Rabbi of the Altneu NYC. A mix of Moscow, Bnei Brak and Upper East Side. Serving Manhattan’s Jewish community.
New York City
Joined May 2015
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Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
We got an early taste of New York Magazine's new direction in the days after 10/7.
In September 2023, we got a call: my husband @BenZevG would be featured in @NYMag's list of the most powerful New Yorkers. A (lovely) reporter interviewed multiple people about our synagogue. Mark Peterson came to take pictures of services right after Yom Kippur. The piece was filed.
Then came 10/7. That Friday, we got another call. He'd been cut. "Editors got spooked," we were told.
This was a little story about a shul drawing young Jews back to faith. It had nothing to do with the Middle East. Overnight, New York Jews like us -- Orthodox, deeply connected to our ancestral homeland -- had become untouchable. It was chilling. I sensed, in that moment, that this would be the beginning of Jews being pushed out of cultural institutions, and eventually, erased.
So if you ever wondered why that list had 49 names instead of 50, now you know. They cut the rabbi.
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
See Ecclesiastes (3:8):
“There is a time to love and there is a time to hate. The is a time for war and there is a time for peace. There is a season and time for everything under the sun…”
War does not solve problems; on the contrary, it amplifies them and inflicts deep wounds on the history of peoples, which take generations to heal. No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, or stolen futures. May diplomacy silence the weapons! May nations chart their futures with works of peace, not with violence and bloodstained conflicts!
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
This puts Jewish lives in danger.
This puts Jewish lives in danger.
This puts Jewish lives in danger.
This puts Jewish lives in danger.
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
In this week’s Haftara, in Kings II (ch. 6-7,) four lepers, outcasts of society, discover the abandoned Assyrian camp and share the spoils, saving Samaria from famine. This shows, how God often uses the marginalized in society to bring deliverance and hope. Shabbat Shalom.
The greatest miracle of Purim was that the Jews were finally given permission to defend themselves. For once, they were granted a brief moment to fight back. And for thousands of years, we have remembered that, precisely because of its rarity in Jewish history.
Dear President @Isaac_Herzog thank you so much for honoring us with your encouraging words at our Synagogue dedication.
״מַה טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל״
בטקס מרגש קבענו מזוזה וחנכנו את בית הכנסת ״The Altneu״ בניו יורק, יחד עם שליח הנשיא טראמפ למזרח התיכון @SteveWitkoff, מנהיגים ואנשי הקהילה היהודית במנהטן.
הבשורה על הקדמת שחרור חטופים מעוררת בכולנו תקווה, וכך גם ההחלטה על הארכת הפסקת האש בגבולנו עם לבנון. יחד עם הקהל הרב נשאנו תפילה לשלום המדינה, לביטחונם של חיילי צה"ל וכוחות הביטחון ולשחרורם של כל החטופות והחטופים מהשבי בעזה.
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
Recent polls show that synagogue attendance is dwindling for the majority of Jewish young adults. Yet at Altneu in NYC, people under 36 are the largest and fastest-growing demographic.
I spoke w young members to learn why so many are flocking to Altneu.
ejewishphilanthropy.com/the-…
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
Addressing antisemitism should be priority for Europe before recognizing Palestinian state, leading rabbi says trib.al/Wpbik2K
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
What Happens When There Aren’t Enough Jews to Lynch?
Read @avitalrachel in @TheFP:
thefp.com/p/dagestan-airport…
Laura you are a great shul person!
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
The incredible, bone-chilling speech by Dr. @mijalbitton during today's "Never Again Is Now" rally outside @nyuniversity 🇮🇱עם ישראל חי🇮🇱 – at New York, NY
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
I interviewed a range of American Jews for @aarp Here are some of their voices. aarp.org/politics-society/hi… @BenZevG @rabbisandra @KathyManningNC @HolocaustMuseum
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
The Jewish world, especially the Russian speaking community, mourns the passing of the father of the Jewish Renaissance in Russia, Mr Albert Reichmann. He was the person who was instrumental in installing me as the Chief Rabbi of Moscow in 1990. תנצב״ה
Thousands of Jews from the FSU, myself included, owe this giant of a man gratitude for their Jewish education & much more.
Just as relevant today as it was 2 years ago.
Heading to vote this afternoon, I thought of the story of the Chazon Ish on the “mitzvah” of voting. Hopes it gives clarity to undecided and disillusioned voters. #Vote2020
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
An honor to meet privately with Pope Francis @Pontifex in the Vatican this week. We discussed the war in Ukraine, as well as attacks on Jewish religious freedoms in Europe today.
More about our conversation here: repubblica.it/esteri/2022/10…
Benjamin Goldschmidt retweeted
Meeting at the @ItalyMFA_int with the President of the Conference of European Rabbis, @PinchasRabbi and his delegation. We discussed the protection of human rights and freedom of religion. We share a common vision based on Europe’s Judeo-Christian roots.
