Rabbi and Mrs. Goldman Reconnect and Inspire During Visit to Israel

By COLlive reporter

The bustling central Israeli city of Ra’anana, home to former Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, is also home to the highest numbers of South African Jewish expats who have made Aliyah, living together in one community in Eretz Yisrael.

While many of them have left the African shores many years and even decades ago, their hometown Chabad Shluchim, have not forgotten about them and still make sure to visit, connect and uplift them where they are today.

One such visit was recently made by South African Shliach Rabbi Yossy Goldman, now Life Rabbi Emeritus of Johannesburg’s Sydenham Shul and president of the South African Rabbinical Association, and his wife Rochel Goldman.

Their visit was billed as a “visit back home” as they were Scholars-in-Residence at the Shivtei Yisrael Shul in Ra’anana. And what a nostalgia trip that was, meeting up with so many old congregants and friends from South Africa. The Shivtei Shul has four different Minyanim on Shabbos morning and Rabbi Goldman managed to speak to all of them. Mrs. Goldman addressed the women later that afternoon.

A last-minute surprise for Shabbos was the arrival of popular singer Choni G., son of the Goldmans, who served as Chazan throughout Shabbos in Ra’anana, much to the delight of the entire congregation.

The Shabbos in Ra’anana, however, was only the end of a successful speaking tour for English-speaking communities in Israel by Rabbi and Mrs. Goldman. It began a week and a half earlier with a powerful Keynote Address at the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem on Thursday night, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz.

Commemorating the 28th yartzeit of the Rebbe, the program included Alex Claire as emcee, music by Eli Marcus and a talk by the father of Eli Kay HY”D, who was killed in in a terror attack in Jerusalem. Rabbi Eliyahu and Chanie Canterman of Chabad of Talbiya-Mamilla were the organizers of this very high-quality program, as reported on COLlive.com.

On Friday, Rebbetzin Goldman led a lively Challah Bake for the ladies of the community, which was a big hit. She can now add Jerusalem to her long Challah Bake list. She has taught more women to bake Challah in South Africa than anyone else…

Then, for Shabbos Gimmel Tammuz, the Goldmans were the guest speakers in Ramat Beit Shemesh having been invited by Shliach Rabbi Chaim Farro. Many South Africans make their home in Beit Shemesh today, and they flocked to meet and hear the veteran rabbinic couple.

Rabbi Goldman delivered shiurim and sermons over Shabbos, as well as a Keynote Address at a Gala Melava Malka on Motzoei Shabbos Gimmel Tammuz, which was particularly well-attended.

Rebbetzin Goldman gave an afternoon talk for the ladies at Rebbetzin Farro’s home, which was scheduled for 45 minutes but went on for three hours. The ladies couldn’t get enough of her, one participant noted. And aside from the official enegagements, even a visit to the Mikvah on Friday afternoon was a chance to catch up with the famous rapper Nissim Black who was toiveling his new glassware. Black warmly recalled his visit to South Africa a few years ago.

During the week, Rabbi Goldman had interviews booked for a company producing a documentary on righteous gentiles who put themselves at risk to save Jews during the Holocaust. Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who saved Rabbi Goldman’s father’s life, was among them, and he was invited to tell the story. The recordings began at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, where there is a giant mural honoring those righteous diplomats.

In Jerusalem one meets the whole world. Some of the notables the Goldmans met was former Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer, whom they had become acquainted with in Cancun over Pesach. The influential leader of the Shas party, Aryeh Deri, was another. Rami Sherman, one of the heroic commandoes of the Entebbe hostage rescue who came to Sydenham Shul to share his dramatic story, came by to visit them in their hotel. And in the airport, they bumped into Natan Sharansky, whom they had met in Johannesburg some years back.

All in all, it was an inspiring trip and perhaps the first of many speaking tours of Israel for this popular couple.