source: Mmegi
Thato Moseki
Correspondent

The Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) has begun installing smart meters in Gaborone in the latest initiative to steady the country’s energy supply-demand imbalance. The gadgets are capable of remotely switching off customers’ geysers and electricity supply.

When fully rolled-out, the corporation experts believe the smart meters could save the national grid 40 Megawatts (MW). This is a considerable saving given that presently the country’s sole power producer pumps out about 130 MW of energy.

Recently, BPC began installing smart meters in Gaborone Block 7, under the newly launched Hot Water Load Control (HWLC) Project. The main objective of the project is to manage customers’ hot water loads (geysers) as a way of controlling demand especially during the two daily peak periods. The HLWC consists of a central system at [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
Lekopanye Mooketsi
Correspondent

The local property market has not been hit by the world economic recession. This is according to the newly elected president of the Real Estate Institute of Botswana (REIB), Outule Bale.

Speaking in a wide ranging interview, Bale said when the market is in a recession, there would be a lot of vacant properties. “You wont have rental growth. Prices would drop dramatically,” he said.

Bale said they do not have any empty properties. “I would not say the impact has been huge. We have not really seen much of that as it is still difficult to get a house or an office around here,” he said.

The demand has always been outstripping the [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
Ephraim Keoreng
Staff Writer

Next August Botswana will sign a treaty to formalise the establishment of the Trans-frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) in Namibia.

Botswana will be joining the four states of Namibia, Zambia, Angola and Zimbabwe to formalise the establishment of the TFCA, whose objectives include fostering trans-national collaboration and cooperation among the states in implementing ecosystems and cultural resource management through the [continue reading]

source: BOPA
24 November, 2009

FRANCISTOWN – Minister for Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Dikgakgamatso Seretse, has called on Botswana Prisons and Rehabilitation Services officials in the northern region to refrain from activities that could defeat justice.

Addressing senior officials from all the prisons in the northern region last week, Minister Seretse said the frequency at which prisoners escaped from custody was a cause of concern. He attributed the escapes to officers laxity saying he did not understand how prisoners manage to take weapons, cell phones and other prohibited means of communication into the prisons, it means you pretend not to see what is happening.

He lashed out at the officers saying he will not tolerate the behaviour adding that it also compromised the security of officers.

If you allow cell phones and other prohibited means of communication, then you are sitting on a time bomb because crime syndicates will start to breed in the prisons, said the [continue reading]

Republic of BOTSWANA

stamp: 2,60 pula

year: 2008

insect: ladybird – Cheilomenes lunata

Amazon's Global Kindle Reader

I heard that Amazon now has a global version of Kindle. I was disappointed to find this morning that the new version still will not work in my country.

Since I’ve wanted one for some time, but have been waiting until they got a version that would work in my country, I checked out their website this morning, only to be disappointed again. Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new Global Kindle for a Christmas gift this year, since the new version will only work in SOME countries, I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Wild dogs in Moremi Game Reserve

Everyone comes to Africa to see the big 5. But, in most cases, people are more impressed with other things, especially when something amazing happens…

Wild dogs are endangered and probably the most difficult predator in Africa to spot due to their huge territories and extremely low numbers.

On one of our excursions through Botswana wild parks we were lucky enough to see a different pack of wild dogs everyday… for 5 days consecutively! We got so close to one pack that the dogs surrounded our game viewer. They started to inspect it and one even jumped up on its’ hind legs to get a better view of what was inside!

We sat and watched the dogs for half an hour, knowing that we were very privileged to have such a good sighting of this endangered species.

source: Sunday Standard
by REUBEN PITSE
22.11.2009 9:35:07 P

Prison inmates this week revealed to the Gaborone Extension 2 Magistrate Court how the Gaborone Maximum Security Prison torture routines follow the notorious Guantanamo Bay pattern of violent abuse and sexual humiliation.

