Nahum Prince, head coach of the recently crowned Western Province Kay Motsepe Schools champion, Herzlia High, admitted that they are currently facing a moral dilemma.
Prince informed No Bones with Jones that the Jewish school, situated in Vredehoek, are contesting with the powers that be to request for a possible change of date for the provincial final as it clashes with their Holy day of Shabbat, which happens to fall on the same day as the showpiece on 22 September 2023 in Saldanha Bay.
Herzlia, debutants in the under 14 section, were the surprise package when they lifted the trophy against all odds last week at Elsbury Park in Matroosfontein to progress to provincial finals next week on the West Coast.
“At this moment we are currently undergoing a contest for the actual dates of the tournament, because Herzlia is a Jewish School and on Saturday we have a Shabbat which means we have to rest, and we cannot do anything on that day as it is our religious day.
“So, a lot of my boys and their parents have been going back and forth on this matter. From me as a coach, I just said that as a school we have to deal with this. So, in the Western Cape Department we have been battling now to have our religious day, which is the Saturday. We cannot play any games on that Saturday.
“Other than that, I have just been telling my boys to ignore any of the admin of the tournament and only to focus on themselves. That is what I am trying to push on the field,” Prince pointed out.
Shabbat is a weekly day of rest, observed from sundown on a Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, the General Secretary for school sport in Cape Town, Ian Pakoe, indcated that out of respect for the Jewish faith he roped in Justin Asher who serves on the Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies.
“I got him on board so that we could take all the necessary precautions as we didn’t want to insult Herzlia. We work with all clubs and schools as a region and try to accommodate them where we can. We are doing everything in our power to sanitise this matter and it is now in the hands of the province,” Pakoe added.
Asher, a former pupil at this school and a local soccer administrator, explained that Herzlia has engaged the Western Cape Education Department on the matter in search of common ground and alternative solutions.
One must also bear in mind that all the nine provinces have already made provision for the final matches to be played that Saturday and to halt proceedings at the 11th hour will surely be a logistical nightmare.
“It was proposed that we move the game to the Sunday…The challenge you face on a Friday is that it is mosque and the Sunday it is church,” Asher added.
“The Saturday it is shul (Jewish church or temple) right, and that is the big thing. One of the things of Judaism is that you are prohibited from working or playing soccer over the Saturday and that is the challenge that Herzlia faces. It is not just a case of we just want to go to shul and that’s why or need to go to mosque or church…It is not like that.
“I think they (Herzlia) have also accepted that and again I speak from my understanding of the situation. It will be a real pity if they cannot partake in the finals.
“It will be very unfortunate for the players and the coach and everybody else, but they also understand with respect they entered this thing and maybe part of the conversation will be: ‘Allright guys let’s look forward, let’s look to next year and let’s make sure that these things, not just the Shabbat, but this weekend is Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year.
“The Yom Kippur fast starts next Sunday. The following weekend is the start of the festival of Sukkot and the weekend after that is the festival of Simchat Torah. So, there are lots of festivals this month,” Asher explained.
Asher also had high praise for the “sensitive manner” in which Safa Cape Town handled the situation.
“I must highlight that I was rather impressed with the way Safa CT has engaged with Herzlia and it opens up a great dialogue if not a solution for right now, then at least a discussion for the future. It is very important to acknowledge this,” Asher explained.
The WC school secretary, Lionel Davids, told No Bones with Jones that protocol dictates that he is not authorised to speak to the media.
“What I can say is that we are starting at 11:00 next week Saturday with our first match,” Davids confirmed. “Anything else you should get in contact with the sponsors and stakeholders and that is The Motsepe Foundation and Sanlam,” Davids added.
