Jewish Report users in fine voice as usual

While Jewish Report online can have over 12,000 visitors on a busy day, it can also have as many as 300 comments posted. Some of these comments are friendly greetings and points of agreement – but all too often they descend into chirp-fests – where users with different points of view enjoy a good argy-bargy on an issue or utterance.

Jewish Report moderates all comments, thankfully, or many of our users, staff and management would be behind bars for racism, hate speech and many other legal infractions in SA. We also moderate for decency and we do so impartially. All users are treated equally, rich or poor, VIPs or not, Jewish, Christian and Muslim, the rules are the same for all. See our published comment guidelines.

Certain topics really get users going. Gay issues, Progressive/Orthodox issues, issues around Zionism and the like. Here are the current hotspots:

The top current chirp-fest, by far and predictably, is on the story: 6 marchers stabbed at Jerusalem gay pride – a story is about six marchers who were stabbed at Jerusalem’s annual gay pride parade — allegedly by the same man who had stabbed three people at the parade ten years ago – in 2005. Check out the arguments, and feel free to join the conversation – either under your own name or a nom de plume.

A story on pets that has been reduced by users to one of snakes and rats, A biblical injunction to take care of pets, certainly surprised us by how well it was read and is being chirped about. Sue Belling’s story ran as our online Featured Item on Religion last week. “The Internet and newspaper classified sections are chock-a-block with advertisements urging people to adopt pets – especially dogs and cats – but there are also horses, ducks, rabbits, budgies, monkeys, even Bearded Dragons and snakes,” wrote Suzanne. Read her piece and what our users have had to say. In this very interesting piece, Suzanne also goes into what SA law sees as “acceptable” pets. Tortoises, for example, aren’t.

Last week we reported: 4 young Jews chosen among SA’s finest in the M&G’s prestigious annual list of 200 outstanding young South Africans. “Not too shabby a showing at two percent – while SA Jewry represents just 0.0016 percent of the overall SA citizenry,” we wrote. See who the four awardees were and what users had to say.

Four participants in the recent “Young South African Leaders” visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, shared their experiences and insights with Gauteng Jewish leaders and community members at a report-back evening which DAVID SAKS reported on in BDS miscalculates Young SA Leaders’ open minds.

Klaas Mokgomole, one of two of the so-called “Wits-11” censured for forcing the cancellation of an Israeli-born pianist Yosi Reshef’s concert last year, asks What is BDS hiding? in a very well-read op-ed. Indeed. Users enjoyed weighing in on that one too.

CT’s Philip Krawitz honoured by Keren-Hayesod has become our most-read story of the year with many BDS supporters among the readers and commentators. Known as the “Cape Town Jewish community’s unofficial mayor,” Philip received the prestigious Yakir award from Keren Hayesod-United Israel Appeal in Jerusalem last month.