SAUJS condemns antisemitic post and blood libel

NICOLA MILTZ

In a bid to appear relevant, the UCT PSF posted a two-year old Al Jazeera article titled, “Durham first US city to ban police training with Israeli military.” The PSF captioned the article by posting, “It’s about time to boycott Israel because it brings nothing but discrimination and criminal mentality. Time to revive the academic boycott campaign at UCT? I wonder utill (sp) when we’ll stay captured and controlled by the Zionist blood money?”

The Al Jazeera article which appeared in April 2018 explained how a group of pro-Palestine organisations in the city of Durham in the United States state of North Carolina lobbied the city council to ban training and exchanges between Durham’s police department and the Israeli military. The activists drew on alleged similarities between Israeli treatment of Palestinians and Durham police’s treatment of African Americans.

SAUJS Western Cape “condemned” the PSF’s use of antisemitic tropes and blood libel in a statement on its Facebook page, calling on the organisation to retract and apologise.

“We have seen time, time, and time again the replacement of the word ‘Jew’ with ‘Zionist’ in ancient antisemitic tropes. One cannot say they aren’t antisemitic when their very actions and words reflect a poisonous hatred that has persisted throughout the ages. When 90% of South African Jews state that they are Zionists, it’s not difficult to see the attempt to make antisemitism more palatable.”

SAUJS National Chairperson Ariel Goldberg told the SA Jewish Report, “It’s imperative that we call out all forms of antisemitism. It’s our moral duty and responsibility to work together towards the creation of a tolerant society in which no discrimination exists. We are saddened and disappointed by the discriminatory and antisemitic comments posted by the UCT PSF, and echo the call for it to make a public apology for its remarks.”

Rowan Polovin, the national chairperson of the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), said, “This is just a post trying to be relevant with some antisemitism mixed in for good measure. This is the same crowd who stole the SAZF’s Israeli flag and painted it with red blood about two years ago during Israel Apartheid Week. As usual, their Jew-hatred leaks through the thin veil of anti-Zionism.”

Another commentator who preferred to remain anonymous said, “This is the normal boycott, divestment, and sanctions anti-Semitism. The other day, they were saying they don’t believe that money is actually influencing the university as this fed into antisemitic stereotypes. Now suddenly, the university is Zionist controlled.”

SAUJS Western Cape urged the UCT community to condemn discrimination “in all its forms”.

“SAUJS UCT has always strived for an environment where healthy dialogue can prosper and progress can be made, and we call on the UCT PSF to commit to doing the same,” the organisation said.