2020 in Review by Basil Dubb, Chairperson JDI

2020 has been an historic year. Covid-19 loomed large, impacted all our lives and constrained activities but also presented opportunities. The constraint was to meet in person – but the opportunities were the expanded reach of electronic platforms to connect locally and internationally.

Perhaps the largest issue earlier this year was the threat by the Government of Israel to annex parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. World jewry made their opposition known. There was a massive outpouring of opprobrium and an appeal to the Government of Israel to set aside the annexation agenda.

South African Jewish organisations were slow to respond and JDI - while immediately speaking out - decided to encourage our official representatives,the SAJBD, to make a public statement opposing annexation. We wanted the Board to make it known to all our fellow South Africans – clearly and unequivocally – that we disagree with the policies of the Government of Israel concerning annexation. Essentially, they refused. JDI took a different path, organised a petition for SA Jews to voice their disapproval and even wrote to the Dept of International Relations to express our position as SA Jews. The minister herself replied.

So why am I re-hashing this issue? It is an example of the validity of JDI to our community. To espouse values that are both South African and Jewish. Values that are not given a strong enough voice in our official community representation, yet values that exist strongly within our community.

What has happened over time is that many of us have difficulty relating to the prevailing myth – the ethos of our own community as portrayed by the established bodies. We struggle to connect to the prevailing narrative. The story of who we are, where we are from and where we are going. In other words where we belong today. Why do we feel that the narrative has drifted so far away from our values and our experience that we no longer belong to it? What should we, can we, do to change things? JDI is part of that response.

JDI will continue to represent the progressive and Liberal identities of South African Jews. Perspectives and viewpoints that have seen some erosion in the official community space. However, we do not see ourselves - and do not wish to be - outside agitators. We seek to represent existing views that have been ignored and, sometimes, actively silenced by those that do not subscribe to equal rights for all.

There is much work to do to open our Community to the diversity of the Jewish World. We cannot be complacent and simply accept a narrow world view to pervade our Community.

We aspire to growing community involvement of all SA Jews.