Fighting hatred with song and an emotive tribute

The sight of Jews gathering in song while a large crowd of aggressive anti-Israel activists swore at them, tore down their posters, and threatened them is one that will forever be etched in the memories of those who gathered at the specially designed October 7 Square in the forest of Great Park Synagogue on the afternoon of Sunday, 6 October.

While members of the crowd initially felt fearful about the onslaught, a young 19-year-old Habonim leader, Greg Landau, calmed them and got them singing in response. The louder and more aggressive the protesters shouted, the more beautiful the singing.

“They won’t even let us mourn in peace,” said Gavin Rome, a local advocate, who was there with his family to bear witness to the events of 7 October and the ongoing war with Hamas.

“Various community organisations united to put together a powerful memorial space – October 7 Square – in which we could express the day’s meaning and impact,” said Karen Milner, the national chairperson of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies (SAJBD). “The exhibition was open to the public from 12:00 to 19:00, and concluded with a vigil from the Habonim youth movement. The Square was well-attended and appreciated by the community.”

The tall trees decorated with yellow ribbons offset the horror of the exhibits set up in their shade. The exhibition, put together by the SAJBD in collaboration with local schools, community members, and organisations, presented a tapestry of stories depicting the atrocities of 7 October 2023.

It was modelled on Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, where “people come, they bring exhibits and displays to honour those who lost their lives or suffered through the ordeal and to give a voice to the hostages still being held captive,” said Wendy Kahn, SAJBD national director.

However, though the community and many others from all backgrounds and interests came to pay homage to what happened on 7 October 2023, what emerged later as a blip on the radar of the event had an impact on those there at the time.

People inside the “square” were confronted by passersby in cars hooting aggressively and waving Palestinian flags. The Community Security Organisation (CSO) was aware that an anti-Israel protest was happening on Glenhove Road at 17:00, and a large crowd was gathering on the bridge not far from the event.

Stephen Goldberg, the vice-chairperson of CSO in Gauteng told the SA Jewish Report, “They had the usual paraphernalia of Palestinian flags, there were a few Hezbollah flags among them, and keffiyehs. They started by protesting on the bridge, singing, ‘From the river to the sea’ and ‘Free Palestine’ and all the usual slogans they use. They were abusive and aggressive.”

As the protesters travelled along Glenhove Road, coming closer to the entrance of Great Park Forest, the crowd got louder and more abusive. The protesters then stood outside the fence screaming, chanting, and hurling abuse and threats.

“Quite a few of them were shouting at our people, saying, ‘We want to fuck you up,’ and ‘We want to kill you,’” said Goldberg.

A community member who asked to remain anonymous told the SA Jewish Report that while walking around the Square, the noise of the protesters took over from the crowd at the exhibits.

“Listening and seeing the horrifying stories of what happened that day hit me in the gut,” he says, “but it was overlaid by the fact that two metres away there was a crowd of protesters screaming and shouting. All I could hear was protesters saying, ‘We don’t want your kind here!’”

The protesters vandalised banners reading, “Oct 7, unleashing Jew Hate”, and “Bring Our Children Home” with images of the Bibas children who are still being held hostage by Hamas a year after being abducted. First, they spray painted the banners, then proceeded to tear them down. They also vandalised the bollards and fence between the shul and the road, painting swastikas on the posters and fence.

The CSO decided it wouldn’t allow the protesters to pass a certain point to avoid escalation into violence.

It was then that Landau encouraged all those in attendance to stand together and sing the songs Acheinu, Hatikvah, and Am Yisrael Chai.

“There were Palestinian protesters on Glenhove Road standing there shouting, chanting, and flying their flags, trying to intimidate the community inside the exhibition,” Landau told the SA Jewish Report. “Suddenly, we realised that we weren’t going to stand there and watch. We would join in and sing, we would shout, and we would chant and be proud. We would be proud to be Jewish, and proud to be there. We weren’t going to let our tragedy, 7 October, be drowned by hatred and people trying to silence us.”

Ronit Sarakinsky, a mom of three boys who was wearing an Israeli flag around her neck and yellow-ribbon earrings said, “We all formed a little circle, put our arms around each other, and sang.

“I went from feeling angry, vulnerable, threatened to one of the proudest moments I felt as a Jew. We were dancing and singing. The louder they got, the louder we got,” said Sarakinsky. “I broke the line and formed a circle. My back was facing them. So instead of us facing them, it was us, the Jews, facing each other in our circle.”

One community member said he felt like this was the best response to the situation – “connecting as a community, singing and playing together, and creating a level of unity and harmony”.

Hannah Duchen, a 17-year-old student at King David Linksfield, said that even though she was fearful of the protesters, the fear was replaced by pride to be part of something so beautiful. “I cried to myself,” she said, “asking why we had to be confronted by such hate when we were just trying to come together as a community to honour those we have lost. Coming together like this made me happy because I saw that at the end of the day, the world is hateful, but we can make something beautiful together to spite the haters.”

For one anonymous community member, the effects of the protest and the community’s response added to the poignancy of the exhibition as a whole, as many came face to face that day with the hatred that plagues Israel.

Similarly, Daniel Rome, a 22-year-old economics student who is on the va’ad poel (steering committee) for Habonim said, “It was appalling but unsurprising to come into contact with those protesters protesting our vigil. It was nothing short of an antisemitic attack that tried to make us feel afraid.”

After the protesters left, Habonim madrichim continued their vigil. “It left everyone feeling unified, and was a special closure of the day with our vigil with a yellow ribbon acting as a ketovet [statement] for the community to see,” said Rome.

The following day, people streamed in to pay their respects. With so many people wanting to see the exhibition, the SAJBD kept it open for a third day.