“The community feels huge disappointment with a president and his cabinet who seem totally immune to the atrocities suffered by Israel at the hands of Hamas.”

Jews have been an integral part of the fabric of society in South Africa since the seventeenth century when some arrived with the early Dutch settlers. However, only with the influx of Jews escaping pogroms in Lithuania and other parts of Europe, or seeking to build their fortunes after the discovery of gold in the country, would the community grow and flourish.

The Jewish community has contributed to South Africa disproportionately to its size. Many notable members of the Jewish community were involved in the struggle against apartheid and, as the country emerged from its dark past into democracy, communal leaders enjoyed good relations with the government; bilateral relations with Israel were strong.

However, since Hamas’s barbarous invasion of southwestern Israel on Oct. 7, S.A. has demonstrated clear bias by strengthening ties with the terrorist organization, which is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state.

As news of the massacre unfolded, South Africa failed to condemn Hamas. President Cyril Ramaphosa reiterated solidarity with the Palestinians and Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor’s phone call to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and subsequent visit to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, sent a negative message to the Jewish community.

Jewish leaders from the S.A. Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD and S.A. Zionist Federation (SAZF) recently met with Ramaphosa, who set out his government’s position regarding Israel and Palestine.

He affirmed that South Africa: