Behind my calm demeanor lies the frustration of an ordinary man. People often comment on how ‘chilled’ I am in the face of all the hate and threats – but they don’t understand what really annoys and frustrates me!
Right now, I’m dealing with leaking roofs, broken doors, a green swimming pool – and the list goes on. I don’t have the time or money to fix everything, so I get extremely frustrated, especially because I can’t get around to all the repairs. And don’t get me started on technology: laptop freezes, Netflix buffering endlessly, Wi-Fi stalling. I sometimes share a few choice words with my tech devices, much to my family’s frustration. I know it’s wrong, and I do try to suppress my anger, control how I react, and often bite my lip in frustration.
As you can imagine, my current role as Executive Director places me at the forefront of much hatred, threats, incitement to violence, and anger directed at our community. My colleagues and I read through a relentless stream of biased anti-Israel – and, in some cases, antisemitic – articles published by local media platforms. It’s deeply frustrating to see the constant lies and misinformation being spread, not only by hateful authors and journalists, but also by the media houses that continue to publish such drivel. And there’s often little we can do beyond submitting our own ‘right of response’. Even then, it’s frustrating when it takes days or weeks before our editorials and opinion pieces finally appear.
The Board is forever being targeted on social media by anti-Israel individuals and organisations, who shamelessly post content that is false, hateful, and at times an incitement to violence against us and the broader Jewish community. I’ve had my fair share of doxing and even went to court to obtain an interim protection order against Mehmet Dag. I wasn’t granted that protection order – and, unsurprisingly, Dag went online telling the world that he ‘beatʼ me and the Board.
What he neglects to mention is that the judge was quite specific in his ruling. He acknowledged my frustration and explained that he wouldn’t grant the order because Dag had not physically threatened me. However, the judge’s words cut through Dag’s antisemitism like a hot knife through butter. The judge said it was clear Dag hates Jews, and that he knew the Board was taking him to the Equality Court for hate speech, and that’s where he would receive the appropriate punishment for his actions. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! (Unfortunately, Dag can’t do that right now, as he’s currently sitting in Pollsmoor Prison!)
For some time, we’ve all been frustrated with the motorcades that have plagued the Sea Point area. We’ve demanded that SAPS and Law Enforcement act when these loud and intrusive groups break the law. Lately, they’ve been enforcing the letter of the law – not always to our satisfaction, but some individuals have been fined and, in some cases, arrested.
During the latest bout of storms, my gardener’s home was flooded and left in ruins. He lost clothing, schoolbooks, appliances, and more – his life turned upside down. That is a real-world problem and something truly worthy of concern. It puts all our daily frustrations into perspective, doesn’t it? When I reflect on all these frustrations, whether at home, at work, or within our community, I’m reminded that these are simply hindrances and nothing more. They are things we can overcome and, despite these annoyances, we can still enjoy our way of life. ●
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