The Day the World Changed for International Jewry
20 September 2021
For most, 9/11, was the day the world changed forever. But for me, and a small band of Jewish activists, the implosion had already taken place one week earlier at the United Nations World Conference against Racism. The traditionally laid-back city of Durban became the epicentre of an organised international anti-Jewish hate campaign. How could this happen at a major anti-racism conference held under the auspices of the most powerful human rights organisation in the world and hosted in a country, which was supposed to be the paragon of non-racism?
Democracy, human rights, and freer markets looked to be on an unstoppable march in the 1990s, and in their wake, peace and prosperity were being created for people all over the world. As part of this movement, even the oldest hatred, antisemitism, seemed to have been relegated to the dustbin of history. The Oslo Peace accords, whilst imperfect, seemed to ensure that a new Middle East was in the slow but inevitable process of being born.
As for South African Jewry, after decades of dwindling numbers, economic and cultural isolation, and alienation under Apartheid, the new South Africa offered hope of revival. Despite concerns about the historic alliance between the ruling ANC and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization), Jews were making unprecedented contributions to building the ‘Rainbow Nation’ and strong bonds to the local Jewish community were formed. After an official visit to Israel, former President Mandela had even publicly defended the Jewish state's right to live within secure borders.
In early 2000, when I first joined the South Africa Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS), which had historically been a highly activist organisation at the forefront of the official Jewish opposition to Apartheid, there was no longer even a need for a political officer. Organising parties and weekends away had become its major focus. Durban changed all that.