Twenty years of freedom against Gaza backdrop

MARY KLUK

The core mandate of the SAJBD is to uphold the civil rights, of South African Jewry, including combating anti-Semitism in all its forms. Over the past two months, we have unfortunately seen a very sharp rise in anti-Semitic incidents, the great majority of them directly provoked by the Gaza situation.

Since the implementation of an open-ended ceasefire, levels of anti-Semitic activity have dropped off considerably, but the fall-out is likely to be ongoing for a long time to come and certainly will occupy a great deal of the Board’s time and resources.

Another negative result of the war has been the division and ill-feeling it has sown within the ranks of our own community. As the co-ordinating umbrella body that seeks to represent the broadest spectrum of Jewish opinion, the Board likewise needs to involve itself in addressing such issues.      

Coming so soon in the wake of the Gaza conflict, the Gauteng conference will provide a valuable forum for us to brief the community regarding what has transpired and what steps the Board has taken thus far to address the situation.

At such a time, it is particularly important for us both to report back to our constituent bodies and to hear from their representatives how they feel about and are affected by the issues we are dealing with. I look forward to engaging with the community on these questions, and hope that as many of our constituent organisations as possible will ensure that they are represented at this forum.

In the course of the year, as reported on in this column and elsewhere, the Board has held a variety of events aimed at making our community feel part of the general celebration of South Africa’s first 20 years of multiracial democracy.

This will still form the core part of the Gauteng Council programme, with speakers including newly-appointed Gauteng Premier David Makhura, ANC Treasurer-General Zweli Mkhize, Professor Michael Katz and Colin Coleman.

All four have been intricately involved in the saga of South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy, and will have many compelling insights to share with us both regarding where the country has come from and where it is going.         

The Board’s regional conferences are also a time when the current leadership concludes its term of office and a new leadership takes over. In this regard, I congratulate Chairman Jeff Katz on everything he and his committee have achieved over the past two years, and thank them for their friendship and support.

Some of the highlights of the Gauteng Council’s activities appeared in a special insert in last week’s issue of the SA Jewish Report, and will further be reported on at the conference itself.

The broader community can keep abreast of the Board’s multifaceted activities, from countering anti-Semitic attacks through to such bridge-building initiatives as the recent Chiune Sugihara evening, via our Facebook and website (www.jewishsa.co.za).  

• Listen to Charisse Zeifert on Jewish Board Talk, 101.9 ChaiFM every Friday 12:00 – 13:00.