Believing the narrative and knowing nothing

First it was the American podcast guy. We were in his studio in Ramat Gan outside Tel Aviv recording an interview, when he asked, “Is there a future for Jews in South Africa?” “No idea,” I replied. “Is there a future for Jews in New York?” His reaction told me that until recently, he could have confidently answered in the affirmative, now he wasn’t so sure.

Then there was the Australian guy. He turned to me in shul and said, “Welcome to Israel! Where are you from?” “South Africa,” I answered. “You still live there?” he enquired with a frown. “Why?”

Why indeed? News media in Israel hasn’t been kind to South Africa. Nor should it be. The African National Congress government with its International Court of Justice case; its embracing of Iran and Hamas; and its rejection of South African Jews has done little to inspire confidence. This follows a targeted focus by the United States president on the country.

“Why? Because South African Jews have as much right to live in the country as President Ramaphosa does. And if he doesn’t like us, then he should leave. We are there because we choose to be. As citizens.”

That wasn’t enough for my new friend. He had heard that there were parts of South Africa where one couldn’t safely walk around. “True!” I answered, “But then I’m not sure that I would walk around Jenin either.”

By now, it was clear that his knowledge of the country was skin deep, lacked nuance, and was gleaned from a few conversations that had confirmed his well-established view. I suspect that he discarded contradictory opinions along the way. More than that, I suspect that his experience with South Africans on his gap year in 1986 wasn’t a good one.

For the record, he is a smart guy. And I liked him. But because he chose to believe anything that validated his narrative, he also spoke a lot of “rubbish”. Again, something that I should have thought but not said out loud.

We live in the age of narrative news. Thirty minutes on X will prove that beyond question. As Jews and Zionists, we have seen this more than most. And where that should make us more aware, it somehow doesn’t seem to.

We might choose to believe that the Australian Jewish community is in peril because it justifies us staying in South Africa when many left. In the same way as we might believe that New York isn’t safe for Jews to “prove” that nowhere is.

What do we know? We know that no matter what magnificent communities we build outside Israel, we’re building on quicksand. We know that we can live full and wonderful lives, that we can contribute and thrive. We know, too, that there’s always a timeline. More importantly, following 7 October, we now know how little we know.