DIANE FINE
we have brought up our children to value human rights, to believe in tikkun olam – the healing of our world. We have taught them about social justice and sent them to schools where they are encouraged to critically analyse the world they see.
We have praised them for standing up against apartheid and other forms of discrimination and when they have made errors of judgement we have discussed this and taught them to think about their actions so that they don’t repeat these mistakes.
Now our tiny South African Jewish community is riven by conflict. Instead of learning from our history, we are allowing extremists on both sides of the debate to set us against each other. Throughout history it is the extremists who are the most vocal in their views and those in the middle stay fairly silent.
As a result, what the public sees is a small minority calling for the figurative execution of one child who has had the courage to stand up for his beliefs as we have taught our children to do. Instead of trying to discuss and teach, they call for him to be excommunicated for being brave, even if not necessarily wise.
Over the centuries Jews have been the victims of prejudice and persecution. We should understand what it is like to be the subject of human rights abuses.
We teach our children that intolerance was what led to the destruction of the Temple (which we have just commemorates on the 9th Av), to the deaths of six million Jews. Yet, this very same intolerance is being perpetrated in our own small community.
We should realise the dangers of censorship when diverse views cannot be expressed and yet there are attempts to censor the words of anyone who expresses opposition to the deaths of thousands of civilians.
How much richer our community could be if we could hear all the voices, openly debate and discuss different views and thoughtfully welcome diversity and tolerance in our community.
By shutting down public debate diverse views will not disappear but rather this will lead to further conflict driving wedges in our community, till we splinter and fragment.
We should not allow intolerance and censorship to become the legacy we leave to our children. We should welcome their bravery and encourage debate and just maybe others will learn from our rich heritage and our example.
Johannesburg
Gary Selikow
Aug 14, 2014 at 4:56 pm
‘Their is nothing brave about Broomberg parroting the politically correct garbage of the majority and he is no free thinker. He is following the majority herd.
and tolerance cannot come from one side only.
when the ANC/SACP/COSATU threaten Jews with violence for being Zionists and warn us we have until a certain date to prove we are not Zionists , what is that but intolerance and censorship
And Broomberg is aligning himself with them
‘
Jonathan Cohen
Aug 18, 2014 at 6:40 am
‘I think that Gary has missed the point of the article and is guilty of making sweeping generalisations.
How does Gary come to the opinion that Broomberg \”is no free thinker \” ?
On what basis does Gary opine that Broomberg \”aligns \” himself with anti Zionism.
In fact Gary’s view is one dimensional,immature and nothing less than an uneducated harangue.’