Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond
Also available on YouTube@The Israel Brief – Simply click on the red subscribe button to receive alerts when a new report is posted.
What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page and YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.
Antisemitic Arithmetic. Post massacre graffiti in the USA. Hamas attacks Israel – it is ‘war’. Israel responds – it’s a ‘war crime’! Is this where the world is today – again?
Articles
Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.
(1)
A SURPRISE SHABBAT IN SALONIKA
With so little said yet so much understood, the power of a 1960 Shabbat in Greece permeated and prevailed. By Lennie Lurie
Salonika’s Soul. It was the proud display of the Israeli flag on the writer’s backpack that led to a surprise Shabbat experience in the Greek city of Thessaloniki. When Lennie hitched into town, he never expected a weekend of revelations.
The highly publicised Teeger affair exposes a “cover up” in South African cricket of political persecution with a chilling effect on the freedom of expression of South African Jewry. By Craig Snoyman
Batting at the Wicket to Battling as a Jew. Exonerated by an independent inquiry for his pro-Israel comments made at a private gathering, did not stop the antisemitic onslaught in South Africa to having David Teeger removed from his position of captain.
From ancient Persia to modern Jordan the narrative shifts from ‘savior queen’ to ‘drama queen’ ByJonathan Feldstein
Queen Deceiver. Throughout Queen Rania’s astonishing interview on CNN with Christian Amanpour, Jordan’s queen places the blame entirely on Israel, dismissing the massacre Israel suffered on October 7 as what Palestinians have suffered “ever since every day”.
Today’s “Free World” is failing to realize that being truly “politically correct” requires eliminating evil By Harris Zvi Green
Bolstering Barbarity. Jews are again expendable to a so-called “Free World” that doesn’t have the stomach to stand against evil. With world leaders succumbing to terror, the writer reminds “What starts with the Jews” never “ends with the Jews”.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
With so little said yet so much understood, the power of a 1960 Shabbat in Greece permeated and prevailed
By Lennie Lurie
The massacre that Gaza inflicted upon Israel on October 7, 2023, reminded me of the fragility of Jewish existence; how the life of a community – a Jewish community – can be so vulnerable and so suddenly shattered. All these months after October 7, I reflect back in time to an earlier date when I was unexpectedly exposed to the aftermath of such a Jewish community – not in Israel but in Greece.
In April 1960, I was honorably discharged from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), having completed my 15 months military service as a South African volunteer.
Right ‘Frame’ of Mind. The writer then a young South African and proud graduate of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in 1960.
Together with my good South African friend and fellow IDF paratrooper, the late Ernie Saks, we bought tickets to sail from Haifa to Istanbul, Turkey, and so commence our hitch-hiking adventure across Western Europe. We arrived in Istanbul in May, 1960, to be caught in the middle of a military coup being carried out against the incumbent government, which resulted in the execution of its Prime Minister, Adrian Menderes and two of his ministers.
None of this was instantly apparent shortly after our arrival in Istanbul, where, although we found ourselves in a large public square filled with armed soldiers, we genuinely believed we were about to witness some military celebration. Suddenly shots were fired, soldiers fell and we realized we were caught in the middle of a bloody insurrection! Without hesitation, Ernie and I fled for our lives, making for the main road leading out of the capital to its western neighbor, Greece.
Jumped at the Opportunity. The writer in 1960 as a volunteer in the IDF after a parachute jump in southern Israel.
Arriving at the Turkish – Greek border with our backpacks – my backpack was covered with a prominent Israeli flag which accompanied me throughout my travels – we thus commenced our hitch-hiking journey. The first vehicle that stopped for us had room for only one passenger and Ernie insisted that I get in. Very reluctantly I got into the car, never realizing that I would be meeting up with Ernie some six months later in London!
One short lift after another, I finally arrived in the center of Thessaloniki also commonly known as Salonika, the main town in northern Greece. As I entered and gazed at the ancient buildings, my mind too journeyed, remembering this city’s Jewish history that could be traced back 2000 years. Is it any wonder that I would discover that it was nicknamed la madre de Israel (mother of Israel) to its Spanish Jewish inhabitants as it was the only known example of a city of this size in the Jewish diaspora that retained a Jewish majority for centuries. To non-Jews, it was known as the ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’.
Decked Out. The writer and friend Ernie Saks (later Mayor of Sandton, South Africa) on the deck of a steamer from Haifa bound for Istanbul.
But that would all come crashing down on the 6 April 1941, when Germany invaded Greece, and three days later occupied Salonika. At the time of the German invasion, about 77,000 Jews lived in Greece with Salonika enjoying the largest Jewish community with a population of about 56,000 Jews.
Humiliated in the Heat. In June 11, 1942, the male Jewish population of Salonica from 18-45 were ordered to assemble at Platia Eleftheria (Freedom Square) where surrounded by Germans, they were forbidden to leave, were deprived of food and water and exposed to humiliating bodily exercises in the scorching heat of the Greek midsummer. Any disobedience was met by a pounding of batons.
In February 1943, the Jews of Thessaloniki were given less than a month to move into a ghetto and almost all their property was confiscated. Deportations began in March, and by August, almost all had been deported to the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The Odessey. Leaving Turkey in the midst of an insurrection where later the prime minister was executed, the writer with backpack hitchikes to the Greek border.
More than 90% of Thessaloniki’s Jews were murdered in the Holocaust!
Some quarter of a century later, it was a clear and moonlit Thursday night in 1960 when I was dropped off in Salonika. Realizing that no youth hostel would take in visitors at that late hour, I walked around and found myself in a large public and deserted park. Having little choice about sleeping accommodation – my daily budget of US$ 7 did not enable me to stay in any hotel – I spread out my sleeping bag on a narrow pathway deep in the park, and was soon sound asleep. Suddenly, I was woken up when something kicked me. I peeked out of my sleeping bag and saw a well-dressed man staring at me in bewilderment. I crawled out of the sleeping bag, being fully dressed but shoeless. The man was staring at the Israeli flag on my backpack placed alongside the sleeping bag and then pointing at me, he asked in broken English:
“You Jew?”
Standing up, I replied slowly:
“Yes; I am from Israel”.
His next question did not surprise me:
“What you do here?”
Again, in basic and slow English I explained to him that I arrived in the town late that night and that the local youth hostel was closed.
He seemed to understand the situation and said:
“Me Jew. Come, sleep my house!”
