Rabbi's Blog

Dear OZ family,

Today, the 8th of Elul, is the Yahrzeit of Rivka Goli, who is remembered by her friends as a profoundly proud Jew and a prolific ba’alas chesed.

Rivka lived a full and extraordinary life. She was born in the Western African nation, Ivory Coast, and embraced the religion of her choice with vigorous fervor. She spoke many languages and traveled the world as a peacekeeper for the United Nations. In this capacity she became a fierce defender of Israel throughout the world. Nobody realized she was Jewish and she was able to call out the incredible hypocrisy of UN policies when it came to anything concerning the Jewish State. 
She is remembered by her many friends and she had the great zechus of being buried on Har Menuchos where a memorial service is being held for her today.

The 8th of Elul is also the day the Lutsker ghetto was liquidated in 1942. It was the last day my father ever saw his mother and his siblings. His father survived with him and was killed before his eyes a month later on the day after Yom Kippur. All this happened to him as a teenager, while everyone in a 100 mile radius was hunting him down like a rabid animal. He spent 2 years in hiding and was never caught.  He learned 40 years later that his married sister, Maya’s husband also survived and after living in Russia all those years our only relative from my father’s side, Uncle Kessil came to the US where he was reunited with his family. We always kept the 8th of Elul as the family Yahrzeit. My father lived to see descendants named after both parents and every sibling, and he lived to see his granddaughter’s granddaughter. 

It is astonishing how my father never expressed any grievance of his lot, and never complained about life. He worked hard and faithfully taught his descendants to love Hashem, love His creations and pursue kindness and chesed. 

May we all be moved by the shofar of Elul to higher heights of goodness and Yiras Shamayim.

Be well. Be healthy. Be excellent.
Rabbi Allen Schwartz