Streets and antisemitism

There has been some confusion surrounding last week’s vote in the Johannesburg City Council regarding the proposed renaming of Sandton Drive. The vote rejected a motion by the Democratic Alliance to scrap the renaming process entirely. Since the motion didn’t pass, the possibility of a name change remains, but this doesn’t mean that the renaming is definite or that, if it happens, the new name will be “Leila Khaled”. The status of this issue remains unchanged since November 2024, when political parties indicated a willingness to explore alternative solutions. As we stated then, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) remains cautiously optimistic that a resolution will be found that moves away from a divisive and inflammatory name change that has been pushed by certain factions for the past seven years.

Staying with issues affecting the Johannesburg City Council, we are aware of and are investigating an antisemitic incident that occurred at a meeting of the city council held last week. A member of the mayoral committee invoked the name of Hitler while complaining that a visibly Jewish councillor shouldn’t be allowed to have the Israeli flag on his laptop skin. This was accompanied by an audible shout of “We want Hitler!” The SAJBD condemns these statements and the hostile atmosphere they create, and has taken up the issue with all the relevant parties to ensure that the offending parties are held accountable. South Africa’s democracy thrives on diversity and mutual respect. There can be no place for those who seek to sow division and hatred in our society.

Meanwhile, last weekend’s South African Zionist Federation (SAZF) conference in Cape Town was met with an aggressive campaign of intimidation, culminating in a protest outside the venue. In response, the Cape SAJBD issued a strong statement in support of the SAZF, defending religious freedom and community safety. The South African Constitution protects the Jewish community’s right to express our faith freely, including maintaining a spiritual and cultural connection to Israel. The anti-Israel lobby remains fixated on silencing and intimidating those who openly identify as Zionist. These ongoing attempts to curtail our rights are a direct attack on the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, and they must be called out for what they are: intimidation, intolerance, and bigotry.

Over the past two weeks, our student bodies at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and University of Cape Town (UCT) have stood firm in the face of this hostility, leading their annual Israel Advocacy Weeks. Timed to coincide with, at Wits, or pre-empt, at UCT, the anti-Israel hate fest known as Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW), the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) is running a campaign titled “For the Future”, in which they have bravely and successfully taken part in productive dialogue with fellow students.

Students at the events engaged in beautiful conversations, demonstrating a real willingness to understand and learn, which is heartening to see in a university. This is a vast change from the violence and intimidation that had come to define IAW for more than a decade. I must commend the work of SAUJS, the Board, and other community organisations whose tireless efforts over many years have helped to curtail the aggression on campuses and have ensured that our universities are safe and secure spaces for Jewish students. Nevertheless, it is our students who must stand tall and who are on the frontlines in these sometimes hostile environments, and we are incredibly proud of them for their courage and integrity over the past two weeks.