The Gaborone Extension 2 Magistrate had to clear out the court room and hold the session in camera because one of the witnesses pleaded that some of the details were too sensitive.

However, this was after another witness, Silas Huve had told the court how prison officials who were initially arraigned on two counts of grievous bodily harm ordered Badisa Moatshe to have sexual intercourse with Tefo Motshwari in full view of other officials. The two prisoners, however, had allegedly been so badly beaten that they could not have homosexual intercourse.

Mpho Mogobjwe, another witnesses, told the court that on the [continue reading]

source: Mmegi

Some senior government officials have found themselves caught up in a game of big shots in the lucrative poultry industry in a case that was probably going to reveal top secrets and fall-out between big guys Peter Kirby of Richmark Poultry and

The ban was to take effect today.

At the centre of the saga, that was likely to push chicken meat prices skyrocketing, are three major players – Irvine’s Botswana, Ross Breeders and Richmark Poultry.

In an affidavit Peter Kirby, Managing Director of Richmark Poultry, who is also chairman of Botswana Poultry Association, states that the Ministry of Agriculture went out of its jurisdiction to impose a ban on the imports of DOCs, something that falls under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. He accuses officials at the ministry of [continue reading]

source: BOPA
23 November, 2009

MOLEPOLOLE – The village development committees (VDCs), home-based care volunteers and Ipelegeng workers in Kweneng District would now be paid on time following President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khamas intervention.

President Khama told the Minister of Local Government, Mr Lebonaamang Mokalake, to end the late payment of allowances.

It must be the last time to hear about such problems in Kweneng District, said the President during a kgotla meeting he addressed in Botlhapatlou last week.

President Khama expressed concern that people were not paid allowances while civil servants got their salaries every month without any delay.

Minister Mokalake, who accompanied the President, was told to stop the late payments after several residents complained that sometimes it takes three to four months to get their payments.

The complaints were raised by both residents of Mogonono and [continue reading]

source: Sunday Standard
by Gowenius Toka
22.11.2009 9:22:28 P

Government’s recent productivity campaign, epitomized by President Ian Khama’s addition of delivery to his 4-D roadmap, has been met with mixed feelings by some who have adopted a wait and see approach, after previous efforts to prop up productivity hit a snag.

According to a 2008 report titled “Progress of Good Governance in Botswana” and authored by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), all the four prominent micro-level administrative processes and capacity development reforms that sought to enhance productivity and delivery have failed, even though they were implemented over a period of 12 years.

Such initiatives include Organization and Methods (O&M) aimed at classifying and aligning ministerial and departmental goals and objectives, Work Improvement Teams (WITS) and Performance Management Systems (PMS) as well as Computerization of Personnel Manage systems.

The report laments that save for its success in a [continue reading]

source: BOPA
23 November, 2009

PALAPYE – The Botswana Training Authority (BOTA) affiliates in Palapye have heard that workplaces can also be registered as training providers.

This was revealed by BOTAs workplace support specialist, Mr Moremedi Kooneilwe during a one-day Vocational Training Fund seminar in Palapye recently.

Mr Kooneilwe informed the affiliates that for a workplace to be recognised as a training provider, it has to be registered first and the modules used in training to be accredited with BOTA.

For you to be recognised as training providers in the workplace, you have to meet the set criteria required for the training providers. I would also like to inform you that you can have your supervisors as trainers. It is not about having a degree but the [continue reading]

source: Sunday Standard
by Morula Morula
22.11.2009 9:31:06 P

An investigative report into the brutal killing of four foreign suspected armed robbers by Botswana security agents has gone missing somewhere between the office of the Botswana Police Service and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Police Commissioner, Thebeyame Tsimako, said last week that they had finished investigations into the killing and forwarded a report to the DPP.

Director of DPP, Leatile Dambe has, however, denied ever receiving such a report. “I know nothing about such a report. It is the first time that I hear about it,” she said, further promising to make follow ups to check if such a [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
BABOKI KAYAWE
Staff Writer

While the 30 percent alcohol levy introduced last year has raised more than P180 million, to be channelled towards youth development, it has left Sechaba Brewery Holdings Limited with a huge dent which has compromised their overall financial performance.

