If Sept. 11 was a wake-up call for America, then Durban, South Africa, was a wake- up call for Jews.
Neither America nor Jewish groups were prepared for the well-orchestrated attacks that hit them.
Only days before the terrorist attacks shook this country nearly a year ago, the United States and Israel stormed out of a U.N. World Conference on Racism, condemning it as a circus of anti-Semitism.
Now, as Jewish groups ready to return to South Africa at the end of August for the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development, they are working hard to avert another Durban.
With offensive and defensive strategies on the ground and Jewish organizations in America "on call" for extra help, a Jewish caucus of eight organizations is preparing to fight off any anti-Israel curveballs that come its way.
Already, Palestinian organizations are planning a four-day conference to express solidarity with the Palestinians to coincide with the summit in Johannesburg, which is scheduled for Aug. 26-Sept. 4.
While preparing for the worst, many Jewish activists involved say they do not expect the summit, which will focus on such issues as the environment, health, energy and economic security, to be "hijacked" the way Durban was.
Activists cite several factors, including American diplomatic efforts and the desire of key players not to let their concerns about the environment and other issues be overshadowed by the kind of anti-Israel activity that plagued Durban.
A year ago, official delegates to the U.N. conference debated language that would have revived the U.N.’s resolution denigrating Zionism as racism, which had been reversed 11 years ago.
That draft language of the official declaration was ultimately dropped, but a parallel meeting of nongovernmental organizations issued a declaration including the anti-Zionist language and branding Israel an apartheid state.
On the streets of Durban, thousands thronged in protest of Israel, with some distributing anti-Semitic cartoons and taunting that Hitler never finished the job. Even the classic anti-Semitic conspiracy text, "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," was spotted for sale.
The event stunned Jewish leaders. While they had expected harsh hospitality, many said they were unprepared for the vicious attacks they encountered.
"Last year, we were really naive" about "how much our enemies really hate us," said Yehuda Kay, national director of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies.
The "level of orchestrated attack against Israel outgunned us" and "outsmarted us," said Kay, 27, who is coordinating Jewish efforts to avoid a repeat performance.
Jewish groups involved with the preparations for the Johannesburg conference point to several factors that they believe will lead to a different kind of gathering:
American diplomacy: The U.S. has reportedly reached an understanding with Arab countries and conference organizers to avoid anti-Israel language in the governmental declaration. The State Department official would not confirm an agreement and "cautioned that any negotiations are very tenuous."
No draft anti-Israel language: Whereas the draft declaration for Durban contained anti-Israel language, the working version of a declaration for Johannesburg does not single out Israel.
There is, however, at least one section that could involve debate about Israel. The section calls for the elimination of obstacles to self-determination such as foreign occupation.
Sources said U.S. officials agreed to this section at the same time they got Arab countries to agree to add a section that calls for "concerted action against international terrorism which causes serious obstacles to sustainable development."
Different content: Environmental and developmental issues are too pressing to be sidelined, especially in a country as underdeveloped as South Africa, according to Jewish leaders.
Different set of participants: While some of the same NGOs that instigated anti-Israel activity in Durban, such as a Palestinian human rights organization known as LAW, are expected to return, major environmental NGOs, such as the World Wildlife Fund, have promised Israel and Jewish groups to keep the forum on track.
Increased attendance: Some 60,000 people are expected in Johannesburg, compared to the roughly 12,000 who converged in Durban. Many say the large numbers may make it harder to stage an orchestrated anti-Israel assault.
Durban fatigue: In the end, Durban was considered by many who participated to be a waste of time, money and the opportunity to address serious issues. In particular, African countries, who allied with the Arabs in exchange for backing on reparations for slavery, felt upstaged. There is a strong sense by Jewish leaders that Africans will not support the Arabs this time around.
Despite promising signs, Israel and Jewish groups are planning to counter any attacks.
"In terms of being organized, being ready, being galvanized," the Jewish community is "far more advanced than we were at Durban," Kay said.
Although there will be fewer Jewish organizations represented in Johannesburg than there were at Durban, more than 100 Jews will be there, up from about 80 who attended the Durban conference.
The organizations in the Jewish caucus are the Jewish National Fund, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, the South African Board of Jewish Students, the South African Zionist Federation, the World Union of Jewish Students, U.N. Watch, the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Kay described a multipronged strategy — a public relations offensive, with the Jewish delegates set to penetrate the NGO forum with positive examples of Israeli innovations in development; defensive tacks at the NGO meeting and on the street; and prepared media kits.
For Jewish groups, the "vision is to ideally use the conference as a way of promoting Israel," Kay said, citing Israeli innovations in agricultural development and in home care for the aged.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has packed promotional materials along with its delegation.
Jewish groups have also been forming alliances with environmental groups in South Africa.
And Kay phones the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs on a weekly basis to arrange back-up plans in America.
In addition to monitoring the program, Reva Price, JCPA’s Washington representative and the coordinator of the American efforts, said she has a list of Jewish contacts on site, news releases she can prepare and a phone tree of Jewish and non-Jewish activists to mobilize should she get word of trouble from Kay.
If the problems come at all, they are expected to emanate from the NGO forum.
"There’s not a lot of red flags on the government side, but NGOs with an agenda will be there," said Stacy Burdett, associate director of government affairs for the Anti-Defamation League.
"I think the fact that some of the same actors that were so pernicious in Durban will be in Johannesburg means that we could see some of the same tactics."
Still, participants are holding out measured hope.
"We’re a year older, we’re a year wiser," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. This time, the Jewish caucus is a tight team that is "not going to take it lying down," he said.
At the same time, he and others cautioned, this conference is under the auspices of the United Nations, where anti- Israel activity often erupts.
"It’s not going to be a totally quiet event," Cooper said. "We’re not going to be that lucky."
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
