Ugly protests tarnish Cape Yom Ha’atzmaut

KIM FELDMAN

Unlike the peaceful protests that had taken place the year before in Cape Town by the South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP), where the group held placards on the other side of the road from the Herzlia campus, the protest this year were led by aggressive UCT Palestine Solidarity Forum (UCT PSF) who had only found out about the event hours before.

Because the venue was at a UCT facility, UCT students and societies cannot be barred from entering the venue. They exploited their rights as UCT students on a campus facility to enter the venue and create disruption.

The protesters forcibly blocked the entrance to the theatre complex and attendees had to be rerouted to a back entrance, where the protesters quickly followed and proceeded to barricade the ramp again.

Attendees – including the elderly and small children – were then forced to climb over balustrades and dustbins to avoid the protesters. Sporadic swearing and pushing occurred between the protesters, CSO and attendees, but nobody was injured and those there for Yom Ha’atzmaut were eventually able to enter the venue and move onto the evening as planned.

The protesters were out to confront what they called the “arrogant display of joy in the face of mass suffering” and “[force] the Zionists to confront the violence they have committed and continue to commit” as was explained in a public statement on the UCT PSF Facebook page before the event.

They waved Palestinian flags and held up signs to “Remember the Naqba” – The Catastrophe –  as Yom Ha’atzmaut is known in Pro-Palestine circles globally.

This was the first year that the Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations were held in a theatre in Cape Town. For many years it was a huge affair at Ratanga Junction and subsequently with carnivalesque celebrations at the Herzlia Weizman campus.

Previous years had attracted over 3 500 people (at the height of the Ratanga Junction years) and around 2 500 last year.

This year heralded this wholly new format. Julie Berman, executive director of the SAZF-CC, explained that they “wanted a change from the same old, same old” and to showcase Israeli culture.

The decision was taken to try something completely new – a concert-style function would take place with a headline act from Israel that could pull in the crowds, especially a younger audience.

Prices started at R150 a ticket, with a half-price discount for under-12s. But the 638-seater theatre was only three-quarters full, with only 500 tickets sold. There had been concerns about the long weekend increasing the likelihood of a smaller turnout.

Despite the rather eventful start, the celebration was rather restrained.  

After introductions by the chairman of the SAZF-CC, Rowan Polovin, and the deputy ambassador for Israel, Ayellet Black, the evening’s entertainment began with the Herzlia Vocal Ensemble, led by Cantor Ivor Joffe. They performed a medley of Hebrew and English songs, ending in Hatikvah.

Caely Jo Levy and Yid Dish took to the stage next for an upbeat contemporary selection of Yiddish songs from across the globe. A quick setup change and the main act was ready to take the stage.

Tararam was billed as a “drum and dance sensation”. Their high-energy beats upped the celebratory atmosphere with the crowd watching in amazement at the mix of percussion, Capoeira dance and physical comedy.

The new format proved rather tame with the passive audience that a formal theatre space encourages, leading to a less than party atmosphere, albeit a joyful one.

Polovin said that “despite the attempted disruptions and uncomfortable start, people left feeling more empowered. The hatred and vicious anti-Semitism displayed is part of being a Jew. We need to stand up and be proud of [our] Zionism.

“Ultimately, this was a victory on our side.”

However, those there felt that while Yom Ha’atzmaut had always been the largest communal event on the Cape Town calendar, there was much work to be done to create a far more inclusive, and contemporary event in the future.