MESSAGE TO SA JEWISH COMMUNITY ON GAZA CONFLICT The tragic conflict in Gaza and its international fall-out continues to be an issue of deep concern to our Jewish community. In addition to the anxiety we all feel on behalf of the Israeli people, whose soldiers are now engaged in a dangerous war of attrition against a heavily armed and well-entrenched enemy and whose citizens continue to be exposed to lethal missile fire, we ourselves have been exposed to an unprecedented wave of vicious invective, often of a virulently antisemitic nature. Periods of increased violence in the Middle East have always resulted in an upsurge of hostility towards our own community from certain quarters. What has made this conflict markedly different from previous such upsurges has been the now ubiquitous penetration of the social media, which has provided a platform for anyone with a cell phone to propagate in the public domain whatever hateful views they wish. Despite the many ugly comments that have been circulated online regarding Israel and the Jewish people in general, we can take heart over the fact that to date we have seen very few direct, face-to-face acts of hostility against members of our community. This is in contrast to the situation in many places overseas, where threats, verbal abuse and even physical assault have been commonplace. While it is not possible to prevent people from posting virulently antisemitic material online, we are at least able to take action in cases where those responsible are in clear-cut violation of the right to dignity and equality of those being targeted. The SAJBD’s responses have included lodging formal complaints of antisemitic hate speech with the SA Human Rights Commission, and also where necessary criminal charges. Regarding other instances of hate speech that have come to our attention, these are being analysed and investigated to determine what action should be taken. In this regard, we rely on the Jewish public to keep us informed about what is happening, and to this end the SAJBD and SAZF have together set up a hotline number through which antisemitic incidents or biased media can be reported. The number to call is 071 921 0570. This Sunday, between 14h00 - 16h00, a rally to show solidarity with Israel and to call for peaceful negotiations to end the conflict will be held at Huddle Park, Johannesburg. This is taking place under the auspices of the SA Zionist Federation, with the support of civil society, Jewish organisations, and Church groups. We encourage as many of our community as possible to support this important gathering, in which we will stand together both in showing support for our beloved Jewish state during these difficult times and to assert our inalienable right as citizens of a democratic country to do so. In defending Israel against the many untrue and unjust charges that are being levelled against it, we must also remember that for those innocent people on both sides caught up in it, it is a terrible tragedy, and that we, as a community, empathise with all of them. We pray for a speedy end to this time of such great loss and suffering, a view that we know to be shared by the great majority of our fellow South Africans. Mary Kluk – National Chairman Zev Krengel – National President
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 12:18:00 +0000
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