Israel
at 67
RIGHT: DEISI Israel Tour
(Nov 2014): 27 students
and youth leaders see for
themselves that Israel is
not an apartheid state.
Olga Meshoe,
DEISI International (Defend, Embrace,
Invest (in), Support Israel)
“First and foremost, I am a Christian. My
faith is based on Israel’s existence; Israel’s
history is the foundation of my faith. I
thus view standing in solidarity with Israelis and Jews as an obligation to stand
with my brothers and sisters. Secondly, I
appreciate truth and recognise its importance in the running of world events. The
allegations that Israel is an apartheid
state are lies that cannot be unchallenged,
especially by black South Africans, as this
trivialises the extent of the pain and suffering experienced by South Africans during apartheid. Furthermore, the blatant
bias displayed by the mass media in its reporting of the Israel and the Middle East
conflict is unfair and the media must be
held to account. Israel must be treated
fairly, like other nations. Thirdly, every
nation, tribe and creed on earth has the
right to exist; this is a fundamental human right. The call for the annihilation of
Israel as a state and Jews as a people off
the face of the earth cannot be ignored. It
is foolish to think that any call for the annihilation of Israel and the Jews, should
such calls be successful, will end there.”
These passionate words of support come
from Olga Meshoe, chief operating officer
of DEISI International. DEISI, an acronym
for Defend, Embrace, Invest (in), Support
Israel, was established in June 2013. DEISI’s direct mandate is to educate the general public on Israel and to challenge the ignorance of many, to publicise the true facts
regarding the right of Israel to exist within
safe and secure borders. Meshoe has the
“blessing” of working together with other
DEISI activists in facilitating conversations
on the truth about the Middle East conflict, what Hamas really is, and the complexity of the Palestinian governance.
“I also speak at various events to disseminate facts as to why Israel is not an
apartheid state and also to sensitise people that there is an agenda that, if properly interrogated, does not serve the wellbeing of the Palestinian people like it
claims to do.” The challenges are great,
16 JEWISH LIFE n ISSUE 83
though. DEISI International is up against
a fully-funded BDS movement and related organisations that have been making a
lot of noise. “Much of this noise has unfortunately been endorsed by highly respected individuals in South Africa. We
thus need to get the truth out there for
people to make up their own minds.”
An additional challenge is the reluctance
of people to ‘go against the grain’ at times.
“Standing up in support of Israel is not the
popular thing to do today, especially where
one is dealing with people who use personal insults and threaten one’s personal security regularly in their discourse. We are,
though, determined to fulfil our mandate
and we will not cower and back down.” In
November 2014, DEISI International took
27 students and youth leaders from South
Africa to Israel on an educational study
tour. The students and leaders were exposed to all aspects of Israeli life and interacted with various minority groups. They
were given lectures by business people,
politicians, ordinary civilians and journalists. They also had the opportunity to interact with lone soldiers from the Israel
Defence Force. “This allowed them to see
for themselves that Israel is not an apartheid state, and it made them aware that
there is much bias in media reporting (and
unfortunately, the attitude of many governments and the United Nations) with regards to Israel.”
During Israel Apartheid Week 2015,
these students and leaders played an effective role in combating the rhetoric of the
other side, and offered appreciated support to the South African Union of Jewish
Students. In its short existence, DEISI International’s activities have had a positive
influence within the South African Jewish
community, positioning itself as an international ally that Israel, Jewish communities globally, and any pro-Israel organisations, businesses, political parties and individual persons can turn to for dependa-
ble support. The visionary of DEISI International is Rev Kenneth Meshoe, who is
known throughout South Africa, Israel,
the United States of America and Canada
as a bold, unapologetic supporter of Israel.
Lydia Meshoe
Women of Destiny
As a Christian, explains Lydia Meshoe,
president of Women of Destiny, a women’s league for the African Christian
Democratic Party, standing for Israel is
part of her very belief system. In Genesis, G-d says: ‘I will bless those who
bless you, and whoever curses you I will
curse; and all peoples on earth will be
blessed through [