Roedean School apologises for hurting the Jewish community and principal resigns

Roedean School has apologized for cancelling a tennis match with King David, acknowledging that it was deeply hurtful to the Jewish community.

The school’s principal, Phuti Mogale, has also resigned with immediate effect, the board’s school has said.

In a letter addressed to Rabbi Seeff, Roedean School board chairman Dale Quaker said religious discrimination should not come into school sports.

“We recognise the impact this situation has had on both our communities and are committed to reflecting on the internal circumstances that led to this outcome,” he said.

Roedean acknowledged that while there were communication challenges which compounded this incident, these were not the cause of the cancellation.

 “Roedean values the opportunity to engage constructively and learn from this experience and will continue to work with King David School,” he said.

Quaker added that Roedean unequivocally rejected antisemitism and all forms of discrimination or prejudice.

“Such attitudes have no place in our school or our values. This incident does not reflect Roedean’s ethos or intentions,” he said.

“We remain firmly committed to fostering an environment of respect, inclusion, and understanding for all members of our community.”

“Roedean is committed to combating any forms of racism, discrimination, and antisemitism.”

He said the schools are committed to working together in a mutually beneficial way, as they have done for decades.

“Roedean is committed to further addressing this matter and learning from it, and we look forward to building bridges between our communities and avoiding division,” he said.

“In the spirit that sport should unite rather than divide, we look forward to rescheduling the match for our girls.”

SAJBD statement on Roedean Apology

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) issued a statement following the apology, stating that religious discrimination has no place in South Africa.

Danny Mofsowitz, Gauteng Council Chair of the SAJBD, said they have accepted the apology from the Roedean School.

He explained that the South African Jewish Board of Deputies has worked closely with the South African Board of Jewish Education (SABJE) throughout this matter.

“Roedean has issued an apology for its refusal to participate in a tennis match against King David, a Jewish School,” he said.

“King David has welcomed and accepted this apology as a closure to this incident,” he added.

“We look forward to Roedean acting on its commitment to turn this unfortunate incident into a meaningful learning opportunity for the entire school community.”

Mofsowitz closed his statement, saying antisemitism has no place in the country.