Two years after the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, Chief Rabbi of South Africa Dr Warren Goldstein sits down with Gabriel Makin. He describes what that day meant for South Africa's Jewish community, why he calls it a genocide averted, and what 3,800 years of Jewish history teach about enemies who say they want you dead. He explains why he stood up to the ANC government after, in his words, it declared solidarity with Hamas and then took Israel to the International Court of Justice, why he believes the government's anti-Israel stance betrays the Constitution and the values of ordinary South Africans, what that stand cost him personally, and why South Africa still has among the lowest rates of antisemitism in the world.
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Chapters:
0:00 What 7 October 2023 meant for South Africa's Jews
3:39 1,200 murdered, 250 hostages and a genocide averted
7:13 A rabbi's response: grief, prayer and the Perez family
10:31 Pogroms, the Holocaust and taking enemies at their word
16:30 Why Israel must be strong: 3,800 years of resilience
23:58 Standing up to the ANC government over the ICJ case
30:04 The personal cost, and why appeasement brings danger
32:00 So far and no further: Jewish leaders in the West
34:11 Why South Africa remains one of the safest countries for Jews
