In what South African Jewish leaders increasingly see as a farce, Israel will not send any major leader to Nelson Mandela’s funeral.
It emerged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not be attending due to the cost of the journey, and President Shimon Peres has bowed out over concerns about his health.
Zev Krengel, the president of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, told Army Radio that the absence was a “missed opportunity”, adding: “It’s a sad day not just for Israel but for world Jewry.”
Rabbi Avrohom Vigler from Johannesburg’s Orange Grove Hebrew Congregation told Times of Israel that a visit by the prime minister would have “shown a willingness” on Israel’s part to “improve relations” with the country.
