Positioning Statement

The SAJBD is the umbrella representative spokesbody and civil rights lobby of the SA Jewish community. It promotes the safety and welfare of South African Jewry, including combating antisemitism in all its forms, and builds bridges of friendship and understanding between Jews and the broader South African population.   

We are disgusted by Hamas presence in South Africa

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Naked Jew-hatred Kasrils

Naked Jew-hatred behind Kasrils’ feting of Hamas atrocities

“A brilliant, spectacular guerilla warfare attack”. Thus has Ronnie Kasrils described the systematic butchery of over 1200 Jewish civilians carried out by Hamas on 7 October (https://x.com/naeemjeenah/status/1728700438755639668?s=58&t=yfTSJWbHskZls3BB0cifPA). Speaking at a BDS SA event over the weekend, Kasrils made no attempt to conceal his glee over the massacre, the worst mass slaughter of Jewish men, women and children since the Holocaust nearly 80 years ago.

Bring them ALL home!

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Unfiltered | Israel-Hamas war rages on - 21 November 2023

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Shocking images by Thapelo Amad former JHB Mayor

Today, shocking images were posted by former Johannesburg mayor and Al Jama-ah city councillor Thapelo Amad showing him posing with an assault rifle while declaring his unequivocal support for the Hamas terror organisation.

Dr Khaled Qaddumi denies that any of the 242 hostages taken by Hamas were children

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One Month Anniversary since Israeli civilians were abducted

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‘Survivors Testimonies of Hamas’ massacres in Israel’

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A moving vigil held by SAUJS

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Shabbat Shalom two weeks on - our national director, Wendy Kahn

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Minister Naledi Pandor sinks to a new low

Minister Naledi Pandor sinks to a new low

Six months and tens of thousands of civilian deaths later, we are still waiting for our Department of International Relations & Cooperation (DIRCO) to condemn Russia's barbaric war of aggression against the Ukrainian people. By comparison, within hours of armed clashes breaking out on the Israel-Gaza border, Dirco Minister Naledi Pandor had rushed to issue yet another virulent denunciation of the Jewish state and ignored the indiscriminate firing of more than 600 deadly missiles targeted at Israeli civilian areas.

Free to Choose

True freedom requires being protected by the confines of just and prescribed laws', while retaining our ability to choose. Charlotte Cohen explores this fundamental Jewish concept in the concept of the Pesach festival.

Eric Marx, Chartered Accountant, Senior Partner of Marx Gore, on COVID-19 Financial Relief.

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“Lockdown relaxation…caution” - Prof Schoub

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Prof Schoub with a sober message for SA Jewry

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Prof Schoub speaks about the logic behind the lockdown.

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Dr Israel ‘Boomie’ Abramowitz has passed away at the age of 91

Dr Israel ‘Boomie’ Abramowitz, who passed away this week in Perth, Australia at the age of 91, was a true gentleman from the old school of Jewish communal leadership in South Africa. In the course of a long and distinguished communal career, he can truly be said to have epitomised the particular strengths that have made the South African Jewish community so respected a component of global Jewry. All this he achieved while simultaneously pursuing his career as an eminent vascular surgeon.

Speaking out for inclusivity, integration

On Sunday night, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) hosted its 50th national conference in Johannesburg. Held every two years, these gatherings are an opportunity for the community to connect to honour members who had done so much either communally or for the greater South Africa – like the late Johnny Clegg, who we honoured this year – but also to take stock of where we are.

Shaun Zagnoev

Above Board 27.9.19

People tend to be suspicious of change. As the thinking goes, if things have worked well enough in the past, why not carry on as before? On the other hand, circumstances inevitably do change, and when this reaches a point when the old ways of doing things are no longer sufficiently efficient and/or cost effective, then one is equally inevitably required to adapt to the new realities in order to remain sustainable.

Shaun Zagnoev

Above Board 30.8.19

Any visit to the Constitutional Court is a stirring experience. Once used as a prison for political activists, amongst them M K Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, it today serves as a critical vehicle for safe-guarding the fundamental human rights and freedoms on which our post-apartheid society is founded.

Shaun Zagnoev

Above Board 16.8.19

Welcome to our American visitors

We had hardly had a chance to (metaphorically) catch our breath after the whirlwind visit of our Women Wage Peace guests from Israel when it was time for us to welcome another prestigious delegation to South Africa, this time from the American Jewish Committee (AJC). One of the world’s most effective Jewish advocacy organisations, the AJC has a long and proud history of building relationships with different religious and ethnic communities and world leaders.

Yanir Grindler

Women can bring peace to Middle East conflict

To create lasting peace, women’s voices are critical. Men alone won’t bring about peace and it’s about time that we all realise that. This is not just opinion - it’s in the numbers. From conflict prevention and conflict resolution to post-conflict reconciliation, studies have borne out that women’s meaningful participation in peace processes significantly increases the likelihood of a negotiated settlement lasting longer than 15 years.

Above Board 8.8.19

Four remarkable Israeli women show the way forward

The main focus of the Board over the past several weeks has been preparing for the visit of a delegation from Women Wage Peace, an Israeli NGO that has brought tens of thousands of Israeli women from across the faith and political spectrum together in the common cause of working for peaceful co-existence between the different peoples in the region. Comprising two Jewish, one Muslim and one Christian women, the delegation has been brought out by the SAJBD in the lead-up to Women’s Day to share the lessons and experiences of this inspiring grassroots movement, while at the same time drawing lessons from South Africa’s own successful experiences in conflict resolution.

Shaun Zagnoev

Above Board 2.8.19

Turning back the tide of hate

South Africa is hardly the only democratic country that is grappling with problems of racism, xenophobia and other forms of bigotry. That much clearly emerged during a roundtable discussion on combating hate held under the auspices of the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre this week. Participants included the Centre’s director Tali Nates, SAJBD National Vice-Chairman Prof Karen Milner and National Director Wendy Kahn, former German Minister of Justice Dr Däubler-Gmelin and Shanelle van der Berg representing the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). It was an engaging discussion, but also a sobering one. Throughout the free world, hate crimes are on the increase, with a strikingly high proportion of them - in Europe, North America and elsewhere – being motivated by antisemitism.

Shaun Zagnoev

Above Board 25.7.19

Best wishes to SAZF for their conference

The SAJBD and the SA Zionist Federation are often described as being ‘sister organizations’ (although, to take the sibling metaphor a bit further, the Federation is technically the Board’s elder brother, having been founded several years before). While the Board’s core mission is to ensure the safety and well-being of the local Jewish community while that of the Federation is to deal with issues relating to the community’s relationship with Israel, in essence the work of the two organisations is complementary. For that reason, we frequently work together, primarily when our right to identify as Zionists and support Israel is in any way threatened.