South African Chief Rabbi amends prayer due to state supporting of Hamas

South Africa's Chief Rabbi, Warren Goldstein, found it imperative to amend the longstanding prayer for the Republic of South Africa this week. This move came in the wake of two significant incidents: the tragic events orchestrated by Hamas, resulting in the murder of more than 1,400 Israelis and the kidnapping of 200 more, and statements made by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa regarding the Middle East conflict.

Ramaphosa recently took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to pledge his country's solidarity with "the people of Palestine." The caption accompanying his video asserted, "We pledge solidarity with the people of Palestine." During the video, Ramaphosa elaborated, "All of us standing here, [are] pledging our solidarity with the people of Palestine. We stand here because we are deeply concerned about the atrocities unfolding in the Middle East, and we have passed our condolences to the people of Israel as we are passing out condolences to the people of Palestine."

The new prayer

The original prayer for South Africa specifically sought divine guidance and protection for the country's leadership: "L-rd we beseech You, bestow Your guidance and protection upon THE PRESIDENT AND THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT AND ALL MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT." In light of the recent events, Rabbi Goldstein's revised version has extended its focus, praying, "L-ord we beseech You, bestow Your guidance and protection upon all the people of this country."

In a poignant letter to South African rabbis on Wednesday, Goldstein provided insight into his decision, stating, "extreme situations, for government violations of morality so grotesque they undermine the integrity of praying. This is an issue of being true to our Torah values." He further clarified, "We mean what we pray for; our prayers reflect our deepest hopes and aspirations, and our deepest values."