DANIEL BLOCH Exec. Director Cape SAJBD
The Western Cape Jewish community may number only 13 000 – representing less than 0.1% of global Jewry – yet we are internationally regarded as one of the most unified and resilient Jewish communities in the world. How do we know this? Since March, our Chairperson, Adrienne Jacobson; Vice Chairperson, Simone Sulcas; and I have participated in several major international Jewish conferences in London, New York, and most recently, Jerusalem. At these gatherings, we engaged with Jewish leaders from more than 72 countries, discussing the challenges facing Jews globally, comparing communal experiences, and sharing ideas and strategies for collaboration and unity in combating the rise in antisemitism.
Each conference featured an impressive lineup of speakers, including Presidents, Ministers, Ambassadors, award-winning journalists, celebrities, academics, religious figures, student leaders, and communal heads. While the content was both informative and engaging, the real highlight was the opportunity to network with our peers. We had insightful conversations with leadership from Jewish communities in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the United States, Chile, Colombia, Switzerland, Mexico, Israel, Argentina, the Netherlands, Belgium, and more.
What became evident in these discussions is that, although we face similar challenges, communities in Europe, Australia, and the U.S. are experiencing an alarming rise in violent antisemitism. Jewish individuals abroad now hide their identities for fear of verbal and physical assault. Synagogues are being burnt down and other Jewish institutions are targeted. In the U.S., this culminated recently in the horrific murder of two Israelis outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
In Cape Town, by contrast, despite anti-Israel rhetoric from some political parties and the anti-Israel movements, we are still able to live openly and proudly as Jews and Zionists. We proudly wear our kippot and Magen Davids and wave the Israeli flag without fear.
While the conferences in London and New York were incredibly valuable, the World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem was uniquely moving. There is no way to adequately describe the feeling of being both Jewish and Zionist in the Holy Land. There, we had no hesitation in expressing ourselves, choosing our words, or participating in conversations. We weren’t confronted by anti-Israel protesters or hatred outside our venues. In Israel, we were simply Jewish – an ordinary person walking the streets of Jerusalem.
That said, we did experience two red-alert sirens (missile warnings) in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, taking shelter in nearby bomb shelters. The first was an intense and unforgettable experience – my heart raced for more than an hour afterward. It gave me just a glimpse of the constant anxiety Israelis live with, yet they persevere, continuing their daily lives undeterred by the threats from Gaza, Iran or Yemen.
On our final day, we were taken to the South, visiting the horrific sites of the Nova Festival and Moshav Netiv Ha’asara, one of the first communities attacked on October 7th. Twenty community members were
murdered there by Hamas terrorists. We listened to survivors’ harrowing stories and saw images so terrifying and gut-wrenching that they will remain etched into our consciousness forever.
How could human beings commit such atrocities? More disturbingly, how can others justify and even celebrate them? The truth is painful: no human being could condone such evil. The people we are fighting against are not acting with humanity.
Throughout history, the Jewish people have been described as resilient, unified, strong, and forgiving. Today, the Israeli people, along with diaspora Jewry, embody these qualities more than ever. Following the most devastating attack on Jews since the Holocaust, Jews globally have united – to protect the only Jewish state and to stand strong against hatred and antisemitism.
We are proud Jews and proud Zionists – whether in London, New York, Jerusalem, or Cape Town. ●
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