Expats watch SA unrest with heartache and horror

“Last week’s events ripped the plaster off of a big wound. They forced me to re-examine my life in South Africa – things I miss and don’t miss, my reasons for leaving, and my experiences there,” says Dan Brotman, who lived in South Africa for 10 years before leaving for Canada late last year. He is one of many expatriates who have been heartbroken watching the recent civil unrest from afar.

Many Jewish South Africans living abroad say that while we might imagine they feel glad to be far away, in reality, it’s often the opposite – their connection to the country feels even stronger at these times.

“The last week drew me closer to other South African expats,” says Brotman. “I found myself getting together with a lot of South Africans, discussing events and how painful it was to watch this happen. I don’t know of expats saying, ‘Thank G-d I got out.’ Our hearts are breaking from afar. Even if we don’t live there right now, we still feel connected to the country.”

It’s a sentiment many other expats share, describing how they couldn’t sleep for days as they watched the rioting and looting on their screens. “Even though I live in Israel, I’m still deeply invested in South Africa,” says Guy Lieberman. “My work and projects are there. I own a home in Joburg. I’m committed to, pray for, and rely on the success of the South African economy. Beyond that, South Africa is my first home country – it’s where I grew up. It’s who I am. My family and friends are there – the brilliant, talented individuals that make up our community.

“I felt ill seeing the looting unfolding. Last Shabbat, not knowing what was happening and being so far away, was gut-wrenching,” he says. “I had friends who were affected, a relative who was stuck on the N3 who witnessed the fires, and a friend whose Durban warehouse was ransacked and their fleet set alight.”

For those who grew up in Durban and now live overseas, it has been especially hard to watch. “I felt heartbroken. I’m still very connected to Durban,” says Tanya Hirsch, who lives in the United States. “I was 18 when I left Durban, and it’s still very much part of my soul. I was scared and couldn’t sleep for days, afraid for what the community must be feeling, and with lots of memories. Other expats who are here who still have close family in Durban are fearful for the future and feel helpless at being so far away.”

Jenna Lewinsky, who lives in Israel, says, “I felt really saddened as I lived in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) for 28 years and understand that many innocent and law-abiding citizens are now left not only to defend their own homes, but have no food security.”

She even emailed Prince Thulani Zulu from the royal Zulu household. “He emailed me back that he was in urgent need of food parcels for people in rural areas. I jumped into action to get quotations for truck haulage from Johannesburg to Ulundi, and got a price for a four-ton truck with two-ton trailer. I looked online at what groceries cost, and estimated about $5 000 [R72 900] needed to be raised to send a truck with food parcels down. An American friend and I made many calls, but so far have got no donations for the cause. COVID-19 has reduced small and medium businesses to ashes globally, and it’s hard to mobilise support.”

Her mother still lives in KZN, “and she couldn’t even fill her tank with petrol or buy enough groceries. I have, of course, helped her. And I got a group of people to daven for the safety, well-being, and rebuilding of the Jewish community and also for favour for those that need to move to Israel. But I’m not happy until prayers are matched with action, and even though I’m just one person, I’m trying my best to drum up whatever support I can.”

Michael Foreman, who now lives in London, says, “I’ve always remained connected – my parents stayed in Durban. My mom passed away last year and my dad now lives in [the Jewish aged home] Beth Shalom. It was terrifying for the residents to receive videos of unrest so close to where they were living, and the staff that care for them not being able to come to work. The shopping centre where my mom used to do her shopping was less than a kilometre away, and it was badly looted.

“A group of us who were at school together would get together often [before COVID-19] and are very close. At one of those meetings, my good friend Jeremy Droyman [who still lives in Durban] appealed to us to remember the ageing community there. I got the idea of building a global virtual community, and set up a website and Facebook page titled, It’s Durban Calling.”

The Facebook page is a dynamic and growing group with Jewish Durban expats from all over the world. So when events transpired last week, it was perfectly positioned to lead relief efforts for the Durban Jewish community. “Not being able to do much from overseas was scary. So we decided to do an emergency appeal. Jeremy said he was planning to airlift supplies, and we organised a fundraiser for it. We already had an international PayPal account and a charitable trust set up, so we were able to launch the appeal very quickly.” They managed to raise R70 000 in 24 hours, and that amount is growing [R105 000 raised as of Tuesday morning 20 July]. “Every bit helps, and it allows the community abroad to do something.”

Meanwhile, expats who hail from other cities in South Africa have also been deeply affected. Elan Burman, now in the United States, says, “I still feel a very close connection, both because so many family and friends are still there, and because of how inalienable South Africa is from my personal identity. I wish I could have been part of the crowd cleaning up and helping.”

He called on his American friends to make donations to organisations like Afrika Tikkun, and to purchase South African food and wine to support the South African economy. “Now, more than ever, my soul is in South Africa, hoping for a brighter tomorrow,” he says.

Sianne Menashe, who lives in the United Kingdom, says, “My dad and sister [and her family] plus in-laws and friends are all still in South Africa. The videos and images were devastating! I had a lot of hope seeing [former president Jacob] Zuma going to jail. [After the riots], my main emotion was sadness. I have a lot of friends that live in townships, and it’s been heart breaking to hear what’s going on. They’ve all been really scared – gunshots through the night. And now they’re the ones suffering the most.”

She’s upset about the notion of “smug expats”. “A lot of us were offended [by this] because we’ve been doing everything we can [financially] to help people there especially during COVID-19,” she says. “I love South Africa and I want her to flourish. South Africans living out of South Africa still strongly identify as South Africans.”

Liora Benater in Australia says, “South Africa will always have a piece of my heart. Last week’s events made me incredibly sad and overwhelmed, seeing so much destruction, businesses being lost, and the vaccine rollout being halted. Most of the events weren’t publicised on Australian news, which was alarming, and I had to source videos and information myself.

“I checked in with my brother almost every day to make sure he and his family were safe, and my husband did the same with his family. Family members reported hearing gunshots from their home in Johannesburg. A number of Facebook friends posted things like South Africans living abroad shouldn’t comment or judge, which made me angry. We decided to leave South Africa, but this doesn’t mean we don’t care anymore.”

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