THE TROUBLE WITH BAPELA: JEWISH BOARD OF DEPUTIES HITS BACK

Deputy minister’s protest that latest move is not anti-Semitic rings hollow, writes Charisse Zeifert

BEAUTY, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. Can the same be said for racism? This question was placed in the spotlight last week by the Sunday Times’s report on Obed Bapela’s remarks regarding envisaged changes to South Africa’s dualcitizenship policy, “ANC threat to ban dual citizenship”. According to Bapela, that policy should be reviewed with a view to preventing South African citizens from serving in the Israeli Defence Forces.

In subsequent interviews, Bapela was quick to stress that his comments were not antiSemitic, with his constant refrain: “I am not anti-Semitic, this isn’t about Jews.” The South African Jewish community felt differently. For them, it was a little too reminiscent of “I am not a racist, but . . .”

Accusations of racism are not, as some reading this may wish to argue, a crude attempt to shut down debate. To casually assume that all accusations of prejudice have been fabricated in order to silence legitimate expressions of opinion, is itself a bigoted approach. As with all forms of racial prejudice, antiSemitism is a very real and nasty phenomenon.

Identifying racism requires a judgment call, which in turn needs to take into account a range of criteria. How has the viewpoint in question been expressed (has wantonly offensive and/or inflammatory language been used)? Is there evidence of double standards? Has there been negative stereotyping, and is an obvious bias displayed? Let’s examine Bapela’s past actions in terms of these factors.

Offensive and inflammatory language: In March, Bapela was one of the speakers at a protest outside the South African Zionist Federation conference in Sandton. The aim of the protesters was to “shut down Sandton” and ensure that “no Zionist conference be held on our soil”. Among the remarks shouted by participants was: “You think this is Israel, we are going to kill you.” In this highly charged atmosphere Bapela was happy to stir things up further, inter alia by making a personal attack on South African Jewish Board of Deputies director Wendy Kahn. When a government minister addresses a representative of a minority ethnic- faith community as if she is a public enemy, especially in a context where that community is being reviled and threatened, there is clearly a problem.

Double standards: When a particular group is exclusively singled out for things that everybody else is doing, this amounts to double standards. There are thousands of South Africans serving in foreign armies (4 000 in the Royal Marines alone). Why, then, does Bapela speak as if only Jews are involved?

Negative stereotyping: Bapela speaks in terms of dual citizenship, but what he is in fact doing is questioning Jewish loyalty to South Africa. He accuses Jews of going to Israel to be indoctrinated against the Palestinians, thereafter to come back to South Africa to distort the public’s views on Palestine. In this scenario, Jews are not seen as a constituency who might have a valid opinion to express but as a negative influence who go against the will of the nation — untrustworthy at best, traitors at worst.

A clear-cut bias: According to Bapela, he is not against Jews — only those who support Israel. This is itself suggestive. Measured criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic, but demonising Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, and falsely accusing it of every manner of crime surely begs the question. Earlier this year, Bapela threatened to discipline members of Sasco and the ANC Youth League who visited the country for what he called a “campaign by Israel to distort our stand on Palestine”.

Or was he simply scared that through exposure to the country, they might discover what it was like for themselves? Either way, he exposed a hardline antiIsrael bias that displays a narrow-minded, anti-democratic attitude. Another box ticked.

In June this year Leon Levy, a Jewish-born anti-apartheid veteran, recalled the atmosphere on that cold, crisp winter’s day on June 26 1955, when thousands of South Africans congregated in Kliptown to ratify what was intended as the blueprint for a future democratic, nonracial South Africa— the Freedom Charter. Its defining tenet was that “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white”.

The Jewish community has played an active and integral role in building South Africa, and is committed to being part of its future. Its members are grateful to be part of a robust democracy where diversity is celebrated and freedom of belief, expression, inquiry and association are scrupulously upheld. Proudly Jewish, and proudly South African. That, Mr Bapela, is our community.

Zeifert is head of communication for the South African Jewish Board of Deputies

What he is in fact doing is questioning Jewish loyalty to South Africa

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