Banner

SAFI Israel advocacy 2016 conference LIVE BLOG

Published

8 years ago

Mar 13, 2016

admin

ANT KATZ

Follow all day

Users please note:…

As is the nature of live blogging, the latest posts will appear on the top so any reader wishing to catch uhttps://www.sajr.co.za/images/default-source/events/jewish/16-march-conference-programme-1b.jpg” class=”sfImageWrapper”>

FOLLOWERS PLEASE NOTE: As each new post is updated, the time will be reflected on the top of the home page of the website, users are required to “refresh” the page to update new posts –simply press the F5 key on your computer
- We will endeavour to get soft copies from speakers talking from notes so that we can publish their speeches in full. While they are speaking and we are capturing their words – a profile of all the main speakers will appear;
- Updates will be posted between five minutes apart and the length of a talk – although long talkers may be posted in several segments; and
- BE INTERACTIVE: Users are encouraged to post any questions they have at the bottom of this page, stating whom they would like to answer them. Should time allow during breaks, the writer will pose the questions to the requested speaker. It is more likely, however, that the questions will be asked and answered after the event. But be assured that every user-question will be put to the speakers and answered. Be sure to add you e-mail address in the optional section when posing a questions;
- Expect the first live posts to be up at around 8.45am.
Come on users, what do you think?
Share your thoughts – comment below
Mark Hyman, the co-Chairman of the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) and conference convener, delivered a rousing closing speech to the plenary of the organisation’s fourth annual’s Israel Advocacy Conference – appropriate as the day was marked by one rousing event after the other and left delegates inspired, empowered and exhausted after ten hours of non-stop action. Here is the full text of that speech…

“Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, Shalom Umvorach Sanibonani Manene Namanenekazi

Another incredibly successful Advocacy seminar; another notch in our belt; proof positive of the power of dialogue, the power of negotiation, the power of communication, the power of education – and the power of a shared goal, a shared vision, a shared belief.

The Chief Rabbi Dr Rabbi Warren Goldstein, Mr Ben Swartz the Chairman of the South African Zionist Federation and Co Chairman of South African Friends of Israel, honoured guests, dignitaries, delegates and all of our friends of Israel who have come here today with the hunger to learn about the experiences of the Holy land of Israel and who joined us with a thirst for knowledge which was undoubtedly quenched by our esteemed keynote speakers.

All of us here today have shared a unique experience, one that has enriched and elevated us, which has given us hope and courage, and which has helped clarify the way forward for our beloved Israel, surrounded as she currently is by so much hostility, antagonism, attempts to delegitimise, demonise and discredit her despite the incalculable benefits she has brought to mankind in the fields of medicine, agriculture, technology and a host of others.

The Middle East is a cauldron of fire and brimstone, of conflict and terror, of brutality and bestiality, of hopelessness, despair and death. There are millions who have been displaced, thousands who have been tortured, murdered, beheaded by those without conscience or belief. But in the middle of this devastation is the only country that offers sanctuary and comfort to the Christian population, the only country where human rights are practised and where women and children are respected.

Your presence here bears witness to that, and we thank you for your faith and your dedication, for your time and your courage, for your unwavering recognition of rightness and justice, for your ideals and convictions.

We, the representatives of SAFI and the SAZF, extend our very grateful thanks to all those who ensured the success of the event – and there are many of them.

Ambassador of Israel to SA, His Excellency Arthur Lenk, and Deputy Ambassador Michael Freeman both of whose passion for Israel comes across loud and clear in everything you say.

Our superb guest speakers, each of whom has your own unique story to tell, and each of whom enthused the audience with the word pictures you painted in such glowing terms.
- Mr Winton Steward who is an internationally acclaimed Pro Israel campus activist.
- Mr Ze’ev Ben Shachar who is the Director of Israel Education at the highly prestigious Jerusalem University.
- Mr Shahar Azani who is the Executive Director of the of “Stand With Us”.
The three of you have delivered sterling orations today all of which have left us with greater tools to be advocates for Israel then when we came in and have fanned the flames of our passion for Israel. It is because of people like you, men of great wisdom that the Jewish state continues to flourish. You are all here today because you believe in the beauty and the benefits of a close relationship for the African continent with Israel. You acknowledge that there is so much that can be done to help us all not just as South Africans but as a global community if we simply have the courage to stand on the side of truth, the side of G-d and the side of His holy land of Israel. For the most inspiring messages of hope and truth that you have given us we truly thank you.