The combination of global economic recession and unusually cold weather and the levy cost the industry a fortune.

The Sechaba group of companies Botswana Breweries (Pty) Ltd, (BBL) and Kgalagadi Breweries (Pty) Ltd, (KBL) Sechaba said the half year results which ended 30th September 2009, has recorded one of the worst financial performances in [continue reading]

source: Sunday Standard
by Kagiso Madibana
22.11.2009 9:28:16 P

A delegation from the European Union is expected in Botswana in January 2010 to put in place a monitoring system that will verify compliance, on residues of veterinary medicines, pesticides, and contaminants.

This comes after Botswana signed the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which gives opportunities for increased export of beef and other products, as long as they meet internationally acceptable quality standards.

This revelation was made at the two-day National meat workshop held at the National Food Technology Research Centre in Kanye.

The workshop was attended by national and international experts and individuals who were interested in meat production, processing and marketing in the country, including farmers, meat processors, livestock traders, national policy makers and different types of [continue reading]

source: BOPA
23 November, 2009

GABORONE – The education ministry has acknowledged the difficulties faced by some students due to unavailability of boarding facilities.

Some of the students, according to Assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Keletso Rakhudu, travelled long distances to and from school while some stayed on rented accommodation.

However, the assistant minister said government was working towards addressing the problem At primary school level, the ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government have already established one or two teacher schools in some areas and the introduction of these schools had gone a long way towards reducing the distance children walk to school.

Mr Rakhudu stated that with regard to junior secondary schools, his ministry was currently upgrading some junior secondary schools countrywide and boarding facilities had been included for some schools, including Mahutagane Junior Secondary School in the Shoshong constituency.

He said due to financial constraints, the ministry was not able to cover all [continue reading]

source: Mmegi
WANETSHA MOSINYI
Staff Writer

The just ended Sight at the Diamond Trading Company Botswana , though still a long way from normal levels, saw a favourable improvement in sales when compared to the same period last year when virtually no diamonds were sold

The week-long sale of unpolished diamonds in November and December (Sight 9 and 10) are traditionally expected to be smaller than others but those Sights exactly a year ago, left Diamond Trading Company (DTC) Botswana shell shocked when they were left holding almost all the parcels they had before the start of the sale.

At the time, De Beers and its associate companies had on many occasions before that fateful November, assured Botswana and the world that the diamond industry would pass the downturn unscathed because demand was [continue reading]

source: BOPA
23 November, 2009

HUKUNTSI – An acute water shortage has hit Hukuntsi and the surrounding villages of Lehututu, Lokgwabe, Tshane and Kang because of boreholes breakdowns, collapses and contamination.

Addressing the Hukuntsi Sub District Development Committee (DDC) recently, the water engineer in the sub district, Mr Kgomotso Serame said the water shortage due to breakdowns has been exacerbated by the contamination of the Lokgwabe boreholes.

He said they have decided to chlorinate the water as a short term measure while looking for other reliable sources.

Mr Serame said they are working around the clock to address the crisis.

We are well aware of the water shortage in the area and we are doing all we can to bowse water to affected communities even though we do not have enough water carrying vehicles in the area, he said. He added that they have approached the water affairs and the geological survey departments to help with the cleaning of Lehututu boreholes.

The water shortage in the area has also affected some development projects such as the Hukuntsi internal roads and the [continue reading]

source: Sunday Standard
by John Regonamanye
22.11.2009 9:26:23 P

Former cabinet minister Daniel Kwelagobe was on Wednesday waxing lyrical and singing praise songs for President Seretse Khama Ian Khama’s administration and its adherence to democratic ideals.