What an amazing coincidence, meeting a fellow Jew late at night in a public park! I instinctively felt the bond of kinship and said the only word that I knew in Greek;
“Efcharisto!” (Thank you!) The man smiled broadly and again pointing at himself said, “Me Josef!”
Greece’s Jewish Gem. Long before the writer arrived in Thessaloniki in 1960, this city was known as ‘The Mother of Israel’ due to its large Jewish population.
I hurriedly put on my shoes, folded my sleeping bag which I placed in the backpack and followed Josef, walking out of the park. We crossed some main road with hardly any traffic and walked a short distance, turning into a narrow side street with terraced blocks of flats. Josef’s flat was on the ground floor and consisted of three bedrooms occupied by Josef and his wife Sofia, their 14-year-old son Theodore and his aged mother whose name I cannot remember. Sofia was awake when we entered the flat and Josef (so I assumed) quickly explained to her in Greek who I was and the background to my presence. Sofia smiled pleasantly at me and putting a finger to her lips – indicating that I had to be quiet – opened Theo’s bedroom door and pointed at a second bed alongside that of the sleeping Theo, indicated that I could sleep there. I found myself again repeating “efcharisto”. I had a quick wash up and silently entered the bedroom, with Josef and Sofia saying to me in Greek (I guess), “Good night!”
It was a strange experience lying in a comfortable bed with clean sheets and I had no problem in falling asleep – probably with a smile on my face!
I woke up late the following morning with sunshine streaming through the windows. Josef had gone to work and Theo to school; only Sofia and the aged grandmother were in the house. I had a refreshing shower and found a tasty breakfast of salads, cheeses and warm bread awaiting me. Over cups of tea, Sofia and I had an interesting chat with much hand gesticulation to complement Sophia’s very basic English. The grandmother hardly said a word, just the occasional brief question to her daughter-in-law in Greek concerning myself, I guess.
From our chat, I gathered that the family members were totally assimilated Jews though they expressed much interest in learning about Israel. Josef held a senior clerk position in the local municipality and that the second bed in Theo’s room was for his best school friend who frequently slept over. I never asked what Josef was doing in the park that late hour and simply assumed that he had gone for a stroll. Indicating the photos of people placed in large frames around the open space dining room and lounge, Sofia informed me that they were of her and Josef’s parents and relatives – most of whom, and including Josef’s father, were murdered by the Germans during the occupation of Salonika in World War II. I noticed that the old grandmother was dabbing at her eyes when Sofia pointed to the photos. No doubt, she still retained clear memories of those tragic times.
A Jewish family of Salonika in 1917.
I decided to pass the rest of day by walking around the town, declining politely Sofia’s request that I return later for lunch. I informed her that I had had a very filling breakfast and did not want to be tied down while exploring the town. She nodded her understanding and I waved to the grandmother when exiting the house. I spent a long time just walking around the town which had its share of modern and old sections. I was looking forward to continuing my travels south to Athens and decided to depart in two days, giving me another day’s rest with my kind Salonika hosts. Shortly after my return “home” in the late afternoon, I had a pleasant chat with Josef and Theo. I told them about my family in Cape Town and my experiences as a soldier in the IDF.
The elderly grandmother entered the room and said something to Josef which found him shaking his head, obviously disagreeing with what his mother had told him. She did not back down and again, speaking more assertively, she repeated her demand. This time, nodding obediently, Josef got up and left the room. He soon returned carrying something wrapped in an old linen bag. He placed it on the dining room table, almost opposite to where I was seated. Slowly he unwrapped the bag and withdrew some articles tied up in a white cloth. The cloth was untied and he withdrew two silver candlesticks which I immediately recognized as the traditional candelabra for the Shabbat, as well as a silver wine glass. Those silver items were very faded and lacked any shine. They had obviously not been used for a very long time. The grandmother then gave Josef further instructions which found him again leaving the room, taking with him the two candelabra and the silver wine glass.
In the meanwhile, Sofia began to set the table for the evening meal. Suddenly it struck me that it was Friday evening and that the old lady was preparing a traditional Shabbat table with the two-silver candelabra and the silver wine glass for the Kiddush. It was obvious to me the Shabbat Kiddush ceremony had not been held in this house since the elderly mother and her son had somehow survived the Holocaust, some 15 years earlier!
Jewish Life Ends. The infamous mass action at the Plateia Square in the center of Thessaloniki, July 11, 1942. 54,000 out of 56,000 Jews living in Thessaloniki before the war were murdered in the Holocaust.
My thoughts were interrupted when Josef returned with the two candelabra and the silver wine glass, all shining brightly. Endearingly he placed the two candle sticks at the end of the table and the silver wine goblet at the other end. Sofia had completed setting the table with five place settings and I could almost feel the rising emotions within the elderly members of the family as they gazed in wonder and reverence at the Shabbat eve table setting which had not blessed this household for generations. I firmly believed that the presence of an “Israeli” in their midst, had reawakened in that indomitable old lady, nostalgic and almost lost memories of Yiddishkeit – the joyous Jewish way of life – its customs and practices, of happier times when the Shabbat Kiddush was a traditional aspect in their proud Jewish home.
After we all had washed and changed into clean clothes, we took our positions around the table with Josef at the head of the table, Sofia and his mother at his left and Theo and I at his right. I immediately noticed that candles had been inserted into the candlesticks. Josef proffered to his wife a box of matches and indicated to her that she had to light the candles. She seemed unsure of herself but undertook this assignment. The lit candles cast a warm glow in the room, with the setting sun.
Josef had placed a bottle of wine on the table. Admittedly, I was very unsure of myself when I indicated to Josef if I could pour the wine into the wine glass but he agreed instantly, nodding his head a few times. Having filled the wine glass, I raised it and sang the Shabbat Kiddush in my usual confident and faultless manner. Tears flowed unashamedly from the eyes of Josef and his mother! Sofia and Theo gazed at me with open mouths, realizing that something very unique and meaningful was happening that evening in their house, which had some strong connection to an earlier time when being Jewish was not a source of shame and concealment.
At the conclusion of the Kiddush, Josef and his mother, clasping hands tightly, could barely utter that final and responsive word which had not been said in a very long time:
“Amen!”
As if it had all been rehearsed, Theo stood up and fell into his father’s arms while Sophia embraced her husband. The dear old lady could only stare at me with a whimsical smile of silent gratitude, deep pride and obvious pleasure.
