Lipstadt’s visit comes at opportune time

Final preparations are taking place for the South African Jewish Board of Deputies’ (SAJBD’s) Gauteng Council conference on 10 November. This includes finalising the programme for the United States special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, who in addition to being keynote speaker will also meet the government and universities.

The visit of someone of Lipstadt’s stature comes at an opportune time for our community and, in fact, South African society as a whole. There has undoubtedly been an upsurge in hateful rhetoric in this country, primarily but by no means exclusively on online platforms. Regardless of who the targets are, this proliferation of hate speech is everyone’s problem. As Lipstadt herself aptly puts it, “In the fight against hatred and evil, neutrality isn’t an option. There are no bystanders”.

Antisemitism is often referred to as “the oldest form of hatred”, and it’s also one of the most complex, taking multiple and sometimes contradictory forms. One thus finds Jews being reviled both as subversive communists and as greedy exploitative capitalists; as seeking the destruction of the white race while also being seen as whites who are especially guilty of exploiting blacks; of being “rootless cosmopolitans” hostile to national sovereignty, while also being ultra-nationalist colonisers and oppressors. A common theme in antisemitic thinking is the notion that Jews secretly control events behind the scenes through domination of the global financial system, the entertainment industry, and other such means. All of these canards, as well as others, have featured in the flurry of antisemitic comments that have appeared online in recent weeks, the furore over Dis-Chem alone having generated scores of offensive posts.

More recently, the news has been dominated by the reaction to persistent antisemitic statements online by world-renowned rap artist and influencer, Kanye West. That controversy has in turn generated a certain amount of antisemitic fall-out, typically manifesting as variations on the theme of West having been “right about the Jews”. A number of such comments have appeared on local online platforms, thereby demonstrating how even antisemitic behaviour taking place on another continent can and does have an impact on Jewish communities everywhere. What’s also emerging is how a great many South Africans are finding it difficult to understand what exactly was wrong about West’s conspiracy-laden rhetoric about Jews. For many, he simply made an objective observation about how the world worked. It’s far more likely, however, that this understanding is founded on a lack of basic knowledge about antisemitism than on genuine anti-Jewish prejudice.

Against this background, it will be readily understood why Lipstadt’s visit is of special importance at this time. It will provide many opportunities via speaking engagements and in meetings with senior members of government, to educate and raise awareness about the dangers of antisemitism and the need to confront it. We look forward to engaging with her and learning about what’s being done at the highest levels to counteract this scourge.

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