The South African Jewish Board of Deputies in conjunction with the Goethe Institute (a centre for the promotion of German culture) is holding an exhibition called “Seeking Refuge”. It tells the story of more than 30 Jewish families who managed to escape Nazi terror by immigrating to South Africa before the war. As part of this exhibition, a discussion on the lessons of the Holocaust was held last Sunday afternoon. The prestigious panel consisted of Professor Jocelyn Hellig, Judge Albie Sacks (Constitutional Court SA) and Tali Natis (The Vulindlela Network - Reconciliation & Transformation).
Each speaker’s forte added different dimensions to the discussion, resulting in a diverse and rich afternoon for all in attendance. Professor Hellig spoke more from an academic perspective about the numerous lessons of the Holocaust. Man’s capacity for cruelty, but also man’s capacity for kindness. She asked the pertinent question how it is that some Germans could have been so cruel and others so kind as to risk everything to save Jewish lives.
Despite the many other lessons she articulated, for me the most important was that democracy does not always guarantee human rights. Germany was a democracy before the war, yet Hitler managed to legislate away Jewish liberties. National sovereignty she argued, is the only true assurance for minority rights. Jewish people, who have grown up with Israel as a permanent feature on the political map (despite Iran’s recent declarations), take the security it provides them for granted.
I was fortunate enough a few years ago to have met leaders of the Gypsy community. At the time the Intifada had just broken out and we were discussing the present day persecution of our 2 peoples (Gypsies like Jews were victims of Nazi mass murder). I spoke about the rise of the new anti-Semitism in Europe and the Muslim world. Gypsies too, they replied, live in fear of hate mongering, expulsion and even physical attacks but unlike Jews they have no state, no army to protect them. Professor Hellig made that same telling point.
The second speaker was Tali Natis, who worked for many years at the tolerance foundation, educating non-Jews about the Holocaust. She spoke about her personal experience of being the daughter of a German refugee and Holocaust survivor. She told moving personal anecdotes about the power of the human spirit to survive.
The third, and by far the most impressive speaker, was Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sacks. He spoke about the impact of German Jewish refugees on his life and the contribution they made to South Africa as a whole. He explained that not all Germans were evil Nazis, and praised the richness of German culture. He highlighted the irony that those fleeing evil were able to bring such good and argued that present day refugees from Nigeria or Zimbabwe are no different.
Justice Sack’s lecture certainly rings true when we consider the remarkable success of the modern state of Israel. This is certainly attributable in no small part to the way it has been able to harness the skills of the millions of refugees it has absorbed from all over the world. Sadly, if only the Arab states had adopted the same attitude to the Palestinian refugees, the Middle East would today be a very different place. Their policies of exclusion - be it physical imprisonment in refugee camps or lack of political and economic rights, have proven to breed only hatred and terror.
The Jewish Board of Deputies should be commended for putting together such a fascinating exhibit. The fact that it was held at the Goethe centre is also commendable. Dealing with the past, no matter how horrible, is an important part of the healing process for both the Jewish and German peoples. Joint events of this nature certainly help this process. There are many on the South African Jewish Left, who like to portray the organised Jewish community as reactionary, monolithic in their views and anti-debate; these type of events serve to prove them wrong.
The exhibit will be running for another few weeks. There are numerous speakers still to be heard on the Holocaust and modern day remembrance, using mediums such as art, music and film. I advise all those who are interested to attend. It’s really worth while.
Download this file for information about attending the events at the exhibit.
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