A very tasty meal followed but it was the unique beauty and veneration of the Sabbath eve ceremony which will be long treasured by all those who participated in that memorable occasion when Jewish Sabbath prayers again returned to be said in that kind, hospitable and welcoming home.
The Shabbat was a rest day for all the family and besides a short walk around the neighborhood, we spent it indoors, talking – as best we could.
I had informed Josef and Sophia that I planned to leave the house early the following morning and try to get lifts to Athens and hopefully reach my destination later that day.
So, at about 7:30 on Sunday morning, I faced my hosts and said a final “efcharisto” and “shalom”. I took their extended hands in both my hands, trying to convey my deep appreciation for their very kind hospitality. The old grandmother also stood at the door to say farewell but she did something which will remain forever in my memory:
Placing her hands on my head she mumbled something which at first was totally incomprehensible to me. Not knowing any Greek, this would seem quite natural. However, suddenly I caught a few words and they were in Hebrew, albeit in the Sephardic enunciation! And then the heavens opened up and I fully understood what was being said:
“May the LORD bless you and keep you; May the LORD shine his face upon you and be gracious to you; May the LORD lift up his face upon you and give you peace”.
I was given the Priestly Blessing taken from the Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 16, verse 20.
When she had finished, I gently took her hands from my head, looked her in the eyes, conveying to her my full understanding of what she had said, and kissed them.
Too filled with emotion and sadness to say another word, I picked up my backpack, inserting my arm through the strap and placed it on my back. Not looking back, I took my final leave from this kind family and walked in the direction to the nearby bus stop which Josef had told me that the bus would take me to the southern exit of Salonika, in the direction of Athens.
My biggest and only regret was not writing down the full family name of Josef and their Salonika address.
While little remains from the 2000-year enriching presence of Thessaloniki’s Jewish community, what remains for me is an unforgettable enriching shabbat.
About the writer:
A B.Sc. graduate in Economics and Geology from the University of Cape Town (UCT), Lennie may be the only volunteer from abroad who was granted permission to leave his group on kibbutz during the 1967 Six Day War to rejoin his paratroop brigade that he had served with years before following his matriculation in Cape Town. In Israel, Lennie has worked as an Export Manager for some of the country’s major food manufacturers and chemical companies as well as an independent consultant in Export Marketing guiding many small Israeli businesses to sell their products and services in the world-wide market. As a result of a work accident in 1995, Lennie made a career change and became an independent English teacher working mainly with hi-tech companies and associated with universities and colleges in the north of Israel.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The Israel Brief – 01 April 2004 – Hostage Square part 1.
The Israel Brief – 01 April 2004 – Hostage Square part 2.
The Israel Brief – 02 April 2004 –Tragic incident with aid workers. Airstrike kills IRGC commander. Operations at Shifa conclude. Former hostages speak about harassment.
The Israel Brief – 03 April 2024– Update on WFK tragedy. Mass protests in Jerusalem. Al Jazeera. Spain and Belgium to recognize Palestinian state?
The Israel Brief – 04 April 2024– Israel on very high alert. UNSC Resolution blocked. DJ’s banned from laying Israeli songs at Eurovision. Gantz calls for early elections.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Today’s “Free World” is failing to realise that being truly “politically correct” requires eliminating evil.
By Harris Zvi Green
March 29, 2024
My dearest friends,
This week’s letter will be the last in my series of weekly letters from Israel. I’m not announcing my retirement or throwing in the towel. Hopefully, I’ll be back in a less frequent and different format.
Thanks to those who took the trouble to read my letters, especially those who chose to engage with me on some of the issues I chose to write about. We may not have agreed on everything but, having you on my distribution list, enabled me to get some of the frustrations off my chest.
The aim of my letters was to make readers aware of how this conflict is affecting the lives of so many Israelis. I wasn’t looking for sympathy. I was seeking empathy for my people. I chose to focus on my personal experiences and wrote about the roles my family and friends were playing in these challenging times.
Thanks to those of you who regularly inquired about the wellbeing of my family. Your concern means so much to me. Thank God, they’re all doing well. Some of them have received call-up papers for additional stints of reserve duty.
Even after 175 days of bloody warfare, the battle is far from over. One hundred and thirty-four Israelis are still being held hostage in Gaza. Close to 200,000 Israelis along our southern and northern borders are still displaced from their homes. Missiles, including anti-tank and mortar fire, fired from Gaza and Lebanon, continue to rain down on population centers in Israel.
The war of words against Israel continues. The institutions representing the International Community have succumbed to terror. They abuse their positions of power to demonize Israel and to re-write the history books. They have failed us badly. The so-called “Free World” doesn’t have the stomach to eliminate evil. Being “politically correct” is so much easier. They don’t realize that being politically correct requires eliminating this enemy. They’ve forgotten that what starts with the Jews doesn’t end with the Jews.
Biden’s Golda Moment. “We have nowhere else to go,” was the chilling message a newly-elected Democratic senator from Delaware, Joe Biden received from his meeting in 1973 with then Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir. (Photos: Getty Images /AP)
I know we will ultimately prevail. We have no choice. As Golda Meir once told Joe Biden:
“We have nowhere else to go”.
Biden remembers Golda’s comment but he doesn’t seem able to comprehend its significance and its ramifications. Once again, the Jewish people is having to pay a huge price for its freedom.
Without a doubt, this week’s “Hero of the Week” award goes to Amit Sousanna. Sousanna, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, was abducted from her home on October 7. After 55 days in Gaza, she was released in exchange for the release of convicted terrorists.
“Hero of the Week”. Talking to the press in front of her destroyed home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on January 29, 2024, released Gaza hostage Amit Soussana gave her personal testimony of the sexual violence and physical abuse she endured in Hamas captivity in an eight-hour interview last week with The New York Times. (Photo: Reuters/ Alexandre Meneghini)
In an eight-hour interview with the New York Times, Sousanna spoke in detail about the way she was sexually abused by her captors. Hopefully, her willingness to make her experiences public, will enhance awareness of the savage cruelty Israel is up against and the dangers that continue to face the hostages.
