(Author: Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein, Vol. 70, No. 2, Rosh Hashanah 2015)
National reconciliation in South Africa requires focus and development of three areas.
Firstly, poverty alleviation and reducing the gap between the various levels of financial means across society is crucial and urgent. This is imperative, both from a moral point of view, to assist people escaping the awful ravages of poverty, but also from a perspective of social cohesion. There cannot be long term social stability in a country where the gap between those who have and those who do not is extreme.
Secondly, national reconciliation and social cohesion depend on articulating a shared moral vision for the future. This vision must relate to universal moral values that all South Africans share in common. Through such a shared vision people are brought together to work towards a common purpose and are inspired by a higher cause of creating a country based on certain precious values.
Thirdly, social cohesion and national reconciliation depend on tolerance and respect of differences between communities who have diverse views of the world and diverse perspectives on events and society. This tolerance goes to the heart of creating a South Africa which is non-racial and non-sexist, one which embraces the diversity of all of our peoples.
The efforts of the South African Jewish community over the last twenty years have been directed towards addressing these three strategic imperatives as goals of national reconciliation and social cohesion. This submission sets out our efforts in this regard, as well as concerns that we have in respect of certain challenges that have arisen in recent times with regard to national reconciliation.
1. Poverty alleviation and humanitarian outreach
I have served as Chief Rabbi since 1 January 2005 and in the last almost ten years, one of the things that have surprised me almost more than any other is the sheer number of humanitarian outreach project led by members of the Jewish community. There are obviously too many to mention within the confines of this submission. To give a sense of the scale of variety, a short overview of some selected initiatives can be found in an appendix of this document [not reproduced here – ed.].
2. Shared Moral Vision:
The Bill of ResponsibilitiesI first presented the idea of The Bill of Responsibilities to then Minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, and thereafter led the drafting process of The Bill of Responsibilities, with the support and involvement of the National Religious Leaders Forum and interacting with the Department of Education. The Bill of Responsibilities is an important document for our country because it articulates a clear value system and can make an important contribution to social cohesion between various communities. It seeks to bring to life the values of the Bill of Rights by reframing each right as a responsibility. The Bill of Responsibilities has now been included as part of the school curriculum in the Life Orientation subject (see Appendix).
Sceptics will say that the Bill of Responsibilities can achieve nothing. Words are cheap. Lip-service means nothing. These are the conventional wisdoms, but they are wrong. They presume that the importance of something is measured by its market price. Oxygen is also cheap, but we cannot live without it. Words are the oxygen of human identity on every level, whether emotional, intellectual, social, moral or spiritual. We think, speak, pray, conceptualise and communicate with words.
Words create worlds. Human beings are unique in the natural world in that we do not only experience reality but we construct it with our words as we try to understand the world around us. The Book of Genesis says that one of the first things that Adam and Eve did was to give names to the animals. In fact, we even construct our day-to-day reality through our own internal conversations and ‘self-talk’. Our human relationships are also constructed through words we communicate; good relationships through kind words, bad relationships through cruel words. The way that we think about other people is also constructed by our ‘self-talk’ and what we say and hear from others. That’s why according to Judaism one of the very worst sins is to speak badly about other people.
The modern world in particular is influenced by words. There is a constant deluge of words coming at us from the news media, print or electronic, the internet is awash with words and we are constantly bombarded with advertising slogans screaming at us from every billboard and from virtually every piece of paper we encounter. All of these words construct reality for us and for our children. Our children are growing up in an ever more complex world where they are being influenced by the words of so many people in a dynamic and ever-changing environment. The Bill of Responsibilities is an exciting initiative aiming to provide our children with a set of truly valid and valuable words that can hopefully compete with all the other messages. It is an attempt to help our children construct their reality with the values of human rights, duty, integrity, compassion, giving and concern for others instead of the values of Hollywood.
At the beginning of time before creation the Book of Genesis says that there was “chaos and void, and darkness over the abyss”. The enterprise of building human civilization is about bringing order and light to the “chaos and void”. Words create the moral universe that we occupy. The Talmud points out that G-d created the universe with words. As described in the Book of Genesis, G-d opening words to begin creation were: “Let there be light”. Words are important. Words create worlds.
