TALI FEINBERG
So says the man known as @Sowellnomics, who has 28 300 followers on Twitter. He has just visited Israel to learn about the realities on the ground.
This man, who prefers to go by his Twitter handle because he can’t reveal his identity for “work reasons”, has returned with strong opinions.
It was his first trip to Israel. “Since I was part of the South African generation called the ‘born frees’, I didn’t experience the brutality of apartheid like my parents did,” he told the SA Jewish Report this week. “I decided to visit Israel to get a first-hand view of an apartheid accusation because BDS [the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign] and the ANC [African National Congress] consistently accuse Israel of being an apartheid state.
“I was born into a family which held conservative values in KwaZulu-Natal during the late 1980s,” says @Sowellnomics. “We all supported the ANC, and sided with the Palestinians. I was the first child in my family to graduate from university, and I have been working in the financial services industry focusing on client acquisition and consumer lending.”
Led by the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI), the focus of the trip was to allow a group of senior traditional and Christian leaders to experience Israel for themselves.
Three things shocked @Sowellnomics when he arrived in Israel. First, “I believed that Israel was a racist European ethno-state, but realised that 55% of Israel’s population is made up of people from North Africa, Ethiopia, the Middle East, and India. The Ashkenazi [Jews of European descent] are a minority of the population. Israel is actually the ‘rainbow nation’ of the Middle East.”
Second, “I believed that Israel built an apartheid wall to segregate Arabs from Jews. I realised that Israel received independence in 1948, but built the wall – which is a security barrier – in 2000 only due to a wave of suicide bombings and mass stabbings after the second intifada. The barrier has stopped 99% of these attacks, so it’s been a success.”
Third, he expected different facilities like toilets, restaurants, shops, and schools for Jews and non-Jews, “But I quickly realised that no such segregation exists in Israel. Everyone can use the same facilities irrespective of their race or religion, unlike apartheid South Africa.”
For him, the most challenging aspect of the trip was the security checks at OR Tambo International and Ben-Gurion Airport. “No stone is left unturned when it comes to security. The checks were rigorous. It’s something I’ve never experienced before.”
As expected, he experienced a backlash from anti-Israel lobby groups for visiting the Jewish state. “I have been called an apartheid sympathiser, and have had my social-media account doxxed on numerous occasions.” Doxxing is a cyber-attack that involves discovering the real identity of an internet user. The attacker then reveals the person’s details so that others can target him/her in malicious attacks.
In response, he says, “I refused to get into mud-slinging contests with them because they will drag you into the mud, get you dirty, and beat you. On the occasions where I have responded, I’ve always maintained my integrity, and provided the facts to back up my claims.”
“These groups don’t want South Africans to visit Israel because they will lose control of the ‘apartheid narrative’ when people see the country for themselves,” he says. “Also, 75% of our country is Christian, which means 75% of the population believe in the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel is also the place where Jesus was born, taught, and died. Restricting people from visiting Israel is an assault on religious freedom, and hence is also an assault on our democracy.”
He would advise every South African “who is genuinely interested in truth to visit Israel because they will find a modern, young, diverse, democratic, and technologically advanced country which is worlds apart from the horrific apartheid regime which our parents and grandparents experienced. But, be warned, you will come back with a few extra kilograms around the waistline because the food is amazing, and Israelis aren’t shy with their portion sizes!”
To the South African Jewish community, he says, “You have nothing to be ashamed of. But please don’t leave – we need you here to help build our economy and our country.”
“Those who seek to destroy Israel are well resourced, and have a strategy in place,” @Sowellnomics says. “They have infiltrated the media, our education system, and the South African body politic. Please raise your children and grandchildren to become ambassadors for Israel. Also support groups like SAFI and the South African Zionist Federation. They do amazing work, and are going to need all the support they can get as the global environment becomes more hostile to Israel.”
