News
Chief Rabbi Goldstein to ANC: Put up or shut up
ANT KATZ
Chief challenges Duarte: ‘Retract or debate’
“Jessie Duarte (ANC deputy secretary general) must have the integrity and courage to defend her vitriolic views in a public debate. Or retract them. It is a simple and basic choice of personal integrity: retract or debate.
“Jessie Duarte’s outrageous statement regarding the Gaza conflict on behalf of the ANC is replete with malicious and shameful lies that must be challenged in the cold light of reason and facts.
RIGHT: Jessie Duarte
“I therefore challenge Ms Duarte to a public debate with me on the claims she makes in her statement,” wrote South African Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein recently from Jerusalem.
“Her hate-filled outburst is so grotesquely untrue that it cannot be left to stand without the proper public scrutiny provided by a one-on-one debate,” challenges Rabbi Goldstein.
Comparing Israel to Nazis is abhorrent
“Ms Duarte’s comparison of Israel to Nazi Germany and Gaza to the Holocaust death camps, is abhorrent and beyond the pale of civilized discourse.
“The Nazi Holocaust is history’s greatest crime, meticulously detailed by the criminal regime that planned and executed over six million Jews.
“She must be held accountable for her morally repugnant words,” says Rabbi Goldstein, which, he says “have brought the ANC into disrepute.
Chief Rabbi Goldstein accuses Duarte of being responsible for the “betrayed the South African dream of peaceful and dignified dialogue by descending into divisive diatribe”.
This, says Rabbi Goldstein, “completely destroys any credibility the ANC had of being an honest broker who can help bring peace to this bitter conflict”.
READ THE ANC DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL’S FULL STATEMENT ON SAJR
“I write these words in Jerusalem, where I have witnessed the situation first hand, and experienced the siren warning of Hamas rockets aimed at densely populated cities with the intention of inflicting maximum civilian fatalities. There is no sovereign country on earth that would not defend its citizens from such military attacks.
“Now,” says Rabbi Dr Goldstein on HIS WEBSITE “Jessie Duarte must have the integrity and courage to defend her vitriolic views in a public debate. Or retract them. It is a simple and basic choice of personal integrity: retract or debate.”
- The SAJBD and SAZF were quick to issue a response to what they called the ANC’s VENOMOUS AND INSULTING STATEMENT – as were many other Jewish organisations.
Join the conversation – post your thoughts HERE
Choni
Jul 13, 2014 at 8:29 am
‘So another debate, another request for peaceful and dignified understanding. When will our Jewish leadership realise that it is in the \”D.N.A.\” of this government to hate Israel. You might win every debate, but nothing will change the fact that the A.N.C., and many influential N.G.O’s will never accept the truth.
\nIt is time, and I believe that it is \”Divine Providence\”, that we should learn [removed as irrelevant trolling -ED].
\nWhy wait until the anti- Israel sentiment becomes violent as is happening in Europe where more and more Jews and Jewish institutions are becoming targets.
\nRabbi, I know your intentions are valiant, but at the end of the day, the only thing you are left defending is the exile. Is it worth defending [removed as irrelevant trolling and counterproductive to Rabbi Goldstein’s cause -ED].’
Choni
Jul 14, 2014 at 9:28 am
‘Instead of a worthless debate, I suggest Jewish leadership in South Africa face the present reality.
We can never be proud to be Jewish South Africans.
What use is it to debate a government whose sentiments against Israel is a essential part of its DNA.
No amount of whining or debate is going to change them.
Rather keep quiet and accept the fact that the Jewish community is in great danger of being subjected to more and more anti-Semitism. (A report I just read states that over 100 Jews were trapped in a Synagogue in Paris over the week-end)
In many countries even though the government might be pro-Israel, anti-Semitism is growing at an alarming rate. Imagine how it will spread in South Africa with a government so intensely ant-Israel.
I know the ‘rantings’of this old man will be considered as those of an alarmist, but should we not learn that no community in the Diaspora has thrived since the exile 2000 years ago. Some might have been peaceful for lengthy periods, but at the end of the day the Diaspora will collapse. The Shoah destroyed one third our people, and the present spiritual Shoah is destroying 100,000 Jews per year.
