In January, the independent TV station ANN7 organised a panel debate on security in Sandringham for a programme it was making on the subject. It was reported that one of the panellists, Zahir Omar (of the Muslim Lawyers Association of SA), made explicitly antisemitic comments during the discussion. The Board contacted ANN7 to ensure that these were not included in what was broadcast and further asked that it be allowed to view the unedited footage of the debate in order to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the allegations. While no overt antisemitism featured in the programme subsequently broadcast, ANN7 declined to make the unedited footage available, whereupon the Board’s legal representatives formally demanded that it do so in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act.
ANN7 in due course responded, saying that sections of the footage had been deleted, that it distanced itself from Omar’s comments and that it would not make the remainder of the unedited footage available to the Board. The Board responded that ANN7 both acknowledged that antisemitic comments were indeed made by Omar and that it had taken steps to destroy the evidence rather than allow the Board to assess what was said and determine whether to take appropriate action in that regard. In view of the relevant footage having been deleted, it had been decided that there was no point in its pursuing this particular matter further. The Board remained committed to ongoing dialogue on the matter and any other matter issue going forward.
Recent Articles
Cosatu's Tony Ehrenreich Censured for Threatening Jewish Community
On 13 August 2014, then Western Cape Cosatu chairman Tony Ehrenreich posted a comment on Facebook calling for revenge attacks against the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) and other “Zionist supporters” in retaliation for the deaths of Palestinian civilians. Amongst other inflammatory comments, he wrote, “The time has come to say very clearly that if a woman or child is killed in Gaza, then the Jewish board of deputies, who are complicit, will feel the wrath of the People of SA with the age old biblical teaching of an eye for an eye”.
Charisse Zeifert writes for Saturday Citizen
Have you heard the joke where a Jew, an Afrikaner and an Indian walk into a Shebeen? It sounds like the kind of “witty” yarn that EFF leader Julius Malema would spin. Oh, wait, actually, he has already told tales about different minorities – singling them out for abuse. Most recently, he “cleverly” managed to insult two minority groups at the same time, when he said: “There’s a group of white right-wingers (read Afrikaners) who are being trained by Jews in Pretoria to be snipers.” (sic)
Jewish Affairs Rosh Hashanah 2018
We are pleased to announce that the Rosh Hashanah 2018 issue of Jewish Affairs has been posted on our website. The printed version will be sent to subscribers shortly. As always, we ask that you assist us in widening the reach of the journal by forwarding this message to anyone who may be interested.
In May this year, the State of Israel celebrated its 70th anniversary. To mark that memorable milestone, the Rosh Hashanah 2018 issue of Jewish Affairs is devoted almost entirely to the subject of Israel, and in particular to the noteworthy role that South African Jews played in its birth and early struggle for survival. The editorial board thanks all those who responded to its invitation to contribute their own memories and perspectives for this special JA issue.