Contributing to the ongoing debate over President Khama’s State of the Nation address, Kwelagobe urged Batswana to rally behind Khama’s clarion call for democracy and tolerance, adding that the democratic and tolerant characteristics that the Khama administration has displayed so far are welcome developments that should be embraced and complemented.

“While our president has implored us to [continue reading]

A roundup of Australian Jewish news … by Garry Fabian in Melbourne

**

Building Connections of Communal Harmony

SYDNEY – Seventeen-year-old Enzo Somosi may not always broadcast his Jewish
identity. But when a special envoy from the NSW  Jewish Board of Deputies (JBD) visited his Coffs Harbour school to give a presentation on the  Holocaust last week, he felt compelled to wear his kippah during the proceedings.

“If anybody asks me, I’ll be honest. It’s not something I hide,” Somosi, the grandson of
Holocaust survivors, he said.  “But I found it  necessary on this occasion to show respect.”

The presentation was part of a whirlwind five-day  tour of NSW’s mid-north coast taken by JBD CEO  Vic Alhadeff and education manager Lynda Ben-Menashe.

The trip was a bridge-building exercise that saw  the pair meet more than 1000 people, including  leaders of the Uniting, Anglican and Assembly of  God churches, MPs, city councillors, Rotary club  members, media personnel and students.

“It’s all about relationships,” Alhadeff said.  “The objective of generating understanding of the  Jewish people ­ who we are, what Judaism is  about, the Holocaust, racism, anti-Semitism and Israel.”

Jewish connections emerged unexpectedly  throughout the tour, he added. Among them was the  admission by a Pentecostal church head that his  great-uncle was former Jewish governor-general Sir Isaac Isaacs.

Another student at a Catholic college revealed  that four of his Jewish grandmother’s eight siblings perished at Auschwitz.

“It was particularly gratifying to note how much  interest there is in the Holocaust and the
lessons that emerge from it,” Alhadeff said.

So far, the response has been positive. “We got  more than we were expecting. The boys were blown  out of the water,” said Mark Harrison, a history  teacher at The Armidale School, an Anglican  boarding school for boys, which was one of the tour stops.

“It was the perfect lead-up to our study of  Germany up to the beginning of World War II. The  presentation had an emotional charge, and the  boys picked up on it. They were really appreciative of them coming to our class.”

*
Jewish School receives $1.5 million government grant

MELBOURNE – Adass Israel School has been awarded a $1.5 million Government grant for
the construction of a hospitality and training centre to be located at the school’s main campus in King Street, Elsternwick a Melbourne southern suburb.

The grant is part of the federal Government’s  multi-billion dollar Trade Training Centres in Schools program.

While all secondary schools were eligible for  grants worth between $500,000 and $1.5 million,  funding approval was based on the needs and application of each school.

Education Minister Julia Gillard said the funding will be used to construct and equip a training  facility at the school, with the new building to  include a kosher hospitality kitchen complete  with cooking, preparation, storage and multi-purpose areas for a training restaurant and general hospitality learning.

With grants worth $387 million available in the second round of the Trade Training Centres in Schools program, applications of almost double this were received.

*
Australian Government denies shift on Mideast Policy

CANBERRA – The federal Government has  denied a shift in Middle East policy, despite
changing Australia’s vote in the United Nations  on a motion on Palestinian self-determination.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign  Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said Australia’s UN  voting pattern is strongly based on the country’s  “long-standing support for the Middle East peace process”, including a two-state solution.

Representatives of the Executive Council of  Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the Zionist Federation  of Australia (ZFA) and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC)  wrote to the  Prime Minister and Foreign Minister asking for an  explanation about the vote change.

The vote in question was in a committee of the  General Assembly earlier this month. The motion  reaffirms the right of Palestinian people to  self-determination and urges all states to help  the Palestinian people realise this.

While the motion itself is not considered  controversial, preceding statements refer to the
International Court of Justice’s controversial  ruling on Israel’s security barrier; to East
Jerusalem as part of a future Palestinian state;  and to Palestinian relief agencies, which some argue have been found to do more to exacerbate  Palestinian problems than solve them.

