Fiaz.mohamed

Limmud South Africa is the South African chapter of Limmud UK. It's mission is "to allow each Jew to take one step further on their Jewish journey" and holds annual conferences in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. At the 2009 conferences, Lt Cnl David Benjamin, a retired legal advisor to the Israeli Defense Force, was a participant, which created some controversy, particularly at the Johannesburg conference. An independent review by Advocate Geoff Budlender was commissioned.

The protests

Protests by a group of concerned staff and students and one organised by COSATU and the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance (PSA), against Lt Cnl David Benjamin's participation were held at the Johannesburg conference. During the protests, Limmud's security (the Community Security Organisation) was accused of 'racial profiling' and harassment, with conference attendees making counterclaims of abusive language and intimidation by the protesters.

Budlender's findings

In an independent review commissioned by the University of the Witwatersrand - on whose premises the event took place - Advocate Geoff Budlender found the following:

Limmud

Budlender found "that the Limmud organisers did not have a policy of treating members of different racial groups in a different manner"

Security Marshals (CSO)

Budlender found that although there had not been a policy of "racial profiling" there were instances of differential treatment based on race. He cited a number of examples including the testimony of a university staff member who stated that 'it felt like an apartheid thing'. Other staff and students said that the treatment was 'dehumanising' and 'invasive'. In light of his finding that 'it is impossible not to accept these accounts of what happened' Budlender concludes 'the behaviour of the security guards was, to put it at its lowest, inappropriate' and described their conduct as 'aggressive'.. He concluded that the appearance of disparate treatment was likely caused by a mixture of unprepared marshals hired by Limmud who took it upon themselves to provide "security" without requisite training, the highly charged atmosphere of the protest, and the fact that the conference attendees were largely (though not exclusively) white. 3

Protesters

Budlender found there was "ample evidence that there was offensive behaviour at times" at the separate outside demonstration where protesters "shouted abusive and offensive slogans at those who were entering", as well as "inflammatory and offensive slurs" such as "baby killers" and "Nazis". He characterized this protest as "apparently lawful, but at times... offensive and intimidatory."

University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)

Budlender found that the administration at the university played a part in aggravating the situation. The lack of precision as to the rules and procedures for protests on the campus, the failure of messages reaching the Vice Chancellor timeously, and its delayed responses all contributed to an escalating situation.

External links

• www.limmud.org.za