South African Jewish Leader Takes a New Post at Cleveland Federation

A man who is credited with raising the status of South African Jewish civil servants is leaving his position as director of the country’s main umbrella organization for a position in Cleveland.

Seymour Kopelowitz, national director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, will be based in the Cleveland Jewish federation and work in Jewish education.

“This is a major professional advancement for me personally to further my career in one of the foremost Jewish communities in North America,” he said.

Before moving to Johannesburg, Kopelowitz was the principal of Herzlia-Weizmann Primary School in Cape Town for 10 years. He also taught at the former Carmel College in Durban.

“We are delighted to learn of his stature in the Jewish communal world,” said Stephen Hoffman, executive vice president of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland.

“We are even more thrilled that we were able to convince him to come to Cleveland.”

Marlene Bethlehem, national chairwoman of the Board of Deputies, said she accepted Kopelowitz’s resignation with regret.

“He has been personally responsible for elevating the South African Jewish Board of Deputies to the current high level of influence it now enjoys. He has been a loyal, extremely hard-working and dedicated professional.”

(JTA Intern Nehama Miller contributed to this report.)

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