A lot to be positive about in 2025

As this is the last Above Board for 2024, I thought it correct to use this opportunity for a retrospective on what has been an extremely eventful and emotional year.

This year, the Jewish community took to the streets on several occasions. It protested against Cricket South Africa’s unjust removal of David Teeger as the Under-19 captain; against International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) Minister Ronald Lamola’s dismissal of the rise in antisemitism in South Africa; the government’s failure to condemn the heinous sexual violence and rape committed by Hamas on 7 October; and former Dirco Minister Dr Naledi Pandor’s, troubling calls for intensified campus activism such as that witnessed in Europe and America.

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies played a vital role in this year’s watershed general elections, spearheading initiatives such as the interfaith observer mission; the #MakeUsCount campaign; and organising highly attended election debates in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

It has been a year in which there were so many attempts to demonise Israel and the Jewish community, including through a number of inflammatory statements emanating from universities, public institutions, and countless media outlets. The Board stood resolute, issuing counterstatements, disproving false claims, and, where necessary, taking legal action to ensure press codes were upheld.

Though it remains true that South Africa has among the lowest instances of antisemitism in the world and its university campuses are among the safest, 2024 witnessed the third highest number of antisemitic incidents on record. A particularly worrying episode occurred last Friday, 6 December, in Cape Town, when a suspicious object was thrown over the wall into the Jewish Community Centre in Gardens. Police and the Community Security Organisation are investigating the object and its source. This is being taken extremely seriously by the highest levels of the South African security cluster including an investigation by the Hawks. We thank Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis for his condemnation of the incident and support of Cape Jewry. We have written to the president, criticising his silence on this incident.

This year, the Board also held some momentous events. Our Freedom Seder, which took place merely months after 7 October, attracted such an overwhelming attendance that it had to be moved to a bigger venue. Yom Hashoah this year had a record number of school student participants, including from a number of non-Jewish schools. The 7 October Square was a demonstration of communal unity and strength, and was a site of much needed grieving and healing. Finally, just last month, we held our 120-year anniversary gala dinner, which paid homage to so many Jewish South Africans who have made iconic and impactful contributions to South Africa. A similar 120th celebration was held in Cape Town. Each of these diverse events underscored a central theme: the resilience, pride, and vibrancy of South African Jewry.

As we approach 2025, it’s clear that there’s so much to be positive about. Our youth are strong, our campuses are safe, and Jewish life in this country remains ever vibrant. It’s also wonderful to have a new government, which, despite challenges, has held and remains full of promise. I can assure you that we’ll continue to hold the government accountable and to challenge the policies that are detrimental to us both as South Africans and Jews. As our president, Zev Krengel, put it, “To be a proud South African means to love this country, to work for this country, and to make this country better for all. That, for sure, isn’t going to be determined by the African National Congress government or any other government. It will be determined by us as South African Jewry.”