By DANIEL BLOCH
For as long as any of us can remember, Jews have been accused of dominating the world. We supposedly control the banks, the media, the weather and now, even sport. These days it is no longer just “the Jews” supposedly pulling the strings – it is Israelis and Zionists too.
If any of that were true, then we are clearly terrible at world domination and should seriously start re-evaluating our life choices.
During the FIFA World Cup, Argentina came from 2–0 down to beat Egypt in a controversial match. As is often the case in football, many supporters blamed the referee for their team’s defeat. That, in itself, is hardly unusual. Egypt had just lost to the reigning world champions, led by one of the greatest footballers ever to play the game, Lionel Messi. Perhaps Argentina were simply the better side when it mattered most?
But the blame did not stop with the referee. Israel, Jews and Zionists were also dragged into the conspiracy. Social media posts and media reports claimed that Israel had somehow influenced the outcome. Egyptian commentator Mohammed Nour even remarked: “We played like heroes, but Israel – meaning FIFA and the referees -had something to say about it, and we couldn’t overcome these circumstances.”
If Jews really controlled the World Cup, surely we would at least have managed to get Israel into the tournament. Israel did not even qualify. In fact, reports suggested that United States goalkeeper Matt Turner was the only known Jewish player at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with perhaps only a handful of other players having some Jewish ancestry. If Jews control world football, why couldn’t we get more Jewish players onto the pitch? We could at least have arranged for a brisket stand inside the stadium serving hot beef on rye.
The conspiracy theories do not end with football.
A few years ago, a United States senator suggested that Jews control the weather. If that were true, why do so many Cape Town Jews escape the city’s cold, wet winters for warmer destinations such as Greece, Europe or Plettenberg Bay?
Then there is the claim that Jews control the banks and are all fabulously wealthy. If only. Apparently, every Jew is supposed to own a mansion, a holiday home, a yacht in Monaco, and perhaps even a sports franchise. Meanwhile, I cannot afford Springbok rugby tickets, let alone buy a professional sports team. My bank account certainly contains plenty of zeros – they just all happen to be on the right-hand side of the decimal point.
Humour aside, these conspiracy theories have serious consequences.
Many of the individuals and organisations who claim to champion justice and human rights are often the very same people who casually blame Jews, Zionists and Israelis for problems entirely unrelated to them. Even here in South Africa some sought to blame Israel and Zionists for recent outbreaks of xenophobic violence.
These accusations are not political criticism. They recycle classic antisemitic tropes that have existed for centuries, simply replacing old language with new labels. Increasingly, even the word ‘Zionist’ is no longer enough – the word ‘Jew’ is once again being used openly.
That should concern everyone.
The Cape South African Jewish Board of Deputies will continue calling out antisemitism wherever it appears and will continue challenging it both online and in the courts.
Last year we secured the first of several successful hate speech cases. In August, another respondent will appear before the Equality Court, and we expect further matters to follow. We have already served papers on two additional individuals and are in the process of serving others.
We will not stand by while members of our community are targeted because they are Jewish. Protecting the rights and dignity of Jews in the Western Cape remains at the heart of our mandate.
No, we certainly do not dominate the world.
But over the coming months, we do intend to spend a fair amount of time dominating the courtroom.
