THE HONOURABLE Abe Abrahamson, a stalwart of the South African Jewish community

4 SA JEWISH REPORT 19 - 26 March 2010
LIONEL SLIER
PHOTOGRAPH: ILAN OSSENDRYVER
THE HONOURABLE Abe Abrahamson, a stalwart of the
South African Jewish community, a former Rhodesian
Cabinet minister and in later years chairman of the board of
directors of SA Jewish Report in Johannesburg, passed
away on Shabbat March 13, after a long illness, at the age of
87. He was a fighter to the end - small in stature, but with a
heart the size of Table Mountain.
He relinquished his position as chairman of the board of
SAJR towards the end of last year due to his failing health
and was succeeded by Stanley Kaplan. The Hon Abe passionately
believed in the Jewish Report and the ethos it
espoused.
In 2004 Paul Clingman wrote a biography on
Abrahamson, with the intriguing title: “The Moon Can
Wait”. This was a reference to breaking the space barrier,
which was hailed at the time as such a great advance for
mankind. Abrahamson was invited to address a meeting of
the International Labour Organisation in Canada in 1961 -
the first ever Rhodesian to do so. In 1962 he told the ILO in
Geneva: “The moon can wait, but social justice cannot
tarry.”
Helen Suzman in 2003 wrote a foreword for the book: “He
may have become the Hon Abe (a title bestowed on him by
Queen Elizabeth), a minister holding three portfolios of
Labour, Housing and Social Welfare in the government of
Edgar Whitehead in Southern Rhodesia, and risen to
become deputy leader of the governing party, but he
remained a modest and committed man with liberal principles.”
She made mention of Abrahamson’s “deep aversion
to the doctrines of racial superiority”.
Abrahamson called himself “a progressive conservative”
who approached his hurdles “cerebrally rather than emotionally”.
The years 1958 to 1961 were to prove definitive in
Abrahamson’s political career. He played a prominent part
in the conference held at Lancaster House in London in 1960,
at which a new constitution was negotiated to meet the
demands of rising African nationalism and which envisaged
the handing over of power to a truly democratically elected
government in Rhodesia.
The constitution was accepted in a referendum held in
Southern Rhodesia in 1961, but in a general election the following
year the liberal Edgar Whitehead was ousted as
prime minister and the right-wing Rhodesian Front
emerged, first under Winston Field and then under Ian
Smith. Abrahamson was one of only a handful progressives
to retain his seat and they became the opposition in parliament
- but they could do nothing to prevent Ian Smith’s
Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965.
With opposition effectively silenced, UDI for Abrahamson
heralded the end of a political career which had begun in
1953, at the age of 31.
Abrahamson then became more active in business, first in
Rhodesia and later in South Africa, where he developed a
major industry in optical manufacture. In South Africa - as
had been the case in Rhodesia - Abrahamson became
immersed in Jewish affairs and was elected chairman of the
SA Zionist Federation in 1991. He was a man who rose to the
top of every organisation in which he became involved,
either as president or chairman. His curriculum vitae reads
like a summary of Jewish institutions throughout southern
Africa.
Rabbi Yossi Chaikin of Oxford Shul, who had known
Abrahamson for 12 years, conducted the funeral service. He
told of how Abrahamson had compiled a book of photographs
of his family and forebears - again with the aid of
Clingman. The book was due to be published within days of
Abrahamson’s passing. In fact, Abrahamson, when he was
admitted to hospital, showed Rabbi Chaikin the draft. He
was determined to leave something “of worth” behind.
Rabbi Chaikin pointed out that Abrahamson was successful
in three areas: as a businessman, as a Jew and as a community
leader.
At the Abrahamson residence, after the funeral, Rabbi
Avraham Tanzer spoke of Abrahamson as “a man small in
stature, but a giant”. He also mentioned how much
Abrahamson loved people. He was always surrounded by
people.
Beyachad in Rouxville, Johannesburg, the hub of all
Jewish organisations in the city, has a reception/lecture
hall named after Abrahamson, thus ensuring he will never
be forgotten by the community he served with such loyalty
and dedication.
Abraham Eliezer Abrahamson was born in Bulawayo in
1922 to Leah and Morris, immigrants from Eastern Europe.
He went to the prestigious Milton School and furthered his
education at the University of Cape Town where he read
law. At the university he was on the committee of the Zionist
Youth Society and was head of the Students’ Jewish Society.
He was secretary of Cape Town NUSAS (National Union of
SA Students) and also president of the debating society.
When he finished his studies he joined the Rhodesian
army and after his army service went into his father’s business.
Out of uniform he became chairman of the Chovevei Zion
group. At the age of 35 he became president of the
Rhodesian Board of Deputies.
He went into politics in Rhodesia and when just 30 he was
elected to Parliament as an MP for the United Federal Party.
In business in Rhodesia he was president of the Bulawayo
Chamber of Industries as well as president of the
Federation of Rhodesian Industries, and after Federation he
was the chairman of the Federal Council for Industries.
As a Cabinet minister, between 1960 and 1962 he was in the
forefront of removing all discriminatory legislation from
the Statute Book. However, when the Rhodesian Front came
to power in the next election soon thereafter, what he had
instigated came to naught.
When Abrahamson and his wife, Anita, left for South
Africa in 1986, Dr Bernie Tatz, vice-president of the Central
African Jewish Board of Deputies spoke of the esteem in
which the couple were held. Abrahamson had been a member
of the Board for over 40 years, 17 of them as president.
In 1989 he was made honorary life member of the Central
African Zionist Organisation.
By 1986 in South Africa, he was a member of the SA
Zionist Federation executive. Three years later he was senior
vice-chairman and by 1991 he was chairman and in 1994,
president. In 1998 he was made an honorary life president.
Abrahamson was unmovable in his concern for the South
African Jewish community and its support for Israel.
In 1993, at the SA Board of Deputies’ conference, he said:
“There can be no dichotomy between a Jew and a Zionist.
We are one people with one destiny and Israel is central to
our lives.
“Our local institutions and our links to Israel - religious,
historic, cultural, social and national - all make up the whole
Jew and it is our joy and constant concern to ensure the continuation
of that totality.”
Abrahamson was a family man par excellence, spending
his life passionately committed to his wife, Anita, his three
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The late Solly Yellin, a prominent member of the South
African Jewish community, once said: “The Honourable
Abe Abrahamson is entitled to a seat at the Western Wall.”
This small man in stature, who would take on anyone in a
cause he believed in, will be sorely missed. He is mourned by
the Jewish community in South Africa and by the wider
Jewish community. We salute a great man.
Small in stature, but
with the heart of a lion
Community leader, businessman, politician and family patriarch - Abe
Abrahamson, former chairman of the SA Jewish Report, who passed away
last Saturday, had been all of these and more in his long and rich life.

