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Few Rabbis are tech-heads – it’s probably not part of the curriculum at Rabbi School. But when one has a congregation of thousands, spread over half of Africa, and reporting to two separate organisational heads, we guess that rabbi Moshe Silberhaft has little choice in the matter.
He either has to embrace as much technology as he can to reach all of those to whom he ministers - or he can just as well change his name from “The Travelling Rabbi” to “The Loony-Tunes Rabbi” because he would go off his rocker trying to keep all of his flock in all those places needing all his attention and feeling part of the community.
One of the ways Rabbi Moshe as he is fondly called by his congregants manages to keep up with it all, and keep funding coming from international donors to support his work in far-flung African communities – is to use the power of video.
“Shalom, the Beloved Country" is a TV documentary on the work being done by Rabbi Moshe Silberhaft, South Africa's Country Communities Rabbi, in Platteland communities and further afield was aired on SABC in December.
The title plays on the multiple meanings of Shalom, as a greeting, a welcome, and a farewell, as well as on the resonance of Alan Paton's famous book on our beloved country.
Shalom the Beloved Country – Part 1
A team from the SABC accompanied Rabbi Moshe on his pastoral work in the North West, Free State, Western Cape, and Bulawayo, where the Rabbi opened a library (the Rabbi Moshe Library) for schoolchildren in a suburb of the city.
Shalom the Beloved Country – Part 2
The documentary explores the challenges faced by Jews in small country communities, and captures Rabbi Moshe's warm and strong relationships with communities that once boasted thriving Jewish populations.
Shalom the Beloved Country – Part 3
We see many different aspects of Rabbi Moshe's work, from conducting evening services to "schmoozing" with his congregants to visiting old abandoned synagogues to looking after cemeteries to providing help for Jews who have fallen on hard times.
Shalom the Beloved Country – Part 4
We also see the Rabbi interacting with members of other faiths and communities, as part of his everyday work and mission as "the Rabbi with the biggest flock in the country".
Shalom the Beloved Country – Part 5
The documentary was scripted and directed by Gus Silber.
If you CLICK HERE >>TRAVELLING RABBI’S CHANNEL it will take you directly to Rabbi Moshe's Channel. Once there, if you click on "Subscribe" you will be notified every time he posts a new video.
We thought we’d see what else we could find on Rabbi Moshe while we were on his new Youtube Channel. Wow! Were we ever surprised? There is so much about him that Youtube has it all sorted into a special space. If users want to see the dedicated CLICK HERE >> RABBI MOSHE SILBERHAFT SITE they will have access to over 100 Youtube videos on or about Rabbi Moshe, his work and his deeds.
Shalom the Beloved Country - is loaded onto the new Travelling rabbi's Channel - people can click subscribe and will get notified of all new posts.jpg
Shalom the "Beloved
Shalom the "Beloved country"
This just does not sound right.
Beloved Country?
I knew someone would come up
I knew someone would come up with this. I felt so too. But the programme was made, produced and screened by the SABC and they named it too.
For their gentile audience it was a clever and appropriate name.
For Jews, I agree, it isn’t.
But we have to live with that.