“We need to build bridges through a deep sense of care and friendship,” she says, speaking about her vision for the future. “It has to come from a deep, internal place, not a superficial kindness. We all have strengths and faults. We’re all mommies and we all want the best for our families. When we recognize that, we’ll be on our way to becoming humble people – and humility is the key to bonding and friendship.”
Part of the Goldstein’s vision for the future is ensuring that the Shabbos project becomes an annual event. “People now feel that Shabbos is accessible,” says Rebbetzin Goldstein. “They’re open to keeping Shabbos again because they know how to. In our digital world, we’re able to reach out to people that we hadn’t even thought of. I’m grateful to Hashem for putting me in this role and giving us these beautiful successes.”
Perhaps the biggest success of all is raising children who are ready and eager to carry forward the light of Yiddishkeit. As one of Rebbetzin Goldstein’s boys remarked, “I’ve learned that being a good leader means doing the right thing which may or may not always be the popular thing.”
A Unique Community
The South African community is, in many respects, unique. Firstly, since almost the entire community is descended from Lithuanian immigrants who came at the end of the 19th or early 20th century, the community is remarkably homogenous. Secondly, the community has what the Rebbetzin describes as “an unconditional and deep respect for the Torah and rabbis.” Although the diversity of experience is wide, ninety percent of South African Jews identify with Orthodoxy. “Even if a South African Jew doesn’t keep the mitzvos, he feels that a rabbi is special. The distinctions that separate Jews are very blurred here,” Rebbetzin Goldstein explains.