Johannesburg, S. Africa – Justice Richard Goldstone attended his grandson’s bar mitzvah in Sandton, despite warnings that there might be protests.
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Justice Goldstone initially decided not to attend his grandson’s coming-of-age ceremony, but after negotiations involving the SA Zionist Federation and SA Jewish Board of Deputies, it was agreed that he would attend.
Members of the congregation stood at the end of he road leading to the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Shul to ensure that only guests of the family were admitted.
Justice Goldstone issued a statement on behalf of the family saying it was their “heartfelt wish to celebrate this occasion without the presence of reporters and television cameras”.
The kehilah at this shul should be proud of having shown such derech eretz and not allowing political disagreements with Judge Goldstone to interrupt his grandson’s simcha. They showed real class.
Whilst I understand what the above commenor is saying, I must disagree. The ‘Judge’ by his hateful, spiteful and blatantly one sided report brought great harm on the heros of the Jewish people and the State of Israel,namely the IDF.
Not everyone is welcome at Shul, ugly as that may sound. By betraying his very Jewishness and his homeland the ‘Judge’ rendered himself unworthy to come to Shul. This issue is far from POLITICS, it is a matter of life and death.
Sadly the Israeli Govt is heavily effected by world opinion and American opinion and this leads to direct results via their actions for example the evil expulsion of the Jews of Gush Katif, this decree was brought about due to ‘world pressure’, therefore the actions of the ‘Judge’ contributing to painting Israel as murderers and villians creates a further expectation on Israel to bend over backwards and make poor,ill advised decisions.
Being that there is the gravity of his actions that I described above, he has made himself an enemy of the Jewish nation, in a real and tangiable way and one that could lead to Israeli deaths both to soldiers and civillians and such a man needs to do Teshuva before coming into a Shul…
I also do not like the Goldstone Report but that does not mean that his grandson’s bar mitzvah should be ruined. Goldstone erred in agreeing to head the commission in the first place. He was faced with Israeli refusal to cooperate in any way with his investigation and prejudiced people on his panel. Although he criticised both sides, he became a wittingor unwitting pawn in the hands of those whose real goal is not the truth but the delegitimization of Israel. Goldstone was in some ways a victm of his own ego and hubris. He didn’t go into it to condemn Israel but to be seen as a great jurist of world reknown. Now, he has a legacy of helping enemies of zion and he is a zionist himself. He may have done evil but he is not an evil man.
How is Goldstone any different for any other traitor to the People of Israel and Israel itself? Halachically, he should be placed into Cherem and thus forbidden from entering a holy place like a shul.
If the family is so concerned, they could have had the ceremony in a hall, and there would have been no issues.
I would be most uncomfortable praying in a shul where and when the likes of Goldstone were to be in attendance,
Unless he expresses a clear and uneqivocal regret to Israel, ein lo chelek etc.