BISHOP TUTU AND THE JEWISH PROBLEM

ANTI - APARTHEID AND HUMAN RIGHTS ICON

Archbishop Desmond Tutu is synonymous with fearless anti - apartheid opposition, the overturn of the apartheid regime and setting the "new" South Africa on a non violent road. Nor has he been reluctant, in the post apartheid era to criticize the new regime and continue his crusade for justice. He is up there with icons such as Mandela and Albert Luthuli, fellow South African nobel peace laureates, as the standard bearers for decency, forgiveness and love of fellow human beings in their fight for equality. His religious mantle has lent further credibility to his seemingly never ending crusade for equality and humanity. It is fair to argue that his role as Chairman of the controversial "Truth and Conciliation Commission", that  chronicled and sometimes pardoned the most egregious of apartheid's perpetrators of crimes against humanity, was partially responsible to bringing closure for many. By so doing he contributed much to defuse the post apartheid anger thereby allowing the new South Africa to move forward peacefully.


TUTU THE ANTI - SEMITE ?

How does one equate this with the argument that he is a longstanding unashamed anti-semite? This claim has been doing the rounds in some form or another for years even in the years of the "struggle". Understandably this type of smear was ignored by the main media. What was initially regarded as slander, undue paranoia and at best "sensitivity to any criticism of Israel or Zionism" has now reached a high level of credibility. What finally led to the public airing of this issue was Tutu's public virulent opposition to the Cape Town Opera Group's performing Porgy and Bess in Tel Aviv. This was followed up by demands for a total cultural boycott of Israel, it's academics and businesses.

There are petitions out in South Africa to have Tutu removed as patron of the two Holocaust Museums and the newspaper letter columns are awash with the controversy. Alan Dershowitz, the famed lawyer and author, has slammed Tutu both in articles and at a Conference on Racism in Geneva in April 2010, calling Tutu a racist and a bigot. Resurfacing again is The University of Minnesota's retraction, in 2007, of an invitation to speak as his past criticisms of Israel veered on anti - semitism.

Also this opened the floodgates of previous statements attributed to him that cannot even be argued to be "merely" anti Zionist or anti Israeli but are blatantly anti - semitic. Statements such as, "Whether Jews like it or not, they are peculiar people. They cannot ever hope to be judged by the same standards which are used for other people", and ".. the arrogance of power because Jews are a powerful lobby and scary in this land, (America),...", are nothing but old fashioned  anti - semitic stereotypes. His response to all these allegations, according to Dershowitz is, "Tough Luck and my Dentist's name is Dr. Cohen". Some of my best friends are..... .

In addition there are endless statements on the holocaust that are attributed to him that are not far off those of Ahmadinejad. It is no wonder that his bald statement that Israel is as bad as South Africa has not had too much traction. It is difficult to take him seriously in the context of his documented anti -  semitism and circles that genuinely believe that Israel are not exactly blameless must find him an embarrassment to their cause.


 TUTU, MANDELA, THE SOUTH AFRICAN JEWS AND THE STRUGGLE


A real irony is the difference in Mandela's attitude towards the Jews. While not compromising his belief that Arafat deserved his support - to the chagrin of many - he has acknowledged again and again the disproportionate role, in terms of numbers, that those who were regarded as Jews, played in the fight against apartheid. One of his first speaking engagements following his release from prison was at the Sea Point Synagogue in Cape Town. Here he recalled the fact that only a jewish lawyer would employ him as an apprentice lawyer,  his white brothers in the struggle were disproportionally jewish, several of his pro bono lawyers were jews and the ongoing presence and activism of jews, on so many levels, throughout the apartheid years.

So as a South African born jew and as a citizen of the world, Tutu's anti semitism sticks in the crawl. I find it impossible to reconcile all this on an intellectual and emotional level. Dershowitz calls him a jew hater - this man who has preached tolerance, forgiveness and love.  He calls for forgiveness of the Holocaust perpetrators and all the perpetrators of current atrocities so the only group who appear to be beyond redemption are the jews.  If Tutu was speaking this way of any group, religion, race or nation his prejudice would be unfathomable. He has dedicated his life to fight prejudice and bigotry yet, it appears, that this has been pursued, in a background of bigotry.

At the end of the day, in the grand scheme of politics, Tutu carries very little weight. His belief that he can effect a boycott of Israel is pie in the sky. But he is a role model to many and with the flare up of anti - semitism, particularly in Europe, he lends some respectability and can add fuel to the fire.

 On a personal level it is sad to see one of one's heros exposed as a hypocrite. The personal sense of loss is profound.