Mr. Editor, I know you will censor my next words, but I will say again. Instead of debating the cause for Israel, our leadership should ‘debate’ amongst themselves the future of our young generation. ‘
Anonymous
Jul 18, 2014 at 3:58 pm
‘I totally disagree with Choni,
\nWhat kind of future have the younger generation got, if she continues writing on facebook (as she did with this last horrendous post). We need to put a stop to this; or the younger generation, will also be lead like a lamb to the slaughter, as our fore fathers had, during the holocaust.
\n
\nJessie Duarte must meet with Rabbi Goldstein.
\n
\nAs South Africans, we have the right to be protected by the Code of Conduct \” It is not permitted to discriminate against another religion/culture/race.
\n
\nJessie Duarte, should know this act which is in the Code of Conduct, and rather keep her opinions to herself and not conduct herself in such a disrepectful manner. She is a big embarrassment to the ANC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Failing which, she should be penalized and told by Jacob Zuma, to keep her nose out of it.
\n
\nFurthemore, I would like to know how Jesse Duarte would feel if the picture (instead of that monster ; happened to be one of the expresident’s during the \”apartheid era\” ) and the words pertain to her culture. She would be horrified as we are.
\n
\nAll we ask for, is to live in peace amongst each other, regardless of religion and culture. The econommic situation in this country is not good and now Jessie Duarte is stoking the fire and making untold trouble in our beloved South Africa.
\n
\nWhy do people discriminate Israel when Hamas started this war? All she wants is peace and if Hamas is going to continually fire bombs at Israel, surely they have a right to protect themselves. Hamas killed those innocent children on the beach, because Hamas told those who lived in that area, to ignore the notices which Israel dropped, telling the people to evacuate thoses areas, as they did not want to harm innocent citizens.
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Mzansi
Jul 21, 2014 at 12:41 pm
‘
\nLetter to the “Chief Rabbi” in defence of South\nAfrica
\n\n
Political commentary
\n
\n
Affan Sosibo – African national Congress Youth KZN
\n
\nTo\nthe Esteemed Rabbi Warren Goldstein.
\n
For\nfar too long we have remained silent and not responded when outrageous slurs\nand horrifying threats were levelled against the democratically elected\ngovernment of South Africa by the Jewish lobby, and therefore deemed it prudent\nto let such issues be dealt with by the elected officials.
\n
However\nbecause the source of the latest threat is someone who is the anointed leader\nof the Jewish community, and is considered by a section of our society as a\nrespected man of cloth, I consider it necessary to respond. By not responding\nin such circumstances, there exists a danger that the public may downplay the\ndanger that your latest behaviour presents to our national sovereignty and\ndemocracy. Indeed some members of the Jewish community might even think of\nemulating your intimidating tactics; clothed as they are with the imprimatur of\nthe office of the Chief Rabbi.
\n
Esteemed\nRabbi
\n
Before\nI proceed further in this communiqué I would like to pose a few questions which\nI hope you will be kind enough to answer.
\n
1. \nCan\nyou tell me exactly who gave you the right to use the Marikana tragedy in order\nto blackmail the South African government to take decisions that are\ncommensurate to the wishes of the Jewish community regardless of the wishes of\nthe black majority to which the Marikina martyrs belonged?
\n
2. \nWhy\nis it that you think it is acceptable for you to invoke the memory of the\nMarikina martyrs in order to disqualify the South African government from\ncommenting on the Israel aggression and then cry foul when others invoke the plight\nof the Jews in Hitler’s Germany in order to prevent Israel from doing to the\nPalestinians what Hitler did to the Jews?
\n
3. \nWhy\ndo you believe that only you, the members of the Jewish community, have a right\nto comment on the Israel aggression and that everybody else who does so is an\n“anti-Semite”?
\n
4. \nWhy\nmust we as South Africans not be worried that you, the Jewish minority\ncommunity, are harassing our government on behalf of a foreign country?