I would also like to extend a thank you to all of our workshop coordinators and educators:
- Olga Meshoe – Our Lion of the North – our Lady Liberty – COO of DEISI International
- Mr Riad Hassoun – Notable Pro Israel Lecturer and prominent member of the Zionist-Druze Association. Riad is also the former city manager of Daliat El Carmel Municipality.
- Dr Lydia Meshoe – Wife of MP Reverend Kenneth Meshoe and Co-Founder of the Hope of Glory Tabernacle church.
- Mr Chris Eden – The National director of Bridges for peace an organization dedicated to the support of Christians who stand with Israel and who continue to build relationships between Christians and Jews in Israel and around the world.
We thank you all for your time, tireless efforts and dedication to coming to the aid of Israel and for educating us all today.

All of you conduct yourselves as ambassadors of peace, love, truth and are an affirmation of G-ds will.

Your talks were not just genuine and heart-warming but also highly informative.

Through your words we were able to walk with you on your journeys, visit faraway places and have taken away with us a once in a lifetime experience.

We would also like to thank Mighty Jamie our Master of ceremonies who as his name suggests is a force to be reckoned with on the debating circuit especially when it comes to upholding the good name of a democratic society such as Israel.

Mighty is a very close friend to us all and a man of true integrity and ingrained goodness.

And I would like to thank the Professional Staff, Nicci Raz the National Director of the South African Zionist Federation as well as her dedicated team of staff: Gavi Sacks, Froma Sacks, Lisa Peretz, Miriam Garb, Benji Shulman, David Lichtenstein, Ronli Dorfman and Joshua Trapido who have all put in a lot of hard work and organization so that we could have this event today.

It was The Philosopher and scholar Herbert Spencer who once said

“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action”.

In other words, what we have learned today is of no use if we have gained a wealth of information only to not share it with the rest world.

It is our duty as good, honest and hardworking people to spread the message of today which is one of Peace, Tolerance, Ingenuity and unity and coexistence of all races, religions and creeds which exist in the only democracy in the Middle East region.

The land of Eretz Yisrael.

The people that we have interacted with today have come here on a very special mission of good faith to help us become more effective advocates for Israel and to put us in touch with the organizations that can aid us in that mission.

They have come to help us because they believe in us.

They believe that within our country we can take back the narrative of what it means to be proud of Israel, of the importance of going to see Israel for yourselves and not rely solely on mainstream media and hate groups for biased half-truths and misinformation.

Each one of us today arrived here as lumps of clay.

We leave here today moulded by knowledge and forged in the fires of truth and we are ready to make a difference.

More than 450 years before the birth of Christ, Confucius said:

“Engikuzwayo, ngiyakukhohla; engikubonayo, ngiyakukhumbula; engikwenzayo, ngiyakuqonda.’

Masibambisane. Sesizwile ukuthi kumele senzeni. Sibonile okumele sikwenze nokuthi singakufeza kanjani.

Manje sekuyisikhathi sokukwenza, futhi, uma siyimbumba, singakwenza kuphumelele.”

“What I hear, I forget; what I see, I remember; what I do, I understand.

’Let’s do it together.

We’ve heard what we have to do.

We have seen what we need to do and how we can achieve it.

Now is the time to do it, and, together, we can do it.

“Let’s turn from spectators into participants.”

To all of our Friends who have joined us today that we know and those that we have not met yet we say to you:

Ikhandlela elilodwa lingakhanyisa indlu yonke.

Umngani weqiniso ukhanyisa impilo yakho yonke.

Ngibonga amalambu obungani bakho akhanya bha.

A single candle can illuminate an entire room. A true friend lights up an entire lifetime. Thank you for the bright lights of your friendship.

The lasting message of today’s seminar that we must all take away with us, the abiding memory of today, is one of unity, of how we all came together with purpose and determination to make a difference, to bring creativity to our task, to encourage one another to take the road less travelled and continue our journey with steadfast determination and resolution to predict a positive ending. We have it within all of us to grow and develop even more, to influence more people, to widen the circle of those who share our convictions.

