It is twenty years since the notorious UN World Conference Against Racism took place in Durban. We watched with horror as blatant antisemitism was unleashed on the Durban streets, campaigns that in the past two decades have plagued us in South Africa and around the world. Join South African and Global leadership in remembering this toxic event and hear their insights as to how these hateful campaigns became the breeding ground for a new and vicious expression of international

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA) has reprimanded Power FM for contravening the BCCSA Free-to-air Code of Conduct for Broadcasting Service Licensees. This follows a complaint against Power FM lodged by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD). The SAJBD’s complaint was based on a programme broadcast on 12 May 2021 during which several callers-in propagated various antisemitic conspiracy theories without being challenged by the host Lukhona Mnguni,

The SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has applauded the African Union Commission’s (AUC) decision to provide observer status to the State of Israel. In a letter to AUC chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat, the SAJBD, the representative body of the largest Jewish community on the African continent, commended the organisation’s “bold and far-sighted decision”. This move demonstrates the AUC’s commitment to dialogue and bridge-building and has enhanced the potential for engagement

We participated in a Clean up in Daveyton a few days after the looting. We became aware of the devastating impact of the unrest on this community. So we decided to return with food provisions for the community to assist them at this difficult time. Today we delivered food relief to aged homes, ECD centres and homes for the physically and mentally challenges in Daveyton.

After a long and gruelling battle to see justice done, Professor Karen Milner, the Gauteng Chairperson of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), succeeded in obtaining a final order against the self-confessed White Supremacist and Nazi sympathiser, Jan Lamprecht. In a scathing judgement, the magistrate found that all of the requirements had been proven by Prof Milner for a restraining order and commended her for pursuing justice in the matter and bringing Lamprec

Nearly six years after posting a comment inciting violence and hatred against the leadership of the SA Jewish community, former Western Cape Cosatu leader Tony Ehrenreich has at last apologised to the Jewish community for his conduct. The matter goes back to August 2014, when Ehrenreich accused the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) of being “complicit in the murder of the people in Gaza” and called for “an eye for and eye” retribution against its members and other ‘Zionist

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We mourn the passing of Peter Feldman https://www.pressreader.com/so ...

‘Struggle’ activist and political prisoner Norman Levy, who died in Cape Town yesterday at the age of 92, was one of the last surviving veterans of the Congress movement, an alliance of anti-apartheid organisations which in the immediate post-World War years laid the foundations for South Africa’s transition to democracy. Born in Johannesburg in 1929 Levy, together with his twin brother Leon, became involved in left-wing political activities at an early age. For their part in

We are deeply saddened to report the passing last night of Victor Gordon, a devoted and distinguished member of our community. Victor was one of the guiding lights of Pretoria Jewry, serving the community in multiple capacities. He was President of the SAJBD – Pretoria Council for eight years as well as acting as vice-chairman for several years more. Other positions he held included serving on the Carmel School PTA, the Carmel School board and on the Jaffa Jewish aged home ma

Based in part on her own research, this review essay by Veronica Belling looks at a fascinating new biography of an very unusual Jewish woman Dr Veronica Belling is the author of Bibliography of South African Jewry (1997), Yiddish Theatre in South Africa (2008), and the translator of Leibl Feldman's The Jews of Johannesburg (2007) and Yakov Azriel Davidson: His Writings in the Yiddish Newspaper, Der Afrikaner, 1911-1913 (2009). She is a regular contributor to Jewish Affairs.

We are delighted to publish an extract from Dominique Malherbe's acclaimed new book on a remarkable Jewish woman and her relationship with one of the icons of Afrikaans literature. The following extract is taken from 23-27 of Searching for Sarah: the Women Who Loved Langenhoven by Dominique Malherbe, Cape Town: Tafelberg, 2021. JA thanks Tafelberg for permission to include here. . One of the first people I contacted in my search for Sarah was Elsa Joubert, the well-known, pr

Journalist, author, Jewish communal professional, Suzanne Belling was an outstanding, and largely unsung, servant of the community she knew and served so well. David Saks is Associate Director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies and editor of Jewish Affairs. . The untimely passing last November of veteran journalist, author and Jewish communal professional Suzanne Belling was yet another sad loss for South African Jewry in a year that had already seen – whether due

To the Editor of The Star newspaper The past few weeks have seen campaigns of intimidation and threats to members of the Jewish community and any other South African who has dared to express a view contrary to the narrow narrative of the anti-Israeli lobby groups. Any hint that there is another perspective to the conflict and that there is any culpability by Hamas has been met with by aggression and demonisation. It has been no different with Redhill School. The `Redhill Alum

The SA Jewish Board of Deputies has been dealing with the anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment in the country, but it didn’t count on the bias it found in mainstream media, explains Charisse Zeifert. Media’s version of truth as strange as Japanese fiction https://www.sajr.co.za/medias- ...

Ivan Kapelus holds a BA, LLB from Stellenbosch University and an LLM (Tax) from Kings College, University of London. He has an extensive legal and international tax planning background. His books include Reflections on a Visit to Lithuania" (2009) and From the Baltic to the Cape - the journey of three families (2013). . Introduction I crave your indulgence! I would like to start this discussion in the middle, as it were, by quoting from a four thousand-word article by Dr H F

Over the past two weeks we have seen an orchestrated campaign to silence and intimidate fellow South Africans who are supportive of Israel. The campaign attempts to “cancel” anyone who holds a different view, suggesting there is only one side to the conflict. One of the concerns that the SAJBD has had since the outbreak of violence in the Middle East two weeks ago, is the fall-out between fellow South Africans. Many of us, to a greater or lesser extent, hold strong views abou

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, sums up Jessie Duarte’s rant outside the Israeli Embassy yesterday. · “And I want to make it clear that we aren’t against people of the Jewish religion.” · “Our movement is not against and I want to repeat it because Israel has already said that I am antisemitic. I can just say that that is the most stupid thing to say.” · “Tomorrow they’ll have in the newspaper how antisemitic we are. We are not an

Dear Mr President In your letter earlier this week you reassured us that, “ as South Africa we are committed to being part of international efforts aimed at reviving a political process that will lead to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state existing side-by-side in peace with Israel, and within internationally recognised borders .” We would be delighted if this was truly the intention of our government. Our experience of South Africans and our transition to democra