Desperate Dangor’s antizionist rant
In recent weeks, the SAJBD has observed a rise in increasingly hostile efforts to challenge the perspectives of our community organisations and silence “mainstream” Jewish voices. In this case, “mainstream” Jewish refers to community members who are traditionally Jewish in observance (be it orthodox or progressive), and Zionist in orientation. Yet, the discourse has shifted, increasingly framing Zionism itself as beyond acceptable bounds, thereby deeming aligned groups inherently problematic. What stands out, however, is that the campaign against mainstream Jewry is increasingly desperate, incoherent, and too often driven by a quest for attention rather than substantive dialogue.
The latest and most notable attempt to silence us has emerged from Zane Dangor, director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), published in the Daily Maverick.
This week, we were privileged to welcome Loay al-Shareef to our community, whose compelling message of peace and mutual respect has resonated deeply. Among his key insights is the peril of allowing extremist voices to dominate discourse, as this erodes the foundations essential for true peacebuilding. It is therefore profoundly regrettable that the Daily Maverick, once renowned for its rigorous journalism, has permitted its platform to be overtaken by an unrelenting fixation on anti-Israel rhetoric.
Dangor has been a key ideological engine in Dirco, and has steered its obsession in ways that neglect the pressing needs facing South Africans. In the interview Dangor presumes to interpret Zionism on our behalf, identifying and praising anti-Zionist groups which he finds palatable. Additionally, Dangor, as a public employee with a very key role in the international relations of our country, has absolutely overstepped the line in his anti-democratic attempts to silence citizens of this country.
It is deeply offensive that Dangor assumes upon himself the moral and academic authority to redefine Zionism, Judaism, and antisemitism for our community. Dangor’s claim that Zionism is a Christian concept detached from Judaism is not just historically inaccurate, it represents an attempt to redefine our heritage our chosen beliefs, and political rights. In fact, the historical and religious connection of the Jewish people to Israel, and the legitimate political belief that the Jewish people have a right to political self-determination in this land (“Zionism”) is irrelevant in this case. As a government official, Dangor lacks any standing to prescribe which beliefs are permissible for an entire segment of South African society.
We in the Jewish community are all too aware that when Dangor and those like him target “Zionists,” they are, in truth, targeting Jews. The fact that not all Jews are Zionists does not sanitize the malice, nor does it validate the veneer of anti-Zionism as a shield for anti-Jewish sentiment, especially when supported by faux claims that the history of Zionism is detached from Judaism or lacks Judaic roots. We can clearly see how the construct and criticism of antisemitism have morphed into the more societally acceptable idea of ”anti-Zionism,” we are not fooled.
