Upsurge in anti-Semitism worldwide a worry

MARY KLUK

Such anxiety is bad enough in itself, but as we have learned by bitter experience, it does not stop there. Today, any upsurge in violent confrontations involving Israel invariably leads to a corresponding upsurge in anti-Semitism throughout the world. Such has been the case with regard to the latest period of conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Regardless of the facts that brought about this tragic situation, there has been a truly frightening outpouring of hate speech against Jews in the Diaspora, and in a number of cases – examples are Morocco and Paris – violent attacks.

A situation is developing whereby in order to avoid being thus targeted, Jews are required not merely to desist from standing up for Israel’s right to defend itself, but to join in condemning her for doing so.

I was in Israel last week when the present hostilities erupted, and experienced at first-hand what the Israeli people are going through in being constantly subjected to deadly missile fire.

Despite such flagrant provocation on the part of Hamas, one nevertheless constantly comes up against a reluctance on the part of Israel’s detractors to sympathise with Israel’s plight, nor even to acknowledge that such attacks are taking place at all.

Such was the case with a truly repugnant statement issued, in the name of ANC Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte, at the start of the conflict. Somehow, this managed to omit any mention of the hundreds of Hamas rockets that had triggered off the Israeli response, nor those that even then were raining down on Israeli towns right up to the country’s northern border.

Even worse was Duarte’s likening Israel’s actions to those committed by the Nazis, a wicked untruth that not only grossly libelled the Jewish State but at the same time minimised the true horrors of the Holocaust.

In our media statement, we commented that Duarte was well aware that the two situations could not remotely be equated to one another but had chosen to make such a comparison solely in order to cause the maximum hurt and offense.

What has also been truly appalling has been the flood of naked anti-Semitic vitriol that has appeared throughout the social media. Time and again, we are seeing members of the public posting comments applauding the Holocaust, and expressing the wish that Hitler had finished the job. This was in addition to the usual allegations of Jewish exploitation and behind-scenes conniving at the expense of the rest of the population.

The Board has already laid a formal charge of hate speech against one of the perpetrators, and we are currently evaluating which other cases merit following up.

At the time of writing, Israel has committed itself to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, but missile attacks by Hamas are continuing. I can only hope that by the time this column appears, calm will have been restored.

No-one in Israel wanted this conflict. It is grim, thankless work seeking out those who, from amidst their own civilian population, seek to harm the Israeli people. Under these circumstances, civilian casualties are inevitable, even though the IDF goes to great lengths to minimise them.

Had it not been for Hamas’ reckless acts of aggression, every one of those who lost their lives over the past week would still be with is. Regardless of who is responsible, every innocent life lost is a tragedy, and we empathise with those on both sides who have suffered so needlessly.