«Jewish Observer»
JEWISH UKRAINE
20/39
October 2002
5763 Cheshvan

IN MEMORY OF VLADIMIR GOLDMAN
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October 9 became the last day in Vladimir Goldman's life. He was 69... Goldman was one of the active participants of reviving Jewish life in Odessa, organizer of a charitable center "Gmilus khesed" he headed since 1993 till the recent times when he asked for resignation due to a grave disease.

Vladimir Mironovich possessed such wonderful qualities as kindness, decency, concern about others, he sympathized with the sick and unfortunate. He divided people, chiefly, in two categories - decent and indecent. "A man may be unaware of something, inexperienced in something, may make mistakes, - he used to say. - But if he is decent he may learn everything, he will always find help in this kind aspiration. And, on the contrary, even big knowledge and professionalism are brought to naught by indecency". He told that his father, who had died aged 102, had taught him the whole life, "If you can do something good to somebody, try to do it". Vladimir Goldman followed his father's behest until the end of his life. He was genuinely happy having managed to help somebody. And he got much upset when seriously sick people were already beyond help. It looks he knew everything about his incurable disease, too...

Hundreds of people come to pay the last tribute to Vladimir Goldman. Volunteers and personnel of "Gmilus khesed", clients of the charitable center, representatives of Jewish organizations from Odessa, Kiev, Kherson, Nikolaev. His friends, colleagues, comrades-in-arms and those the khesed renders help to spoke about his cordial generosity and smiling affability, about the entire Jewish community being his family. His successor and pupil Leonod Fikhtman underlined the role of Vladimir Mironovich in developing a khesed movement in Ukraine and expressed hope the best monument to Goldman would be continuation of the noble and necessary cause he started. Chief Rabbi of south of Ukraine Abraham Wolf said he intends to submit, for consideration of the "Gmilus Khesed" board, a proposal to name the center after Vladimir Goldman.

He was much concerned about "Gmilus Khesed's" rendering not only material, but spiritual support to people, as well, returning them to Jewishness. That's why Sabbaths, talks about Torah, Jewish rites became traditional here. In his last years he often addressed himself to Torah, read and re-read it, derived knowledge, wisdom and strength from it...

Vladimir Goldman, after his last will, was buried after the Jewish tradition in the third Jewish cemetery in Slobodka.

After the newspaper "Shomrei Shabos"
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