The Jewish community of Johannesburg, South Africa, marked the national Human Rights Day on March 21 by tying yellow ribbons around trees in various suburbs to show solidarity with 134 Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terror organization.
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The initiative, which has gained traction on social media under the hashtag #BringThemHome, is spearheaded by the Jewish National Fund South Africa (JNF-SA) and the Base community, emphasizing the community's deep-rooted Zionistic values despite the South African ANC government's critical stance on Israel.
The campaign, which also involved erecting posters in Weinberg Family Park – a site named after a family significant to South Africa's anti-apartheid movement – has garnered attention for its call to action on behalf of the hostages. The park, part of Johannesburg's extensive urban forest, saw community members and Israel supporters coming together, with actions extending to hanging a banner over the city's M1 highway.
Criticism has been directed at the ANC government for its perceived neglect of Jewish human rights concerns, particularly in light of South Africa's history of Jewish activism against apartheid. The government's ties with Iran and Hamas, and its approach to Israel at the International Court of Justice, have been points of contention, especially as efforts to secure the hostages' release remain unfulfilled.
The campaign originally focused on Daniel Perez, a South African-raised division commander in the IDF, whose death in Gaza was recently confirmed, further mobilizing community support and international awareness.
Saul Jassinowsky, the driving force behind the yellow ribbon campaign explained, "It began as a campaign to rally the community for the return of hostage Daniel Perez who was raised in South Africa. Unfortunately, the community received heartbreaking news this week, that Perez, a division commander in the IDF had been killed as a hero of the Jewish people on 7 October whilst defending our homeland from the Hamas invasion."
Orna Toeg Director of South Africa desk at KKL-JNF said, "It is a great initiative of the Jewish community of South Africa , supporting Israel in the current situation and raising the importance of bringing all the hostages back home"
