Apartheid and South African Jewry
The history and implications of apartheid for the South African Jewish community will be probed at a conference entitled TransformNation, to take place from 29-30October in Cape Town.
Dan Brotman
This 2011 conference of the Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape Council) will focus on the psychological, social and political effects of apartheid on the South African Jewish community. The first part of the conference, “Looking Back –Confronting our History”, will critically examine how an oppressive regime affected the shaping of the community’s identity, and how communal institutions allowed that identity to flourish. The second part, “Looking Forward –Embracing Our Responsibility”, will look at how the community has adapted and is still adapting to a post-apartheid South Africa.
Chairman Li Boiskin commented, “To say that this is a ground-breaking move for our community is an understatement. This is the first time that the organised Jewish community has ever convened a conference to discuss the impact of apartheid on our community as a collective and on our identities as individuals. The news of our “TransformNation” Conference has been met with great excitement and enthusiasm from the Jewish community.”
Panellists at the Sunday morning conference will include prominent members of the Jewish community, such as High Court Judge Dennis Davis, University of Cape Town Professor of Sociology Deborah Posel and former Homecoming Revolution Managing Director Martine Schaffer. Secretary General of the World Jewish Congress. Dan Diker will open the conference on Saturday evening with the keynote address, “From Durban to Jerusalem: Israel’s Struggle for Sovereignty and Security”.
Dan Brotman, the Media & Diplomatic Liaison at the South African Jewish Board of Deputies in Cape Town, told J-Wire: “For the first time in our history, the South African Jewish community will be holding a ground-breaking conference at the end of this month to focus on how apartheid affected our identities and institutions. Given the sizeable South African Jewish population in Australia and New Zealand, as well as the common usage of the word “apartheid” to describe Israel in the media, I believe our conference may be of interest to readers of J-Wire.”
J-Wire will carry reports from the conference.
Just curious; Are you going to talk about your collaboration with apartheid? South african Jews urged American jewsh not to promote the boycott in the states lest they would face retaliation.