SA Jews say "enough is enough" around antisemitic incidences
21 June 2018
Over the past 24 hours, a flurry of viciously antisemitic and threatening attacks have been made against South African Jews, both on social media and in direct face-to-face encounters. The incidents, which are being followed up by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), have generated great anxiety and anger in the Jewish community and screenshots of the offending posts have gone viral.
SAJBD Chairman Shaun Zagnoev said that while it was unfortunately common to find antisemitic content online, it was rare for it to take so virulent and inflammatory a form as the latest reported comments.
“The posts show how easily radical anti-Israel sentiment can spill over into hateful slurs and threats against Jewish people in general. We are being told that we are ‘scum’, ‘rats’, ‘bastards’, ‘pigs’, ‘swine’ and ‘fat-nosed f***ks. We are further being warned that “our time is coming” and that “the Holocaust will be a picnic after we are done with you”.
Furthermore, earlier this morning, passengers awaiting their luggage from an El Al flight into South Africa were verbally abused, and called “wicked Jews”.