Chief Rabbi Goldstein’s wearing an armband, not such a great idea

Errol Horwitz. Fresnaye, Cape Town

Rabbi Goldstein is to be commended for joining with other religious leaders at the conference, where he and others spoke out against the deterioration of South African society. 

Rabbi Goldstein, presumably to further identify his support for the cause, wore a distinctive armband. But surely he should have known better inasmuch as armbands, even today, ignite terrifying memories of Jews being forced by the Nazi regime to wear identifying armbands to isolate, harass, humiliate, persecute and murder them by marking them out from the rest of the population. 

Unquestionably the rabbi wore the armband with every good intention, but it does smack of a lack of good sense and judgement as to the ramifications in doing so.