Mbeki hails SA's new Chief Rabbi
Richard Mantu
4 April 2005
President Thabo Mbeki has praised South Africa's new Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein, as a "true nation-builder".
Speaking at the inauguration of Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein at the Sandton Synagogue on Sunday, Mbeki hailed Goldstein's contribution to South African society, describing him as "a true South African patriot".
"Like his esteemed predecessor, Chief Rabbi Emeritus Cyril Harris, he is a true nation-builder", Mbeki said.
The President said that Goldstein had "embraced with enthusiasm our democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society. A society in which Jews can take pride as fellow South Africans and join hands with the masses of our people to give real meaning to our collective belief, expressed in our Constitution, that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in their diversity.
"Indeed, we are blessed to have a Chief Rabbi who is a formidable Torah scholar whose doctorate is in human rights and constitutional law,
including that of our own Constitution."
Mbeki said religious leaders had a crucial role to play in instilling the values of honesty, compassion and self-discipline that were vital in establishing a just and moral society.
He quoted the recent publication, "South Africa 2014: The Story of Our Future", in which Goldstein wrote: "The continued survival and endurance of our new South Africa will depend on our combining to formulate a common moral, religious and spiritual vision."
Goldstein is the first South African-born Chief Rabbi and the fifth to be inaugurated as Chief Rabbi of South Africa.
The President also paid tribute to Rabbi Cyril Harris and his wife, Ann, for their "unstinting and selfless devotion to nation-building and reconciliation and having worked in projects aimed at uplifting our communities".
Source: BuaNews
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