The Way Through the Turbulence
On South Africa, Israel, and painful histories
Spring has finally arrived in the Southern Hemisphere after a particularly powerful winter here in Cape Town. We’ve seen unprecedented rains and storms, a blessing in many ways and also a reflection of my inner state. While my writing here has taken a bit of a backseat, I’ve been exploring new ideas in other places.
One such place is Newlines Magazine, where I’ve published a piece today that delves into a complicated and sensitive issue: South Africa’s recent move to bring a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. While this decision has been largely supported by the South African public, it has ignited a fierce fear within the country’s small Jewish community.
In the piece, I examine how many Jewish groups see this as further evidence of government bias, which they equate with antisemitism. Yet, it has also forced a rare moment of introspection about the historic role of Jews in South Africa, particularly their complex relationship with the apartheid regime.
The South African Jewish community has long fascinated me. Growing up, I often heard stories of Jewish involvement in the fight against apartheid. But when I first visited in 2010, I discovered a more complicated history. Since moving to Cape Town in 2018, I’ve come to see how deeply repressed this version of the past is within the community. While some Jews did join the anti-apartheid struggle, the majority stayed silent, preserving their place within white society.
This unresolved history continues to cast a long shadow. After apartheid ended, much of the South African Jewish community turned its focus to Israel and Zionism, as a way to grapple with a conflicted past and divert attention to other things. The government’s recent decision to pursue a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice has reopened old wounds, stirring deep and painful debates.
These issues are undeniably sensitive in South Africa, and I’ve made every effort to approach them with care and nuance. However, I can’t ignore the fact that there is a version of history within the Jewish community that has been deeply repressed, and it remains a source of turbulence today. That tension is exactly what I explore in my piece. You can read it here.
I know this is a departure from my usual newsletter topics, but I hope you’ll stick with me. I’ll be back soon with fresh content on breath work and other things you’ve come to expect here.