Message from the chair

By Adrienne Jacobson  

We always say that the global Jewish heart beats as one, but on 7 October this year it paused collectively and broke in unison: (1) in sorrow and pain as we marked one year since the horrific terror attacks of Hamas, the slaughter of 1 200 innocent Jewish people; and (2) in grief as we mark one year since more than 200 men, women, children and babies were taken hostage into Gaza; and (3) in disbelief and anger as we marked one year in which 101 innocent hostages remain in captivity, underground in darkness in the depths of the Gaza tunnels, subjected daily to inhumane conditions and unspeakable acts of terror, torture, violence, starvation and rape. 

The song Acheinu by Abie Rottenburg calls to us at this time, as Am Echad, as around the world we stand together in solidarity, as we put our arms around one another in comfort and support and sing and sway to the tune, hoping that our words and the prayers will be felt by the hostages, the victims of terror and their families.

Acheinu, Kol Beit Yisrael 

אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַנְּתוּנִים בְּצָרָה וּבַשִּׁבְיָה, הָעוֹמְדִים בֵּין בַּיָּם וּבֵין בַּיַּבָּשָׁה, 

(The translation is: Our brothers and sisters. The whole house of Israel, who are given over to power and captivity, that are kept between the sea and the dry land.)

It has been one year since the global Jewish community has shifted on its axis, one year in which we have been grieving not only the losses of Oct 7th and the ongoing war, but our own sense of safety in the world. This year we have experienced an alarming and painful rising tide of contemporary antisemitism against a global power play of international foreign policy, warfare and political electioneering that feels at times as if the entire world is reverberating. 

As a South African Jewish community we are at an intersection of unprecedented challenges. From the breakdown of our relationship with the ANC over their failure to condemn the horrific events, and a refusal by our President to offer not even a modicum of condolence to our community in our grief, to the ICJ. The work of the SAJBD at this time as we combat antisemitism and advocate for the civil rights of our community, its security and its well-being, has never been more crucial. 

Post-October 7th our playing field has shifted to contemporary antisemitism and has a core component of othering, treating Jews as others, as different to other people, and treating the Jewish state differently to other countries. Denying Jewish individuals, professionals, academics and politicians – and particularly the state of Israel – the same rights and expectations granted to others or other nations, whilst holding Jews worldwide responsible for the actions of Israel or its government. 

When we fight contemporary antisemitism, we fight gaslighting and divisive rhetoric and the shifting of blame onto Israel for Hamas atrocities. We fight the alignment with anti-western, anti-democratic thought across academic, professional, government and societal spaces, we fight terrorist groupings that provoke hate against democratic nations. 

The key difference between understanding contemporary antisemitism today at this time in history as opposed to the antisemitism seen in World War II Nazi Germany is that we are doing the work now. It is the fierce and tireless work that we are all doing currently, together and united, as Jewish community leadership. We are doing the work now that we didn’t do then to combat antisemitism, its tropes and narratives and othering that are a threat to democracies and constitutional order across the world. And we will work to ensure that hate speech will not be tolerated and that we can express our Judaism in a free and safe environment, including our right today to commemorate and mourn in peace. 

That’s just the backdrop of what we are living in. The Jewish reality post-October 7th is way more powerful and uplifting. We have seen extraordinary acts of heroism, of strength and power, remarkable acts of bravery and courage from ordinary citizens who have had to access strength and resilience they didn’t know they had. The friends of our community; politicians; diplomats; religious leaders; community leaders; and ordinary citizens accessing conviction, moral compass and humanity – many joined us at our commemorative event, and we thank them for their friendship, support,  empathy and commitment. It has meant the world to us and has been a beacon of light in a dark time. They have validated the ethos of the Freedom Charter which says, ‘South Africa belongs to all who live in it’. They have embodied the spirit of Ubuntu: ‘ I am a person because you are a person’. They have shown us that humanity always wins, and that this is a time of healing and hope and faith. 

Our speaker at the commemorative event, Liora Ben Tsur, from Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha is one such person. She was in hospital after giving birth when the terrorists attacked her kibbutz and she shared her harrowing story of what followed. Her story is one of strength and hope and healing. It reflects the many heroes who have come out of this tragedy that light the way forward. And it calls to us just like the rest of the song Acheinu, a tangible representation of hope and a message that says Kol Yisrael Aravim ze La Ze ... that we look out for one another. 

הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם, וְיוֹצִיאֵם מִצָּרָה לִרְוָחָה, וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹרָה, וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה, הַשְׁתָּא בַּעֲגָלָא וּבִזְמַן קָרִיב.

May the Almighty have mercy upon them And bring them forth from trouble to freedom, from darkness to light, now, speedily and at a near time. 

Our community remains resilient, proudly Jewish and united. We pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages, an end to this war and an end to all loss of all life. 

Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies website: www.capesajbd.org, Instagram, and Facebook page.


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