in the education faculties of the Holocaust & Genocide Centres in Durban (DHGC), Johannesburg (JHGC) and Cape Town (CTHGC). It has also aided the development the incumbent CTHGC director's knowledge of Holocaust Education as well as allowing her to develop important international connections. The long-term benefits of these significant contributions will have a lasting impact on the Centres and on Holocaust Education and Memorialisation in South Africa. Recognising the need for development of all members of staff over the years the Foundation assisted in international programmes for the development of staff in the education faculty and archives of the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre. Funding also assisted the South African Holocaust and Genocide foundation to provide opportunities for national seminars for the education faculties of the Holocaust and Genocide Centres in Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town to focus on best practice in the field with a special emphasis on pedagogy, and the educational approach of the Foundation. The organisation benefited from these interventions: · by creating a unified approach to Holocaust Education and teacher training in South Africa · building cohesion and a motivated team of experts In a commitment to the future in 2019 the Chief Rabbi C K Harris Memorial Foundation supported an international programme to develop the knowledge of Holocaust Education of the incumbent director of the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre; Growing her understanding of Holocaust education in the global context and helping to develop important international connections. The long-term benefits of the significant contributions from the Chief Rabbi C K Harris Memorial Foundation will have a lasting impact on the Centres and on Holocaust Education and Memorialisation in South Africa

Richard Freedman Former Director, Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre South African Holocaust & Genocide Foundation

In the merit of your wonderful efforts in memory of your late husband, may you and all the Trustees of the Chief Rabbi CK Harris Memorial Foundation be blessed with good health, joy and great hatzlacha in your endeavours.

Saul TomsonCEO, Chevrah Kadisha Group

Development skills for disadvantaged communities

One of the hallmarks of the late Chief Rabbi’s rabbinate was to convince the South African Jewish community that promoting Jewish values included extending the hand of assistance and friendship to disadvantaged South African communities.

It soon became clear that human resources were almost as scarce as financial ones. The Foundation worked to form partnerships with a variety of NGO/CBOs, some of whom were quite sophisticated in their organisation, whilst others struggled to even identify the problems which beset them.

The Foundation has supported a number of projects which have benefitted and provided comfort to many wounded lives.

Amongst the projects done by the Foundation:

The development of school principals and high school educators.
Enhancement of the skills of literacy teachers in neglected primary schools.
Training of auxiliary social workers and human resources staff in NGO’s.
The strengthening of the leadership teams and increasing efficiency in administration.
Training staff to empower women and to recognise child abuse.

Heartfelt thank you for your enthusiasm to fund the upgrade of our training facility. Who better than you knows our training modules, understands our intentions well in all our offerings to the youth in the community whom we serve through our CDP Programme. We are upgrading our facilities in order to enhance our training and to enable the facilitator to conduct quality training to the young people. The upgrades will ensure that all our future virtual engagements with you and others will be of great quality. We cannot thank you enough for your continuous interest and support over the many years you’ve afforded Afrika Tikkun. Again, heartfelt thank you. I am grateful for this opportunity, which provided the necessary training and education required to adequately teach about the Holocaust and genocide. Not only that, but it also opened me up to a community of practice by exposing me to many wonderful like-minded people, some of whom have become life-long friends.

Yolanda Bunton Project Manager, Afrika Tikkun Services

On behalf of the young people of AspireYouth, our enormous appreciation and gratitude for the donation of Twenty Thousand Rand from the CK Harris Memorial Trust. This is such a traumatic and challenging time that we are living through, the trauma even more so for those people who live in chronic poverty. With the onset of the pandemic, it has become increasingly more difficult to secure funds to deliver our services to our beneficiaries. In this I hope I can adequately express our thanks for the Trust’s final grant. As discussed, these funds will be used to support the Orena After Schools programme.

Mark GambleExecutive Director, Aspire Youth

Thank you for this wonderful news. The funding will be very helpful for our current work in the Northern Cape. We have had to make a number of changes in the way we work and have had to do most of our outreach remotely, but also have teams on the ground to back up what we do online. I believe that there is now even more urgency for the work that we are doing, especially when children have missed so many school days. I would again like to thank you for your ongoing support of our work. I have attached some of our most recent photos when we were last in the classes and please let me know if you require any further information.

Dr Louis Benjamin CEO, Basic Concepts