South Africa’s Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein addressed AIPAC’s Congressional Summit in Washington, spotlighting a growing issue that elicits scant media coverage and no public outcry: the slaughter of Africans by Islamic terror groups.
The chief rabbi documented a litany of horrific attacks across the continent, with a plea to leaders and policy-makers in Washington:
“We cannot turn the other way. As God said to Cain in the Book of Genesis, ‘the blood of your brother calls out to me from the ground’.”
Rabbi Goldstein drew attention to recent atrocities that have included mass kidnappings, beheadings and the explicit targeting of children.
“A few days ago, gunmen from the Islamic State stormed a school in the town of Kuriga in Nigeria, and kidnapped 287 children from their morning assembly. The terrorists rode through the school on motorbikes firing their weapons and rounding up students aged 8-15.
“The horror is unspeakable and unending. A decade after the 2014 mass kidnappings by Boko Haram from the Chibok village, in northern Nigeria, when 276 young girls were kidnapped, about 100 of them are still missing today.
“These kinds of atrocities are widespread across the continent. Just last week gruesome images emerged of a group of village elders being beheaded by ISIS in Mozambique, a country on South Africa’s northern border.”
“It seems as if Black lives do not matter if they are taken by jihadists in Africa,” he added to applause.
Rabbi Goldstein said this gave context to the war between Israel and Hamas.
“The world must take note that Israel’s war with Hamas – and by extension Iran – is against the same enemy raping and pillaging its way through African villages. The ideology of al-Shabaab and Boko Haram and ISIS is the same ideology espoused, funded and propagated, by Iran and its proxies, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis.”
The chief rabbi said Africa in particular could prove a loyal and invaluable ally.
“Africa, a continent with more than 50 votes on global fora, with a young and growing population, huge potential economic growth, and 600 million Christians – who understand first hand what it means to be attacked by Jihadi terror groups – can, in the long run, become a more reliable ally for Israel and America, than even Europe.”
To the surprise of many in the audience, the chief rabbi maintained South Africa itself could soon become “one of the most steadfast partners and allies of Israel and the United States.”
“Don’t judge the country by its government,” he said. “Sinking under the weight of corruption and ineptitude, the ANC has long since lost the support of the majority of South Africans, and with upcoming elections the country will enter a new era of coalitions and change.”
He invited an AIPAC delegation to visit South Africa to better understand the country.
“You will find millions of hard-working, fair-minded, politically centrist and moderate, men and women, people of goodwill, who aspire to the same values cherished in America and Israel,” said Goldstein.
Going forward, Goldstein said, alliances with such faith communities would be critical.
“The Talmud teaches us that when righteous people come together they make the world a better place. Now is the time to build much stronger institutional ties between communities of faith in Africa and their counterparts in Israel and her supporters in America.”