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Friday, March 6, 1987
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
BACKGROUND
What Are Africa Jews
Doing About Apartheid?
Nothing, according to a Johannesburg
rabbi and a black minister from Soweto
ARTHUR J. MAGIDA
Special to The Jewish News
n South Africa, Jews,
for once, have been
part of the Master
Race. That country has given
Jews a unique experience that
will not go down as one of the
glorious periods. How, with
our experience, can a Jew be
a racist? How, with our Ibrah
and prophetic teaching, can a
Jew involved with the black
struggle be called a 'traitor'
by other Jews?"
During a recent meeting, we
talked of the murders of chil-
dren by South African soldiers
and clandestine Israeli arms
shipments to the white regime
and inquiries into the true ra-
cial leanings of' the average
South African Jew. It was not a
pleasant discussion.
Tugging gently at my
sleeve for emphasis, Rabbi
Ben Issacson of Johannes-
burg's Congregation Har 'El
— a temple of dwindling
membership and, according
to its spiritual leader, dwindl-
ing scruples — said, "Some-
thing sick has happened to
the Jews of my country. I
have been told by some in my_
congregation that if Des-
mond Tutu comes to the syn-
agogue, they will walk out.
They should be honored that
the Archbishop of Capetown
— a Nobel laureate and leader
of 28 million people — would
come to them. They are sick.
Put that in your story."
Their "sickness," Rabbi, has
been duly put in the story.
But it must be noted that
your judgements on South
African Jews were less tem-
perate than those of your
traveling companion, Rever-
end Zachariah Mokgoebo of
the Black Dutch Reformed
Church in the township of
Soweto. Mokgoebo does not
attribute a "sickness" to the
Jews of South Africa. In fact,
like most South African
blacks, he barely distin-
guishes them from the other
five million whites of his
country.
"Jews," said Mokgoebo,
"are part of the white prob-
lem. They are not seen as a
separate community by the
blacks of South Africa. They
share the same fears as the
white South Africans:'
Aside from his contact with
such men as Issacson, who
has scolded fellow South
African rabbis for their
"breathtaking silence" on
Rabbi Ben IsaacSon:
"Something sick has
happened."
apartheid, Mokgoebo has had
little contact with the
120,000 South African Jews
(and with South African
whites in general).
"I have tried to speak with
them," he said, "but by doing
that, I arouse their fears.
Maybe they think that some-
one will report them to the
police for talking with some-
one who thinks as I do. I have
decided they are • unteach-
able."
Mokegoebo and Isaacson
were in Detroit on Feb. 21 as
part of a 21-city tour of the
United States under the au-
spices of the New Jewish
Agenda. They spoke at the
Episcopal Archdiocese of
Michigan at Woodward and
Warren.
The tour's purpose is to
raise $400,000 for proposed
Centers of Peace and Justice
in South Africa — integrated,
inter-faith centers for living,
education, and prayer. Issac-
son and Mokgoebo also hope
to enlist more U.S. Jews in
their struggle against apar-
theid.
"If American Jews lobbied
for the blacks of South Africa
one fraction of how much
they lobby for Israel," said
Issacson, "we in South Africa
would feel the difference."
If not for their anti-apar-
theid work, Issacson and
Mokgoebo probably would
not have met. "I was raised in
the privileged class," said
Issacson. "As a child, I did
not know the Reverend Mok-
goebo. I knew the boy who
shined my shoes. I did not
know the black refugees from
._\