By Jewish Press and COLlive
Rabbi Mordechai Goldstein, dean of the Diaspora Yeshiva on Mt. Zion, Jerusalem, passed away Thursday following a debilitating illness that had him confined to a wheelchair in recent years.
He was 85.
Rabbi Goldstein, an alumnus of the Chofetz Chaim Yeshiva in Queens, and a colleague of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, was an early activist of the Teshuva (return) movement, and for some 50 years his was among the primary yeshivas for returnees.
Rabbi Goldstein founded The Diaspora Yeshiva in 1965, in western Jerusalem, attracting young, largely secular followers from Israel and the US. Two years later, after the 1967 Six Day War, the yeshiva moved to the liberated Mt. Zion.
In 1975, with Rabbi Goldstein’s support, Avraham Rosenblum, yeshiva student and rock guitarist who had started his own band in New York in 1970, founded the Diaspora Yeshiva Band. The band became an outreach instrument, using Jewish music in its rock n’ roll metamorphosis to draw young secular Jews into the milieu of Torah study.
He later founded a girls school on Mt. Zion as well.
Rabbi Goldstein visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Crown Heights many times, receiving dollars for charity and blessings for the success of his Yeshiva.
Rabbi Goldstein created a Yishuv community in Gush Etzion, Israel called Metzad. On one of his visits to the Rebbe, the Rebbe told him to change the name. Today it is a thriving Yishuv with over 100 families.
He is survived by his wife Mazal, sons and sons-in law, many of whom are Rabbonim and mechanchim, daughters and daughters-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by his sisters Simcha Brocha (Sybil) Gitlin of Crown Heights, and Zisel (Cicely) German of Brewster, NY and his brothers, Rabbi Gedalia Goldstein of Ashkelon, Israel and Dr. Eli Goldstien, professor of Infectious Diseases, of Venice, California.
Mrs. Gitlin will be sitting Shiva in her home at 662 Lefferts Ave.
Monday she will be sitting with her sister Cicely German in Upstate NY.
She will be sitting at her home on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.
I had a long Journey with him and his wife, great example of Judaism love and care, very special man!
I had him over by me together with his rebbtzen both very special people.
תנצבה
Was featured in the Ami magazine this summer.
The pressure has been to confiscate the properties, not sell them and they have lost property to the church
It is my understanding that:
Rabbi Goldstein’s yeshiva owns and controls Kever Dovid on Har Tzion. Part of the building is a church. He has been under intense pressure (possibly by some in the Israeli government) to sell it to the Catholic Church, but has refused to sell.
Can anyone confirm or elaborate?
I remember his father a”h they used to live around the corner from me when they lived in Ny
Rabbi GOLDSTEIN was my rosh Yeshiva for 4 and a half years in Jerusalem
I am blessed to have a Jewish life and family.. to be a teacher and shulcha due to the teachings and guidance of Rabbi GOLDSTEIN
The name used to be Aspar, but it was changed to Metzad. Old maps have the old name. Question: Who knows the story of the Lubavitcher Rebbe telling Rabbi Goldstein to change the name? Rabbi Goldstein was my mesader Kiddushin twenty years ago on Rosh Chodesh Kislev in Metzad.
I believe the name was changed to Meitar
Such a big loss – Rabbi Goldstein was at the head of the T’shuva movement in Eretz Yisroel – a true partner with the Rebbe in his vision. Many of the young people he influenced are now the Bubbies and Zeides of beautiful frum doros – including in Chabad. To Mrs. Simcha Brocha Gitlin, our hearts are with you !
Sad to hear this news
What was the name of his yishuv changed to?
So Sad, he was a real holy Yid, who did so much kindness.