In previous years, Australia has abstained on the  vote, but this year the country voted in favour.

The DFAT spokesperson said even thought the motion referenced the International Court of Justice’s ruling, that ruling was only an advisory opinion.

“We will not oppose a resolution in the General  Assembly on the Middle East simply because it  refers to that advisory opinion,” she said,  indicating somewhat of a shift in tack.

The spokesperson added: “As we clearly  demonstrated in our opposition to the Goldstone
resolution, we continue to support Israel’s right  to live in peace within secure and internationally recognised borders.

“Similarly, the Government is committed to the  Palestinians’ right to a state of their own.”

The federal Opposition was swift to criticise the vote shift.

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said: “It is  deeply regrettable that the Rudd Government is  overturning Australia’s policy of refusing to  support one-sided resolutions against Israel in the UN General Assembly.

“Resolutions at the UN General Assembly that speak only of Palestinian rights to a homeland, yet make no reference to the right of the state  of Israel to exist, are inflammatory and counter-productive.”

The only countries to vote against the motion  were Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia,  Nauru, Palau and the United States. Only  Botswana,  Cameroon, Canada, Tonga and Vanuatu abstained.

According to the letter to Foreign Minister  Stephen Smith from the ECAJ and ZFA, “the
explanation given by Australia for its abstention  in previous years was that while Australia  recognises the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the text of the motion  gratuitously ‘tacks on’ other matters, which are far more contentious”.

AIJAC’s letter also expressed disappointment  because the resolutions, while appearing to be  “ostensibly reasonable”, “omit any reference to  Palestinian obligations, and, in so doing,  perpetuate the counter-productive narrative that Israel’s policies are the sole obstacles to peace”.

This latest vote change comes a year after the  Rudd Government instructed Australia’s UN  representative to, for the first time, vote in  favour of resolutions calling for a halt to
settlement activities in the Palestinian  territories and for the Geneva Convention to be
applied in the Palestinian territories.

At the time, Smith said Australia adopts its  approach on a “case-by-case” basis and saw these  votes to correlate with Australia’s support for a two-state solution.

*
Chabad House by the beach
MELBOURNE – It has long been said  that where there is Coca Cola there is Chabad and
now the Mornington Peninsula, a seaside area just  30 minures from Melbourne is no exception.

Chabad of Frankston and Mornington Peninsula will officially open its doors later this month,  providing services to Jews in the area.

“There are a lot of elderly people, quite a few  Russians, Israelis and Aussies, there are young adults, young families and uni students,” Chabad  of Frankston and Mornington Penninsula’s Rebbetzin Rivkah Bondar said..

“Some people have thought they were the only Jews  in the area when there are actually two other families in their street.”

Together with her husband, Rabbi Levi Bondar and their four young children, the family moved  permanently to Frankston, an outer suburb of  Melbourne some 40kms from the CBD,  in July.

In the lead-up to the opening of the Chabad  House, the Bondars ran services during the High  Holy Days. Rabbi Bondar also runs weekly shiurs  and the couple delivers challahs each Friday.

“People are so appreciative and happy to have us  there. They are always offering their help or their houses. It’s nice to be so appreciated,” Rebbetzin Bondar said.

Having established a minyan in Carnegie, which  began in their home with two people and grew to its own premises with more than 200 people, Rabbi  and Rebbetzin Bondar decided they wanted a new challenge.

“We wanted to build a community [somewhere] where  we, as a young, growing family, can live and afford to buy.”

Rebbetzin Bondar said since they made the move, they have received many phone calls from other young families who are keen for a sea change.

Despite the distance to Jewish Melbourne, the Bondar children still attend Yesodei HaTorah in  Elwood for school during the week.

*
Toben Free  but web site to be monitored

ADELAIDE – Fredrick Toben has been  released from jail after serving a three-month
sentence for contempt of court charges stemming  from his denial of the Holocaust.

