St Mary’s School commits to hosting pro-Israel speaker

An attempt by anti-Israel activists to silence dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was thwarted last week by the commitment of St Mary’s School, Waverley to have this conversation securely. 

The Johannesburg school invited Coordinator of Africans For Peace Klaas Mokgomole ‒ a former Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions activist ‒ to give a talk about Israel on 14 May. This was to have followed a previous pro-Palestinian activist’s talk. The school’s Diversity and Inclusivity Committee believed pupils should be allowed to hear both sides of the story. 

Danny Mofsowitz, chairperson of the Gauteng Council of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), says the SAJBD was approached by individuals at the school about two speakers who had used narratives that portrayed a one-sided understanding of the conflict. The SAJBD approached the school, requesting that another perspective be provided to give a more balanced and informed understanding. 

“St Mary’s immediately agreed to the request in line with its commitment to diversity and inclusivity. Our office introduced them to Klaas, and they arranged for him to share his perspectives,” said Mofsowitz. 

Mokgomole was told, however, that his talk was “cancelled” because of security concerns. He was upset by this, believing the school had acceded to anti-Israel threats. The school, however, said that external organisations’ threat to disrupt the event and protest on school grounds constituted what it believed were valid security concerns. This, the school now says, led to it postponing Mokgomole’s talk until it could find a way to hold it securely. 

“The events surrounding this matter have raised serious concerns about the growing culture of intimidation around conversations involving Israel in South Africa,” said Mokgomole. “It is deeply troubling that organised activist pressure appears capable of influencing whether pupils are allowed to hear perspectives that differ from a particular ideological position. 

“What seems to unsettle some activists is that a black South African voice with genuine regional insight may not fit neatly into the narrative they seek to monopolise. Instead of debate, there are attempts to delegitimise, pressure, and exclude,” he said. 

On Monday, 18 May, Mofsowitz and Wendy Kahn, the SAJBD National Director, met with St Mary’s Head of School Deanne King and Senior School headmistress Seipati Shiakallis to address the issue of shutting down alternate narratives. The Board said it was pleased to hear that the school intended to reschedule the talk for after exams. It said it needed to find a way to host Mokgomole securely. 

“In our engagement with the head of school and headmistress, they categorically stated that this is a postponement. They affirmed the principles of intellectual rigour for which St Mary’s is renowned, and confirmed that they will explore how best to provide an alternative voice to balance the anti-Israel speakers who have previously addressed the school,” said Mofsowitz. 

St Mary’s has a proud history of encouraging open discussion and diverse perspectives, and had readily agreed earlier this year to host a speaker offering a different perspective on the Middle East, according to Mofsowitz. 

“It is a really sad day when the anti-Israel bullies threaten schoolchildren to force their views. It is appalling that St Mary’s has to deal with this intimidation and harassment,” said Mofsowitz. 

Mokgomole himself was scheduled to meet with St Mary’s on 20 May to discuss moving forward. 

“Schools and universities should be places where difficult issues are explored openly and critically, not spaces where outside lobbying campaigns determine which viewpoints may be heard,” he said. “I remain hopeful that St Mary’s will continue to uphold the values of intellectual openness and balanced engagement for which it is widely respected.” 

Mofsowitz explained that the intimidation at the hands of the anti-Israel lobby groups is an affront to democratic freedoms, “whether in the workplace, our shops, our universities, sporting events, or our schools. Pupils have a right to be exposed to different narratives. St Mary’s understands this and is committed to creating opportunities to accomplish it. 

“The anti-Israel lobby groups that threatened the school should be exposed for the bullies that they are, as well as their attempts to intimidate and stifle academic freedom. Censorship has no place in a constitutional democracy, especially in terms of the messages that it gives pupils in a school environment. We should be encouraging our young people to learn, not attempting to shut this down. The desperation by these activists to silence other speakers speaks volumes about their tactics, as well as their fear of other voices,” she said.