Mendel Kaplan Z"L

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Mendel Kaplan can only be described as an icon for South African Jewry, a truly remarkable person. He was gifted in so many ways and possessed qualities beyond that of most people. He had definite opinions on all matters, often controversial and even provocative, but always sincere and positive in a direction he believed in.

He was known throughout the Jewish world as a dynamic, forceful and innovative leader. A strong personality, with a powerful charisma he was able to ensure that his ideas and programmes were implemented and not merely talked about. His sharp brain and analytical ability meant that problems and issues were clearly focused, defined and directed.
The direction in which he steered things was clear and not hazy. This applied to whether he was dealing with community priorities, business decisions or family matters. His contribution to society spread across the whole spectrum of life. He was not only a philanthropist of note, but his philanthropy was directed so as to make a maximum impact on the recipients as well as the community affected. The impact often had the effect of producing historical or cultural ramifications. It is noteworthy that he was instrumental in the creation of the Jewish Museum and the Holocaust Center in Cape Town. The Kaplan Centre on the campus of the University of Cape Town is not only a suitable place for scholars to teach and have a home for research projects, but also created a cultural base for the Cape Jewish community. So too did archaeology benefit in Israel by his passion for history, and the creation of the Botanical Gardens in the shadow of the Hebrew University added to the beauty of Jerusalem. His rounded personality included a love for rugby which he played as a teenager and followed with great interest throughout his life. A warm family life was part of his philosophy and this was not neglected in the whirlpool of his international involvements.
 
In South Africa Mendel was a giant amongst the Jewish leadership and the community at large. Irrespective of whether he held an official elected position, no major decisions in the last 25 years were taken without first canvassing him for his opinion.
Mendel’s relationship with Telfed- The South African Zionist Federation (Israel) was one of mutual respect and concern – a warm and caring relationship.  Although Mendel never officially served on its committees, he maintained a very close contact often seeking Telfed’s help in solving problems of new olim or entering into collaboration for some of his research projects.  It was only natural that Mendel called upon Telfed to organize the launch of the book “The Jews in South Africa” in Israel.  He championed the causes of Telfed and was a major factor in securing financial support for its activities from official bodies.  One of Mendel’s partnerships with Telfed led to major innovations in regard to the absorption of olim from all over the world, but mainly from the Former Soviet Union.  In the 1980’s Telfed had been operating a Direct Absorption Programme for Southern African Olim and at the end of the decade, whilst he was Chairman of JAFI Board of Governors, Mendel, at Telfed’s suggestion, brought the Jewish Agency into this project which resulted in the first group of 18 Former Soviet Union families making aliya and thereafter a further 500 olim joined the project.  The government and the Jewish Agency then adopted Direct Absorption as the main vehicle for absorbing olim.
He will be sadly missed by South African Jewry both in South Africa and Israel. No doubt a void will also be felt in the corridors of leadership of international Jewish organizations, world wide.
We express our sincerest condolences to his widow, Jill, children Sharon, David, Romi and Oren, his brother Robert and their families.
 
Itz Kalmanowitz
 
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[source: Haaretz]
Mendel Kaplan, 1936-2009 / Jewish leader, philanthropist, family man
By Milton Shain
Tags: Israel news, Jewish World

Mendel Kaplan once told me that the key to success was focus. I witnessed it in all his efforts. Details concerned him greatly, but he never lost sight of the big picture. Indeed, he created the big picture.

Mendel, who passed away Thursday after suffering a stroke, initiated, led and funded numerous Jewish, Zionist and other projects in South Africa and throughout the Jewish world. He was honorary president of Keren Hayesod and a former chairman of the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors. I know little about Cape Gate, the family business Mendel's father Isaac founded 80 years ago. Tomorrow, we were meant to attend an anniversary gala celebrating eight decades. Instead we should celebrate Mendel's life.

There is much to celebrate in his 73 years: Cape Gate has been transformed from a modest business selling products like wrought iron and garden benches into a vast conglomerate producing its own steel; it became one of the largest privately owned companies in South Africa. The expansion was largely orchestrated by Mendel and his brother Robert.

Cape Gate is a family concern. Family was Mendel's passion. Contact was maintained across continents. Newsletters found their way to every relative. Mendel and his loving wife Jill loved reunions. Everyone's progress was followed and appreciated. Mendel encouraged their efforts.

Board meetings at the Isaac and Jessie Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies and Research at the University of Cape Town were always exciting. Mendel knew balance sheets were not my strongest suit. But he would leave that alone.

