TCS: Roedean School and the lingering legacy of elite antisemitism

Key topics:Elite antisemitism expressed through exclusion and institutional normsRoedean School’s alleged legacy of antisemitism in JohannesburgControversy over Islamist radicalisation and leadership accountability.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By The Common Sense Editorial Board.Antisemitism has a long and shameful history within elite Western society, often expressed not through violence but through exclusion, euphemism, and social consensus – that is a history to which Roedean School in Johannesburg has perhaps permanently hitched its legacy..In late nineteenth-century Europe, the Dreyfus Affair exposed how antisemitism flourished within the highest ranks of the French military, judiciary, and intellectual class, long before it erupted onto the streets. In Britain, the United States, and South Africa, Jews were for decades quietly barred from elite schools, clubs, universities, and professions through informal quotas and “character” assessments designed to preserve social homogeneity. Leading American universities openly limited Jewish admissions well into the twentieth century, while Oxbridge colleges maintained exclusionary practices under the guise of tradition.This form of antisemitism was polite, procedural, and institutional, but no less destructive. It normalised the idea that Jews were a problem to be managed rather than citizens to be treated equally.It is to this sordid history that Roedean School in Johannesburg has now affixed its legacy. See our report in The Common Sense yesterday.Roedean’s recent history of flirtations with Islamist radicalisation adds further shame.In 2023, the school appointed Ummah Heart to provide what it euphemistically called “Islamic enrichment”. Investigative reporting later showed that the organisation had circulated material promoting martyrdom and imagery widely interpreted as celebrating the Hamas attacks of 7 October. Paragliders were a prominent part of its branding, in reference to those that ferried Hamas terrorists to slaughter Jews on that date.Terrorism and radicalisation researcher Benji Shulman has warned that radicalisation turns religion into a political weapon, divides the world into believers and enemies, and reframes violence as moral duty. In the context of a school, this is dangerous precisely because it targets young people and teaches them hate.In Psalm 34, David said, “seek peace and pursue it”, and King David has been magnanimous in asking only for an apology.They would have been entitled to far more, including criminal and civil charges. Other groups may now lay these charges instead, as they should. While a decision is made on whether to do so, Roedean School should take advantage of that magnanimity to clean house. The entire leadership and school board need to be removed. Failing that, the stench that wafts across that school’s manicured lawns may never be erased..*This article was originally published by The Common Sense and has been republished with permission..EXCLUSIVE: Guilty! Leaked Audio Reveals Roedean Did Not Want to Play Against Jews.By Warwick Grey.A leaked audio recording reveals that members of the Roedean school community opposed competing against Jewish pupils in a tennis fixture..An audio recording in the possession of The Common Sense shows that Roedean School misrepresented the reasons for cancelling tennis fixtures with King David Linksfield. The recording contradicts the school’s claim that the cancellation was due to scheduling constraints and rather that the school community did not wish to compete against Jews.Roedean School is an elite Anglican girls’ school in Johannesburg. King David Linksfield is an elite Jewish school, in the east of the city.Multiple sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Common Sense that the recording captures a conversation between the respective senior staffers of Roedean and King David.You can listen to the recording here.The controversy emerged over the weekend after a scheduled tennis fixture between the two schools did not go ahead as planned. A King David staff member subsequently alleged that the cancellation stemmed from antisemitism.In response, the King David Schools Foundation said it was treating the matter with the seriousness it deserved and would act in every instance to protect its students against antisemitism and all forms of discrimination.The South African Jewish Board of Deputies condemned what it described as “blatant prejudice” by Roedean.Roedean, however, disputed the allegation.In a note to parents, the school said it had formally notified King David that it could not field a team because of prior commitments, including compulsory academic workshops, and it had requested either a postponement or, failing that, cancellation of the fixture. Roedean said it was engaging directly with King David Linksfield and the Independent Schools Association of South Africa.The release of the audio recording suggests these explanations were false and that the school came under pressure not to allow a fixture against Jewish children to proceed.The incident has now also revived scrutiny of a 2023 controversy in which Roedean sought to engage a radical Islamist group to provide what it described as “holistic Islamic enrichment”.In a 2023 email exposed by investigative author Richard Wilkinson, the school said it was appointing Ummah Heart as an external service provider for pupils, offering a tailor-made curriculum integrated into the school timetable alongside activities such Choir, Hymn Singing, and Chapel.Ummah Heart was described by terrorism and radicalisation expert Benji Shulman, who runs the Middle East Africa Research Institute, as an extremist group that promoted hostility toward Jews and Israel.Social media posts by Ummah Heart in 2023 included quotations from Islamist figures promoting martyrdom and imagery widely interpreted as referencing the paragliders used by Hamas during their 7 October murderous slaughter of Jews in Israel.Shulman said the posts were widely interpreted as incitements to violence against Jews and reflected patterns common in radicalisation efforts globally.According to Shulman Islamist radicalisation is the process which turns Islam from a personal faith into a rigid political ideology that divides the world into believers and enemies and justifies coercion or violence in God’s name. This is widely seen as a precursor to jihad and terrorism. It reframes murder as duty, and demands loyalty to the movement over family, conscience, or law. It is dangerous because it deliberately targets civilians, destabilises societies far beyond the size of the radical group itself, radicalises young people through grievance and identity politics, and provokes heavy-handed state responses that erode civil liberties. It is about power and control, not faith, and ignoring or soft pedalling it makes the problem worse, not better.He said that while antisemitism has historically surfaced during inter-school competitions globally, usually involving individual misconduct, the Roedean case was different as: “The concern is not individual misconduct but that the institution itself may have sought to avoid fixtures with King David because it is a Jewish school.”Legal experts told The Common Sense that civil and potentially criminal charges could be pursued against those responsible for the decision. At the time of publication, such action was understood to be under consideration.The Common Sense approached both King David and Roedean for comment. Any responses will be added once received..*This article was originally published by The Common Sense and has been republished with permission.

TCS: Roedean School and the lingering legacy of elite antisemitism

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