Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg – CNN Hero, and Mine

In a large mosque in Detroit hangs a plaque honoring Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg. That will give you just an inkling of the Kiddush Hashem that Rabbi G (as he is affectionately called) has created for decades in cities, hospitals, universities, and corporate installations throughout the US and abroad. He has now made the final cut in the annual CNN Heroes competition. Making it to the top ten contenders will itself bolster the image of the frum Jew as people read his amazing accomplishments while viewing his bearded visage crowned with a large black yarmulke.

Like Avraham Avinu whom the Torah describes as “vayakam…me’al pnei meiso,” R Goldberg took the loss of his infant Soro Basya to leukemia as a signal to move on to even greater accomplishment. Coupling his background in the martial arts with his huge reservoir of compassion and empathy, R Goldberg developed a program that teaches children to manage their pain, while giving them a sense of meaning and purpose as they then teach these techniques to others – including corporate executives. He has been featured in dozens of stories on network television and magazines like People. (The most recent coverage was in The Forward, where you can get more details.) He has managed to build up his chesed project while also serving as the camp rabbi at Camp Simcha for many years, rabbi emeritus of Young Israel of Southfield, Daf Yomi magid shiur, and clinical professor at a Detroit medical school.

With all the tarnishing of the image of the frum Jew in the last years, R Goldberg’s candidacy affords us a wonderful opportunity to burnish it in the eyes of millions. Which is why I intend, B”N, to vote for him twice a day (once by email; once by Facebook; this is both allowed and encouraged by the rules) at the official site. I encourage you to do the same – for the sake of all the kids that he will reach with the prize money, and for the purpose of providing a glimpse of the deracheha darchei noam that a Torah Jew can bring to our troubled world.