Paris, March 26, 2026 — It is with unspeakable pain and an incomprehension that shakes our very foundations that the Chief Rabbinate of Africa has learned of the United Nations General Assembly’s vote regarding Resolution A/80/L.48.

While 123 nations chose the light of truth by recognizing the enslavement of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade as "the gravest crime against humanity," the State of Israel joined a triumvirate of refusal, standing in direct opposition to this historic recognition.

A Legacy of Blood and Memory

As the Chief Rabbi of Africa, heir to a land that still bears the scars of the transatlantic trade, I salute the prophetic courage of Ghana, President John Mahama, and Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. This vote was not a vain competition of memories, but an elementary act of justice for the 15 million souls torn from their dignity, their land, and their lives.  For years, our Rabbinate has worked tirelessly to restore a truth that time sought to erase: the natural, legitimate, and historical place of Black people within the Israelite spiritual family. We teach that African identity and Israelite spirituality are bound by a covenant of resilience in the face of oppression. This negative vote strikes at the very heart of the brotherhood we are building through faith.

The Violation of the "Zakhor" Imperative

How can the State that claims to carry the banner of the People of the Book—a people who have made "Zakhor" (Remember) a divine and immutable commandment—now deny the singularity of the crime of slavery? How can those who have known extermination refuse to recognize the ordeal of their African brothers, whether Israelite or not?

This refusal of memorial solidarity is an open wound for all the sons and daughters of Israel on the African continent and in the territories of their exile. It is a moral contradiction that offends the universal conscience and betrays the very spirit of our Prophets and our Sages.

A Solemn Appeal and a Demand for Truth

The Chief Rabbinate of Africa calls upon the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, as well as the highest religious authorities in Jerusalem, with the gravity that this hour demands.

We demand an official, clear, and public explanation regarding the motivations behind this "No" vote—a position even more radical than that of the former colonial powers, who chose to abstain.

We call upon diplomats to explain how this decision can be reconciled with "Tzedek" (Justice), the unshakeable pillar of the Torah.

Reparatory justice is a matter of human dignity and spiritual truth. We cannot, and we will not, accept that the agony of our ancestors be minimized by those we call our brothers.

Silence and indifference are no longer options. The truth must be spoken, and justice must be served.

The Chief Rabbinate of Africa