FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday 22 October 2025

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has applied to be admitted as an amicus curia (friend of the court) in the matter of Mendelsohn v University of Cape Town Council (UCT). This case concerns resolutions adopted by the UCT Council supporting a boycott of Israel. The case will take place this Thursday 23 and Friday 24 October.

The SAJBD will provide relevant information regarding the hostile environment in which these resolutions were adopted, particularly their impact on Jewish students and academics at UCT. In our application we have cited incidents where students have been subjected to intimidation, harassment, threats and unfair discrimination from UCT students, faculty and BDS organisations such as SA Jews for Free Palestine. Examples of incidents experienced by students include, verbal and physical abuse, doxxing, exclusion from events and vandalism of Jewish property by students.

This is a watershed case, the outcome of which will help determine whether Jewish South Africans can continue to rely on constitutional protections when their dignity and safety are at risk in public institutions. Its implications extend beyond the UCT campus, carrying weight for Jewish communities both locally and internationally.

The SAJBD is deeply concerned that the UCT Council’s decision, adopted without adequate consultation or consideration, has contributed to an increasingly inhospitable environment for Jewish students and staff. At no time did the Council engage with the democratically elected bodies of the community in defining antisemitism. As the representative body of the South African Jewish community, the SAJBD is uniquely positioned to provide necessary context on antisemitism in general, and specifically within South Africa and on the UCT campus.

In its role as amicus curiae, the SAJBD will assist the court in ensuring that UCT and all public institutions in SA are committed to fostering an environment where diversity of thought is respected and where no individual is excluded or targeted on the basis of their identity or beliefs including the majority of SA Jewry’s identity as Zionists and connection with Israel (refer to UCT Kaplan Study). The SAJBD will provide the court with evidence that the resolution has enabled a climate of antisemitic sentiment on campus, further marginalising an already vulnerable minority group.

Wendy Kahn, National Director, SAJBD and Daniel Bloch, Executive Director, Cape SAJBD will be at the Court and available for comment.

For more information, please contact Daniel Bloch on 083 306 0579 or Charisse Zeifert on 082 427 2788 / charisse@sajbd.org

ENDS
Issued by Wendy Kahn, National Director, SAJBD and Daniel Bloch, Executive Director, Cape SAJBD.
22 October, 2024