Toben walked free from South Australia’s Yatala prison early on November 12.

The Adelaide-based Holocaust denier, who spoke at  a 2005 Holocaust denial conference in Iran, can now add Australia to the list of countries including Germany, Austria and the UK, where he has served prison time.

His Adelaide Institute reported on its website that Toben was “unbroken and unrepentant, and appears very refreshed and relaxed after his little holiday”.

The website also stated he was “welcomed home by his friends and supporters who held a celebratory dinner for him on November 12. During his speech on the night, he vowed to continue his work in demolishing the Holocaust lies.”

Toben was taken into custody on August 13 after losing an appeal before the Federal Court, which earlier had ruled that he was in contempt of orders to desist from publishing false and offensive material about the Holocaust and Jews.

At the time of his arrest, Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) president Robert Goot described Toben’s activities as “outrageous denial that the Holocaust occurred and that six million Jews had been murdered by the Nazis”.

Goot said ECAJ would “be ­monitoring the website” and would “take such action as we consider appropriate”.

*

The Australian – Polish Connection restoring an icon

MELBOURNE – In a town called Dzierzoniow in Poland, there once was a thriving
Jewish population. In what was once the centre of town, the Reichenbach Synagogue still stands — one of only a handful of shuls that survived both Kristallnacht and the ensuing years.

Once an imposing structure with a glorious past, the Reichenbach Synagogue until recently stood  windowless, its support beams visible and its  facade showing the very signs of its age and struggle to survive.

Fred Moses, an Australian who has taken an  interest in the restoration of the shul after
visiting it, said that “one look at the still  imposing stature of the Reichenbach Synagogue
suffices to imagine its glorious past”.

“But at a closer look, one feels as if there were  a ghostly and sad atmosphere hanging over the whole structure,” he added.

Inspired by its history, Mr Moses is assisting a  foundation committed to restoring the Reichenbach  Synagogue to its glorious past, which before 1937, and again after 1945, was a religious hub.

The Beitenu Chaj — 2004 Foundation, or in English “Our House Lives on 2004″, is led by
Rafael Blau, who lived in Dzierzoniow (then Reichenbach) with his father for five years as a
child, before making aliyah in 1965.

Blau, who now lives in Be’er Sheva in Israel, spends his summer months in Dzierzoniow,
dedicating his full time to the foundation’s  activities in the restoration of the synagogue.

The foundation has begun works to restore the  synagogue, which upon completion will once again serve as a bustling shul and educational centre for the now growing Jewish population in Poland.

In addition to functioning as a religious centre, the Reichenbach Synagogue will also include a museum.

The foundation states as its objective to “make it possible for people from all over the world, Jews and non-Jews, especially young people, to get to know the story of the Jews in Poland, not just in relation to the horrors of the Holocaust,  but also to the ancient, rich heritage of Judaism, related to its contribution to the history, culture and the development of the Polish nation”.

The foundation has, to date, repaired holes in the synagogue roof, replaced windows, missing gutters and downspouts to stop rain and snow from coming in, and erected a fence around the synagogue.

“Much has been done, much is being done, but so much more has got to be done,” Mr Moses said. “It is most definitely an enterprise of great merits, which should be rewarded accordingly.”

Together with a group of others, including foundation vice-president Beata Sauermann, who  lives in the United Kingdom, and John and Maria  Koch from Canada, Blau is seeking further  assistance for the continued restoration project to “bring new life to the synagogue”.

Now in its fifth year, the foundation is obviously making progress, with the Reichenbach
Synagogue hosting its first service in more than 20 years on Rosh Hashanah.

*
Maccabi Tennis shines at top tennis venue

SYDNEY – If you feel like a game of tennis, White City,where international  tennis
tournaments are played,  should be your first port of call.

That’s the message from new Maccabi Tennis Club president Steven Goldberg, who has taken over the Maccabi presidency for the third time, after James Beecher’s three-year tenure ended at the club’s recent annual general meeting.

