Israeli saxophonist Daniel Zamir. Photo: Wikipedia.

A concert at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa featuring Israeli saxophonist Daniel Zamir turned ugly Wednesday night when members of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) group began to sing, “dubula e juda” (“shoot the Jew”) as concert attendees were entering the music hall, according to Wits Vuvuzela, a paper affiliated with the university.

Wits Vuvuzela, reported that BDS protestors also chanted “there is no such thing as Israel” and “Israel apartheid.”

Despite the hateful rhetoric, Muhammed Desai, coordinator of BDS South Africa, rejected the notion that anti-Semitism played a role in the group’s protest, telling Wits Vuvuzela that “the whole idea [of] anti-Semitism is blown out of proportion.”

But despite the controversy, members of the Jewish community praised the university for its handling of the event. The president of the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), Zev Krengel said Wits handled the event well: “The team was great. I could not fault Wits in anyway.”