\n
5. \nWhy\ndo you think the South African government and the African National Congress\n(ANC) must take policy decisions that suit the taste of the Jewish minority\nregardless of the views of the black majority of South Africans including the\nMuslim and Hindu sections and ANC members?
\n
6. \nSince\nSouth Africa is a secular democracy, can you explain which clause in our\nconstitution which sanctions the formation of the “Office of the Chief Rabbi of\nSouth Africa”? I have not heard of the “Office the Grand mufti/Ayatollah of\nSouth Africa” or “Office of the Chief Swami/Pundit of South Africa”.
\n
7. \nWould\nyou find me at fault if I say most South Africans are extremely concerned that\nyou ,a leader of a minority, has just called an elected government official and\nthreaten him with “consequences” if he doesn’t act according to your orders?.\nMore worrying is that you are harassing our leaders on behalf of a foreign\nregime not as a South African citizen who accept that the ANC as the ruling\nparty in entitled to act in accordance with the grievances and aspirations of\nall South Africans not a fringe Zionist sect.
\n
8. \nCan\nyou please tell me where in the world it is acceptable for a leader of a\nminority community, acting on behalf of a foreign regime, to threaten with\n“consequences” a popular government? The last time Arab citizens of Israel\ntried to do that they were considered a fifth column and had their property\ndestroyed and citizenship revoked. Given that you regard Israel as bastion of\ndemocracy, would you like the South African government to treat you in the same\nmanner as Israel treat its Arab minority?
\n
9. \nThere\nare people in this country of German, English, Irish, Indian, Malay, Pakistani,\nArab descent and they regard themselves as South Africans first. I do not\nremember any of them threatening our government with “consequences” if it\ndoesn’t act in a manner that is commensurate with the German, English, and\nIrish, Indian, Malay, Pakistani or Arab governments. Why do you think we must\nnot question your loyalty to South Africa given that you seem to be offended by\neverything South African and you continually undermine South Africa’s\nindependence and sovereignty by demanding that we must cease to think on our\nown but we must act in accordance with the nefarious interest of the foreign\ncountry of Israel.
\n
10. \nWhy\ndo you think we must tolerate you ridiculing the South African struggle for\nfreedom and you are on record mocking the post-Apartheid progress and\nridiculing our efforts of creating racial harmony and national reconciliation\nall because you are hell-bent on undermining your own country in advancement of\nthe interest of the apartheid entity called Israel?
\n
\nI\npose these questions without any ill will and I hope you will respond in a\nsimilar fashion.
\n
Esteemed\nRabbi
\n
I\nhave to conclude that you need a course on the constitutional foundations of\nthis country, better yet, ANC’s internal processes.
\n
I\nread your letter from Jerusalem. I must say I’m completely baffled by your\ndesperate attempts to advance yourself as a paragon of political morality and\nan old hand on matters pertaining to the internal affairs of the ANC. Your\nbrazen attack on Comrade Jessie Duarte exposed you as a paranoid man who\ndisregards Comrade Duarte’s right to freedom of expression. By cowardly\nsingling out Comrade Duarte for your illogical vitriol, even though you knew\nthat she was mandated by the ANC to speak, you proved to be a sexist bigot and\nShylockian spinster.
\n
Not\nonly was your attempt a disaster, you made fools out of the Jewish community\nand single handedly dealt it an insulting blow. Perhaps this kind of irony\nshould come as no surprise, from you. If you were a soccer player we would say\nyou scored an own goal, much to the exasperation of your own supporters.
\n
From\na man of cloth I expected a more sober approach in terms of articulating both\nthe reasons as well as the benefits of tolerating the Jewish colonial war\nagainst the defenceless and dispossessed Palestinian people , but your asinine\nvitriol and the weak context you provided did very little to bolster your own\ncause.
\n
What\nbecame clear from the letter though is your misplaced attack on the ANC for\ntaking decisive action against the seemingly erratic mass murderer, Mr Benyamin\nnetanyahu. I can only conclude that by challenging the ANC to debate its views,\nyou intended to elevate your cause onto an equally compelling platform as the ANC\nand give it a similarly noble impetus.
