The Smoking Socks Award: CSO compared to Jewish Kapos

The scratching pens of deranged Israel-haters have been so hard at work over the past few weeks that I haven’t had the stomach to look through the list and select the worst of the worst. Last week, however, a prime candidate for a Smoking Socks Award surfaced from the Jewish Report.

I don’t really care for the concerns of individuals when they invoke the Nazi comparisons, and this is what one Jewish letter writer did when he described the Jewish communal security organisation (CSO) as a bunch of Kapos. It’s an extremely inflammatory comparison and one that precludes the letter writer from having his views taken seriously. For readers that might not know what the term Kapo means, it was used to refer to Jewish prisoners during the Holocaust, who were forced to carry out the will of the Nazi camp commandants and guards.

Here's an excerpt from the letter entitled, Taking a dim view of the CSO presence at the PSC rally

I was at the protest and could not believe the way the CSO security personnel were manhandling some of the Jewish people who were there. The Jewish activists, who came there that day, did not arrive at the scene desiring CSO protection. There were several Jewish men who wanted to challenge these inciting, racist, Jew-hating, antagonising protesters. Both Jewish camps (the bystanders and the activists) did not want, nor desire protection from the CSO whose post-adolescent pre-mortgage paying members behaved like Jewish Kapos from the Second World War. These Jewish Kapos from the CSO, who have no jurisdiction over a public road, prevented several Jews from confronting the Muslim and other demonstrators that day. The consequence was that the CSO inadvertently protected these sworn enemies of the Jews. Deterrence lost. Wake up! They forfeited their right to freedom of speech and assembly years ago when their speech, actions and ideology became both hateful and dangerous to their fellow south-Africans.

We, correctly, reacted with disgust when COSATU and the PSC marched into our neighbourhood with a swastika implying that we are as bad as the Nazis were. We should react with the same contempt when fellow Jews belittle the suffering endured during the Holocaust with similar comparisons.

Comments

[Gary]

Oh great, with all the responses flooding in about that CSO letter my letter pointing out that Israelis are also enitled to human rights now definitely wont get in.
Dammit

[Shaun]

Question about the SA Jewish report.

After taking a lot of flak from both sides of the spectrum, in a article published by the editor in the 30 Jan editor of the Jewish report, the following was printed:
“While we publish many different viewpoints, we have a strong view of our own. We are unequivocally Zionistic and supportive of Israel as a Jewish
state,…”

Does this mean that the SA Jewish Report is fair game for a Zionist boycott?

[joeTalin]

Another fool who has no idea whatsoever the role of community organizations. The guys confronting the Palestinian-loving mob would have been 'moered', were it not for the "post-pubescent" members giving up their own time to protect the community.

[Steve]

Well said Joe.

Shaun, I guess companies that advertise in the JR are then also targets for the boycott...not so?

[Adampash]

I literally cannot believe what I am reading. I was also at the protest and think that the CSO were exemplary in their behaviour and "stuck to their guns" with their modus operandi - the preservation of Jewish life and the Jewish way of life. Sam Kretzmer - the author of the letter to the Jewish Report quite obviously has absolutely no idea how security organisations work and thus his comments are completely without basis. The CSO's jurisdiction is not limited to within the walls of Beyachad or Jewish organisations, but extends to protect Jewish life and the Jewish way of life wherever necessary.

It is therefore not Sam Kretzmer's decision whether or not the CSO will offer him protection but rather it is the sole purpose of the CSO, whether he likes it or not.

The CSO were and are a Kiddush HaShem and were entirely successful with the manner in which they propelled the rabid anti semites of COSATU and the PSC. No Jews were injured, nor was their much cause for concern. This is a tribute to the fantastic work of the CSO.

To belittle the Holocaust by comparing it to the 40 or so vocal COSATU and PSC supporters is an atrocity to the memory of the victims. The Jewish Kapos worked in conjunction with the Nazis and were indirectly responsible for many deaths. The CSO work for the Jewish community and will do everything in their power to prevent the Jewish community from any harm. They are incomparable.

What Sam Kretzmer seems to be advocating is vigilante justice with his comment that, "they forfeited their right to freedom of speech." Whilst the gathering was illegal and thus does not constitute freedom of speech, this inherent right was by no means forfeited, just as the Jewish Report upheld his right to freedom of speech by printing his worthless drivel. I can only imagine the uproar that would have been caused had we in fact taken his advice!

[Brett]

"Rather keep your mouth shut and let everyone think you mare ignorant than open it and remove all doubt"

Mr Kretzmer, this applies to you. As was pointed out above the CSO's role is to protect the entire community. Can this fool honestly not make a simple extrapolation of the most likely consequences? Does he really think that if the CSO would have allowed a little fisty cuffs on the day that the COSATU and family guys would have walked away and "hey, they taught us a lesson, better leave them alone now". If the Jews would have initiated violence then that would become the new level of the conflict in SA and many Jews will G-d forbid get hurt. In reality Mr Kretzmer, the CSO were protecting the community not only from COSATU but also from you

[sam kretzmer]

I AM GLAD YOU ALL READ MY LETTER BUT REALLY, LOOKING AFTER SYNAGOGUES AND NURSARY SCHOOLS MAKES THE CSO LOOK AS PREPARED AS THE ALL-BLACKS AT THE 2007 WORLD CUP.SECONDLY THE COMPARISON TO KAPOS WAS METAPHORICAL.THIRDLY BECAUSE OF THE HOLOCAUST I REFUSE TO BE THE APOLOGETIC,BENT OVER JEW PLAYING THE MORAL GAME AND DUE TO THE HOLOCAUST I WILL NOT ENDORCE NOR SANCTION JEWS FROM THE CSO MANHANDLING AND WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF THE LAW ASSAULTING FELLOW JEWS.
THE PRIMARY GRIEVANCE I HAD, WAS EVEN THOUGH THE CSO PERFORMS AN EXEMPLARY SERVICE IT DOES SEEM CAPABLE OF HANDLING A PROTEST OF SAY 500 HOSTILE PROTESTERS WITH ITS PRESENT PERSONNEL.
THE IMMATURITY OF ITS PERSONNEL AT BEYACHAD THAT DAY WAS TOO APPARENT.
I HOPE MY CRITIQUE IS TAKEN IN A POSITIVE LIGHT AS NO MALICE IS INTENDED.......SHABBAT SHALOM

[Steve]

Sam, I appreciate your attempt to explain your views. Thank you. I do think you need to reconsider your opinions. I think Adampash in his comment above makes the point quite well.

Your invocation of the Kapos was obviously metaphorical. But that bit of grammar education doesn't detract from it's absurdity.

Shabbat Shalom to you too.

[sam kretzmer]

steve,THE ABSURDITY IS PLACING AN EXCERPT FROM MY LETTER UNDER A ANTI-SEMITISM HEADER.
THE LETTER READ IN ITS TOTALITY AND IN ITS SIMPLICITY REGARDING METAPHORS AND SYNONYMS IS PRO JEWISH AND PRO ISRAEL.
A MISINTERPRETATION BASED ON THE ABOVE AND OTHER EXHUMED ISSUES I HOPE IS NOT REFLECTIVE ON AN OTHERWISE INFORMATIVE WEB SITE.
KEEP WELL

[Ariel]

Caps lock key, man. Caps lock key.

[Vibram Five Fingers]

Hi,What a great post! Thanks for article. Everytime like to read you.Have a nice day!

[Vibram Five Fingers]

Hi,What a great post! Thanks for article. Everytime like to read you.Have a nice day!