By COLlive reporter
Mrs. Goldie Kastel, a Shlucha of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe who dedicated her life to education, passed away on Shabbos afternoon, Kislev 20, 5771.
She was 92. Sunday, Kislev 21, was going to be her 93rd birthday.
A daughter of Rabbi Dovid Patashnick, a Chossid and shochet in Baltimore, Maryland, she returned to her hometown in recent years and was known as the ‘Bubbe’ of the Lubavitch community there.
After her marriage to Rabbi Yehoshua Tanchum Kastel, they moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he worked as a teacher in Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik‘s Maimonides school, with whom he has a close relationship.
When the Lubavitch Yeshiva of Boston closed due to financial difficulty, the 6th Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneershon gave them his blessings to reopen the school, which at its prime had over 300 Jewish pupils.
They instilled in their students the love for Torah and Mitzvos – many of them are now Shluchim. Notwithstanding the many hardships those days offered, they ran school for 25 years and never turned away a student whose parents could not pay tuition. (The school is now headed by Rabbi Chaim Ciment).
When she turned 90, Mrs. Kastel credited her longevity to two things: her 120 grand and great-grandchildren and the fact “that we always made sure the teachers were paid on time – even if it meant that we were not,” she said referring to the school in Boston.
The Kastel family later moved to Philadelphia where Rabbi Kastel taught in the Lubavitch-run Beth Jacob school, and Mrs. Kastel worked in the Lubavitcher Center of Rabbi Avraham Shemtov. In 1990 they moved to Baltimore, where her husband passed away in 1991.
She is survived by her children Rabbi Kasriel Kastel, director of activities at Lubavitch Youth Organization in Crown Heights; Mrs. Belkie Bloomberg of Baltimore; Mrs. Rivky Geisinsky of Crown Heights; Mrs. Tzippy Lisbon of Baltimore; and Rabbi Mordechai Kastel, a Shliach in Rechovot, Israel; grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Levaya and Shiva info
The funeral will be held Sunday, November 28, 12 noon, at Shomrei Hadas chapel in Boro Park and passing by Lubavitch Headquarters 770 at 1:30pm on its way to the Old Montefiore cemetery in Queens.
The family will be sitting Shiva in Baltimore at the Lisbon home – 3803 Menlo Drive, Baltimore, MD 21215.
They can be reached by phone 410-542-0942 or email [email protected]
Rabbi Kasriel Kastel and Mrs. Rivki Geisinsky will be sitting in NY at the Geisinsky home, 514 crown St. Thursday evening from 7 PM and Friday.
Baruch Dayan Haemes.
I attended the school starting about 1958; Not from a frum
home, albeit traditional.
Fast forward 60 years…..Boruch Hashem!
Now a great-grandmother, kein ayin hora, with frum children
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
All from the varemkeit I received from you!
Yaher Koach
from a New York Babi
Rebbetzin Kastel was a wonderful example of a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. I will always remember her tender voice and loveng care of all the students that went to school at Boston Lubavitz Yeshiva in the late 40’s thru the 70’s. Henry P. Greenspan
Hamkom yenachem eschem besoich shar aveli tzion vyerushaloim And the schus of all your great work done by everybody in the family should bring simcha and nachas to your dear mother vakitzu vrannu shoicni ofor vhe besoichom
Tanta Goldie, I will miss your lichtige-keit. You were so warm and caring, and so SHARP, remembering different details of stories I had shared about family members and asking after them and their families. You made it easy to stay connected to you and your family, and I am so blessed and privilged to have gotten to know you and to be able to have spent time with you. Your life story is an inspiration to me, and I will cherish that always, along with your recipe for borscht.
to the entire family
may you know of only simchos from now on
Even though I was not her grand child I still considered her as my Bubby. She added spunk and energy to us who were around her. She will definitely be missed by all who knew her.
One of the most salient middos of Mrs. Kastel A”H, and to us the most memorable, was her simchadikeh attitude towards life. She experienced both good times and difficult ones, but one never met her looking beaten or hopeless. Mrs. Kastel exuded the kind of optimism we would love to be able to emulate. she is ,no doubt, now reminding Der Aibershter that it’s high time to give His children cause for the ultimate simcha. Vi’hee ratzone that her optimistic insistence contributes to fulfillment of the bakashah. The Mechutanim.
a great loss
Mrs. Goldie and Rabbi Yehoshua Tanchum Kastel made so many many people frum, who now lead torah lives and many whom are Shluchim. Please share your stories with the family so their legacy can live on.
Bubby you insired all of us grand children and BH many great grandchildren! So many of us on shlichus because of your love and dedication to the Rebbe.
We miss you already…
Hashem why do you have to do this to us?
I’ll miss you bubby
May she be a melitz yosher for all that knew her.