Alyth Synagogue in Temple Fortune and Temple Israel in Cape Town held a joint memorial service for Nelson Mandela on Sunday. A live video link meant that the readers from Alyth and Temple Israel led the service together. Rabbi Greg Alexander in Cape Town and Rabbi Mark Goldsmith each gave a d’var Torah reflecting on Mr Mandela’s life. The evening ended with South African sweets and cakes shared by the over 100 people attending the London service.

Rabbi Goldsmith said: “It was deeply moving to pray together. The highlight for me was Temple Israel’s Busiswa Smith singing a song from the anti-apartheid struggle in Xhosa.”
Both Alyth and Temple Israel are Reform shuls with 3,000 members. Around 10 per cent of Alyth members are of South African origin.