Unfortunately, neither Sousanna’s interview nor the UN report confirming the rapes committed, were sufficient for the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning Hamas for the outrageous events of October 7. It appears that the indiscriminate murder of 1,200 people, the abduction of more than 250 Israelis, the firing of more than 12,000 missiles into Israel since October 7 and the recorded acts of rape and sexual perversion are acceptable forms of behavior in the eyes of the UN Security Council.
South Africa’s corrupt government has again called on the International Court of Justice to censure Israeli military action in Gaza yet they remain silent on the release of the hostages and the use of Gaza’s Shifa Hospital as an offensive military installation.
My friends in South African tell me the ruling party in South Africa is doing what it’s doing for “electoral gain”. If that’s the case, South Africa’s moral compass is even more dysfunctional.
I was upset to hear of Senator Joe Lieberman’s passing. He was so different from the politicians who currently occupy center stage. Senator Lieberman was respected by all. His personal integrity was never in doubt. He was quiet but had no difficulty in making himself heard whenever he had something to say. Our world will be a poorer place without him.
Mensch with a Mission. The writer laments the sad passing of Joe Lieberman (right), the first Jewish candidate for vice president on a major party ticket who is seen with Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore at a campaign rally in Jackson, Tenn., Oct. 25, 2000. (Photo: AP /Stephan Savoia)
My condolences to those mourning their nearest and dearest. My wishes to the injured for a complete and speedy recovery. May God protect our brave soldiers. May the hostages soon be reunited with their families. May you all be blessed with good health to see smiles on the faces of your loved ones for many years to come.
Wishing you all Shabbat Shalom and better times ahead.
Am Yisrael Chai. Harris Zvi Green
About the writer:
Harris Zvi Green was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Aged 77, he made Aliyah 53 years ago. An accountant by profession, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for a number of Israel based hi-tech companies. He is married to Phyllis. They have 3 married children ,13 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Harris Zvi Green is a founder member of Truth be Told, an organization engaged in public diplomacy on behalf of Israel.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The highly publicised Teeger affair exposes a “cover up” in South African cricket of political persecution with a chilling effect on the freedom of expression of South African Jewry.
By Craig Snoyman
CricketSA and the Gauteng Central Lions have chosen to cover up their malfeasance in the Teeger matter. They have chosen to sweep under the carpet issues of corporate governance, fraudulent misrepresentations and violations of media contracts which employees and South African cricketers have breached.
David Teeger was charged with bringing cricket into disrepute by making a statement in favour of the Israeli army at a private function. He was not under contract at the time. Five complaints were lodged with the Gauteng Central Lions and from the Lions’ initial position that it would send out letters to the complainants acknowledging their concerns, the matter escalated. Soon CricketSA were drawn into the matter and the same five complaints that had been sent to the Lions now formed the basis for a charge brought against Teeger by CricketSA.
Foul Play. Brandishing signs declaring “He’s My Captain”, protestors outside the HQ of Cricket South Africa declare support for South African Jewish cricketer David Teeger amid ongoing antisemitism scandal. (Photo: Ilan Ossendryver)
Of the complaints lodged, there was one that emanated from Lenasia Cricket Club. Another came from “Diadora”, a sponsor of Lions cricket. There is a very clear link between these two complainants. The Chairman of the Lenasia Cricket Club is one Azar Saloojee and the person lodging the complaint on behalf of Diadora is also Azar Saloojee – the same person. The complaint of Diadora South Africa stated that they:
“will not tolerate Mr Teeger playing in any tournament sponsored by Diadora”.
Responding to the warranted allegation of discrimination, Diadora’s Head Office in Italy were quick to reply that:
– Diadora had no directors in South Africa
– it disassociates itself from the statement made by Saloojee
– Saloojee was not authorized to make such a statement.
Saloojee had made the statement in his personal capacity but as the Chairman of Lenasia Cricket Club and subject to the jurisdiction and sanction of CricketSA, he had abused his authority by falsely misrepresenting facts to Gauteng Lions and CricketSA, even going as far as threatening/ extorting CricketSA.
From the Gauteng Central Lions level, the matter was elevated to CricketSA level, using the same complaints lodged with Gauteng Lions. There is nothing in the constitution of either the Gauteng Lions or CricketSA (the South African Cricket Board) which provides for a matter which has been launched at a franchise level to be dealt with at a national level. The acknowledgement of complaint letter was discarded and Teeger was charged at a national level.
Taking on Teeger. Pushing to have Teeger removed from captaining South Africa’s Under-19 cricket squad, Dr. Mohammed Moosajee, President of the Gauteng Lions Cricket Board detailed in his affidavit a compilation of complaints against the Jewish captain that included demands from pro-Palestinian groups.
New complainant statements used in the charge against Teeger were those of Mohammed Moosajee, the President of the Gauteng Lions, Jonathan Leaf-Wright, the CEO of the Gauteng Lions, and that of Pholetsi Moketi, the CEO of Cricket South Africa. For these members to have provided statements, they needed to have received the prior approval of their respective boards. While acknowledging that he did not have permission of the Lions, Moosajee – although somewhat irregular – submitted an affidavit in his personal capacity. Both Moosajee and Moketi – who had charged Teeger for the statement he made in support of Israeli soldiers – failed to recognise the irony in submitting their views of the history of “the occupation of Palestine” and a condemnation of the Israeli Defence Force. But, as no Board approvals were given, all of these statements were unauthorised and irregular. There is no provision for executives to express their personal political opinions or to submit their own voluntary statements in disciplinary charges.
From Batting to Battling as a Jew. Despite David Teeger been exonerated by an independent inquiry for his pro-Israeli army comments made at a private gathering, this did not stop the antisemitic onslaught in South Africa to having him removed from the position of captain for “security” concerns. (Photo: Stock Cricket Image: Pixaba)
Further overt politics was brought into ‘play’ by the PSA (trade union for public sector workers in South Africa) which went into detail about the “genocidal war against the Palestinians”. In all, each of the complainants was given the right to express their opinions freely – some virulently political – against the statement uttered by Teeger
Nonetheless, Teeger was charged with unbecoming conduct and statements detrimental to the game of cricket in violation of the Lions and CricketSA codes of conduct. Teeger was not subject to any social media contract which prevented him from making a statement to the media. His statement was not even made to the media but was made at an awards ceremony at a private function. Employees and cricketers on contract are however prevented from making public statements without the approval of the relevant cricket authority. Hashim Amla, an employee of the Gauteng Lions, as well as contracted SA cricketers Kagiso Rabada and Tabriz Shamsi have all expressed their opinion of the Israel-Hamas war on social media. Each expressed an opinion in favour of the Palestinians. Each has a social media contract preventing them from expressing these opinions publicly.