This is what the Bill of Responsibilities is about. It is directed at our children who enter the world with open minds. There are so many forces constructing their reality for them. Their world-view on violence, sex and life itself is being constructed all the time by the loud and confident voices of the volatile and aggressive world around them. Into the noise of the bombardment of words from all sides enters the Bill of Responsibilities to give our children new words and a new spirit; the words and spirit of giving and contribution, of accountability and responsibility, of respect and decency, of tolerance and understanding, of integrity and loyalty, of kindness and compassion.
3. Tolerance and Respect for Diversity
The interfaith movement in South Africa is an important part of addressing the third strategic imperative of national reconciliation, that of tolerance and respect for diversity. At the initiative of President Nelson Mandela, the National Religious Leaders Forum was established. Since then the official interfaith umbrella body of South Africa has changed its name and currently operates under the name of the National Religious Leaders Council, but whatever its name, its mandate is the promotion of good relationships between various faith communities. I think this stands as one of the singular achievements of the new South Africa. We live in a time where there is tension and even violence between faith communities in the world, and South Africa stands as a beacon of light. I am sure that I speak on behalf of my fellow religious leaders when I say that we treasure the positive and warm relationships that have developed over years of working together.
However, we cannot be complacent about this. I would like to use this submission to raise serious concerns regarding national reconciliation. One serious threat to social cohesion which directly impacts the Jewish community is that of the importing of the tensions of the Middle East conflict into South Africa.
It would be a great tragedy if we allow our South African dream of unity in diversity to be poisoned with the bitterness of the Middle East conflict, which we cannot hope to solve. To allow angry divisiveness, blatant hatred and racism into our society would betray the legacy of Nelson Mandela, who taught us through his words, and even more powerfully through his life, that we can create a South Africa of love and respect in spite of seemingly deep divisions.
I would like to use this opportunity to call upon all fellow religious and political leaders, and indeed all South Africans, to join hands in the spirit of friendship and brotherhood, in spite of our differences, and particularly at a time which is so emotionally charged such as this, and to reaffirm our loyalty and commitment to the South African dream of a society suffused with tolerance, respect and dignity. Let us show the world the beauty of our South African dream of unity in spite of diversity. We need to export our South African dream, not to import the nightmares of the Middle East here. With the right of free speech comes the responsibility to treat our fellow South Africans, and indeed all human beings, with dignity and respect. It is in this context that it is so important that we all join hands to lower the levels of animosity that exist between the two sides of this conflict. In particular, the Jewish and Muslim communities of South Africa have strong and opposing views of how to interpret the conflict in the Middle East. Both of our communities need to respect the other and indeed, all South Africans, and need to foster an atmosphere of tolerance and human dignity, within which we can all engage in these discussions.
The Jewish and Muslim communities have over the years made, and continue to make enormous contributions to the betterment of South African society. Neither of these two communities should at any stage feel alienated or marginalised because of their identity or their religious or political views. Indeed no South African should ever feel marginalised or alienated because of their identity or religious or political views. We need to remind ourselves at a time of heightened emotions such as this that with the right to freedom of expression comes the responsibility to engage with every single human being with dignity and with respect.
But the issue is broader than just tension between South African Jews and Muslims. Unfortunately, dialogue and protests have often descended into outright hate speech and vitriolic racism, which threaten the most precious values of the New South Africa. We need to find a way of unapologetically defending our own opinions, while at the same time respecting the right of others to disagree, and to even disagree strongly. No opinions should delegitimised. Most South African Jews believe earnestly in the justice of the cause and actions of the State of Israel. We are democratically and morally entitled to this opinion. Others are equally free to disagree but not to demonize supporters of Israel. Both sides of the debate need to acknowledge the dignity and indeed legitimacy of their ideological opponents on this issue.
Editor’s Note: On 8-9 October 2014, the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology at Stellenbosch University, in collaboration with the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, hosted the “Re-enactment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Faith Hearing”. This consultation, co-chaired by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, placed specific focus on reconciliation in a post-TRC South Africa, revisiting the commitments and recommendations made by faith communities during the TRC process of 1997. This article is adapted from the presentation made on behalf of the Jewish faith community by Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein, Chief Rabbi of the Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa.