May we all be blessed to reap the fruits of our labours.

God Bless You All.”

A PDF VERSION of the entire speech is available for the convenience of Jewish Report Online users to print, download or e-mail to friends and family.

>>>>> FINAL POST @ 16h27 >>>>>>>>>>>
After some work-shopping, Ze’ev Ben Schachar conducted the closing plenary, showing the audience how one can reduce any arguments – he used the following as examples and effectively showed the audience how to rebut statements such as:
- Israel deliberately targets civilians
- “The Apartheid wall must come down!”
- Israel uses disproportionate force
- Israel is guilty of Apartheid
After a lunch break and an emotion-filled musical interlude by Diversity, the final keynote speaker addressed a pumped up audience.

>>>>> POSTED @ 15h44 >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote speaker:

“How to stand with Israel”

Shahar Azari, executive director of StandWithUs Northwest Region, kept the audience spellbound with his account of the Israeli culture. “Israel makes diplomacy for the next fifty years.”

It was Golda Meir who believed in building bridges with Africa, says Shahar. Decades later he was posted as ambassador to Kenya and he was able to enhance on Meir’s dreams.

Until the year 2000, he says, Israel was not a part of any continent. Africa’s Gadhafi did not want it, “the bastion of Asian human rights” Iran would not have them considered part of Asia.

In 2000 the US got Israel invited into a group of countries without a continent at the United Nations.

People say that Israelis want security while Palestinians want justice, says Azari. “Think about how ridiculous that is?” he asks. Surely we both want both of these things.

When he gets invited to speak, he sets his own parable. Speak about your own life, he says, and you will make a contribution to the conversation. You need to be genuine and passionate. Talking from pre-planned talking points will never make an impact on your audience.

He was filled with praise at having seen Olga Meshoe turning the anti-Israeli lobby’s arguments on their heads in the US. It can be done, said Azari.

He says that Israel also has to stop standing up and speaking alone – “it adds to the narrative that we are isolating ourselves.” South Africans can help Israel by dispelling the anti-Israel lobby’s “ownership” of the South African story, he ended passionately.

>>>>> POSTED @ 13h23 >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote address: Ze’ev Ben Sachar, Director of Israel Education, Jerusalem University

Ben Shachar spoke of the history of hatred and racism towards Israel over the years – but there have also been people who have fought for Israel over the years.

We need to find a way to educate the public – to find a way to say loudly and clearly that this is OUR land and we are not going away. Don’t take IAW where it isn’t. In some places the problem is so bad that students are scared to go to universities during IAW.

In South Africa IAW has its own website. On the one hand they have done themselves more damage than truth. If you look at their website it looks impressive – but it actually isn’t. On many SA pages if you look at Port Elizabeth, it says still coming. Israel Apartheid Week is over!

What are they saying? Many who join the anti-Israel campaign don’t know what they are talking about. We need to educate them.

Some of the facts:

Full equality in Israel: A Supreme Court Judge, Druze. Are there problems with discrimination? Of course. Every country has such problems.

If you Google Middle East Conflict – Israel dominates. But Israel is half of one percent of the Middle East.

20 of the 22 members of the Arab League still refuse to accept Israel’s right to exist.

Compared to whom do people say that Israel is immoral. Compared to the Utopian model, of course. I have no problem with people criticising Israel. I have a problem with Israel being singled out?

But what about compared to the thousands that the French killed in Algeria in the Sixties? The Americans in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia?

Ben Shachar says he is not criticising anyone, only asking why Israel is selectively called immoral colonisers.

Posted: 13h48:

One of the sticking points is that around 5 million refugees demand the right of return – but Jews who were made refugees do not have that right.

The claim of occupation and colonisation – which I consider ridiculous – Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.

So we are allowing people to say we stole their land, and we are colonisers and thieves. We have to tell people that we are not these things.

It is because we have divine rights, that’s it!

It doesn’t help us to tell people we deserve a state because of the Holocaust. We can’t say it is because we invented the cell phone. We are the only people who historically ruled the country for one thousand years.

