Letters/Discussion Forums
‘But is our Jewish voice loud enough to be heard?’
Geoff Sifrin writing in his Taking Issue column last week, disagreed with placing THAT advert in the Sunday Times. He makes much sense, as do the reasons he presents.
Allan Wolman
The fact that our government is cosying up to a terrorist organisation is so much more of a problem for the ruling party than the Jewish community. While we are not comfortable with such a visit, there is very little we can do, other than protest – but is our Jewish voice loud enough to be heard? Hardly!
Sifrin is so right when he writes that not that many people are really interested in the Middle East conflict other than those of the Muslim and Jewish communities and therefore that advert will only feed more oxygen to and garner sympathy for Hamas.
But looking at the bigger geopolitical picture and specifically in the African context, this visit has done far more harm to South Africa’s standing than upsetting the Jewish community. South Africa’s aspiration of leading Africa along its Renaissance journey has been dealt a severe blow by the Hamas visit.
Who are the big players in Africa wanting to assume leadership? Nigeria, Egypt and the East Africa bloc. They all have their radical Islamic problems from Boko Haram to El Shabaab as well as Hamas and ISIL in Egypt, and all doing their best to combat this growing scourge.
So, what has South Africa gained from the Hamas visit? At the very least it has created suspicion from the other power brokers on the continent that this government cannot be trusted to combat the growing threat of radicalism, given such a warm embrace by our leaders for one of these organisations.
Rosebank, Johannesburg
David Abel
November 12, 2015 at 3:34 pm
‘Hamas’ presence in SA is the Jewish community’s worst nightmare, for obvious reasons. Therefor it is prudent to recall Menachem Begin’s exhortation:
\”Jewish dignity and honour must be protected in all circumstances. The seeds of Jewish destruction lie in passively enabling the enemy to humiliate us.
\”When a Jew anywhere in the world is threatened or under attack, do all in your power to come to his aid. Never pause to wonder what the world will think or say. The world will never pity slaughtered Jews. The world may not necessarily like the fighting Jew, but the world will have to take account of him\”.
I believe it was that ethos – the ethos of the \”new unapologetic Jew\”, as envisaged by Jabotinsky and today personified by Israelis living within the Jewish homeland – that drove those who placed the advert in the Sunday Times when the ANC \”crossed a red line\” totally unacceptable to SA Zionists.
The way the SAZF handled the situation made us proud; Kol Hakavod! The power of the SA Jewish voice should not be underestimated.
‘
nat cheiman
November 14, 2015 at 6:53 am
‘Extremism is a problem for all in this country. However, as a result of the Paris killings, the Jewish community has to be vigilant because the intention of radical islam is to mainly kill Jews.
Government doesn’t look at it that way nor do they care about the irrationality of their actions. Look at the al Bashir saga. Hamas has gained a foothold here in SA’