Rabbi Goldman

Rabbi Yossy Goldman has been the Senior Minister of our congregation since September, 1986. He recently achieved the milestone of becoming our longest-serving rabbi since the Shul was established in 1943.

Since coming to Sydenham, he has devised a range of educational programmes and activities which have captured the enthusiastic interest of his community. A popular public speaker with an endearing sense of humour, he is guiding hundreds of families on their spiritual expedition through living Judaism.

Rabbi Goldman's synagogue sermons are considered among the finest in the Jewish world. Many have been published online with the international website chabad.org and are today being translated into Hebrew, Spanish and even German. He is in great demand as a public speaker and has delivered many important addresses in South Africa, the USA, Europe and Australia. He lectures extensively on a wide range of subjects, including Kabbalah, the study of Jewish Mysticism.

He is President of the SA Rabbinical Association, having served as its most successful Chairman for 12 years.

He is a member of the Board of The Torah Academy.

Rabbi Goldman has served as a member of the Religious Broadcasting Panel of the SABC and often represents the Jewish faith on radio and television.

New York born, Rabbi Goldman has been in South Africa since 1976. He originally came to South Africa at the behest of the revered Lubavitcher Rebbe obm to serve as Founding Director of this country's very first Chabad House back in Yeoville. During his ten years there, he initiated many successful services which have become institutions in Johannesburg's Jewish communal life. These include Gan Yisrael Day Camp, Festival of Lights with the Giant Menorah, Lag BOmer Parades and more. He founded and presented The Jewish Sound radio programme every week for 24 years. In 1983, he helped found the Torah Academy Shul and served as its first rabbi.

He obtained Semicha (Rabbinic Ordination) in Montreal, Canada in 1973 from the Rabbinical College of Canada. Among the signatories was the late Chief Rabbi and Head of the Montreal Beth Din, HaRav HaGaon Rav Pinchas Hirschprung obm. He was also Rosh Machaneh of Camp Gan Israel of Canada in 1972.

Rabbi and Rochel (nee Kazen from Cleveland, Ohio) were married in June 1973 and are the proud parents of 11 children and, Baruch Hashem, a growing number of grandchildren.

Rabbi and Rochel are particularly proud that their children are serving Jewish communities in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Philadelphia.