David Sherman

Rabbi Dr David Sherman (13 September 1909 – 12 May 2002) was a South African and American rabbi. He was the first spiritual leader of a Reform congregation in Cape Town, where he led Temple Israel in Green Point.

Early life and career He was born in Boston, Massachusetts to parents, Abraham Moshe Shereshevsky (1857–1927) and Shifra Shereshevsky (née Libovsky). His father was an Orthodox rabbi. Both were leaders of the 'Hebrew-speakers Club' at the college. His first rabbinical post was in Cleveland, Ohio as assistant to Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, a key figure in the mobilization of American support for the founding of the State of Israel. Chaim Weizmann, future President of Israel, was impressed by Sherman and hired him as Director of Community relations for an American Jewish Conference, which aimed to promote greater Jewish unity and organizational effectiveness for the expanding and pluralistic American Jewish community.

In 1943 he emigrated to South Africa where he was the first Reform rabbi in Cape Town at his congregation, Temple Israel in Green Point. In 1947 he married Bertha Cohen at Temple Israel and the wedding was officiated by Weiler.

In the 1940s and 1950s there was a cultural split between reform Jewry in Johannesburg and its counterpart in Cape Town, with the leadership in Green Point rejecting a proposal for the creation of the position of Chief Minister under which all Progressive congregations would fall. The appointee would have been Weiler, who was based in Johannesburg at Temple Israel in Hillbrow. Cape Town wanted a looser federation where each city made its own decisions and pushed back against the notion of a Chief Minister, arguing that it was against the democratic principles of Reform Judaism. Rabbi Rabinowitz, who led the Marais Road Shul was sympathetic to Abrahams.

Sherman took a discreet yet courageous stand on issues of human rights, he opposed apartheid and spoke at protest meetings. During his tenure, Major Hall at Temple Israel had a dual function as a centre for African culture, literacy and poverty alleviation projects. In May 1995, a gala dinner was organised in Sherman's honour, marking 48 years of service to the Jewish community. Weiler, who had made aliyah in 1958, also attended the dinner. Sherman died at age 92 in Cape Town in 2002.