However, no action has been taken against them!
In an endeavour to have CricketSA explain its position concerning the above issues and take the necessary corrective measures or to explain why these were not necessary, legal correspondence was entered into. First, there was correspondence with CricketSA and Gauteng Lions and thereafter with their legal representatives.
After initial stonewalling by CricketSA, and non-substantive correspondence by their legal representatives, a response was finally received, stating:
“There is no legal obligation on our client to either provide the information that your client seeks or to take any of the measures demanded.”
So CricketSA, the custodian of cricket in South Africa which has undertaken to promote, advance, and administer the game of cricket in South Africa and adhere to the general principles contained in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa saw fit to charge Teeger because he expressed his constitutional right to freedom of expression. It sees no reason to explain why it is not adhering to general principles of fairness and good labour practices – at least, certainly not to a mere stakeholder member of the public.
The same CricketSA, which swore to respect and recognise the penalties laid down by members of Cricket South Africa, sees no reason to take measures where numerous clearly identifiable offences arising out of the Teeger matter which are chargeable in terms of CricketSA’s rules and regulations and probably even in terms of South Africa’s criminal law.
Pitch Im’perfect. Failing to see the true state of South Africa’s proverbial cricket pitch, Lawson Naidoo, the chair of CricketSA’s board, responds to accusations of antisemitism that they are “not deserving of a response”.
While Lawson Naidoo, the chair of CricketSA’s board, may say that accusations of antisemitism are “not deserving of a response” let’s see how he responds to accusations of malfeasance and double standards now that the matter has gone public.
Double standards where Jews are involved usually suggest antisemitism.
About the writer:
Craig Snoymanis a practising advocate in South Africa.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
From ancient Persia to modern Jordan the narrative shifts from ‘savior queen’ to ‘drama queen’.
By Jonathan Feldstein
Last week, Jews around the world celebrated Purim, the miraculous biblical story of the Jewish people overcoming a genocidal threat by Haman in the Book of Esther in Persia 2500 years ago. Many Christians also celebrated, knowing that if all the Jews had been exterminated then, Jesus would not have been born. They did so in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people, especially at such a time as this.
Savior of her People. Queen Esther, the beautiful Jewish wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus and her cousin Mordecai, persuaded the king to retract an order for the general annihilation of Jews throughout the empire. The massacre had been plotted by the king’s chief minister, Haman.
Despite the festive celebrations, the Jewish people are facing a modern genocidal threat again today, headquartered in Persia: Iran. As much as we celebrate Queen Esther and her selfless bravery, there’s another Middle Eastern queen who is fanning the flames of genocide against, and threatening the Jewish people today.
Unlike Esther, an orphan who was born in Jerusalem and exiled in Babylon, Queen Rania of Jordan could not be more polar opposite. She was born in Kuwait, the daughter of Palestinian Arabs. Unlike Esther, Rania came from a well-off family, got the best education, and became a desirable match for her King, Abdullah II.
Unlike Esther who remained in exile, Rania came home. What’s now called the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is overwhelmingly ethnically Palestinian because Jordan today was made up, and carved out of 80% of what used to be “Palestine”. Deliberate or not, her marriage to Abdullah II gave him a kind of legitimacy, consolidating ethnic Palestinian Arabs into the monarchy as no previous Hashemite ruler ever had because they are originally from Arabia.
Queen Deceiver. Throughout Queen Rania’s astonishing interview on CNN with Christian Amanpour, Jordan’s queen places the blame entirely on Israel, dismissing the massacre Israel suffered on October 7 as what Palestinians have suffered ever since every day.
Esther became famous for her selfless and potentially life-threatening sacrifice to save her people. Upon learning of the threat from Haman against all the Jewish people, Esther instructed all the Jewish people to pray and fast for three days, as she did. Simply, they turned within, and to the Creator.
Far from being selfless, the at-home Queen Rania has made a habit of blaming others for the problems or her people. Most recently, she has twisted reality and misrepresented facts about Israel’s war against Hamas. Rania is fanning flames of hatred, blaming others, and putting the lives of others at risk, rather than taking responsibility. It would be interesting to know if she ever had a heart to heart with her father-in-law, the late King Hussein. It was during the 1967 Six Day War that her father-in-law attacked Israel, and in the process, lost Jerusalem and Biblical Judea and Samaria on the west bank of the Jordan River.
Rania has a history of public hostile anti-Israel comments, broadcasting these in the global media. Her most recent was with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, the queen’s go-to Israel-bashing journalist.
Blood-Soaked Bed. Why did CNN’s Christian Amanpour fail to show this photo of a blood-soaked child’s bed in Kibbutz Kfar Aza in the aftermath of the Hamas assault on Israel on October 7 when Jordan’s Queen Rania says there’s “no evidence” that Hamas murdered babies and children?
In her polished verbal assault, Queen Rania accused Israel of “dehumanization” of Palestinians, and doing so in a way that is “systematic”. And of course, she nonsensically accuses Israel of “apartheid”. Her blood-libel is not only false, but is based on a false premise that Israelis believe (regarding Palestinian Arabs), “if we don’t kill them, they’re going to kill us.” Rania blames “hardline leaders for keeping their people in this perpetual state of fear of an existential threat that doesn’t exist and making them feel like just killing Palestinians and killing Hamas is going to be the solution to the problem.”
Hello, Queen Rania. Did you not see Hamas’ own live broadcast of the atrocities they committed on October 7? Do you not think that just maybe their terror and using Gazan civilians as human shields has anything to do with it?
Queen Rania boasted about Jordanian aid to Gazans, conducting the interview in a warehouse amid cartons emblazoned with Jordanian flags. Nevertheless, she said that while Jordan is providing as much aid as possible, her pattern of blaming Israel reached a crescendo with Amanpour. Tone deaf to facts and history of Hamas hijacking Gaza and putting all its residents in harm’s way, she chastised that providing “aid under bombardment does not stop the destruction, the death, and the heartbreak. We cannot save people from hunger only then to bomb them to death.”
Implying that Israel does not have a legitimate cause to defeat Hamas (and parenthetically free Gazans from under the boot of Hamas’ evil terrorist infrastructure and culture), Rania said, “There are no victories to be had as long as this war continues.”