Maccabi has settled into its new home at the  traditional heartland of NSW tennis after moving from Bondi last year, and while membership  numbers have increased, Goldberg wants to continue to build the club’s profile in the community.

“It’s a fantastic site, it’s just superb. an oasis in the city. There is a tranquillity there,
despite the hustle and bustle of the city,” Goldberg said.

“People should come down and try the facility, whether they want to become members or not. They’re supporting the only Jewish tennis club in Sydney.”

The club’s facilities include six floodlit synthetic courts, as well as a grass court and an
artificial clay court; a clubhouse; on-site  parking; and a streamlined coaching and junior
program under the management of Steve Loeffler, which aligns the coaching with the club, rather than setting its own agenda as an independent business.

The club had to overcome some members’ initial reservations about moving away from Bondi, but membership has since peaked at 185 — although the objective is to tap further into the community to attract younger members, women and players from the North Shore.

“It’s a much better location, a lot more attractive to those on the north . we really look
forward to catering to the whole Jewish community,” Goldberg said.

The club is an interested spectator in the dispute between the White City Tennis Club and
John Alexander, which has made its way to the High Court after the NSW Court of Appeal ruled in favour of White City.

The appeal prevents Alexander from creating his  dream sporting complex, while restoring the White  City Tennis Club as the owner of the property pending Alexander’s appeal. Maccabi awaits the verdict, as it will influence what happens to its clubhouse.

“We don’t mind who our neighbours will be,”  Goldberg clarified. “The plan is to share
facilities when they knock [the clubhouse down  and rebuild it]. Otherwise, we’ll use the
embankment going up to Glenmore Road.”

*
Fabian is Australia bureau chief for San Diego Jewish World.  His email is fabiang@sandiegojewishworld.com

November 10, 2009

My friend Kristina was visiting us and we decided to cook a big African meal so we did TWO EtT recipes – Morogo (cooked spinach) – Botswana  and Ennva ze Ebinyeebwa (groundnut sauce) – Uganda

I think this was a big success. Strangely neither Kristina (an amazing Luganda speaker) nor Mateo and I had ever heard this particular name used for the groundnut sauce. We felt quite pleased by our efforts though we all agreed that some matoke (cooked plantains) was what the meal lacked.

source: Mmegi
STAFF WRITER

Botswana focused explorer Impact Minerals believes it is on the track of a potentially large new uranium province in Botswana after defining the Lekobolo prospect that covers about 110 square kilometres and contains elevated uranium-in-soil values.

Impact Minerals said yesterday that its Kekobolo prospect has a geological setting similar to the Letlhakane uranium deposit, owned by another Australian explorer A-Cap Resources Ltd.

Lekobolo is 20 km along strike to the south west of the large Letlhakane uranium deposit that covers an area of about 30 square kilometres.

A-Cap Resources has reported its project has an [continue reading]

source: The Botswana Gazette
Written by EDITOR
Tuesday, 17 November 2009 09:52

Barolong Paramount Chief Lotlamoreng II has urged Batswana to stop selling their residential and commercial plots to foreigners. Officiating at the Rolong Land Board
Open Day held in Good Hope last Saturday under the theme, ‘Efficient Land Management Towards 2016’, Kgosi Lotlamoreng said while there is an outcry of shortage of land, some Batswana who have acquired plots from Land Boards continue to sell them to foreigners. Addressing Barolong Kgosi Lotlamoreng said their land is small but could be sustainable if efficiently managed. “We need land in order to have a safe, secure and democratic nation; we need land to have a developed, educated and productive nation”.Kgosi Lotlamoreng addressed residents’ complaints that the Land Board does not serve them adequately and on time.

He called for good working relations between the Land Board and the community, adding that they would hold consultation meetings between the two entities to resolve differences and to avoid future complaints. He also encouraged the [continue reading]