The Orthodox Shul’s prayer for South Africa will now exclude the government, as per revised instructions by Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein. The shift is in response to the government’s public endorsement of Hamas. Instead, Jews will now offer their prayers for the South African population. On 18 October, Goldstein conversed with rabbis online and detailed the reasons behind the amendment in a subsequent letter, which he shared with the South African Jewish Report.
The original prayer was composed by the late Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris in 1994, centred on the country’s switch to democracy, pleading G-d to safeguard and advise South Africa’s president, vice president, and ministers. This prayer was further revised during Jacob Zuma’s presidency, who was then incriminated in a major corruption scandal, resulting in an amendment so as not to include him in the prayers.
The motivation behind the recent modification, as per Goldstein, is clear: the prevailing support for Hamas by the South African Government. He questioned the integrity of praying for a government advocating for an organisation that endorses anti-semitic hate crimes and continues to threaten the safety of Jews and Israel.
Goldstein underlined the importance of drawing a line between the South African population and the government in explaining the revised prayer to the congregants. The focus of the prayer has now shifted to pray for the nation and people of South Africa, whilst bypassing the government.
This sentiment was also shared during Goldstein’s speech at a rally for Israel, attended by thousands from different religions, underscoring the disagreement with the current government and its failure to acknowledge its duty and service towards the people.
Goldstein applauded South Africa’s prevailing spirit of tolerance and kindness among diverse groups and pointed out that antisemitic hate crimes have so far been averted in the country. He reminded that the people elected their government and thus should hold them accountable, underlining the superiority of the people over the government.
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