Rania tripled-down on blaming Israel for actual problems that Gazans are suffering, including claims of cutting off food, fuel, and water, rather than place any responsibility on Hamas, or Egypt which also shares a border with Gaza, and under which no shortage of weapons and other terrorist infrastructure have been smuggled. A thoughtful observer wonders if Hamas can smuggle weapons from Egypt, why not food for Gaza as well, even if Egypt blocks such aid.
Blaming only Israel, Rania suggested that it was in fact a calculated, “deprivation by design.” Not very Esther-like to always blame others rather than being introspective.
Amanpour actually asked Rania about the atrocities that Hamas committed on October 7. Rania responded:
“As devastating and as traumatic as October 7 was, it doesn’t give Israel license to commit atrocity after atrocity. Israel experienced one October 7, since then, the Palestinians have experienced 156 October 7’s.”
Seeing is Believing. How does Queen Rania get away with saying that an “existential threat” to Israel from Palestinians “doesn’t exist”, when Hamas senior member, Ghazi Hamad, hailed on Lebanese TV the systematic slaughter of civilians in Israel on October 7, vowing to repeat similar assaults many times in the future until Israel is exterminated?
Presumably, Rania’s interview took place 156 days after October 7, a fact she was prepared with for her scripted talking points. Despite her fine education, Rania must have missed a few math classes because had Gazans experienced 156 October 7 massacres, more than 187,000 Gazans would have been killed, a number so ridiculously high not even Hamas would think to make up such figures. But facts don’t matter to Rania when good rhetoric and lies can be used to blame Israel and the so-called “occupation”.
Rania must have also missed a few history classes as she pontificated, “I think a lot of people need to know more about this conflict to really understand the intricacies of it, to understand that this is one of the greatest historical injustices, to understand what the root cause of this issue is, to understand that this conflict did not begin on October 7, that that it was a result of years of occupation, of settlement expansion, of human rights abuses, of disregard for international law, and this is what led us to this point.”
Interestingly, she neglected to mention the occupation of Gaza (by Egypt) and “the West Bank” (by Jordan) under her husband’s father, and great-grandfather for whom he is named. To her, the original sin is Israel’s “occupation”, neglecting the fact that when Palestinian Arab ethnicity was invented, so was the “armed resistance” that they still practice – Terror. She forgets that Palestinian terrorists also threatened her father-in-law’s reign, a bloody revolt he put down in September 1970, during which as many as 25,000 Palestinian Arabs were killed.
There’s no doubt that Rania’s remarks were well prepared if not scripted. There’s also no doubt that Rania would never have given such an interview without the advanced knowledge – if not outright approval – of King Abdullah. While he has plausible deniability regarding her remarks, it would be nonsense to think that he and his court were not consulted, and did not consent. Maybe even helped write the script.
The truth is that while Abdullah did not make these remarks directly, the King has also been doubling down on the anti-Israel rhetoric. In a statement just weeks before Rania’s interview, King Abdullah let slip that he also blamed Israel’s “occupation”. However rather than using the kinder and gentler approach to the term as coined when his father lost Jerusalem and the west bank of the Jordan River in 1967, Abdullah touted the “70 year” occupation, meaning that Israel’s very existence is by definition illegitimate.
As an Arabian Hashemite King ruling over a territory and people in which he and his tribe are not indigenous, in a country that was made up in 1946, aside from employing unprecedently hostile anti-Israel rhetoric, this gives new meaning to the term “the pot calling the kettle black”.
Back to the Queen and the “occupation”. She opined that “Palestinians do not hate Israelis because of who they are, they hate them because of what they’re doing to them.”
Just because she’s a Queen does not mean she is or ought to be immune from being called out on her anti-Israel diatribe, her deliberate twisting of facts and omitting others, her minimizing Hamas’ actual genocidal threat to Israel and the Jewish people, much less the severity of Hamas’s premeditated use of sexual crimes to rape and mutilate women. Perhaps she does this because she considers herself a proud Palestinian, as Esther was a proud Jew. Or perhaps because she knows that in some way, if she were actually to speak the truth, she’d risk threatening her husband’s monarchy, also a target of Islamists.
Queen Rania ended her comments magnanimously saying:
“We in this part of the world need to find a way to share these holy lands in peace.”
When it comes to Black September, Queen Rania has a memory Black Out. While Queen Rania gives her take on history during CNN interview blaming Israel for the plight of the Palestinians, she neglects to mention her own father-in-law, King Hussein (left), who with the support of a Pakistan military team, which included Pakistan’s General Muhammad Zia-Ul-Haq, then a Brigadier (right) who helped King Hussein carry out a massacre in 1970 of up to 25,000 Palestinians, in what is now known as Black September .
The problem is that when she delegitimizes Israel and blames only Israel for the actual suffering that’s happening now, and only blames Israel rather than taking or assigning any Arab culpability for their own situation, she continues generations of lies that does anything but enable us to live in peace.
About the writer:
Jonathan Feldstein - President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond
Also available on YouTube@The Israel Brief – Simply click on the red subscribe button to receive alerts when a new report is posted.
What’s happening in Israel today? See from every Monday – Thursday LOTL’s The Israel Brief broadcasts and on our Facebook page and YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA, broadcasting out of Virginia, USA.
Following increasing tensions between Israel and South Africa which officially welcomed Hamas’ leaders days after the October 7 massacre, 14 representatives from South Africa, including religious and community leaders, visited and toured Israel’s devastated south, met with the hostages’ families and sent a clear message that they were ashamed of their government’s actions and statements against the Jewish state.
Articles
Please note there is a facility to comment beneath each article should you wish to express an opinion on the subject addressed.
(1)
RETURNING HOME TO A NATION IN AGONY
The line separating the joy of being home and the trauma at home is very narrow. By Jonathan Feldstein
Rough Landing. No sooner off the plane and you step into Ben Gurion Airport, the first Israelis to ‘greet’ you, are the hostages in Gaza whose haunting images cry out, “Bring me home now!”