Personal tributes to Hon Abe Abrahamson

Gill Marcus
Governor of the South African Reserve Bank:
“It is with a deep sense of loss that I learned of the passing
of Abe Abrahamson. I have had the privilege of interacting
with Abe over a number of years, particularly
through Jewish Achievers.
“His passion, commitment and service to the community
was a hallmark of the man who gave so generously of
his time and ideas. Abe will be sorely missed. I wish his
family long life in this difficult time.”


Rebbetzen Ann Harris
Widow of the late Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris:
“How sad I am for Abe’s family, but at the same time, how
proud they must feel with all the memories of such a special
husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
“All of us who knew Abe as a friend and colleague loved
and respected him and were privileged to be a part, in
some small way, of his monumental achievements in
South Africa and Zimbabwe, for the Zionist Federation,
for the Board of Deputies and for the Jewish Report,
indeed for our community as a whole.
“We are all the poorer for his passing.”
She added that ours is a community fortunately rich in
young leadership who are able to instil a lot of confidence,
and that Abe had the wisdom and dignity to step aside for
them.



Stan Kaplan
Chairman of the board of the SA Jewish Report:
“The most important characteristic of Abe Abrahamson
that stood out was his ability to care for the well-being of
everyone.
“My own relationship with him began as a colleague on
the Jewish Report’s board; it turned into a warm and very
great friendship. Abe did not discriminate - he was able to
overlook shortcomings.
“We all could learn what human behaviour should be
from a man like Abe. He was genuinely interested in other
people, not out of a sense of obligation. I feel privileged to
have had him as a friend and will miss him so much.”

Ilan Baruch
Former Israeli ambassador to South Africa:
“Abe was a man of high regard to all, of deep respect to
most, of personal friendship to many and invaluable individual
guidance to several. I owe Abe the success of my
assignment as Ambassador of Israel to South Africa.
“There is no argument over the fact that the relations
between our two countries are uniquely complex. It is not
a secret that pitfalls are many on the road the
Ambassador of our country in South Africa needs to take.
“I arrived in Pretoria on a Monday. Tuesday morning
Abe was at the embassy. Day one, I received from him the
inspiration I needed for the entire posting of three years.
“Abe was a dear and unique friend, my mentor and
guide on South African Jewish community affairs.
Zev Krengel
National chairman of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies:
“What a stalwart to our community Abe was. The work he
did to protect and grow us was invaluable and we are so
grateful that we were able to honour him during his lifetime
by naming our boardroom for him, which we did late
last year. Abe had amazing composure. He was truly a
man for the community.”

Avrom Krengel
Chairman of the SA Zionist Federation:
“Abe was an absolutely wonderful man and an utter gentleman,
an elder statesman and mentor to the whole community.
“I was 32 when I took over chairmanship of the Zionist
Federation and he was wonderful in the help and guidance
he gave me over the years.
“I always referred to him as the Jewish Renaissance
man - in all the key areas of life he excelled - in business,
politics and family, and the way in which he and Geoff
(Sifrin) built up the Jewish Report to be such a vital community
aspect to reflect who we are today, attests to this.”
Reeva Forman
Chairman of the Israel Now Tour and vice-chairman of the
SAZF, member of the SAJBD:
“It was such a great honour to work with a man of his
integrity. His commitment to the welfare of Jews, not only
in South Africa but further afield; to Zionism and Israel
was legendary.
“Abe was always able to see a clear moral path through
conflict. I can only compare his greatness to that of the
late Mendel Kaplan - men of this calibre give 100 per cent
to the community, 100 per cent to Israel and 100 per cent to
family.
“So often, power and the achievement of accolades can
go to a person’s head, but this was never the case with
Abe. He was a giant.”