Famous activist for Gauteng conference

Preparations are in place for the Gauteng council conference on 10 November, and we’re boosted by the news that Deborah Lipstadt, the United States special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism, has agreed to be keynote speaker.

For those in the fields of combating antisemitism and Holocaust commemoration and research, Lipstadt has long been an inspirational figure. The extraordinary story of how Nazi apologist David Irving was unmasked as the bigot and fraud he was when he unsuccessfully sued her for libel became one of the defining moments in the fight against Holocaust denialism, one of the vilest forms that antisemitism has taken in the modern age. If you haven’t yet seen Denial, an acclaimed film closely based on Lipstadt’s book about the trial, I encourage you to do so.

Ambassador Lipstadt was among the diplomats, legislators, civil society leaders, and others who participated in last week’s Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism in Washington DC. South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) National Director Wendy Kahn also attended, joining colleagues from the World Jewish Congress and Anti-Defamation League, with whom she has often worked in this area over many years.

A noteworthy aspect of the summit was that it included representatives of some of the leading social media companies. One of the darker sides of social media is how it’s too often used as a vehicle for propagating hate and misinformation, and it’s ultimately the responsibility of the entities that control those platforms to implement practical measures that will at least place reasonable limitations on this kind of abuse.

With the approach of the yom tov season, the Board has been hard at work in resolving the many instances of exams set on one or other of the upcoming holidays that have been brought to its attention. This is one of the perennial issues that the SAJBD is required to deal with, but thankfully, working closely with the relevant universities, we have been able to address such problems satisfactorily over the years. For us to do so, however, it’s incumbent on those students affected by scheduling clashes to inform us as timeously as possible. I urge anyone in this situation who hasn’t yet informed the Board to do so without delay on sajbd@sajbd.org.

That said, I wish you all shana tova. May the forthcoming year be one of good health, happiness, and peace for ourselves, our country, and our Jewish communities in Israel and throughout the world.

• Listen to Charisse Zeifert on Jewish Board Talk, 101.9 ChaiFM, every Friday, from 12:00 to 13:00.