\n
In\nmy considered view, this has had the unintended consequence of underscoring\nyour obsessive determination as a lobbyist for the racist apartheid regime in\nIsrael, and yours truly, the handler, Benyamin Netanyahu.
\n
It\nis now clear as day that your letter was a serious let down to your backers,\nquite a rant and rave. What was painfully obvious was your persistent ignorance\nabout the cause for South Africans involved in the struggle for liberation of\nPalestine. Having been part of this struggle myself, all my solicitous years I\nmight add, I was seriously taken aback by your assertion that, in pursuit of a\n“peaceful and dignified dialogue”, we must remain silent and not condemn the\nJewish colonialists and their genocide against noble and peaceful people of\nGaza.
\n
I\ncan only guess the point you were trying to put across when you said; I cite “I\ntherefore challenge Ms Duarte to a public debate with me on the claims she\nmakes in her statement.” I admit at first I thought you were onto something,\nbut then you lost me completely when you said; again I cite “Her hate-filled\noutburst is so grotesquely untrue that it cannot be left to stand without the\nproper public scrutiny provided by a one on one debate” at that point all I could\nwas wonder whether the air could get any hotter?
\n
Having\nbeen an advocate for permanent peace in Palestine long side other progressive\nJews, it is not just South African Jews who should be insulted by your\nuninformed and gung-ho conclusions but everybody who has made an appreciable\ncontribution towards peace.
\n
Your\nargument is narrowly centered on your rage and ire because Israel has been\ncalled to order and reminded that just as the world did not let Hitler\nexterminate the Jews; The Jews will also not be allowed to exterminate the\nPalestinian people.
\n
Your\ndispleasure and rant as a result of the rejection that Zionists are facing in\nour country were however well camouflaged by your tactless shifting of focus\nfrom their behaviour and conduct to personal attacks on the prestige of comrade\nDuarte.
\n
In\nthe process you have exposed your oblivion to South Africa’s and ANC’s\nanti-racist and anti-colonial credentials and have opportunistically abused\nyour constitutional right to free speech to please your cabal and faction,\njustifying a genocide and crimes against humanity.
\n
I\nam convinced that you and others of your kind will be unmasked very soon both\nfor the roles you play in Supporting the apartheid regime here in South Africa\nand destroying African lives.
\n
In\nyour letter you also failed to introduce a disclaimer, that in fact the shallow\nand juvenile views were yours only and not of the patriotic South African Jews.\nFor this failure the Jewish community would be quite lenient and merciful if it\nwere not to haul you to the court for defaming it.
\n
Every\ntwo or three years, Israel launches a massive military assault upon largely\nunarmed Palestinians in Gaza. It did this in December 2008 to January 2009. It\ndid it again in November 2012. On each occasion hundreds of Palestinians are\nmurdered and thousands more maimed.
\n
Every\ntime, Israel claims the moral high ground for its brutal, barbaric action. It\nblames Hamas, an important component of the Palestinian liberation movement.\nBetween 29 September 2000 and 23 June 2014, 1,523 Palestinian children were\nkilled by Israelis. It is also worth noting that between the two dates, 6,876\nPalestinians were killed by the Israeli colonialists.
\n
Israel\nis determined to show friend and foe that it is above the law, that the norms\nthat apply to other states bear no relevance to it. It is “exceptional” because\nthe Jews are a “chosen people.”
\n
The\nNetanyahu regime is also worried that more and more people especially in Europe\nand Africa are beginning to appreciate the justice of the Palestinian cause as\nreflected in the growing support of big corporations and universities for the\nBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel’s post -1967\noccupation of Palestinian land. In order to check this trend, Netanyahu is once\nagain playing the victim card especially with Europe in mind.
\n
There\nwill continue to be massacres of this sort in the future unless the fundamental\ncause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is addressed. It is widely accepted\nthat the root of the conflict is Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. It is\nbecause of their situation— their dispossession —that Palestinians are\nsometimes even prepared to resort to violence in order to restore their\ndignity.
\n
This\nis something that the Israeli elite and its backers in the West should\nunderstand. As it has been said on numerous occasions, there will be no\nsecurity for Israelis unless there is justice for the Palestinians and other\nArabs.
