The BDS-knee jerk: Almost a witch-hunt?

GEOFF SIFRIN

But how should Jewish leaders relate to Jews criticising Israel? For example, a group was recently formed in South Africa calling for Israel to end the “occupation” of the West Bank. An unfortunate response in the Jewish community has been a hunkering down whereby anyone, Jewish or not, who criticises Israel is labelled a BDS messenger.

Some Jews label anti-Israel activity as anti-Semitism, and might justifiably point to the distasteful comments by ANC MPL Sharon Davids in the Cape Legislature on Friday, who said Premier Helen Zille is “too much in love with the Jewish mafia”. She added that the DA had “fabricated” Cape Town’s water crisis deadline so desalination contract kickbacks could occur. A sub-text can be easily inferred, that such contracts would come from the world’s expert in water affairs – the Jewish homeland, Israel.

There may be some truth in parts of that. But how should Jews debate among themselves about Israel? Let’s take the example of when the abovementioned South African group – made up of born and bred Israelis, Jews who have lived there, and Jews who simply love Israel – says current Israeli government policy is wrong and it should withdraw from the West Bank, the most contentious Israeli issue.

Amongst the Israelis, the group includes the former Israeli ambassador to South Africa at the time of Nelson Mandela’s ascendancy to power, Alon Liel, who was also previously director-general of Israel’s foreign ministry, and who had a close relationship with the South African freedom icon. In a 2013 article on Israeli news website YNet, he said: “I met [Mandela] just five days after assuming the position of Israel’s ambassador to South Africa. Even before I submitted my credentials, Mandela himself telephoned me at 6am… and said, ‘I’ve heard Israel is changing its policy. Let’s talk.’”

When this group, which includes several South African notaries such as a judge of the high court, asked recently to engage with Jewish institutions, many Jewish community leaders – although not all – said no, and certain individuals were summarily labelled “BDS”.

However, the Cape Board of Deputies hosted Liel, and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies – which supports a two-state solution to the conflict, thus implying an end to the occupation – met with him and his wife, and issued a statement afterwards.

Liel and his cohorts are hated by the political right in Israel for, amongst other things, their alleged ties to the leftist organisation Breaking the Silence and promoting boycotts of goods from the “occupied territories” to make it clear that the settlements endanger Israel’s future.

Are they too far left for most South African Jews? Organisations which shunned them included the SA Zionist Federation, Johannesburg’s main Jewish community centre, and the youth movement Habonim – which was warned not to host him. Although his group repeatedly asserted its opposition to BDS, which advocates a total boycott of Israel and supports its destruction, some Jewish leaders still accused him of representing BDS.

Shunning people like those in this group is misguided. South African Jews miss the opportunity to strengthen their views by debating contesting perspectives even if they disagree, and they push to the margins Jews reluctant to express themselves in the mainstream for fear of being ostracised.

Other, larger Jewish communities successfully incorporate wide-ranging debate on Israel. But South African Jewry is small. It is essential not to provoke people to leave because of their Israel perspectives. The last thing we need is an echo chamber of identical views.

Read Geoff Sifrin’s regular columns on his blog sifrintakingissue.wordpress.com