Afrika Tikkun delegates get close up on Holocaust

Forty Afrika Tikkun delegates visited the Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre last week to build awareness of the history and identity of their organisation’s Jewish founders and supporters.

It also gave an opportunity to those involved in its work skills and agri-training programme to learn about the Holocaust and delve deeper into themes of tolerance and human connection.

The delegates said they were deeply impacted by the museum’s exhibits, which offered a sobering view of the Holocaust and other genocides in history. A key takeaway for them was the understanding that genocide is a deliberate act of destruction that requires intent and planning to wipe out a specific group of people.

They expressed shock and sadness at the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. Zoe Bikwana, a Holocaust Centre educator, told them of the disturbing trend of using the term “genocide” loosely in contemporary discourse, often without fully understanding its historical and moral weight.

Bikwana challenged the group to imagine “unzipping their skins from their bodies”. “We’re all skeletal components of the same human form,” she told the group, emphasising the common humanity underneath skin colour and the importance of fighting discrimination.

Afrika Tikkun facilitator Ntsikelelo Mkoko, said, “I learnt that you cannot box people into categories. It reminds me of what happened last month at a sausage factory in Mfuleni, where the Afrika Tikkun Centre is located. It was alleged that it was adding dog food to its sausages. Now, everyone is saying the factory is owned by Somalians and that the Somalians must all go back to Somalia. You can’t generalise about a group of people, and people need to be taught that!”

Zenathi Jubisa, a trainee on an Afrika Tikkun agricultural skills programme, said, “I realised that hate is everywhere, and the fact that the Holocaust programme works on dismantling it is important. I love the fact that this opened my eyes to learn more and become a better person.”

Beneficiary Amelio Klama reflected on the visit, calling it “mind-blowing” and “emotional”. Learning about the Holocaust, he said, brought home the universality of suffering caused by hatred and the fact that we’re all, ultimately, potential victims of prejudice and pain.

Lisa Schewitz, Afrika Tikkun’s Jewish ambassador, co-ordinated the visit. “The Jewish community has always held a deep sense of responsibility towards the vulnerable and oppressed,” she told the group. “This sense of duty, informed by our own history – especially the trauma of the Holocaust – drives our commitment to social justice and helping those in need. Afrika Tikkun’s mission is a living testament to this ethos, enabling us to create lasting change for disadvantaged South Africans, irrespective of background or race.”

Schewitz, who raises funds for Afrika Tikkun, is urging everyone to continue to partner with the organisation to build on the impact of Afrika Tikkun and the Jewish community over the past 30 years.

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