“We are mothers, daughters, and citizens of conscience.
We stand for the innocent, for the children buried beneath rubble, the parents who died shielding their babies, and the millions now facing starvation under siege.
We stand for the children starved to death by Israel, under a blockade that weaponises hunger.
We will not comfort the powerful.
We will be there to send a clear, unflinching message:
We will not stop standing up for Palestinians until they are free.
We reject the lie that compassion is hatred.
We refuse to be silent while children die without food, without water, without safety.
They may tape our mouths, but our message thunders:
Stop the genocide. End the starvation. Let Gaza live.”
The Cape Town Holocaust & Genocide Centre states on its website that it “works toward creating a more caring and just society in which human rights and diversity are respected and valued.” They further declare that their work aims “to highlight the consequences of prejudice and racism in all of its forms, and to draw attention to the dangers of indifference, apathy and silence.”
Given the ongoing genocide, slaughter, and starvation of Palestinians, we call on the Centre to live up to these professed values. Now is the time to speak out, clearly and unequivocally, against indifference and silence.
The museum stands as a solemn reminder of one of humanity’s greatest crimes, the Nazi Holocaust. It exists not only to remember the past, but to ensure that “Never Again” truly means never again, for anyone.
They also affirm that “learning about the past supports the building of a human rights culture and reinforces empathy and compassion. Learning about the past, and the moral and ethical issues it raises, is instructive in dealing with contemporary human rights abuses, for example, homophobia, xenophobia, racism and bigotry.”
At this critical juncture, we implore the trustees and executive of this veritable institution to take a principled stand against the current genocide being perpetrated against Palestinians. We understand that this is a painful and complex moment for survivors of the Holocaust and for many in the Jewish community, but this is also a moment when humanity needs moral clarity and courage.
A member of South African Jews for a Free Palestine has confirmed that multiple efforts were made to engage the Holocaust Centre, without any response. This silence speaks volumes. In the face of genocide, neutrality is not an option. To ignore this suffering is to be complicit in it.
We are a collective of Women against genocide. We stand in solidarity with all victims of ethnic cleansing and mass atrocity.
We call on the Holocaust & Genocide Centre to stand with us: for life, for justice, for peace.
Now is the time to speak up. Now is the time to stop the Genocide.”
Mothers4Gaza
Prof Gonda Perez
Ayesha Bagus
Lindy Briginshaw
Simone Brophy
MEDIA STATEMENT
Issued by Mothers4Gaza, Cape Town 26 May 2025
This piece was written for the May 2025 edition of Postscripts, Shamillah Wilson’s monthly round-up of what’s been happening in feminist circles, her work, and some recommended reading suggestions.
