Keywords
Jewish culture, Jews in South Africa, Apartheid
Abstract
In his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela (1995) wrote, "I have foundJews to be more broad-minded than most Whites on the issues of race and politics, perhaps because they themselves have historically been victims of prejudice" (p. 91). The centuries of persecution faced by Jews engrained into J ewish teachings and culture a strong sense of morality and pushed them towards social and political activism. In South Africa, while White Jews were considered a part of the privileged minority, they faced discrimination and blatant anti-Semitism. Their privileged position as Whites and simultaneous ethnic status as 'lesser' than their non-Jewish counterparts-combined with a motivation from their long history of oppression-placed South African Jews in a unique position to disproportionately contribute in the struggle to end Apartheid. Some took advantage of that unique position while others did not. To gain a more complete understanding of South AfricanJewish reactions to the apartheid movement, this essay will evaluate their demographics, historical persecution, culture, activism, and complicity.
Recommended Citation
Davis, Ashley
(2024)
"Jewish Contributions to the Anti-Apartheid Movement,"
Intuition: The BYU Undergraduate Journal of Psychology: Vol. 16:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/intuition/vol16/iss2/3