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Meshoe Washington a ‘true warrior’ who fought for unity

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“Powerhouse”; “tenacious spirit”; “courageous visionary”; “leader”; “barrier-breaker” – these were just a few of the adjectives used to describe the late Olga Meshoe Washington at her memorial in Vosloorus on 26 January. Meshoe Washington passed away on 6 January, aged 43, following a month-long battle with lupus.

The South African memorial service for Meshoe Washington was held just one week after her funeral at the Tel Regev Cemetery in Rekhasim in Haifa, Israel. Speaking at the service, her father-in-law, Dumisani Washington, the founder and chief executive of the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel (IBSI), remarked how Israeli President Isaac Herzog had made it possible for Meshoe Washington to be buried in Israel. “The Jewish people never forget a friend” he said. The Meshoe family also acknowledged the honour of Meshoe Washington being buried in Israel, the country she loved and called her home.

The Washington and Meshoe families met through the work that they did respectively for Israel. Both families are outspoken advocates for the Jewish state.

Speaker after speaker reflected on Meshoe Washington’s courage and commitment to fight for Israel and defend it against the apartheid slur. She did so at a time when it wasn’t popular to do so, representing Israel in the media, in Parliament, at churches, and on university campuses. She bravely spoke out, and often she stood alone. But she stood for what she believed in.

Bafana Modise, the head of communications for the South African Friends of Israel, said Meshoe Washington became a Zionist when it wasn’t fashionable to be a Zionist. She emboldened Christian support for Israel. Modise cautioned against Christians attempting to rewrite history. He quoted Esther in the Bible, saying, “If I perish, I perish.” Meshoe Washington’s fearless support for Israel has allowed us to speak out, he said.

Deputy Israel Ambassador Adi Cohen-Hazanov also commended Meshoe Washington for her courage in speaking the truth in South Africa, where Israel didn’t have friends. In fact, Cohen-Hazanov said, she “showed the friendly face of Israel. She brought all of us together: Jews, Christians, Israelis, and Americans. She fought for unity, and this will be her legacy.”

Meshoe Washington was a mentor to many young people, who were attracted to her warmth, love, radiance, goodness, strength, and light. She had an ability to make everyone feel seen and cared for. She was also a daughter, a mother, and a wife. Her husband, Joshua Washington, spoke of how he and their young sons, Judah, 6, and Ezra, 3, still needed to process their grief.

Meshoe Washington’s younger sibling, Joshua Meshoe, described his sister as “a true warrior”. Few could do what she did, he said. He would remember her by her creed, “You don’t stop when you are tired, you stop when the work is done.” He reminisced how he and his sister had initially been rivals but eventually become each other’s greatest supporters. Meshoe was tasked with accompanying Meshoe Washington on her flight back to her family in the United States. He could see that she was weak, despite her evoking the family tradition of saying she was fine, when she clearly wasn’t. He asked for assistance, and she was admitted into a hospital in the United States. It was there that her husband met and was with her as she took her final breath. Meshoe said she was weak on the outside but strong on the inside. He couldn’t have imagined that it was the last time he would see her.

The Jewish community was well-represented at the event, with representatives from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies; South African Friends of Israel; and the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) among others present, as well as regular community members who just wished to pay their respects.

Avrom Krengel, speaking on behalf of the SAZF, described Meshoe Washington as a magnificent human being. She was inspirational, he said, and “we’ll never ever forget what she did for the Jewish community. She had been one of South Africa’s great young leaders”.

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