\n
Esteemed\nRabbi
\n
You\nknow all too well that Palestine is under a brutal Apartheid occupation and\nthat Hamas is a legitimate Palestinian resistance group. Historically, violence\nhas been a necessary tool for liberation. It’s utopian to think that the Nazis\ncould have been subdued by peaceful means, just as it is naive to think that\nthe racist Israelis can be subdued by peaceful means.
\n
The\nFrench resistance’s violence against the Nazis is STILL to this day celebrated\n– because they’re white Europeans, of course. God forbid that a Blackman’\nresistance should get equal empathy or support.
\n
Hamas\nand other resistance groups in Gaza are today fighting for their liberation and\nfor the safety of their UNARMED people.
\n
The\nmust be no debate about the Palestinian people’s right to breath air and live\nin peace in their own native land.
\n
The\nhorror of Israel’s latest slaughter in Gaza speaks for itself — Even the New\nYork Times, long known for its Zionist tendencies, has been forced to print a\nfew stories about the high number of civilian deaths being caused by the\nIsraeli assault on the “Warsaw Ghetto” they have made of Gaza, noting the\nhospitals and mosques and private homes where dozens of innocent people have\nbeen blown to pieces by Israel’s weaponry (much of it American-made).
\n
Israel\nhas imprisoned the people of Gaza in a stateless limbo while carefully controlling\nalmost every aspect of their lives, including what medicines they can have,\nwhat manufacturing and building materials they are allowed and even, at times,\nhow much food they are allowed to eat to keep the population weakened but just\nabove malnutrition levels. This brutal regimen in daily life is of course\npunctuated with regular night raids, bombings, kidnappings, “disappearing” and\nalmost weekly civilian’s deaths at the hands of Israeli colonisers. This has\ngone on year after year. Yet Western media — and Western politicians — are\npresenting a picture of a nuclear-armed, American-backed ultra-militarist\nIsrael “under siege” from a handful of ineffective rockets fired by factions in\nGaza which are answering violence with violence.
\n
Why\nare you demanding that Palestinians adopt a Gandhi-like forbearance in the face\nof murderous oppression and relentless, widespread violence killing their\nchildren and families? They are never to respond in kind — unlike the\nAmericans, who have killed hundreds of thousands of people in response to a\nsingle attack on their soil. This after killing, by Washington’s own admission,\nmore than half a million children in Iraq with peacetime sanctions — against a\nnation which had never attacked the United States and posed no threat to it.
\n
Esteemed\nrabbi
\n
Before\nI put my pen down,
\n
As\na man of G-D can you acknowledge that Israel has been subjecting Palestinian\ncivilians to collective punishment — in clear violation of international law?\nCan you condemn the seven-year siege that Israel has imposed on Gaza?
\n
This\ntoxic blend of propaganda, subterfuge and incitement, manipulating the South\nAfrican Jews into supporting your agenda will have very negative repercussions\nfor this community.
\n
I\ndo not wish you luck in this absurd agenda. While I write this in my personal\ncapacity, I hope you don’t take it personal.
\n
Affan\nSosibo, African\nnational Congress Youth KZN
‘
Jethro Green
Jul 22, 2014 at 7:04 am
‘Editor – I came across this letter and am surprised that you did not carry it:
\n
\nThe Chief Rabbi
\nWarren Goldstein
\nUnion of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa
\nP.O. Box 46559
\nOrange Grove
\n2119
\nFax: +27 11 485 1497E-mail: office@chiefrabbi.co.za
\n
\nDear Rabbi Goldstein
\n
\nShalom and Salaam
\n
\nRE: PUBLIC CHALLENGE TO THE ANC FOR A DEBATE
\n
\nWe take note of the ANC press statement on the situation in Palestine, particularly in Gaza and your response thereto. We note your objection to this statement and your open and very public challenge to the ANC Deputy- Secretary General to either retract the statement or debate you in public.
