Synagogue President Apologises for Calling for Genocide

The President of the Marais Road Shul in Sea Point has apologised for a view he expressed in his monthly email to congregants.

In his March email, Reuben Wagenheim described a series of mundane communal events: face-painting for children, visiting rabbis, marriages, and the impressive synagogue choirs.

“What a pleasure to hear these refreshing soprano voices singing beautiful Jewish tunes,” he wrote about the youth choir.

And then, after nearly 1,500 words, Wagenheim concluded his email with this:

“Day 537 since 7th October and still fifty-nine hostages remain in captivity. On Shabbat Tetzaveh, the Shabbat before Purim, we read a special Maftir in which we are commanded to remember what Amalek did to our people, how they attacked and killed the weak and infirm as we came out of Egypt, to never forget. We then read Haftorah זכור, Zachor, Remember. All credit and honour, הכבוד כל and ישׁאר כּוח, to the heroic soldiers of the IDF and the authorities of Israel, who are following the Biblical injunction (1 Samuel 15:1 – 34) to ‘לך והכיתה את עמלק עתה ……….. ועד חמור’. G-d says ‘now go and strike down Amalek (read Hamas) and utterly destroy all that they have, have no pity on them but kill every man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and ass’.”

He is not the first to use the Amalek quote to justify Israeli actions in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also cited Amalek. In the Hebrew Bible, Amalek are the enemies of the Israelites.

Following concern from some congregants, Wagenheim distributed an apology on Thursday morning.

“Upon reflection, I recognise that my words could be construed as a call to genocide. I deeply regret this and the offense and hurt it may have caused. I am a layman, not a bible scholar and I regret the way I chose to express myself. I unequivocally condemn all forms of genocide and want to be clear that I do not condone or encourage any form of violence or hate speech.

“Anyone who knows me will confirm that I am not a man given to hatred, bitterness, or violence. I fully embrace our traditions and core principle of shalom / peace among all humankind. I dream of and pray for an end to the war in the Center East and for the advent of a thousand years of peaceful coexistence between Israel, Palestinians, and all the neighbouring countries.”

Asked for comment about Wagenheim’s monthly email, Jared Sacks and Megan Choritz of South African Jews for a Free Palestine said:

“In the midst of an ongoing genocide in the Gaza strip, where two million Gazans are held in an open air prison, subject to bombing, summary executions and mass starvation, Wagenheim takes it upon himself to quote one of the most controversial passages in the Bible. This passage calls for and seeks to justify the genocide of a people called the Amalekites. This is unacceptable hate speech and is unbecoming of any representative of the Jewish community and we call for him to be removed from his position and subject to a complaint to the South African Human Rights Commission. Once again, Zionists say the unthinkable, the genocidal, the evil, when they think nobody is looking.

“Calling for a genocide is not Judaism. Our Judaism is one of Tikun Olam, healing the world, and where every human life is a world. Our Judaism is about peace, mercy, justice and love.”

Choritz and Sacks did not wish to comment on Wagenheim’s apology.

A request for comment was also sent to Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein on Thursday morning. No response had been received at time of publication.

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