The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community
www.jewishlehighvalley.org
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Issue No. 414
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November 2018
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Cheshvan/Kislev 5779
AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977
The candidates for PA-7 weigh in on important issues p5
JCC celebrates 100 years. See photos p16-17
COM.UNITY p3 LVJF TRIBUTES p8 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p15 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p18-19 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p20 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p30-31
Jewish community mourns the loss of long-time Federation director Mark L. Goldstein served as leader of the Federation and the Lehigh Valley Jewish community for 16 years
By Stephanie Smartschan JFLV Director of Marketing Mark L. Goldstein, beloved husband, father and leader of the Lehigh Valley Jewish community, passed away on October 11, 2018, after living with cancer for an extended time. He was 60 years old. Mark served as the executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley for the past 16 years.
The son of a Holocaust survivor, Mark committed his entire professional career to Jewish communal service and his life to Jewish causes. At 6-foot-3, he acted as both a literal and figurative pillar in the Jewish community and was an inspiration to all who knew him. Many of those people have shared their memories of Mark for this article. “Mark really loved the Non-Profit Organization
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community and the members of the community,” said Bobby Hammel, past Federation president and long-time friend. “He worked hard for us. He inspired us, he motivated us and he was a great orator both in what he said and what he did.” “He was always kiddingly called the ‘king of the Jewish community,’” said close family friend Cantor Kevin Wartell. “He just was allencompassing. As a Jewish professional, his heart was as large as the universe. He was special as a professional, he was even more special as a friend, and I considered him my brother.” “Mark was a mentor and a very dear friend,” said Eva Levitt, current Federation president. “I will miss him greatly.” With his signature mustache and Starbucks cup in hand, Mark worked tirelessly to bring the Lehigh Valley
Jewish community together, to raise money, to strengthen programs and to build relationships. “He allowed me to be the lay leader while, at the same time, coaching and tutoring me in what it meant to be a community leader,” said Mark Scoblionko, immediate past president of the Federation. “The community has lost its true leader.” He was a committed member of Temple Beth El and a committed supporter of the Jewish Community Center, Jewish Day School, Jewish Family Service, Jewish summer camps and all local synagogues. His greatest passions included leading the community on missions to Israel and dressing up for Purim. His leadership has had a lasting impact on the past, present and future of the Jewish community. “One of the recurring themes in Jewish prayer is
that G-d is ‘ozer dalim,’ ‘helper of the weak,’” said Rabbi Moshe Re’em of Temple Beth El. “As human beings, we aspire to model ourselves after that Divine characteristic. Far too often many of us fall short. Mark Goldstein did not … Whether it was coming to the aid of those in need in Israel, Morocco, Ukraine, hurricane victims, or more locally, Mark was always someone you could rely on to help. He cared deeply.” “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark Goldstein’s family as our entire community mourns the loss of our beloved Mark,” Jewish Day School Head of School Amy Golding wrote in an email to parents and the community. “He was one of those individuals you would describe as being larger than Mark Goldstein Continues on page 12