\n
\n It seems highly unlikely that the ANC will retract this statement – or at least there are no indications that it will. While you have personalized your response to Ms. Jessie Duarte, we note the comments of the ANC’s head of International Relations, Deputy Minister Obed Bapela, who emphasised on Sunday that Duarte’s statement was the position of the ANC, that the party stood by the statement and Duarte, and that the ANC would neither withdraw nor apologise for the statement. We assume, therefore, that Duarte’s statement is representative of the organisation, as we expect that your response is representative of your organisation and constituency.
\n
\nWe do not know if, or how the ANC will react to your challenge. That is not for us to speculate.Our organisations, however, believe that your challenge is a serious one and provides an ideal opportunity to publicly debate the issue. The timing is also opportune as the world witnesses the carnage being wrought on the innocents in Gaza. While we, Open Shuhada Street (OSS) and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) cannot, of course, accept a challenge that you issued to another organization, in the spirit of this challenge, we propose to debate you on the issue of Israel’s current onslaught on Gaza. We hereby nominate two well-known and respected individuals, and give you the opportunity to choose with which one of them you are prepared to engage in debate – or both if you are agreeable. We have already approached our nominated persons – Professor Steven Friedman from the Centre for the Study of Democracy at University of Johannesburg, and Mr Zackie Achmat from Ndifuna Ukwazi – who have both agreed to such a debate, and have agreed to allow you to choose between them.
\nWe believe such an engagement will present an ideal opportunity for the South African public to listen to both viewpoints and subject them to scrutiny, interrogation, discussion and debate.
\n
\nWe are thus happy to accept your offer of a public debate on the matters discussed in the ANC press statement and, more generally, on the situation in Gaza and the rest of Palestine and Israel.
\n
\nWe are prepared to get an independent institution to host this event and take care of all the logistics, and to agree on two co-moderators for the debate. We trust that you will, in good faith, honour our response to your challenge and present us with your availability for the said debate. We await your soonest response. Yours sincerely
\n
\nReverend Alan Storey,
\nOpen Shuhada Street
\n
\nPalestine Solidarity Campaign
\nSalim Vally
\n
\nWe didn’t carry it because, until right now, we didn’t know about it. Thanks for sharing it. online.editor@sajr.co.za
\n
‘
Choni
Jul 22, 2014 at 7:07 am
‘If Mr. Sasibo’s letter is not a clear message to the Jewish community to get the heck out of here, then one can only wonder what will bring them to their senses.
Also is it not a clear message that anti-Semitism and anti-Israel is two sides of the same coin.
Rabbi Goldstein, Is it not clear to you that all your valiant efforts are not defending the Jewish community? They are defending the exile. An exile that ‘ended’ 66 years ago with the rebirth of our Land.
Instead of fighting a losing battle with the host government., I beg you to encourage our young generation to leave this exilic ‘cemetery’.
The most righteous of Jews in exile will never find peace or security as long as they have ‘evil neighbors’ who will not leave them be.’
Samuel Shalom
Jul 22, 2014 at 7:42 am
‘Just a simple question: What is the Chief Rabbi of South Africa doing in Israel at such a time of crisis when he is needed at home? Does anyone know? he should return immediately!
Instead of sending letters from Jerusalem in response to complex challenges, as we can see from the powerful letter written by Affan Sosibo of the ANC, the Chief should be standing in front of the camera and fighting for the rights of South African Jews to be heard right here at home!’
Choni
Jul 23, 2014 at 9:19 am
‘Have there been no comments on Mr. Sisibo’s letter?
(Besides mine – which you have not seen fit to print)’
Concerned citizen
Jul 30, 2014 at 9:02 pm
‘The level of angst of the Jewish community in South Africa is remarkable. What is happening in Israel currently is a duplication of the worldwide struggle against apartheid. Sanctions against Israel are inevitable if the current hawkish regime continues the assault against Gaza. Ps the ANC will always side with the Palestinians as they provided them training and refuge during apartheid, quite unlike the actions of the 1970s and 1980s Israeli government which were pro national party’
CLAUDINE FOURIE
May 2, 2015 at 5:35 pm
‘HAHHAAAAAAA – (Sorry Claudine, I couldn’t understand the rest of your rant. Were you on something? -MODERATOR)
\n‘