ANCYL forgets what Jews did

Members of the ANC Youth League should educate themselves about South African history during the apartheid years.

Their onslaught against Woolworths, Jews and Israel is in poor taste and certainly not warranted.

During apartheid, many Jews aligned themselves with the United Party, not with the apartheid Nationalist government.

In the mainly Jewish suburb of Houghton, it was Jews who voted for Helen Suzman and the Progressive Party, which aggressively and tenaciously fought the Nats and their regime in parliament and internationally.

Jewish lawyers and advocates defended the rights of many people at their political trials, including the Rivonia trialists.

Many Jews put their lives on the line (Arthur Goldreich and Harold Wolpe, for example) and went underground to free this country from abhorrent rule.

History books reflect multiple examples of Jews and Israel in their fight to free people of colour, particularly the generation of Julius Malema and company.

Maurice Shawzin, Cape Town

The ANCYL members trying to boycott Israeli products have no clue what Israel is about.

Israel has the right to exist and has the right to defend itself. It is a small country surrounded mainly by countries seeking to destroy it, and that will never happen.

Hamas is a terrorist organisation built on hatred and it needs to be annihilated.

Israel is a safe haven for all Jews for protection against anti-Semitism, which still exists.

Israel has developed so many products and has given the world so much in technology, medicine and agriculture that, if you want to boycott Israeli products, most things in your home will have to go.

AF, by e-mail