Biased and proud of it

Israel-bashers used to have the court pretty much to themselves in South Africa, says Steve Magid, 28, of Johannesburg. He is explaining what compelled him, three years ago, to create It's Almost Supernatural, a pro-Israel political Web site that has become an on-line news agency of sorts for the local Jewish community.

It's Almost Supernatural (IAS to its devotees) began modestly, as a political blog on Israel. From relative anonymity, Magid's political blog has grown to attract hundreds of daily readers. Magid, an information technology consultant, visited Israel last month with other Jewish compatriots to find new ideas for explaining Israel's position back home.

In keeping with its South African identity, much of IAS is geared toward countering claims that Israel is an apartheid state. For Magid, this agenda has meant taking on one of Israel's harshest critics, South African Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils, who in 2004 said Israel's actions "make apartheid look like a picnic."

Magid calls Kasrils, who is himself Jewish, a "rogue politician" who is promoting a "radical anti-Israel policy" that sometimes runs contrary to the government's official line.

"When Kasrils was reported in the Iranian press last spring to have praised the Islamic Republic's 'wise stand regarding its nuclear program,' our speaking out got the story international coverage," Magid said. "The minister was forced to deny making the comments."

Magid's partner, Michael Kransdorff, 25, who lives in Johannesburg and works in financial services, says he believes covering Kasrils' actions help keep the minister "in check." Kasrils refused to comment on the matter when contacted by Haaretz.

Magid admits that IAS is essentially biased in Israel's favor. "The site sprang up as a forum to defend Israel. That's its focus. Not the conflict as a whole." Magid says that he nonetheless recognizes that Israel has made mistakes, and says they merit open discussion.

Both Magid and Kransdorff, however, believe that Israel cannot hope for an atmosphere of fair, open discussion once the apartheid analogy has been made. "When people hear 'apartheid,' they tend to close their minds - they're no longer willing to examine the intricacy of the Israeli situation," Magid explains at a kosher cafe on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv.

While in Israel, Magid met new immigrants from Ethiopia. The encounter with the newcomers, just off the plane at Ben-Gurion Airport, gave him an idea for illustrating the complexity of Israel's situation back home.

"Many South African blacks think of Israel as a racist, all-white entity that is an extension of the old apartheid regime. We need to show a different side of Israel, how it's a melting pot of many different races and ethnicities. And we need to stress the lengths to which Israel has gone to rescue African Jews, bringing them not to slavery but to freedom," Magid said.

A few days after Magid returned to South Africa, IAS already showed photos of the Ethiopian immigrants Magid had met at Ben-Gurion. It also had pictures from Magid's visit to the Sderot police junkyard, with its hundreds of Qassam rockets launched at the Negev town from the Gaza Strip.

The site (http://supernatural.blogs.com), which won an award as the best South African political blog in 2006, is updated daily. Despite all the hard work, Magid says he has little hope of influencing general public opinion.

"Most South Africans live in rural areas or urban shanty towns with no Internet connection, and we have no accessibility to them. But the Israeli embassy is pretty active [in these areas], organizing various outreach development programs. It's the only way to change Israel's image in South Africa: through outreach. Talk can have only limited success," Magid said.

The bloggers also aim to provide a forum for debate within the Jewish community. But without funding or institutional support, that is a tall order. Before Kransdorff joined the team about two years ago, Magid was nearly ready to quit.

IAS covered the visit to South Africa by the Cape Town-born Israeli journalist Benjamin Pogrund, a former anti-apartheid activist who now calls for a two-state solution. Earlier, IAS interviewed the renowned Jewish anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman, who stood next to president Nelson Mandela when he signed South Africa's new constitution in 1996. ("I am a passive Zionist.")

Asked to explain the site's unusual name, Magid smiles half-apologetically. In retrospect, he says, he would have taken a few minutes to come up with something catchier, but it's too late now. "It's a quote from a lecture by Rabbi Ken Spiro of Aish HaTorah on the history of the Jews. He said that if we consider the story of the birth of Israel, well, it's almost supernatural."