Should I accept the invitation to say a prayer at the President's inauguration? (Dated June 19, 2024)

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein

I had been feeling conflicted on how to respond to an invitation from the government of national unity to deliver a prayer at the presidential inauguration today.

On the one hand, as I have said publicly on this platform, a government of national unity, anchored by the two largest parties in South Africa, the ANC and the DA, has the potential to usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.

It represents the best prospects for the success of our country: economic development, political stability, poverty alleviation, and the upliftment of more than 60 million South Africans - among them, of course, our precious Jewish community.

This is especially clear when one considers the alternative that could have been. For the sake of the welfare of all South Africans, it is crucial for our government of national unity to succeed. And therefore we have a moral imperative to support this bold endeavour, and help it do so.

On the other hand, it is a government that includes the same president and party who behaved in such an unforgivable and reprehensible way since October 7, supporting Hamas and Iran against Israel.

And they remain unrepentant. More than that, there are strong indications that the ANC will continue to set the government agenda when it comes to international relations and foreign policy. So that is the conflict.

To support the government of national unity or not? To pray for it at the inauguration or not? To be part of helping it succeed or not? I found clarity from a time in history, when a Jewish leader faced a similar dilemma.