Israelis are not in favour of the wall or of the check points.

Israel has returned over 90 percent of the land it has occupied. “Until our neighbours understand that we are not going anywhere, there will be no peace.”

One response says do nothing. I don’t agree. We need to continue praying in our shuls and churches. But we need to make the case that Israel is good. Follow it with facts and truths.

“Enough apologising. Enough of going on the defensive. Enough of being weak!”

Alan Derschowitz once said that: “We spend 90 percent of our time speaking about the things that divide us,” Ben Shachar told the audience. Imagine if we could do the opposite and spend 90 percent of our time talking about the many things we agree about? he asks

Blogging on the Panel Discussion will be fast-moving and it may be difficult to always identify who is speaking once they all engage and take questions.

>>>>> POSTED @ 12h48 >>>>>>>>>>>

Michael Freeman told the fast-swelling audience that people from the Embassy were asked to come and add to this event but I have to tell you we are all walking away having learned something.

On a more light-hearted note, said Freeman, Israel is not without its problems. He gave an example that the Israeli Post Office gets over one thousand letters a year addressed to G-d. They don’t know where to deliver them, said Michael Freeman to raucous laughter.

A question was asked about why, as Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in Israel, is the discussion only about Judaism.

Michael Freeman answered that Israel is the only place in the Middle East where one can practice Christianity freely.

A question was asked by a minister from East London about what one can do to get eighty percent of SA to reject the media parable.

Dr Chauke said Israel had to rebrand itself from being Apartheid.

Stand WithUs’ Shahar Azani said that cell phones had empowered us, made our voices so much stronger. He suggested that people use social media to make themselves heard. If you don’t like what you read, say so, he said.

Michael: The question isn’t whether there is an Israel or a Palestine. The question is recognising that the other exists. Israel has always said we n IsraelThe

Olga: There is nothing wrong in – by trying to achieve peace – we give someone a gift.

>>>>> POSTED @ 12h36 >>>>>>>>>>>

Dr Benjani Chauke – works for CSIR and and Political strategist for multiple Premiers and leaders of Gauteng.

Is our diversity supposed to be an advantage or a hindrance?

People must learn to hate, and if they can, they must be able to be learn not to. Even as leaders of Israel and Palestine want to make peace, others come between them. Some see relations between SA and Israel as a threat to relations with Palestinians. I disagree.

Dr Chauke says the SA government has always used their good relationships with all sides to facilitate peace. We have done so on Zimbabwe, with Chad, Sudan, and with Lesotho recently.

When SA held the chair of the non-aligned nations we managed to bring Israel and Jordan together. In 2001 80 percent of South Africans – and if that is true, we are all bound to support Israel. So who are the twenty percent? What is the problem?

What is needed now is not to point fingers. What we need is to communicate the message. What is lacking is communication. When I speak I speak as a Christian. When one leave s the boardroom one needs to have facts at their disposal to defend Israel.

When you continue to quote the Bible to people it doesn’t help the communication message. We need to have facts. One has to have the message to help explain that having differences does not mean we cannot find peace.

There must be a debate. SA with its history of overcoming racial violence can be very helpful to other peoples of the world and help them with their problems.

Michael Freeman, Deputy Ambassador

It is our job to go out and tell all the people about talk to them about water, about, agriculture,.

When we set the agenda, when we tell them who we are

For too long we have allowed others to tell the Israeli story

The reason to do it is because we are right. That we educate ourselves and other people and we can say to South Africans that this is what we have and this is what we can do make your lives better.

>>>>> POSTED @ 11h39 >>>>>>>>>>>

Olga Meshoe, CEO of DEISI

Olga spoke about the positive movement that SA has made in what is coming up to 22 years of democracy. But not enough, she says. We will overcome and move forward as we are a tenacious people.

Why then. Are we not leaning on the knowledge and experience of an equally, if not more tenacious nation (Israel).

Olga spoke of multiple countries which had partnered with Israel and boomed. Like Zambia, which flourished with Israel’s friendship – only to later be bullied into break relations with the Jewish State in 1973 and watch their own economy fall to pieces. Today, however, she says Zambia is seeking to become closer to Israel again.

