COMMUNITY

Wendy Kahn

National Director

The first woman to hold the position when she was appointed as national director of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies (SAJBD) in 2006, Wendy Kahn's tenure in the role has been marked by a severe deterioration of South Africa's relationship with Israel, symbolized by the spread of anti-Israel boycotts, anti-Zionist ideology, and even official visits from delegations of Hamas terrorists. But the last year — in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas atrocities — has undoubtedly been her most challenging. South Africa has emerged as one of the world's most reliable supporters of Hamas, driving spurious accusations of "genocide" against the Jewish state in a case launched at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. One year after the pogrom, Kahn led the initiative to create an Oct. 7 Square in Johannesburg, whose goal, she wrote, was to challenge the "hideous African National Congress and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions narrative that excludes the mass murder, rape, and abduction of hostages by Hamas in their messaging on Oct. 7."