An open letter to the ANC from a South African Jew
2017-12-22 08:41
Dear ANC delegate,
I have
never voted for you but I have respected you. I have spoken with pride about
the lofty goals that you set yourself as a liberation movement. I have been
awed by your capacity to forgive many of the injustices of the past, often to
your own detriment. Something that you have done with grace and dignity.
You have
birthed leaders that stand alongside the greatest statesmen ever born and who
will always be remembered as people who left this world a better place than how
they found it.
Indeed, the
ANC was largely responsible for making South Africa a shining light of
tolerance, understanding and forgiveness.
But you have
lost your way. And in doing so you will stand on the wrong side of history.
As a South
African Jew who has woken up to the news that you have chosen “unanimously” to
downgrade the Israeli Embassy, you have sent a clear message, not only to the
Jews of the country, but to the rest of the world, exactly how you wish to be
known.
You invited
the terror organisation Hamas to your conference. And that is inexcusable.
Ignorance is not a justification because all you needed to do was to glance
over the Hamas Charter and you would understand that they desire the death of
Jews. They are an Islamist terror group like ISIS and like Boko Haram. And you
have invited them in to our precious and young democracy.
Their goals
are not democratic – yours are. They persecute women and gays – you protect
them. They do not allow freedom of speech – you do. And they believe in kidnapping,
murdering and terrorising the innocent.
To say that
the ANC was once called a “terror” organisation is to sell your own history short
and to rewrite every lofty ideal that the ANC stood for.
Your focus
on Israel is hypocritical at best and anti-Semitic at worse. You have remained
embarrassingly silent with regard to China’s treatment of the Tibetans and the
Syrian crises. You have been largely responsible for the chaos in Zimbabwe when
you were the only ones that had the power to address this years ago. You are
silent on the treatment of the Yazidis and the Kurds. The list of goes on and
on.
Do I even
need to mention Omar al-Bashir?
Worse than
that, you have let your own people down. You have gluttonously eaten from the
trough of food that belongs to your people and in doing so have done more
damage than is even quantifiable. You have stolen and enriched yourself while your
own people - people you were meant to protect - starved.
You have
become a disgrace and an embarrassment – a laughing stock.
Only for
Jews and for supporters of Israel, it’s no longer funny.
I don’t
need to list the number of Jews who risked everything for the struggle. The
numbers proportionately outweigh almost any other demographic. And whereas
certainly many profited from apartheid, as did every white South African, many
fought this.
You might
rely on the common accusation that Israel supported the apartheid government.
But any honest historian will confirm that sadly most countries did. Where else
did South Africa purchase its oil from, if not the many Arab countries in the
Middle East?
Israel is
imperfect. As is any country. The conflict is real and it needs to be addressed
before more people die. But to single this out as the only embassy worthy of a
downgrade, is to send a message that it is not about the Palestinians but more
about Israel and the Jews.
It is also
completely inconsistent with the history of the ANC that aspires to dialogue
and conflict resolution.
Or does
that apply to other conflicts only?
The rest of
the world understands the true nature of the BDS movement. So much so, that
many have banned the organisation because it is a racist and anti-Semitic on.
It cares naught for the very people it claims to represent. It seeks the
delegitimisation of Israel as its goal. And sadly you have fallen for this hook
line and sinker.
Why then,
would the ANC choose not only to invite them in, but to be captured by them?
I have
received countless calls this morning from fellow South African Jews asking me
what I think about the ANC policy statement. Each are wondering if this isn’t a
sign that Jews are no longer welcome in this country.
I have told
them that I believe that good sense will prevail and that in the cold light of
the morning after, the ANC will feel ashamed about what they have done. I
believe that they will return to the ideals of Nelson Mandela and the
magnificence of an organisation that once was.
I believe
that Jews have no need to fear and that we will be able to build a future based
on tolerance and acceptance and on reconciliation.
I just hope
I am right.
- Feldman is the author of Carry on Baggage and Tightrope and the afternoon drive show presenter on Chai FM.
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
