Involved in Temple Israel almost from the beginning, Benny Stalson joined the synagogue in the early 40s, and played an active part in its growth and development.
As executive director of the United Progressive Jewish Congregation of Johannesburg, he was instrumental in starting the North Eastern Reform Congregation (which became Temple Shalom), Beth Am (which eventually amalgamated with Temple Emanuel), Temple Emanuel and many other synagogues around the country. But he has a special place in his heart for the Mother synagogue, Temple Israel - a love that is practically expressed by the fact that he is still a regular lay reader of this shul.
Benny remembers the vibrant, exciting times at Temple Israel. "The shul became so popular that we did not have space for everyone, so had to extend the services to the Skyline Hotel. We called them the 'overflow services' because Temple Israel had become so crowded, people were overflowing into the hallways. You see, it wasn't as big as it is today; we extended it. So we used the hotel and I took the children's services there."
Life changing decision
Benny was an avid sports fan and loved to play soccer. He played first league for the Boksburg Football Club and was soon approached to join a professional team overseas. However, a university education was a non-negotiable with his mother, and so he went to Wits to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree. After three years, he realised that his future did not lie in professional football, and Benny's focus turned to law. He registered for a post-graduate law degree, but this career was also not to be…It was the early 40s and Rabbi Weiler needed a Hebrew teacher for the school at Temple Israel. In those days, most Jews had studied Hebrew for matric, so he thought he'd approach the Jewish students at Wits to see if they wanted part-time work.
"There were only three of us in the whole of the Wits University Hebrew faculty," says Benny. "I was approached through letters sent out by Rabbi Weiler's secretary, Cissy (Cecilia) Gluckmann; her name was Freedenthal at the time. In fact, Cissy still attends Temple Israel on the odd occasion. She must be well into her 90s now...
"But I was an Orthodox Jew and had no time for this new Progressive Judaism. My mother however, changed my mind. She told me they were also Jews, and followed the Torah. She told me to 'go and see them'. Rabbi Weiler sold me on the idea, and I took the job teaching Hebrew. Later they put me in charge of the school," he says.
"But I had to give up my studies for my LLB. I'm sure I would've made a good lawyer, but I have no regrets. I am still very involved in and committed to Temple Israel. The shul is my passion."
Growth and development
According to the late Rabbi Weiler, Benny was a young member of the Boksburg Orthodox community and he had been influenced, along with so many South Africans, to believe that Progressive Judaism was wrong.But as Benny got more and more involved in the shul and the school, and discovered more about Progressive Judaism, he grew to love it. When he took over, the school had about 11 pupils. By the end of the year, there were more than 100 pupils, so more teachers had to be employed. Benny was soon involved in Temple Israel's management committee and the United Progressive Jewish Congregation (the body representing all the Gauteng synagogues at the time), and within a few years, became executive director.
Honorary leader
Rabbi Weiler served Temple Israel for almost 25 years. After he left, Temple Israel saw many Rabbis come and go. But Benny has been a constant in the life of the community. Asked why he never became a Rabbi, his confident if somewhat sadly reflective comment is: "They couldn't spare me at the time. We discussed it, and the opportunity was there for me to go to Leo Baeck College in London, but Rabbi Weiler needed me to run the school and manage the synagogue. I would've been gone for three years, and they would not have been able to cope without me."Benny has, to all intents and purposes, done much of the work of a Rabbi in the Progressive Jewish community. At one stage, for a period of about 15 years, Benny did not spend one single service during the High Holy Days at his own shul, because he travelled all over the country, taking services where there was no one else qualified to do so.
Temple Israel hasn't had a full-time Rabbi since December 1993 after Rabbi Michael Standfield left to join Temple Emanuel. Benny took over as lay reader and "acting Reverend", a role he has filled since then. At one time, he was even given the title of "Honorary Reverend". He leads services, gives sermons, and conducts all lifecycle events, including weddings (he is a marriage officer), funerals and tombstone unveilings. Sadly, Temple Israel's children and young adults are few, so lifecycle events such as Brit Milah, baby namings, B'nei Mitzvah and weddings have been rare over the last few years.
Benny Stalson addresses the Temple Israel congregation after the service honouring his 90th birthday in April 2007
Rabbis for Temple Israel and other synagogues
Benny got to know most of the Rabbis that came to South Africa, but spoke about a few that he remembered well from the early days."Rabbi Isaac Richards, who was an Orthodox Reverend and army Chaplain at the time, came to South Africa from Germany at the end of 1946 to join Temple Israel as assistant Rabbi," says Benny. "Rabbi Weiler flew to Germany to talk him into coming here."