She says she looks forward to a time when it becomes cool to be involved Israel.

How do we vent and recognise the uniqueness that each of us have and can bring to bear our influence and maximise the opportunities to promote relations between Israel and South Africa? asked Olga. And to make sure that the world knows that Jerusalem – all of Jerusalem – is the capital of modern Israel as it was in times gone by.

>>>>> POSTED @ 10h57 >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote Address: Winston Steward

Winton Steward is a black Christian who grew up in the South of the US and is a pro-Israeli campus activist. He said his grandmother told him that a Jewish philanthropist had built a church for her community in South Carolina.

His mother told him that she had lived for many years in New York and told him he could only trust two types of people in New York, Blacks and Jews.

When he was in college, Steward realised that his family was closely tied to Jews and Israel. He is passionate in that very laid back southern US syle – but he had the audience cheering him on at every turn.

“We can double the size of this conference if each of you engage just one other person,” he told the packed audience (see pics below – 450 RSVP’d but organisers believe there are up to 550 present).

“It’s up to us to talk to the members of Parliament about the importance of Israel,” said Winton Steward. To tell them that they must denounce BDS, because, he said, you are the people they represent and if they want to keep on representing you, hey need to speak for you.

We need to nimble, like Mohammed Ali said when he and George Foreman had their Rumble in the Jungle, Steward said – Ali had said he would float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Maybe that’s what we need to do to keep Israel safe, said Winton.

Leave here today, he told his spellbound audience, empowered with a plan to take back to our communities the message that we need to stand together, to unite, we can’t do this alone. None of us can.

PICTURES of the crowds by ANT KATZ

>>>>> POSTED @ 10h29 >>>>>>>>>>>

Mark Hyman, co-Chairman of SAFI and vice-Chairman of the SAZF, introduced American pro-Israel campus activist Winton Steward.

Hyman explained that Israel has planted over 260 million trees in the desert over the years. “Today we will plant one for every person in this room,” he said to raucous applause “and we are going to aim for triple the number of attendees – 1,500.”

Each delegate is getting a personalised Jewish National Fund (JNF-SA) certificate saying that a tree had been planted in their name.

Picture posted 11h12:
Mark Hyman, co-Chairman of SA Friends of Israel and vice-Chairman of the SA Zionist Federation with one of the JNF certificates each attendee received, with their name on, to certify that a tree had been planted in the Negev in their name
PICTURE COURTESY: ILAN OSSENDRYVER

LEFT: On Friday 11 March Israel’s top diplomat, Dore Gold, was in South Africa and was photographed here by Ant Katz while signing in the guest-book at the Mandela House museum in Soweto. He is flanked by Ambassador lenk, legft, and Chief Rabbi Goldstein.

Ambassador Gold is the Director-General at the Israeli Department of Foreign Affairs. He had been invited by his counterpart, SA’s Director-General
Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila, of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO).
The two men held what Ambassador Gold told Jewish Report were fruitful negotiations.

Follow-up working groups are understood to be in the process of being established and the parties are learning more about each others’ cultures, Gold said. It is understood that water and agriculture topped the firlds of interest. READ MORE

MC Jamie Mighty welcomes MPs, Diplomats and Student leaders

“We are here today because we share the love for a land. We are friends of Israel. Not friends like on Facebook, or office,” he said.

“We are friends like David and Jonathan were friends. We are friend like David and Saul. This is a real friendship and we realise that Israel is the holiest place on earth.”

>>>>> POSTED @ 10h20 >>>>>>>>>>>

Greetings: HE Arthur Lenk, Israeli Ambassador to South Africa (pictured right)

Friends

When President Peres was asked about being isolated – he said Israel does have a few small friends, like China, like India, like the USA, like Europe, like Africa.

Israel has security cooperation treaties with Jordan Egypt and the PA. We have strategic relations with Saudi Arabia and most of the Arab countries. They don’t think we are a problem.

Syria is no longer a threat to Israel. Hezbola has its attention on other things and it is bleeding.

Greece and Cyprus have very good and wide-ranging treaties with Israel.

At Dirco on Thursday, questions were asked about relations with other Bricks countries and Israel.

