​Wendy Kahn visits home of murdered friend Vivian Silver

"Contrary to what is often claimed, no credible Jewish leader equate any criticism of the State of Israel with antisemitism, that is, hatred towards people of the Jewish faith and/or ethnicity. Pretty much without exception, all accept, as per the formulation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, that “criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic”.

Wendy Kahn, National Director of the SAJBD, received the Moses Award for leadership at this year’s Jewish Africa Conference in Cape Town. Recognized for her tireless work, she’s been a driving force in safeguarding Jewish life within South Africa’s vibrant community.

In her heartfelt acceptance speech, Wendy highlighted the how inspired she is to see the formation of a united 'African Jewish' bloc, bringing together communities from across the continent. She also celebrated the resilience and courage of South African Jews.

It is 18 months since Hamas brutally murdered my friend Vivian Silver in her home in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, 2023.

I travelled to her home last month to pay tribute to her. For over a decade I worked with Vivian where she trained hundreds of South African government and civil society leaders in community development, agricultural development and cooperatives at NISPED and at her beloved Be'eri. As a founder of Women Wage Peace we brought a group of Muslim, Jewish and Christian women to SA in 2019 to engage with government, media and civil society. Vivian's dedication to peace building and human rights saw her driving cancer patients from Gaza to Israeli hospitals.