Holocaust Centre urged to recognise genocide in Gaza

Centre director alarmed by humanitarian situation, but says “the designation of genocide is a legal matter”

| By Brief | Cape Town

Activists display images comparing famine in Gaza to the holocaust. Photos: Matthew Hirsch

Dozens of people picketed outside the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre on Thursday afternoon, calling for the centre to recognise Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide.

There was a heavy police presence and several private security guards wearing masks to cover their faces.

Picketers banged empty pots and pans and carried placards that read “Israel is weaponising hunger” and “Israel starved children to death”.

The picket was organised by several groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), Mothers4Gaza, South African Jews for a Free Palestine (SAJFP), HealthCare Workers 4 Palestine, and South African Christians for a Free Palestine.

In a letter addressed to the director of the centre, the PSC wrote: “We believe it is both necessary and just that the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre includes the documentation and remembrance of this ongoing genocide alongside those of the past.”

Picketers held white “body bags” to signify children who have died in Gaza.

The PSC wants to collaborate with the centre “in contributing images and texts that bear witness to these events, ensuring that the suffering, resilience and memory of the Palestinian people are preserved and acknowledged in line with the Centre’s commitment to truth and remembrance”.

However, they were unable to hand over the letter to Jakub Nowakowski, the director of the centre, because he was out of the country. Executive director for the SA Jewish Board of Deputies Daniel Bloch told the picketers that no one else is authorised to accept the letter on Nowakowski’s behalf.

The protest comes in the same week as two Israel-based human rights organisations, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, stated that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

In response to reports of famine in Gaza, the United Kingdom and Canada have this week indicated their intention to recognise Palestine as a state.

Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday that 83 Palestinians, including 33 aid seekers, were killed by Israeli forces in a day. More than 60,000 people in Gaza have died since 7 October 2023.

GroundUp sent Jakub Nowakowski, the director of the Holocaust Centre, the following questions:

  1. The centre has often highlighted other genocides, including Darfur and Rwanda. Are you planning to include a section on Gaza and if not, why not?
  2. Will the centre acknowledge and condemn the ongoing starvation and the killing of civilians in Gaza? Why or why not?
  3. Anything further on the matter that you’d like to add?

The full response by Nowakowski is below:

Response by Jakub Nowakowski, director of the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is both tragic and alarming, and the loss of civilian life — whether Palestinian or Israeli — is profoundly distressing. The events of October 7th and the suffering that has followed serve as a stark reminder of the urgency of peaceful resolution and the protection of human life.
I am aware of the recent statements by B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, as well as reports and analyses issued by a range of organisations, researchers, and scholars working in the field of genocide studies. I also recognise that there are respected Holocaust and genocide scholars who, while not denying the scale of human suffering, take a different view regarding the legal definition of genocide in this context.
It is important to note that the designation of genocide is a legal matter, determined not by historians, journalists, or civil society organisations, but by international tribunals specifically established for that purpose. Should such a tribunal reach a determination in relation to the situation in Gaza, I would act accordingly with regard to the Centre’s educational programming.
As a matter of long-standing policy, the Centre does not issue public statements in response to current conflicts, no matter how grave. This includes, among others, the war in Ukraine, the ongoing violence in parts of Central and East Africa, and the present crisis in Gaza. In each of these cases, the term genocide has been applied by various actors. The absence of an official position from the Centre should not be interpreted as a lack of concern, but rather reflects a deliberate and principled commitment to the Centre’s core mission: education.
Our focus remains on ensuring that the Centre continues to serve as a space for responsible, rigorous, and thoughtful Holocaust and genocide education, particularly for young South Africans. This is where I believe the Centre’s contribution can be most effective and lasting.

Dozens of people lined the pavement opposite the Holocaust and Genocide Centre.

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TOPICS:  Israel-Palestine

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