Africa has been front page news almost every day in Israel. Kenya PM visited this week. Netanyahu will be travelling to four African countries this year.

At Dirco we heard that Indian politicians are telling SA to get on the train. Most of Asia is friendly with Israel.

There are certain challenges Israel faces. Lebanon is a threat. Hezbola is a danger. Iran is a problem and we will keep our eyes on them all.

Having circled the globe, let’s home in on South Africa. You must all heard that my boss was here this week. We spoke to the SA government about core issues – they are saying that they want to see growth in our bilateral relationships in many important areas – (Lenk says he does not expect SA to say so publically, but he is happy to as that is what was said).

Last month we moved the Embassy to Cape Town for two months – held an agricultural expo – we showed Premier Zille how Israeli businesses have created jobs in the Cape, assisted SA in its food security.

Israel has become a super-power in cyber-defence. Israel is here to partner with SA in that.

The Israeli Embassy will not be celebrating a diplomatic celebration of Yom Haatzhaut – Israel’s national day. Instead Israel is bringing their smartest food and water experts and hold conferences in Joburg and CT

More on website this week…

>>>>> POSTED @ 09h52 >>>>>>>>>>>

Prayer for success: Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein (Pictured left)

Thanks to organisers, but also to all of you here, unless our common values of, as the Talmud tells us, without Justice, Truth and Peace.

There cannot be Peace without Truth and Justice.

Everything that we are doing – ever one gathered in this room – we are doing G-d’s work. It is with testimony through the Bible.

G-d warned that one day they will say that Israel does not belong to the Jews who hold it so dear. The people of Israel. G-d told Jews. The State of Israel is the most legitimate in the world.

Who can have the audacity, the brazenness to say that Jerusalem is not the Capital of Israel. It was the holy city before Washington existed, London, Paris? (Massive applause)

We come here to testify the truth and it is important for the SA govt to hear how many millions of SA love and support Israel. This is an election year. We will not tolerate anyone that stands against Israel. How could they let Hamas into SA? The Govt of SA needs to hear that – because there are millions and millions of us.

As God says in Joshua – G-d told him two words, he had been given the daunting wishes of G-d to replace Moses. Be Strong Be Of Good Courage.

>>>>> POSTED @ 09h40 >>>>>>>>>>>
Introduction: Ben Swartz, Founder & co-Chairman of SA Friends of Israel, pictured right

Ben,

Welcomes all to 4^th Advocacy conference
- Started with 100 delegates five years ago
- Over 500 people attending today
- A very different story played out this week. Israel Apartheid Week was a failure. On Wits campus the “haters” are on the back foot. They seemed to have been asking for forgiveness the whole week
This past week we have seen the highest level Israeli diplomatic meetings between South Africa and Israel, One of our guests from overseas has told me that the perspective overseas because of their discarding of Israel.

But that is not true. The vast majority of South Africans are not against Israel. There is hope for SA.

We need to keep fighting the fight even if there is no way we can again become complacent. It is up to those in this room to make it happen.

Thanks to co-Chair Mark Hyman, Nicci Razz, Gavi Sacks, Benji Shulman for the incredible work last week – to all the behind the scenes at SAFI, to the SAZF, to Beyachad – tHanks for making it happen.

Today does not just happen. We thank our sponsors. Let us learn and embrace let us meet and eat and learn from one another.
>>>>> POSTED @ 09h14 >>>>>>>>>>>

Master of Ceremonies, Jamie Mighty, has asked the packed venue’s indulgence as several VIP’s are still to arrive.

This will give me the opportunity to take a room picture for you

Programme:

Read from bottom to top

>>>>> POSTED @ h >>>>>>>>>>>

Welcome and opening messages

a

>>>>> POSTED @ h >>>>>>>>>>>

Welcome and opening messages

a

>>>>> POSTED @ h >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote Address: Winston Steward

>>>>> POSTED @ h >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote Address: Winston Steward

>>>>> POSTED @ h >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote Address: Winston Steward

>>>>> POSTED @ h >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote Address: Winston Steward

>>>>> POSTED @ h >>>>>>>>>>>

Keynote Address: Winston Steward

>>>>> POSTED @ 06h30 >>>>>>>>>>>