Brisk walks and swims along Sydney’s southern stunning beachside suburb of Coogee led to intense ‘reflections’ – not only from the sun! By Solly Kaplinski
This is the Life – or is it? Beneath the veneer of ‘the good life’, in post-October 7 Australia, Aussie Jews are shaken by increasingly public displays of hatred amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
What is astonishing is the willingness to abandon the sacrosanct motto of the #MeToo era: “I believe you.” ByAllan Wolman
Palestinian Predators. To raise awareness about the plight of the hostages still in Gaza, released Israeli hostage, Amit Soussana, bravely went public by telling her traumatic story to the NYT of being sexually assaulted by her Palestinian captors in Gaza.
With hundreds of thousands of reservists putting their studies, careers and families on hold to serve their country in its hour of need, Israel’s younger generation has shown its true mettle. By Harris Zvi Green
Duty Calls. Displaying resilience and patriotism, young Israelis drop whatever they are doing to answer the call of duty and return home from places across the globe as seen here at the airport in Lima, Peru.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
The Israel Brief – 25 March 2024– Shifa hospital update. The UN’s humanitarian aid blood libel. Negotiations to release hostages. Al Jazeera accusation.
The Israel Brief – 26 March 2024– Drama with the UNSC vote. Hamas refuse ceasefire. Shifa updates. Antisemitism at UK airport.
The Israel Brief – 27 March 2024– Escalation in north. Amit Soussana speaks on the record. Hostage update. Well wishes for The Princess of Wales.
The Israel Brief – 28 March 2024– Israel complying with international law. Terror attack. Washington meeting rescheduled. UK and US clamp down on terror media.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
What is astonishing is the willingness to abandon the sacrosanct motto of the #MeToo era: “I believe you.”
By Allan Wolman
When it comes to human rights abuses in Africa, particularly sexual violence against women, South Africa’s leadership skips a continent – its own – preferring to focus its energies on attacking Israel. Falsely accusing the Jewish state of genocide while mum on genocides far closer to home, exposes the moral bankruptcy of a nation that has squandered its potential inherited from the Mandela era.
In her op-ed in the NYT (21 March), Maebel Gebremedhin, cofounder and president of Tigray Action Committee and United Women of the Horn, highlighted the civil war between Ethiopia and Tigray. She describes this as one of the deadliest conflicts of this century with an estimated death toll of over half a million people and the region now facing widespread famine.
Take Heed South Africa. Looking away from an epidemic of rape, co-founder and president of the Tigray Action Committee and United Women of the Horn, Maebel Gebremedhin writes in The New York Times, “It is time the world speaks up for African women and holds governments, armies and all other perpetrators accountable for the crimes they are committing. If not…. accountability and justice are only buzzwords.”
Coupled to this, over 100,000 women are believed to have been the victims of conflict-related sexual violence, and an estimated 40% of all Tigray women have been at the sharp end of “some type of gender-based violence”.
Gebremedhin goes on to say:
“Tigray stands as one of many stark examples of what happens when conflict-related sexual violence goes unchecked. It is time the world speaks up for African women and holds governments, armies and all perpetrators accountable for the crimes they are committing. If not, they may continue to suspect that when it comes to them, accountability and justice are only buzzwords”.
In the conflict-ridden landscape of Sudan and Darfur, sexual violence has been tragically weaponized, with the appalling practices of trafficking girls and perpetrating rape employed as brutal tools war. The BBC recently featured a documentary “Unveiling the Forgotten: Sudan’s Hidden Conflict” which delves into the heart of the struggle, revealing untold stories, shedding light on a conflict that has long been overshadowed by other global crises.
As the international community grapples with pressing global challenges, the BBC’s documentary serves as a timely reminder that Sudan’s forgotten war cannot be ignored. By amplifying the voices of those affected by the conflict, the film calls for renewed diplomatic efforts to address the root causes of violence and instability in the region.
Living in Fear. In Tigray, Ethiopian women face horrific choice: ‘To die or to be raped’. Seen here in 2022 are displaced women in the village of Silse, a hundred kilometers from Semera in the Afar region, where the war between the central government and rebels from the Tigray region had spread. (Photo Eduardo Soteras/AFP)
The conflict in the region is attributed to tensions between Arab herders and non-Arab farmers over land, resources, and political power, with non-Arab groups accusing the Arab-dominated central government and militias like the Janjaweed of marginalization and discrimination. After the 2019 overthrow of al-Bashir, leadership in the Sudanese Armed Forces shifted, with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan assuming control of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), while Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, led the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), playing a significant role in post-al-Bashir Sudanese politics, particularly stemming from his involvement in the Darfur conflict Hemeti, has faced accusations of involvement in ethnic and sexual violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. As the leader of the RSF, he has been accused of overseeing operations where such atrocities occurred. The RSF has been implicated in various human rights abuses, including allegations of ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, and other forms of violence against civilians. These accusations have led to international scrutiny and calls for accountability for those responsible for such acts.
It’s the same Hemeti who was hosted by President Ramaphosa in Pretoria in early January this year for “discussions” on his vision for ending the war in Sudan. Indeed, that was before South Africa had thought about grandstanding at the International Court of Justice. But it appears that Ramaphosa, a vocal advocate against gender-based violence, remained unmoved by the atrocities of genocide and sexual violence in Tigray and Sudan. Similarly, prominent women in South Africa, including Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor and UNHCR’s Chair Navi Pillay, remain silent on matters concerning their own continent.
Palestinian Predators. Deciding to go public with her traumatic story to raise awareness about the plight of the hostages remaining in Gaza, released Israeli hostage, Amit Soussana, told the New York Times that she was sexually assaulted by one of her captors and was also beaten.
To its credit, the NYT did expose the Hamas atrocities of sexual violence on Israeli women on 10/7. While the BBC extensively covered the Sudanese conflict on both TV and radio, their coverage of Israeli women victims of sexual violence remains mum. CNN, on the other hand, exposed the disturbing silence of UN Women, whose response only came after this revelation (some months later), once again underscoring the hashtag #MeToo Unless You’re a Jew.
About the writer:
Allan Wolman in 1967 joined 1200 young South Africans to volunteer to work on agricultural settlements in Israel during the Six Day War. After spending a year in Israel, he returned to South Africa where he met and married Jocelyn Lipschitz and would run one of the oldest travel agencies in Johannesburg – Rosebank Travel. He would also literally ‘run’ three times in the “Comrades”, one of the most grueling marathons in the world as well as participate in the “Argus” (Cape Town’s famed international annual cycling race) an impressive eight times. Allan and Jocelyn immigrated to Israel three years ago.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
Brisk walks and swims along Sydney’s southern stunning beachside suburb of Coogee led to intense ‘reflections’ – not only from the sun!
