On Friday, people of all faiths gathered at the Nelson Mandela Foundation for a “Shabbat Against Genocide.” This event was organized with South African Jews for a free Palestine.
- People gathered to discuss the war in Gaza.
- South African Jews for a Free Palestine co-organized the event.
- Graça Machel and Ronald Lamola were also present.
Thousands of people of all faiths gathered at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg on Friday night for a discussion on the Sabbath and the war in Gaza.
According to a report in GroundUp, the South African Jewish Organization for Palestinian Freedom is holding an event called “Shabbat to Genocide” for the purpose of “commemoration and solidarity to renew our commitment to realizing the rights of the Palestinian people.” Co-sponsored.
The foundation's acting chief executive, Professor Vern Harris, said the event was part of an ongoing series of conversations about what can be done to stop the war in Gaza and promote lasting peace. .
“We make a terrible mistake in South Africa when we listen only to the dominant Jewish voices in our institutions. There are many Jewish voices, and tonight we hear those voices. “There is,” Harris said.
Among those in attendance was Graça Machel.
Adira Hashim addresses the congregation.
Addressing the gathering were Adira Hashim, the advocate who represented South Africa at the International Court of Justice, Ronald Lamola, Minister of Justice and Corrections, and Professor Haider Eid of Al-Aqsa University in Gaza.
Lamola said the government denied Israel's accusations that South Africa was abusing the courts and said the court found the country had made a good case.
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Eid said Israel did not care about the ICJ and had killed more than 2,000 people since the verdict.
Hashim said real change cannot be brought about through the courts.
“Real change comes from people power, soldiers for peace, as Madiba says, so it depends on us, our individual capacities and our collective humanity,” she said. Told.
When asked by an audience member whether he had been harassed because of his involvement in the incident, Hashim replied that he had.
She added:
“It certainly hurts when it comes from places and people I'm close to and respect. But does it scare me? No.”
South Africa recently submitted an urgent request to the ICJ for additional measures in light of Israel's intention to bomb Rafah, a haven for an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians.
People pass bread (challah) as part of Shabbat worship.
The ICJ rejected the request for emergency measures, saying a new order was not necessary as existing measures “apply throughout the entire Gaza Strip, including Rafah.”
