Mass interfaith gathering ‘gives hope for SA’s renewal’

The atmosphere was electric at the Motsepe National Day of Prayer on 30 November, a gathering of leaders from across South Africa’s faith communities. Among them, Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein urged the country to embrace hope, resilience, and responsibility. 

“It was an inspiring experience to be in the stadium on Sunday, to feel the buzz and the energy, the pulsating optimism, and excitement of 100 000 people packed into a stadium,” he said. 

“I’ve seen and felt that in a stadium for a major sports match in South Africa,” Goldstein said. “But to be in a stadium where you can feel the energy of such a huge crowd, the energy of people who are excited to pray to G-d, to connect, to express their faith, to come together in a spirit of unity. That for me was moving and powerful.” 

Goldstein, who has attended this national day of prayer organised by the Motsepe Foundation on and off for some years, said the warmth he felt on this day, when he was the sole representative of the South African Jewish community, showed that the government wasn’t representative of its people. 

He said he was warmly received by everybody present, and when he got on stage to address the more than 100 000 people inside the FNB Stadium, he was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the crowd made up of many denominations including the Zion Christian Church. 

“It was truly heartwarming and uplifting,” Goldstein told the SA Jewish Report, “the response of the crowd to me, not in my personal capacity, but as a representative of the South African Jewish community. I could feel the warmth, love, and connectivity shown by the crowd. There’s a deep respect and connection with the Jewish community, but even more so with the values that we represent.” 

The chief rabbi said he spoke to the crowd about the values that all people should have: faith, memory, and moral responsibility, connecting it to the psalms in the Book of Isaiah. 

“The crowd recognised, acknowledged, and supported all of these sentiments,” he said. “The values represented by what the Torah and the prophets have taught the world, the importance of ethics, and calling on the crowd to join me in spreading that message to South Africa.” 

He said Isaiah’s rebuke of corruption and injustice speaks directly to South Africa today, with leaders who rebel; officials who take bribes; and a society that neglects the vulnerable. He emphasised Isaiah’s call to “cease to do evil”; “learn to do justice”; protect victims, defend orphans, and care for widows, reminding listeners that moral renewal must translate into action. 

He pleaded for the country to fix its hospitals so that they offer dignity, to improve schools, and to empower police to protect communities. These, he said, are the real expressions of justice that South Africa desperately needs. 

“The deeply religious crowd knows and recognises the words. When I say in the speech, ‘If I forget Jerusalem’; ‘We sat by the rivers of Babylon, and we remembered Zion.’ The crowd recognises all of that, and when I quoted the famous verse from Genesis 12:3, that ‘Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.’” 

Goldstein said it was important for the South African Jewish community to realise that we aren’t in a silo, we are a part of the spirit of unity and diversity in South Africa, especially in light of the past two years after 7 October 2023. He felt this not only in the crowd, but through mingling with various religious leaders in the guest suites. 

“In the two years after 7 October 2023, I delivered several speeches, including last year at this same stadium, in which I proudly articulated our community’s connection to Israel and for the fight for human civilisation that Israel is waging against Hamas, a message I felt strongly about over these past two years. And you can see in such a gathering that the ANC’s anti-Israel stance is out of sync with the spirit and values of the people of South Africa.” 

The chief rabbi said this anti-Israel stance was symptomatic of the party’s alienation from national values, leading to its decline in popularity. 

For him, being in the stadium and feeling the warmth of the many people there was reflective of the broader dynamics within South African society in that many values are shared, a fact important for understanding how South Africa will thrive. 

“Many national surveys conducted by the Social Research Foundation have shown that the vast majority of South Africans are people who share all of the most important values needed to create a thriving society,” said Goldstein, “Values of moderation, faith, family, tolerance, and community. These values are shared by our South African Jewish community, Israel, America, and the free world.”