Kesher Talk

Jews in odd places: South Africa: Even as observers warn of a growing trend of anti-Semitism in Greece, a South African Jew is trying to build stronger ties between the Jewish and Greek communities in South Africa. Ronnie Mink, chairman of Yad Vashem in South Africa, believes there is potential for a better relationship between the roughly 50,000 Jews in Johannesburg and their 40,000 Greek “brothers.”

As white minority groups in post-apartheid South Africa, the two communities share similar interests. Rampant crime and instability have spurred members of both communities to emigrate. The number of Jews in South Africa fell to about 80,000 today from about 125,000 in the 1970s. The number of Greeks has fallen to 70,000 from about 250,000 as community members have left for Greece, the United States and other places.

The relationship between Greeks and Jews historically has been reasonably good, with strong business connections, but the two communities have remained apart socially. Greek and Jewish anti-apartheid activists, such as legendary human rights lawyers George Bizos and Arthur Chaskalson, now president of South Africa’s Constitutional Court, worked together closely to defend dissidents such as Nelson Mandela.

Now Mink is joining with Greek Orthodox church leader George Vizos to try to strengthen ties between the two minority communities.

This comes at the same time as Jewish leaders are hatching a plan to make young Jews proud of their identity both as South Africans and as Jews, in large part by increasing Jewish involvement in the general South African community, particularly when it comes to securing equal rights.

Of course, Jews don't have the best record of niceties, as Gideon Shimoni points out in his recent book, Community and Conscience: The Jews in Apartheid South Africa. Most of South Africa's Jews originated from Lithuania and stepped from oppression there into a society in which their "white" skin color instantly and automatically made them oppressors. They became part of the white minority that ruled over the black majority.

posted by William @ 2/05/2004 08:15:00 AM