Rabbi Richards worked with Rabbi Weiler for about four years before he took up a position in Port Elizabeth and then in Cape Town. He was later given the opportunity to attend Leo Baeck College in London, and after a year, was ordained as a Progressive Rabbi. On his return, he decided to go to Temple David in Durban and has been there ever since. After he retired, he was named Rabbi Emeritus.
"Isaac Richards and I used to do exercises together when we were youngsters, you know. Oh yes," Benny says, laughing.
"Then of course, we had Rabbi Super, who was an excellent man," he says. "I got Rabbi Super to join us. He was an Orthodox Rabbi who had decided to leave the Rabbinate and came to South Africa in 1960 to become the editor of the Zionist Record in Johannesburg. He had already been active in the then very small Progressive community in Israel.
"When we could not get Rabbis - it was soon after Rabbi Weiler left and we needed one badly - Weiler and I spoke about the situation and he told me to go and see a man named Super at the Zionist Record. I knew him very well because - as executive director - I dealt a lot with the newspaper and its journalists. After a number of interviews, I asked Super to come along and assist us," says Benny.
Rabbi Arthur Saul Super joined the South African Progressive movement in 1964, starting as Rabbi at Temple Emanuel. Not long after he arrived, he was appointed the Chief Rabbi of the United Progressive Jewish Congregation of Johannesburg with his headquarters at the Mother synagogue. He remained with the movement until his retirement in 1975, when he made aliyah.
Simchas
Benny recalls his desire to experience all his family simchas at Temple Israel."We were married there in 1956, even though May's family wanted us to get married in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare in Zimbabwe)," he says. "I was executive director of the Johannesburg movement, a teacher and lay reader at Temple Israel, and I really wanted to have my wedding ceremony in my shul, conducted by Rabbi Weiler. So they eventually agreed.
"Both my daughters, Lynn and Robyn, grew up and had their B'not Mitzvah at Temple Israel," says Benny. "They even went on to do their B'not Torah and B'not Emunah, something which seldom happens nowadays."
May Stalson - who has not only been a pillar of strength to Benny, but has also contributed to the school and the shul in her own right - currently still works as a part-time secretary.
"After we got married, I started helping out with the administration," she says. "Later, I got involved in teaching at the Religion School while continuing my administrative duties, and I've been there for 50 years now. In fact, we got married on July 26, so we're celebrating our Golden Wedding anniversary as well, this year."
Current situation
Benny is saddened by today's fragmented Progressive community. He believes that each congregation is focused entirely on its own well-being to the detriment of the whole community. Benny Stalson is one of a few people still around to remember Progressive Judaism and its beginnings, when every individual at all the synagogues throughout the country had a vested interest in the survival and growth of the community. Many of today's youngsters, he believes, don't even know the history of the movement, and how a thriving, buzzing community was developed.Because of emigration, assimilation and disinterest in religion, the Progressive community has largely been reduced. As we do not have enough Rabbis, the situation is most discouraging.
But Benny believes that with a concerted effort between the few Rabbis we do have, and the lay leaders who care about what happens to the movement, there is hope for the future.
A lifetime of service
Benny founded, managed and became the principal of several Hebrew schools in Johannesburg. He taught countless children their Bar and Bat Mitzvah portions, and kept Progressive Jewish education on track. He was one of the founders of the Alan Isaacs Camp in Margate; the Montagu Country Club in Morningside, on land bought by the Progressive movement; Camp Caplan in the Magaliesberg on land donated by Oscar Caplan; a youth movement called Temple Guild and later Maginim, which eventually became Netzer; and the Transvaal Inter-club Goodwill Association, which he hoped would encourage Jewish country clubs to co-operate in the staging of plays and oratory competitions.Few people can claim to have done as much for the South African Progressive movement for as long as Benny Stalson has. Except for his wife May - in her administrative capacity - Benny is the only surviving member of the very early days of the Mother synagogue, who is still actively involved in servicing its community, and keeping Temple Israel alive.
Kol Hakavod to you, Benny.
This article was published in the "Tribute to Temple Israel" anniversary brochure, which was published for the 70th anniversary of Temple Israel in July 2006.
