SA Jewish Future Imperfect

SA Jewish Future Imperfect During South Africa’s turbulent transition years, Judge Dennis Davis (an high level member of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies) hosted a TV talk show called Future Imperfect which confronted head on, the challenges facing our democracy in the making.

He has a regular column in the South African Jewish Report (SAJR), which I guess is supposed to be styled on a similar but more Jewish focused structure. His column unfortunately has of late become less of a vehicle for framing different perspectives on pertinent Jewish issues and more of a tool to chastise the parochial nature of South African Jewry. (I actually happen to agree with a lot of what Davis writes, but believe his dogmatic style only serves to antagonize the vast majority of South African Jews and push them further into their intellectual Ghetto). And so somewhat embarrassingly it has been left to Lawrence Hart in the Canadian Jewish News to lay out the potential ‘futures imperfect’ facing Zionist Jews in South Africa

Hart’s article entitled ‘South Africa Damns Israel’ describes the extreme anti-Zionist atmosphere that permeates the ruling classes in the new South Africa. The virulently anti-Israel behavior of Kasrils, COSATU and co, needs no further elaboration for readers of this blog. We probably could even supply Hart with a quote or too. But what is interesting is his hard hitting conclusions.

‘Unfortunately, the hostile positions articulated by Kasrils and the current ANC government are not isolated. They are manifestations of a seemingly visceral anti-Israel bias in a country that is still home to some 80,000 Jews… How an embattled and dwindling Jewish population copes with such an increasingly prejudiced environment remains to be seen. Treading a fine line between measured protest and reluctant acquiescence would seem to be the key to survival for those who are committed to staying put. The alternative, of course, is to emigrate. These have always been the only viable choices for Jewish South Africans, regardless of the differing political agendas that have plagued them during both the apartheid years and, perhaps even more strikingly, since then.’

It’s a damning but apt indictment of the behavior (both past and present) of the South African Jewish leadership. ‘Treading a fine line between measured protest and reluctant acquiescence’ is nothing to proud of. Yes we have impressive Jewish institutions and an extremely vibrant Jewish life here, but at what moral cost?

Comments

[Hillel]

Call it cognitive dissonance, but I read the paragraph as stating the two options, emigrate or tread the fine line. Not suggesting that there might be an alternative.

I also didn't read it as being an indictment of the behaviour but rather a statement of fact and a recognition that treading that line may indeed be a survival strategy - one that of necessity has worked in the past albeit with limited success.

If we are to presume that a different strategy will work, ostensibly one based on (vocal?) advocacy of human rights and the SA constitution, then we also need to assume these things are taken seriously by the "ruling class".

Notwithstanding the validity of this assumption, it's nonetheless quite an assumption to peg one's family's well being upon, particularly in light of the (extremely viable) alternatives.

Hillel,

I tend to disagree. I think that history has consistently shown that appeasement in the end does not work.

There is also a cost to being the court Jewish. There is not doubt that a people that are proud to speak out on issues of concern will have a much strong identity than those than just acquiesce. I want to live in a Jewish community that is true to its values and I can be proud of.

Claiming that by SA Jews criticizing the government and speaking up about heir concerns endanger our lives, is a serious indictment of South African democracy. Your logic is thus based on the assumption that this is not a free society, one that is as oppressive as under Apartheid. If that is true, then you should be telling your family and friends to get out now.

[Mike]

the last comment was mine

[Hillel]

Mike,

I'm not sure I agree on your reading of history. Yes, appeasement never worked in the long term, but it very often worked long enough to escape.

The alternative typically wasn't there, now that it is, it's arguable whether it will work. Agreed, that there is a cost to being the proverbial court Jew, but I'm not sure that in today's frame of reference "we're" doing anything different in our current actions. i.e. in our relationship with the ANC, with what we perceive to be the democracy in SA and with the faith we place in the world/people in general with respect to current fashions in democracy, human rights etc.

Finally, I'm not convinced that speaking up is necessarily endangering, but I'm not convinced it may not have negative repercussions at a later stage. As I said in the first commment, it's not that the assumption is false, it's the risk of it being wrong and the consequences.

Everyone needs to decide for themselves what risks they're prepared to live with, what to mitigate, what to insure. This is no different.