The Jewish community mourns the loss of Rabbi Shalom Gold ZT”L, the esteemed founder and spiritual leader of Kehillat Zichron Yosef in Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood. Rabbi Gold, aged 88, passed away on Shabbos, surrounded by his family.
Rabbi Shalom Gold was born and raised in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. He received his early education at Yeshiva Torah Vodaath and continued his studies at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel in Baltimore and the Ponevezh Yeshiva and Chevron Yeshiva in Israel. He attained rabbinic ordination from Chief Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog and HaRav Yaacov Yitzchak Ruderman, the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel.
With a deep passion for teaching, Rabbi Gold earned a doctorate in Talmudic Letters from Ner Yisroel. In 1959, he established the Ner Yisroel Yeshiva College in Toronto and built Congregation Bnei Torah of Willowdale, Ontario. In 1971, Rabbi Gold assumed the spiritual leader role at the Young Israel of West Hempstead growing community. Notably, he pioneered creating one of the first Eruvin (ritual enclosures) in North America, setting a standard for communities worldwide.
In 1982, Rabbi Gold and his family made Aliyah to Israel, where he dedicated himself to safeguarding the kedusha of the Land and organizing Rabbis to oppose the Oslo Accords. Additionally, he founded and served as the dean of the Avrom Silver Jerusalem College for Adults, which later became the educational branch of the Israel Center. Throughout his life, Rabbi Gold passionately advocated for Religious Zionism and encouraged Aliyah from North America.
Yehi Zichro Baruch.
Baruch Dayan HaEmet.
Very sad to hear of the passing of Rav Shalom Gold tonight: pic.twitter.com/rAAfzUZEnc— Ari Waxman (@ariwaxman) July 8, 2023
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He was also a teacher in TAG high school