Forty years after the tragic death of Avrohom Eliezer Goldman, his friends and family have sponsored the release of a brand-new, preserved and restored Farbrengen. Yud Beis Tammuz 5737, held just two weeks after his passing, is now available for the very first time.
“Avremi was always ahead of his time,” relates Rabbi Shmuel Naparstek, a childhood friend. “Even from a young age, we saw that he was a leader, a visionary. In every situation, he would find ways to help others.”
When the Rebbe proclaimed that all bochurim should begin putting on Rabbeinu Tam’s Tefillin, Avremi opened a fund to help needy bochurim acquire their own pair. Avremi took it upon himself to organize maamad from bochurim in his Yeshiva, and with every new Mivtzah that the Rebbe initiated, it was Avremi at the forefront of the activities. Whether it was learning, davening, or Mivtzoim, Avremi was always there, full of contagious energy.
“One Friday while on Mivtzoim,” Rabbi Naparstek recalls, “Avremi and I met an individual who shared with us that his wife had given birth to a baby girl. Avremi, never one to miss an opportunity,encouraged the fellow to give his new daughter a Jewish name.
“The following Sunday night, Avremi and I walked from the Oholei Torah building on Troy Avenue to a nearby phone-booth, at which Avremi planned to call this individual to find out which name he had chosen; we would conduct the baby-naming ceremony the next morning at the Rebbe’s minyan.”
Those were the days when the Crown Heights community had undergone a drastic change. With thousands of families relocating to other neighborhoods, the Rebbe remained steadfast in his opinion that Jews must never abandon their community and give in to fear.
Just a few seconds after Avremi entered the booth, three hooligans approached. Shmuly, standing outside, was able to back off into the street. But Avremi had been cornered in the booth; the thugs stabbed him and quickly made their escape.
In terrible pain, Avremi ran back towards the Yeshivah building. Bochurim ran to call for help, but it was too late; he passed away surrounded by his horrified friends. The date was Zach (27) Sivan.
“That night was a Yechidus night,” says Rabbi Naparstek. “As soon as we grasped what had happened, we contacted 770, and Rabbi Groner notified the Rebbe about the attack.
“The next morning, I benched Gomel in the Rebbe’s Minyan with a heavy heart. The Rebbe looked very tzubrochen, but in his eyes I saw resolve and encouragement.”
The heartrending funeral was attended by thousands of people, together with the Rebbe himself. The event was widely reported in the media.
“When preparing matzeivos,” Rabbi Yehoshua Binyomin Goldman relates, “the custom was to send a draft of the text to the Rebbe for his approval.
“When my brother’s matzeiva was prepared, the Rebbe changed one word. We had written ‘Avraham Eliezer ben Moshe Pesach sheyichye.’ The Rebbe crossed out ‘sheyichye’ and replaced it with ‘shlita’.
“I also remember that during a Farbrengen following the shiva, the Rebbe told my father to say l’chaim.”
New Farbrengen in his Memory
“My brother is remembered for many things,” says Rabbi Goldman, “but he especially excelled at summer-camp. The previous year, he had been a counselor at Oholei Torah’s day-camp, where he loved his campers dearly and his campers had reciprocated. At the time of the incident, he was eagerly awaiting the start of the upcoming summer.
“How appropriate it is, therefore, that he will be memorialized with the Farbrengen held just two weeks later, at which the central theme was Jewish education and a special emphasis on summer camps.”
The new JEM release is a four and a half hour black and white film, fully restored and remastered for the very first time. Along with material prepared by the Vaad Hatmimim, it will be watched and studied by Bochurim in Yeshivos and camps throughout the world.
One individual involved in this initiative of Avremi’s family and friends was Rabbi Yitzchok Raskin of Vermont, one of Avremi’s close friends. “The zchus of the Rebbe’s Farbrengen, especially being viewed and koched in by bochurim all over the world, is surely an excellent way to honor the memory of such a dear and beloved friend.”
Buy the new Fabrengen at jemstore.com or just click here.
Thank you Leah lipsker for starting the camp fund in memory of Avreimi you were asked the Rebbe what to do and these were the Rebbes directives it is fourth years that you are doing this project I am sure his family really appreciates this I member how you Started it immediately and how the Rebbes sent you out dollars before the era of dollars keep up your wonderful and important mission
Abraham Novitsky’s daughter Malkie was boarding at the Goldmans at the time while attending Bais Rivkah, perhaps explaining why he was in the photograph.
Rabbi Abraham Abraham, the Coney Island-based leader of a winter swim group who was also known for stunts like living in an ice house, died on May 18 of bone cancer in Manhattan. He was 77. Abraham, born on June 17, 1933 as Abraham Navitsky, was a Herculean figure who channelled the honky-tonk spirit of Coney Island through his zany feats and religious stage name. Abraham wasn’t a practicing rabbi with a congregation, but most say that his persona was more than appropriate. “He was a self-styled rabbi,” said his son, Mayer Navitsky. “He was charismatic, majestic and would call… Read more »
Rabbi Novitzky in the picture walking next to the Rebbe. His son Mayer went to Ocean Parkway
The Rebbe – as his usual custom – didn’t cross out words. He would circle them, and draw a line that it should be taken out.
The Rebbe did the same thing here with the matzeva. He didn’t cross out “sheyichye”; he drew a line that it should be replaced.