SERIES Op Ed
What keeps me
up at night…
Inside the mind of Ben Swartz, chairman of
the SAZF
It worries me when Jews allow themselves to be seduced by the narrative of
those who seek to deny or even destroy
the connection between Judaism and Israel. By aligning themselves with those
who seek to deny that right, they are
aligning themselves with those who seek
to bring great harm and damage to the
Jewish people as a whole.
But, this principle should not be construed as one denying people the right to
criticise Israel or attempting to deny others the right to freedom of choice or
thought. It must be acknowledged that
“freedom of choice or thought” does not
mean the choice made is always correct
and need not go unchallenged.
For those who choose to criticise Israel
out of care and compassion for the country and its people, we need to engage and
debate the issues constructively. We must
create a space for those who share our
common concerns – the well-being of Israel and the Jewish people – even if those
views differ from ours.
Yet, the red line for me lies with those
who see Israel as an albatross that they
have to be freed from, and in order to do
that, they stand shoulder to shoulder
with those who mean real harm to Israel,
its people and the Jews the world over.
We live in privileged times; we live in
We live in privileged times; we live in an era
where Israel (with all its trials and tribulations)
is a robust, sovereign state for the Jews.
54 JEWISH LIFE n ISSUE 83
an era where Israel (with all its trials and
tribulations) is a robust, sovereign state
for the Jews.
And we, as Jews, all have the obligation
and privilege of being able to contribute
and be part of making a difference in a
way we deem necessary, whether it is
from here in South Africa or on the
ground in Israel.
What keeps me awake
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The welfare of the community
The character of the community
The safety of the community
The commitment of the community
The Israeli/Palestinian conflict
Radical Islam
The growing effects of BDS JL
Whose head are you dying to get into?
Suggest someone in your community, or let
us know if you’re itching to air your views.
Email [email protected]
Ben Swartz is the recently elected
chairman of the SA Zionist Federation.
He has been involved in the SAZF for
over four years and has focused on
building alliances and relationships
beyond the Jewish community.
photograph: supplied
For 2 000 years, the Jews prayed to return
to the Land of Israel. Three times a day,
tradition holds, we recited prayers contemplating being able to return to the
Land of ‘Milk and Honey’ while we cast
our eyes in the direction of Jerusalem.
Then, in 1948, our hopes, dreams and
aspirations were answered.
It was never going to be an easy task returning en masse to a land in which we
had not had sovereign independence
since the fall of the Second Temple.
And, although the Jews had lived (prior
to the fall) in a sovereign kingdom for
well over 1 000 years, and for the remainder of time under the yoke of foreign nations (whether in Israel or in the Diaspora) – we never gave up that hope and
dream for our ability to return to a sovereign state in Israel.
Yet, what pains me more today are
those among us who would contest and
support the narrative of those who deny
the right of the Jews to our historical,
biblical and cultural homeland. The irony
is that for the above reasons, no nation
on earth has a greater claim to their land
than the Jews (Am Yisrael). No people –
Jewish or non-Jewish – have the ability
or right to declare that Judaism and Israel
can be disconnected or separated from
one another.