Projects, conferences and research interested him. There were no formalities. It was down to business. Mendel laughed at the stuffiness of university mores. With uncanny business acumen and total recall, he was able to juggle myriad activities and projects with mesmerizing precision. He cut to the quick.

Mendel's law degree from the University of Cape Town and his master's in business administration from Columbia University in New York no doubt stood him in great stead. But it was his creativity, vision and focus that set him apart. A working lunch on his lovely patio overlooking False Bay in Cape Town would always be interrupted by calls from abroad - the Jerusalem Zoo, an Israeli cabinet minister, or an old friend from school.

Mendel was always three steps ahead. He provided direction and ideas. But he also appreciated contestation. Exchanges were often tense but always underpinned by loyalty. Mendel teased me for many years about a rather strong letter a colleague and I wrote to him on the vexed question of representing Jews and apartheid in the South African Jewish Museum, which he established.

When Mendel set his mind to something, he was unstoppable. He had a passion for matters Jewish. A deeply spiritual man, he was always reading, learning and writing. His most recent book recorded his travels as a young man in East Africa. It was written for his grandchildren.

Mendel was immersed in South African and international Jewish affairs. His was a household name in the Jewish world. Although he moved in hallowed circles, Mendel always had time for lesser mortals. More than that, he cared for them. On one occasion he was hugely embarrassed when a suburban tabloid innocently published a list of donations following a request for funds to repair the Church roof in St. James, a seaside suburb where Mendel enjoyed his southern summers. Mendel's contribution dwarfed the others. I'm sure this was always the case.

But he preferred the Maimonidean way. The Kaplan Centre too has appreciated his generosity. I know the Centre meant much to him, although it was only one of many flourishing ventures he created in a life dedicated to the Jewish people, to Israel, to family and to the less fortunate.

Prof. Milton Shain is director of the Isaac and Jessie Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies and Research at the University of Cape Town. ________________________________________________________________
[Source : http://www.kh-uia.org.il ]
Honorary President
Keren Hayesod - UIA

Lawyer by training, industrialist by profession and a student of archaeology by a consuming passion to better understand the origins of the Jewish people and the environment, in which they were conceived, nurtured and developed.


1. ACADEMIC
• Matriculated Wynberg Boys’ High 1953
• B Com LLB : Cape Town University : 1957, 1958
• MBA : Columbia University : 1960
• “Doctor of Philosophy Honoris Causa”, recipient of Honorary Doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 19 June 1986.
• Hon. Doctorate – Yeshiva University – June 1992
• Hon. Doctorate – Ben Gurion University - 1993
• Hon. Doctorate - University of Cape Town - 1994
Books
From Shtetl to Steelmaking
From Steelmaking to Shtetl
Jewish Roots in the South African Economy
Founders and Followers
Dear Son
In Search of a Minyan
Seeking Tzedakah
Riteve
Riding the Wave
2. INDUSTRIAL
Controls a family business, Cape Gate - manufacturing steel, wire and wire products in Israel and abroad.

3. COMMUNAL
Keren Hayesod
Chairman of the World Board of Trustees – 1983 – 1987
Honorary President 1995 – present
World Jewish Congress
Chairman – present
Treasurer – 1981 – 1991
Jewish Agency
Chairman of the Board of Governors – 1987 – 1995
Jerusalem Foundation
Chairman 1995 - 1999
United Communal Fund of South Africa
National Chairman 1974 - 1978
Israel United Appeal, South Africa
National Chairman 1978 - 1987
South African Jewish Board of Deputies
Vice President
South African Board of Jewish Education
Vice-President

4. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Involved in a large number of social projects in South Africa and in Israel.  These include having provided over 2500 bursaries for tertiary education for children of employees in South Africa and a similar operation has commenced in Israel with the Ethiopian and Druze populations.

5. HONORARY
Honorary Fellow of the City of Jerusalem, (Ne'eman Yerushalayaim) – 1985

OTHER PROJECTS
The Old Yishuv Court Museum
The City of David Archaelogical Project
The Botanical Garden in Jerusalem
The Diaspora Museum in Tel Aviv


BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Kaplan was born in South Africa in 1936 to the late Jessie and Isaac Kaplan. He is married to Jill Lazar Kaplan and they have two daughters, two sons and grandchildren.  Since 1974 the Kaplan family share residences between Jerusalem and South Africa.