Friends and enemies: ADL probes rise in antisemitism

Nearly half of all adults worldwide hold elevated levels of antisemitic attitudes, according to the latest Global 100 survey conducted by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League).

Last week, I attended the ADL’s annual conference titled “Never is Now”, where this alarming finding was explored to understand the spike in global antisemitism and how communities in the United States (US) and internationally are dealing with this upsurge.

Some of the trends that we have observed in South Africa are consistent with other countries. In the past 17 months, all our communities have battled intimidation in the workplace, in academia, in professions, healthcare, arts and culture, and on the streets.

I was particularly moved to listen to Bianca Jade, a Honduran-American entrepreneur and well-known brand ambassador, who was targeted on social media in a vicious campaign similar to the one some of our local businesspeople have been subjected to. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD’s) office has supported several small, medium, and large businesses in the past 17 months, providing all types of assistance to help them ward off attackers from the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) coalition. Similarly, we met academics and professionals who were doxed and targeted in the same manner we experienced here.

What stood out for me was the level of hate and hostility that American campuses in particular are subjected to. It was chilling to hear directly from students and academics who experienced blatant and even violent antisemitism at leading US universities such as Columbia. Though our own campuses have from time to time also had unacceptable flare-ups, they certainly cannot in any way compare to the hostility experienced elsewhere in the world.

I spoke alongside communal leaders from the United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and Canada on a panel titled, “What we can learn from the fight against antisemitism in the world.” The moderator of the session, Susan Heller Pinto, the vice-president of international policy at the ADL, commented in her introductory remarks, “I’ve worked at the ADL on issues of antisemitism for more than 30 years, and nothing, nothing, has compared to the level of incidents, the hostile environment, and the sense of concern and isolation that confront Jews worldwide.” My follow panellists were Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews; Richard Marceau, vice-president external affairs and general counsel for Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs; and Daniel Aghion, the president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Rosenberg commented on the many new Jewish networks that have been established in the UK over this time, something we have started seeing in South Africa and which are supported by the SAJBD. These bodies support Jewish people subjected to antisemitism in various sectors.

While these countries experienced rapid increases in antisemitism, we are fortunate that in South Africa, incidents have decreased since the immediate months after 7 October and we have experienced few physical incidents, including the improvised explosive device at the community centre in Cape Town, which thankfully didn’t detonate. In Australia, however, there has been a frightening spate of violent incidents and an escalation in past months. They include two nurses in Sydney who boasted of killing Israeli patients in their care; 10 fire bombings against Jewish targets in the past eight months – one at a house that belonged to my counterpart at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry; and the shul in Melbourne that was burned to the ground. Likewise, in Canada, shuls have been firebombed; Jewish schools shot at; Jewish businesses and hospitals picketed; and Jewish union members have been targeted.

Marceau spoke of how the buck was passed by law enforcement and politicians in addressing antisemitic incidents.

Australians and Canadians are both bracing for impending elections and how, despite attempts to keep the war and antisemitism out of electioneering, this issue, in all likelihood, may become the proverbial “political football”. I shared our experience in the lead-up to the May 2024 national elections in South Africa, and how the African National Congress (ANC) and other parties exacerbated the already volatile situation against South African Jewry in their misguided zeal to get votes. I recalled how the ANC decorated its final election rally with a Palestinian flag instead of a South African one, and how President Cyril Ramaphosa and his keffiyeh-clad ANC leadership had chanted, “From the river to the sea.” Ultimately, their campaign backfired, and one of the reasons for their decline, especially in the Western Cape, was miscalculated anti-Israel-style electioneering.

We all spoke of our allies in various countries, including many in the Christian and Hindu communities, as well as our shared experience that the majority of our fellow citizens didn’t share the hostility and antisemitic sentiment. Evidence of this is the many who have reached out to support us privately, however due to the intimidation and thuggery of the BDS lobby, have chosen not to do so publicly.

To quote David Schwimmer, whom many of us remember from the television series Friends, “No-one is asking you to solve the conflict in the Middle East. Just say that you stand with your Jewish friends, colleagues, and neighbours against hatred.” He continued, “Plenty of people I respect, even some of my heroes in entertainment, music, and sports have chosen to keep a low profile and sit this one out, including some whose careers have been made by leaning into their Jewish identity.”

Schwimmer urged his fellow Hollywood stars who had been silent since 7 October, “I wish you would speak out because your voice would be so meaningful to your fans who love you, to your community members who need you, and to folk who could do with just a little solidarity right now.”

• Wendy Kahn is national director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.