Warren Goldstein

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Warren Goldstein is the present chief rabbi of South Africa. Rabbi Goldstein was born in Pretoria, and currently lives in Johannesburg. He is the first South African-born Jew to have become chief rabbi of South Africa and the youngest ever to be appointed to that post, at age 32, a move which had startled many people in South Africa.^[1]

Rabbi Goldstein began his career as the official rabbi of the South African branch of the Bnei Akiva youth movement.

1 Scholarship and views
2 Induction and service
3 Controversy
4 Publications
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Scholarship and views

In addition to his ordination from the Yeshiva Gedolah of Johannesburg, Rabbi Goldstein qualified as a lawyer and obtained a PhD:

His Ph.D. thesis compared Western and Jewish law and will be published later this year in a book entitled Defending the Human Spirit: Jewish Law's Vision for a Moral Society. Part of the reason for the book is his desire to show that Talmudic law was ahead of its time in terms of political rights, women's rights, criminal law and poverty alleviation. 'I see Western laws as coming round full circle to positions always held by Talmudic law.'

Proving there's no rest for the peace-loving, he completed a BA in law and philosophy through Unisa while completing the seven years of full-time study required to become a rabbi. He studied almost exclusively in Johannesburg with just a short period spent in Israel. Ordained in 1996, he completed his LLB the same year. While practising as a rabbi he completed his Ph.D. at Wits Law School.^[2]

[edit] Induction and service

At his official induction as chief rabbi of South Africa on April 3, 2005, Rabbi Goldstein and those in attendance were addressed by South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki:

We salute Rabbi Goldstein as a true South African patriot...Rabbi Goldstein champions the very values which government would like to instil in our society. Civil society, including religious leaders, has a crucial role to play in South Africa today. By their personal example, and through the wisdom of their teachings, religious leaders such as Chief Rabbi Goldstein, can imbue our country with values of honesty, compassion and self-discipline that are so vital in establishing a truly just and moral society.^[3]

Furthermore:

"Indeed, we are blessed to have a Chief Rabbi who is a formidable Torah scholar whose doctorate is in human rights and constitutional law, including that of our own Constitution."

Mbeki said religious leaders had a crucial role to play in instilling the values of honesty, compassion and self-discipline that were vital in establishing a just and moral society.^[4]

Rabbi Goldstein served as rabbi of the Ohr Somayach, South Africa Sunny Road Congregation in Johannesburg, an affiliate of Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem

[edit] Controversy

In 2005, Goldstein offered the following view about the film Trembling Before G-d, a film which deals with the plight of gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews: “This film is intellectually shallow and its one-sided caricature of Orthodox Judaism does not stimulate meaningful intellectual debate.” There have been further accounts of Goldstein refusing to meet with Rabbi Steven Greenberg, an openly gay rabbi who claims to be "Orthodox" who travelled to South Africa to promote the film.

[edit] Publications

African Soul Talk: When Politics Is Not Enough (with Dumani Mandela)
Defending the Human Spirit: Jewish Law's Vision for a Moral Society (Feldheim)