Olga strides the moral high ground on Israel

DAVID SAKS

Few of the estimated 12 000 present on that occasion, will have heard of her, but her eloquence, insight and sincerity made a profound impression and contributed significantly to the success of the event.

On October 5, members of the Jewish community had another opportunity to listen to Meshoe, this time in the less raucous, more intimate setting of Beyachad. Her talk, entitled “When Black and White Became Dangerously Grey”, was the first of an envisioned series of monthly “Likud Town Hall Meetings” under the auspices of Likud-SA.

PDF OF OLGA MESHOE’S SPEECH

Formerly a senior attorney at Webber Wentzel and now senior transformation facilitator and manager at Transcend Corporate Advisors, Meshoe also founded and heads the Christian action and Israel advocacy organisation, Defend, Embrace, Invest, Support Israel (DEISI).

In her warmly-received address, she spoke about the work of her organisation, as well as in more general terms on the need to take a firm stand on behalf of what one believed to be true and morally right. 

The title of her talk, Meshoe stressed, did not mean that she advocated maintaining a clear-cut right-wrong approach to the moral and ethical issues of the day. On the contrary, adopting a nuanced, open-minded approach and looking for common ground was both healthy and necessary.

However, it also had to be recognised that open-mindedness was not the same as moral relativism, and there came a point where one had to take a firm stand on matters of fundamental principle.

Meshoe’s support for Israel is bound up in her identity as a committed Christian. Much of the motivation behind the establishment of DEISI was the outrage she felt over Israel being labelled an apartheid state. Her father had lived under the apartheid system and still bore the scars of that time.

Having frequently visited Israel, he could say at first hand that the charge was utterly without foundation. This was why much emphasis was put by Christian Zionists like herself on bringing people to Israel to see things for themselves and thereafter bring home a different message from that usually seen on the Internet.

Addressing the rising manifestations of hostility towards South African Jewry because of its identification with Israel, Meshoe assured her audience of the deep reservoirs of goodwill that existed towards the community at all levels of society.

Following the rally for Israel, a young Jewish university student had approached her and said how reassuring it had been for her to learn that there were people outside the Jewish community who cared about the things she cared about and empathised with her.

By reaching out and building bridges of friendship, Jews and Christian Zionists could stand together in affirming the common values that were fundamental to their heritage and identity.

“If they make you feel that you do not belong in the country you call home, know for sure that we are standing by you – even if the other side seems to be shouting louder,” she said.