Jewish voices being stifled in SA

Over the past week our community has witnessed a number of events that have shown a level of hostility to Jewish voices that differ from the mainstream narrative.

Firstly, following the pager and walkie-talkie bombings on Hezbollah, fellow SA Jewish Report columnist Howard Feldman shared a tweet that was interpreted by News24 as endorsing violence, leading to the termination of his column. While we respect the right of independent media outlets to decide their staffing policies, we find this decision both harsh and hypocritical in its application of a double standard.

News24 previously published an opinion piece by Ronnie Kasrils justifying the indiscriminate killing of civilians during the 7 October attack. The piece glorified violence, the indiscretion Feldman was accused of. This inconsistency is alarming and reveals a troubling double standard. Such actions, by a major media platform, point to a growing intolerance towards Jewish voices, particularly in relation to the Middle East.

The narrowing space for discourse was further underscored when pressure applied by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign led to Constitution Hill cancelling its hosting of a conference titled “Narrative Conditions Towards Peace in the Middle East”, organised by the New South Institute.

The event was intended to foster dialogue, bringing together diverse perspectives for a critical examination of the Middle East narrative in academic spaces. While we may have deep disagreements with and, frankly, concern regarding some of the viewpoints represented at the conference, the decision by Constitution Hill to capitulate to BDS’s bullying tactics is deeply problematic and reflects a disturbing trend where debate and free expression are censored to appease anti-Zionist agendas.

Further compounding this hostile climate, City Press editor Mondli Makhanya published an article titled “SA’s Jews must draw a red line”. Its central thesis was that the Jewish population was once a producer of many anti-apartheid fighters, yet our community has become “unremitting” in its support for Israel, which Makhanya labels a “genocidal regime”. He then called on the South African Jewish community to sever its support for Israel, referencing the recent attack on Hezbollah.

Makhanya’s article is incorrect on two major grounds. Firstly, it’s hypocritical in its call for only the Jewish community to distance itself from the actions of an external player. Certainly, the Muslim Judicial Council would never be asked to distance itself from Bangladesh over the Islamic country’s persecution of Hindus, or to renounce Hezbollah, which, only two months ago, indiscriminately bombed a soccer field, killing 12 Israeli children.

Secondly, the article grossly misrepresents Hezbollah, portraying it as a benign actor when, in fact, it is a terrorist organisation responsible for countless rocket attacks on civilians and with a history of violent terrorism internationally.

Calling out a single population group and demanding that it changes its political or conscientious standpoint is blatantly bigoted. It’s akin to saying that only Jews whom the writer deems palatable are acceptable in South Africa, and, in this Heritage Month, deeply endangers the fabric of our multiracial society.

As this will be my last column before Rosh Hashanah, I wish all readers, and the community as a whole, a Chag Sameach and a Gmar Chatima Tova. I hope that the new year will bring peace, and the safe return of our hostages.

• Listen to Charisse Zeifert on Jewish Board Talk, 101.9 ChaiFM, every Friday from 12:00 to 13:00.