ANC is airbrushing Jews out of our rainbow nation with exclusion from events

It was symbolic that the ANC’s final Siyanqoba election rally on Saturday at FNB Stadium was adorned with a giant Palestinian flag instead of a South African one.

The ANC byline “let’s do more together” falsely gives the impression of national unity. However, it hides the reality that for the first time, SA Jewry wasn’t invited to give a prayer at the ruling party’s final rally, as we had at every such event since 1994.

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The final message that the ANC wanted to leave voters with was that their priority for their seventh term in office would not be dealing with our failing our economy, nor the declining employment figures.

It would not be about addressing the electricity, road, health care or water crisis, nor would it be about getting a handle on the corruption plaguing our country.

What they would continue to focus on was their obsessive project – the issue of Palestine. Their meaningless platitude of displaying the giant Palestinian flag is just that. It is making it clear to South Africans that after 30 years of our democracy the red, green and black are more important than the colours and meaning of our own flag and our own issues.

If the ANC’s focus was genuinely about resolving the tragic situation between Hamas and Israel that would be one thing.

If they had truly come out to end this horrific war, with the suffering of so many innocents in Israel and Gaza, maybe we could understand this.

But using their influence with their friends Hamas to release the Israeli hostages, which is the one factor that could truly end the war, is something they stubbornly refuse to do.

Instead, President Cyril Ramaphosa decided to remove a call for the release of the hostages in his speech on Saturday.

He chose rather to repeat the genocidal call to remove Jews from Israel “from the river to the sea”, a call not for peace but continued war until Israel is destroyed.

Compared to how it deals with all other international disputes, South Africa has approached this war in an unapologetically one-sided manner.

It has done so from the very outset, from the day Hamas militants entered Israel murdering and raping civilians at a music festival and in their homes, as well as taking hostages, 125 of whom are still captive in Gaza.

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We, as SA Jews, are not surprised by the double standards shown by our president and the department of international relations and cooperation.

We know too well that when dealing with the Jewish state, different international relations rules apply We are equally appalled that our government has used this conflict to exclude and marginalise its Jewish community.

A cornerstone of our democracy, spearheaded by former president Nelson Mandela and our constitution, is the premise that “South Africa belongs to all who live in it”.

There has always been a commitment to protecting and including minorities. Until now, that is.

Prior to the final election rally, Deputy President Paul Mashatile excluded the leadership of the Jewish community from participating in a “Government and Western Cape Inter-faith Leaders” engagement on 3 May.

This was despite stating in his remarks on that occasion that “As government, we are committed to upholding the rights of all religions regardless of beliefs or religious affiliations.”

For the first time in our new democracy, SA Jewish leadership was not invited to be part of a government interfaith engagement.

The deputy president’s office acknowledged this exclusion but have yet to provide reasons.

Mashatile assembled a further inter-faith initiative, #NationalDayOfPrayer, which his social media account described as “affirming the ANC’s undying support for faith-based organisations”.

He explained the event was to create an interfaith movement to bring together leaders of religions to work together. Again, SA Jewry were excluded.

Thirty years of participation in every interfaith and social cohesion event in our country and now the Jewish community is banished from these structures.

Recently, the SA Jewish Board of Deputies Cape council hosted an election debate with eNCA television. It was held at the SA Jewish Museum in Cape Town, which is housed in the oldest synagogue in the country.

Although the ANC Western Cape had accepted the invitation weeks beforehand, on the day they issued the ultimatum that unless the venue was changed, they would pull out.

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Since when does the ANC, with its policies of inclusion of minorities refuse to put foot in a Jewish location?

As we go into the seventh national elections of our 30-year democracy, the vibrant colours of the flag that once upheld every South African are dimming.

It is becoming quite clear that the ANC is today doing its best to exclude a minority that has consistently sought to be part of creating and building up our democracy. It is airbrushing Jews out of our rainbow nation.

• Kahn is national director of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies.