Stand up for what you believe, says chief rabbi

Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein stood up to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s anti-Israel statement in the media, and on 28 May, asked for Muslim leadership to join him in calling for tolerance and non-violence. The reaction was fierce.

1. What was your response to Ramaphosa’s newsletter about Israel two weeks ago?

The essence of my letter to the president was to present the facts, both in terms of the most recent Gaza war and then in the context of the wider historical frame of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, emphatically rejecting the apartheid accusation against Israel which is utterly without foundation in reality.

2. What was it that inspired you to respond to him in the Sunday Times?

I believe passionately in the power of facts and the truth. The justice of the cause of Israel is served and strengthened by sharing the facts of the situation. I have shared my views with the president in private meetings. But I felt it was necessary to air these points in the public domain so the rest of the country could benefit because there is so much misunderstanding, confusion, and even outright ignorance of the basic facts.

3. What response did you get from the community and others?

I received many warm messages from so many people – inside and outside the community – who appreciated that the other side of the story was being told openly and proudly on the pages of a national newspaper.

4. How do you interpret South Africans’ reaction to the 11-day battle between Hamas in Gaza and Israel?

You must distinguish between the response of the ruling party and that of the country as a whole, which is much more positive. The African National Congress has taken a one-sided view of the conflict, but in my experience, the majority of South Africans are tremendously sympathetic and supportive of Israel.

5. Do you believe there has been a fair, unbiased response in mainstream media?

The problem of media bias is a global one. It comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of who the aggressor is and who the victim is. At the heart of much of the suffering in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the militant theology of Hamas, which openly seeks the genocide of all Jews in Israel and the total eradication of the Jewish state. It’s a theology that preaches the targeting of Israeli civilians and the use of its own people as human shields. I don’t think this is understood properly. I firmly believe peace is attainable. As I mentioned in my letter to the president, if the issue was land and the establishment of a Palestinian state, it would have happened long ago. There have been multiple opportunities which have been rejected time and again by the Palestinian leadership. The suffering of the Palestinian people is a result of its militant theological leadership. It’s a heart-breaking human tragedy.

6. Last Friday, you called on Muslim leaders to join you in calling for tolerance, for people not to threaten or harm each other verbally or physically over the conflict in the Middle East. Why did you do this?

It’s so disturbing to see Jews around the world attacked and living in fear as they enter shuls and schools. I contacted South African Muslim leaders because I believe that all South Africans, including Jewish and Muslim communities, should live without fear of threats of violence or intimidation. Because of the emotions of this conflict – which run higher than anything else I’ve seen – it’s vital for leaders to come forward – especially religious leaders – to preach peace.

7. What was the initial reaction when you contacted the Muslim leaders?

I phoned the senior leadership of the two main Muslim organisations, the Muslim Judicial Council and the Jamiatul Ulama South Africa, and asked them to issue a joint statement with me calling on our communities to respect differences with regards to these issues. Both organisations declined.

8. What was their reaction after you put out the statement?

The Muslim Judicial Council publicly rejected my call for a joint statement on unity and tolerance.

9. How did you feel about this?

I’m disappointed because religious leaders need to be a force for peace and tolerance in the world. I’ve had a longstanding relationship with some of the most senior Muslim leaders here, and we have worked well together with the National Religious Leaders Council. Their rejection of my overtures is a real pity. They’re letting down their own community and the country.

10. Ronnie Kasrils was extremely derogatory in his opinion piece in the Sunday Times this week. What’s your reaction to that?

Kasrils’ response is the perfect example of how so much of the anti-Israel lobby conducts itself – by delegitimising and denigrating their opponents instead of rationally debating the issues and analysing the facts. I will continue to fight for the facts to be heard in a rational and respectful way.

11. Why do you think a man like Kasrils, who has Jewish roots, would do such a thing?

The real question is not how Kasrils interacts with me personally. The real question, which only he can answer, is why he has such hatred for Israel. The irrationality of his hatred for the Jewish state comes through in everything that he does and says.

12. Are you planning to react to what was said? If so, how?

I don’t believe in mudslinging; rather, I speak to the issues. I’m not interested in responding to personal attacks. The facts speak for themselves. And I’ve laid out the facts very carefully in my letter to the president.

13. Following the past few distressing weeks, how do we move forward as a community?

The most important thing to realise as a South African Jewish community is that this is a global problem, felt by Jewish communities throughout the world. There’s been a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents everywhere. It’s clear evidence of the deep connection between the global movement to delegitimise and destroy Israel with a virulent antisemitism that has emerged under the guise of anti-Zionism. Criticism of the state of Israel per se can, of course, be made in good faith. But when that criticism becomes a distortion of truth to demonise Israel, it becomes a dangerous form of antisemitism.

One aspect of the IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s) definition of antisemitism is to accuse the state of Israel of being founded on racism. The apartheid accusation, ironically, is a form of antisemitism. Isn’t it tragic that the hatred of the anti-Israel lobby is so intense that it’s using the sacred memory of the victims of racism to perpetrate another form of bigotry.

14. What message do you have for the community now?

We must live with pride and dignity in South Africa. We live in an open and free democracy, and we must be proud of our support for the state of Israel. We have to be ready with the facts. We have no one and nothing to fear. We can stand up to this pressure, and we do so as free, independent citizens of this country. We can be proud Jews, proud of our Zionism, not only because our hearts and souls are connected to Israel through our Torah, but also because of the facts which support the justice of the cause of the state of Israel. So, let’s go forward with strength and confidence.