Bishops College chair resigns following antisemitic post

The chairperson of Cape Town’s prestigious Bishops Diocesan College Council has resigned following mounting pressure after his antisemitic Facebook post drew weeks-long, widespread condemnation.

The post was published on Crispin Sonn’s private Facebook page on 7 October 2024, the day world Jewry commemorated the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust. It included inflammatory remarks comparing Zionists to Adolf Hitler and accusing them of racism, prejudice, and dehumanisation.

His sudden stepping down last week comes after weeks of disquiet over his blatantly hurtful post and the resulting backlash.

Sonn who has chaired and sat on the boards of numerous institutions, said, “Over the past months, I have faced an escalation of actions by certain past pupils and parents, including personal attacks, and egregious defamatory remarks. This has not only misrepresented my character and intentions, but has created an intolerable and unworkable environment for me in the role of chairman.”

His post read, “This is the basis of racism. ‘They don’t love their children like we do. They don’t pray like we do. They don’t honour G-d like we do. They don’t honour life like we do.’ The dehumanisation of another race is the basis on which we make them less than us and allow us to justify our prejudice against them. Zionists are victim to this mentality. They don’t only present this prejudice towards Arabs and Palestinians, but against black people as well, because their belief is based on prejudice. In order to justify their actions, they must establish that those they oppress are not equal humans. Again, the same tactic Hitler used, the same tactic Verwoerd used, the same tactic any racist uses.”

Although Sonn quickly deleted the offensive post, its ramifications spread rapidly. His subsequent apology, described as “disingenuous” by critics, was rejected by many, including the Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape SAJBD) and members of the broader community, many of whom live overseas.

Addressing the controversy, Sonn expressed regret for the offence caused, but maintained that the message he intended to share was “misunderstood”.

The Bishops council accepted Sonn’s apology, issuing a statement in support of him, which many in the broader community saw as highly inappropriate given the gravity of the situation. While the council acknowledged the post as “deeply hurtful and offensive”, critics accused it of downplaying the antisemitism inherent in Sonn’s comments.

In a letter to Tony Reeler, the principal of the college, Daniel Bloch, the executive director of the Cape SAJBD, denounced the Facebook post and Sonn’s “insincere apology”.

The Board accused Sonn of deflecting blame onto readers and failing to acknowledge the offensive, discriminatory, and defamatory nature of his remarks.

“Furthermore, his comparison of Zionists to Adolf Hitler is highly offensive and outrageous and is a disrespect to the memory of six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis, under Hitler’s leadership,” Bloch said. “He accuses Zionists of being racists and of dehumanising other people, which is highly defamatory and an outright lie. How could we, the reader, have interpreted these comments differently?”

Bloch expressed alarm at the potential impact of Sonn’s statements in South Africa’s post-apartheid society. The accusation of prejudice against black people is particularly inflammatory and dangerous, he said, and could incite violence.

The Cape SAJBD noted that the incident highlighted growing concerns about the inability of some to differentiate between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, calling this a dangerous trend.

Milton Shain, emeritus professor of historical studies at the University of Cape Town, told the SA Jewish Report, “I see no room for misrepresentation in Mr Sonn’s words. They betray gross ignorance. Zionism is a Jewish national liberation movement, like many other ethno-national movements. Born in the late nineteenth century, it sought a return of Jews to their historic homeland. Driven by centuries of discrimination and persecution under Christian rule,  as well as oppression and marginalization in Muslim lands, Zionists sought to liberate the Jewish people and join the family of nations.  The movement’s success was crowned in 1947 when the United Nations voted in favour of the creation of a Jewish State and an Arab state. Mr Sonn has invented a set of ideas that are both repugnant and offensive. There may be good Zionists and bad Zionists, just as there may be good and bad Italians, but to see prejudice and hatred inherent in the Zionist idea is to reveal utter naivete and illiteracy. I can only imagine how disappointing it was for the Bishops community to realize they had such a poorly informed and bigoted individual sitting at the helm of a proud institution.”

Parents and alumni of Bishops expressed their shock and disappointment.

One person said, “Crispin wears the guise of a champion of liberal values and democracy, but it’s nothing more than a facade concealing his real character.”

In a letter to Reeler, long-time Bishops supporter Henry Barenblatt, whose family has a history of two generations at Bishops, condemned Sonn’s post and called for accountability, describing the event as “despicable”.

“There’s absolutely no doubt that his post is racist and was directed at the Jewish community at large, regardless where they live,” he said.

As far as being “misunderstood”, Barenblatt said, “Really! I could go into how many Zionists in South Africa were imprisoned and died for the black struggle, but that’s for Sonn to discover for himself.”

He criticised the council’s handling of the matter, questioning how it could possibly have accepted a lame excuse for blatant racism and prejudice against Jewish people.

Some have noted that the antisemitic post was merely the flashpoint for Sonn’s resignation, claiming it was the culmination of tensions surrounding his progressive policies.

The Cape SAJBD said it had extended an invitation to engage with Sonn and the Bishops council to address the matter and foster understanding.

“Perhaps had they been open to meeting with us, there would have been an alternative outcome. Nonetheless, the complaints against Mr Sonn from all over the world placed enough pressure on him to resign,” Bloch said.. “Our hope now is that the new chair will embody the values of Bishops and lead the institution professionally and ethically.”

He said the Board wouldn’t be taking any further action provided Sonn didn’t engage in further hate and hurtful speech.

When approached for comment, Sonn told the SA Jewish Report, “I don’t want to waste your time. There’s enough information in the public domain already. I have nothing to add.”

Reeler wouldn’t be drawn further on the matter, saying, “I have no further comment to make aside from the statements already made by council.”