A coalition of pro-Palestinian organizations has issued a declaration to the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre (JHGC), accusing it of “silence and complicity” over the war in Gaza and warning of protest action and possible political consequences if it does not publicly denounce Israel.
In a letter titled “Declaration of Intent to the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre”, the groups — including the South Africa BDS Coalition, South African Jews for a Free Palestine, South African Christians for Palestine, the Wits Palestine Solidarity Committee, and others — said their approach to the Centre “is not a request” but “a demand for accountability and a statement of our collective intent.”
The signatories said the JHGC, which focuses on Holocaust and genocide education, had “refused to speak” about what they called “a genocide unfolding before the eyes of the world.” They cited the International Court of Justice’s finding of a “plausible risk of genocide” in the case South Africa v. Israel, and said that “to deny this now, or to delay naming it, is not neutrality. It is complicity.”
The declaration accused the Centre of showing “moral asymmetry” by issuing a statement in October 2023 condemning the Hamas attacks without naming Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. It said the Centre’s position “cannot be explained away as procedural caution” and called its neutrality “moral confusion.”
The groups said the JHGC’s status as a public–private partnership with the City of Johannesburg created “a legal and ethical obligation to act.” They wrote that they would “engage the City directly to review this partnership in light of your inaction.”
The declaration also focused on the Centre’s focus on Holocaust memory, saying that its leadership and public role placed it “in a uniquely influential position within the Jewish community.” It said Holocaust memory “carries a special moral burden” and urged the Centre to affirm that “‘Never Again’ means ‘Never Again for Anyone.’”
The signatories said the JHGC should “publicly acknowledge its complicity through silence and issue an apology for its failure to act in the face of genocide.” They called on the Centre to change its mission to include “naming and opposing the genocide in Gaza,” “acknowledging Israeli apartheid and settler colonialism,” and “supporting the prosecution of South Africans who serve in the Israeli Defence Forces.”
They also urged the Centre to call for the closure of the Israeli embassy, endorse global boycott, divestment and sanctions efforts, and partner with anti-racist and faith-based groups.
The declaration rejected the JHGC’s offer to host Palestine solidarity events, calling such proposals “moral confusion” and saying it would not “participate in creating an illusion of balance or tolerance while a people is being exterminated.” The groups announced plans to protest during the upcoming International Association of Genocide Scholars conference hosted by the Centre and said they would write to the association, warning that holding the event at the JHGC would “legitimise both-siderism and moral cowardice.”
The letter concluded by telling the Centre it faced a choice “to remain complicit or to reclaim moral credibility,” adding, “This moment will be remembered.”
According to the declaration’s appendix, the groups’ representatives — including Nigel Branken, Dr. Franaaz Veriava, and Prof. Steven Friedman — met with JHGC director Tali Nates and a board representative on October 6. The document said the Centre reiterated its “neutral” position and stated it would not name Gaza a genocide without formal international recognition, though Nates “personally acknowledged she believes it is one.”
