Out of favour news network Al Jazeera resurrects limelight seeking Ronnie Kasrils to demonise Israel It’s an old cast, old script of Israel bashing and ‘Red Ronnie’ as he was once known for his Communist affiliations has found an audience with Al Jazeera, who these days itself is battling “to be seen and heard”. Where […]
by Tessa Chelouche M.D It all started with an outrageous tweet by an outrageous individual. How more outrageous can it get than the leader of the Black First Land First (BLF) Andile Mngxitama tweeting: “For those claiming the legacy of the holocaust is ONLY negative, think about the lampshades and Jewish soap.” WOW! I do […]
Israel’s paltry trade with South Africa during Apartheid era Israel’s detractors love to compare the Jewish state to Apartheid South Africa. This is not a comparison based on facts but rather part of a greater campaign to paint Israel as a pariah state and deal out the same sort of isolation through boycotts and sanctions […]
Carpeting Europe’s verdant landscape are majestic castles alluring tourists by their magnitude, splendor and history. South African TV viewers of the 2017 Tour de France would have noticed some of these impressive castles, fortresses and splendid Chateaus along the route watching out for their cycling compatriots – Janse van Rensberg, Jaco Venter and Louis Meintjies. […]
Israel’s pastoral icon – the kibbutz – has influenced the lives of thousands of overseas volunteers. In the sixties and seventies, for that young generation just out of school or university, and before “entering the real world”, the hot thing to do – and there was a lot of passion going around in those days […]
BDS was comically described by a Johannesburg writer “as pretty much how I don’t like my Biltong – droeg (dry), and way past having any flavour left to chew on.” Of course, for some, this is how they like it, so it remains on the shelf but BDS is hardly a WOW item anymore – […]
Following Barcelona, Jerusalem Revisited At least 14 people were killed and 100 injured on Thursday 17 August 2017 when a driver deliberately slammed a van into crowds on Barcelona’s most popular street in a terror attack. A popular global tourist destination, it was hardly surprising that citizens of 34 countries were among those killed and injured in Barcelona. The […]
By Sasha Star Some people cross crocodile-infested waters… Others partake in violent protests where rocks are thrown and tyres are burnt… Wonder Woman sprinted across a war zone with bullets firing on either side. I braved Jerusalem’s famed shuk (market) Machane Yehuda… on a Friday. There is a special energy that envelopes the market Erev […]
For two years during the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) the small South African town of Rouxville was deserted. All its male residents had been called up for active duty, and soon it was a ghost town. Forty years later, it was only the Jews who left the Orange Free State town of Rouxville. The very descendants […]
South African Architects Changing the Face of Israel The passing in July 2017 of Gilbert Herbert, Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning at Haifa’s prestigious Technion, brought home the contribution of South Africans to transforming Israel’s architectural landscape. In 1997, I interviewed Prof. Herbert following a ceremony at the […]
It was all blue and white at the listing of Ethernity Networks Limited, an Israeli company in London. The Israeli flag alongside the flag of the United Kingdom colourfully graced the upper landing of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), attracting for this special listing, the presence of the Israeli ambassador to the Court of St. […]
Proud People – Today’s Bedouin in the vanguard of Israel’s Tomorrow “As the leaders of our people, we honour on Remembrance Day our fallen, and on Independence Day, we celebrate the of the State of Israel,” expressed this mayor of a large town in the north of Israel. Looking out from a shaded patio with […]
by Prof. Hary Brand Gilbert Herbert was born in Johannesburg on 22 June 1924, the third son of Benjamin and Sophia Herbert. Educated at Parktown Boys High School, he matriculated with distinction in English, Science, Mathematics and Art. He studied Architecture at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg from 1942-46, being a frequent prize-winner […]
Anti-Zionism IS Anti-Semitism “I have nothing against Jews. Some of my best friends are Jewish. It is just Zionists that I have an issue with!” How many times have we heard these excuses trotted out by many who try to justify their anti-Israel comments. They often profess to have an affinity with Jews, extolling the […]
by Howard Feldman Every Saturday on my return from the synagogue, I collect the Saturday Star from where it lies at the end of the driveway. I walk into my home scanning the headlines and checking if there is anything at all worth reading. I am often amazed at the poor choice of lead-story but […]