By Solly Kaplinski
I really didn’t want to go. I felt I couldn’t leave Israel during these times especially with three grandchildren in the army, but my brother, Benny, was celebrating his 70th birthday and with my late mom z’’l (Of Blessed Memory), Sima’s words ringing in my ears about how important family is, I made the brief trip to Sydney, Australia, 35 hours door to door! How could I not be with him? He had also celebrated my 75th birthday with me in Israel!
On the Waterfront. Away from war in body if not in mind, the writer (right) with his brother Benny enjoying Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
I had in fact been to Australia several times during the course of my work for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Charles Jordan, JDC representative and later, JDC Executive Vice President during his visit to Australia in August / September 1947 to scout out places of refuge for Shoah survivors remarked:
“They call this: God’s country, and right they are. It has about the same climatic conditions as California, and there is an attractive blend of old and new architecture and landscaping, each community striving to outdo the other in developing its environs, parks, and playgrounds. As I watch these happy people here enjoying the benefits of truly civilized living, I see before me the faces of those for whom we care and knowing as I do of the migrant need of this country for an increase in population, I wonder how many of them who need it most will find their way to this heaven”.
In fact, JDC helped almost 20,000 Holocaust survivors reach and settle in Australia post the Shoah years. Coming to G-d’s country with nothing but the clothes on their back, the survivors laid the framework and foundation for building the local Jewish population into one of the most successful, thriving Jewish communities in the world in terms of health, education, welfare, philanthropy – and a strong identification with Israel, which continues unabated – to this day. They also contributed massively to the success of Australia as a whole.
I thought about “G-d’s country’’ in Sydney as I took my early morning brisk walks and swims and marvelled at the sight of Bondi beach and its magnificent promenade – a haven of hustle and bustle, people of all ages, shapes and sizes, worshipping their bodies, the sun god – and the pint, a truly seductive lifestyle, with people swimming in the surf from before 6.00 a.m. till way past twilight, people of all ages involved in exercising and priming their bodies, and youngsters on the beach engaged in life-saving activities and games. The nippers – as they are called – learn beach safety and awareness skills, in a fun and healthy environment. A paradise.
This is the Life – or is it? Beneath the veneer of ‘the good life’, in post-Oct. 7 Australia, Aussie Jews are shaken by increasingly bold displays of hatred amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Benny lives a mere 25-minute walk from Coogee, perhaps one of the most beautiful beaches in the world – besides Muizenberg in Cape Town! We swam there several times and on the last occasion, we were lazily drying off when Benny asked me – I guess out of concern, whether given what’s happening in Israel, I would ever consider leaving and coming to live in Australia. I must admit I was momentarily thrown off balance by his question. I had never thought about this possibility even for a moment during our 25 years in Israel – except perhaps fleetingly, during the judicial reform chaos envisaging an out-of-control government with no judicial restraints. I had a flashback to a visit I had made to Israel back in the 90’s to interview prospective Hebrew and Jewish Studies teachers for Herzlia High School in Cape Town, when buses, restaurants and night clubs were blown up in Jerusalem – and all over Israel, with huge casualties. I was travelling on a bus with my daughter Tali who had made Aliyah on the day she matriculated from Herzlia – and I asked her whether she wasn’t afraid to be in Israel. She turned to me and replied:
“Dad, you see those mountains in the distance, the Judean desert, they belong to me – and I, I belong to them.”
Shifting Sands. Not far from the glorious sandy beaches, only 3 days after the massacre of Jews on October 7, protestors in support of the Hamas attack, hold a rally outside the Sydney Opera House on October 9, 2023 chanting antisemitic slogans. (Photo: AAP IMAGE/DEAN LEWINS VIA REUTERS)
And similarly, thinking about Benny’s question, I responded to him saying:
“Everything in Israel matters for me: from the trauma and the angst and the bereaved and the mourning – and the hostages, to the words in the last letter of a soldier who fell in battle: ‘I am going into this war knowing I might not be coming back, but I believe wholeheartedly in what I am doing. We have no other country, and now it is my turn to defend it, and fight the battle of all the civilians, soldiers, babies, elderly and women who were helpless in the face of Hamas’ brutality. This is the way my parents raised me, this is what I believe in, I hope you will remember me,’ – from sheer joy at our resilience, how when the chips are down, Israelis rally to the cause like no one else on this planet; how more than 100,000 Israelis returned from their vacations abroad when the war broke out to serve in the IDF – to all the bottom-up initiatives that Israelis engage in to help our fellow citizens. I embrace all of this – a life of genuine meaning and fulfilment, like never before. I own it; I wrap my arms around it. It all belongs to me – and I, I to it. Now more than ever.”
True Colours. Australia’s Green Party have been widely condemned for failing to support a motion condemning Hamas. (Photo: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman)
And then I thought of how Benny, out of fear, had removed the mezuzah off his front door, how we needed to speak in hushed tones, sotto voce, when people were around us. I wondered whether I should remove my Magen David while on the beach, which I have not removed in more than 60 years. I defiantly kept this precious symbol of my proud Jewish identity on! I thought about the explosion of Jew-hatred in Australia that just about everyone that I met in Sydney referenced to the point of being fearful. I thought about the Greens, the third-biggest political party in Australia, blatantly antisemitic with rarely an official eyebrow being raised and about the normalization of antisemitism and the future for Jewish children – and grandchildren.
Homeward Bound. Israelis abroad scramble to return to join reserve IDF units or just to help as seen here as young passengers wait in a line to enter a flight to Israel at the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Athens, Greece, October 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Yes, Jewish diasporas have limited life spans as per our history – sometimes with devastating and tragic effects. And while Jews in these communities act as strong advocates and lobby groups for local Jewish needs and for Israel, I thought again about Australia, or for that matter, the country of my birth, South Africa, and Europe and ‘der goldene medina’ – America?
G-d’s country? I think not.
About the writer:
Solly Kaplinski headed up Jewish Day Schools in Cape Town, Toronto and Vancouver before making Aliyah with Arleen almost 25 years ago. His professional life in Israel is bookended by working at Yad Vashem and then at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Solly is also the author of the novella A World of Pain: A Redemptive Parable? His three daughters, their spouses and an egalitarian minyan of grandchildren all live in Israel.
While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).
