ALUMNI PROFILES Joe Goldman ’01 Making his Community a Better Place

by Danny Kramer, Director of Institutional Advancement

When I invited Joe Goldman to visit his former elementary school, I was hoping he would be impressed by all the changes that Village has undergone over the last 20+ years. I was excited to show him our renovated classrooms, the new (to Joe) campus on La Cruz with a gym and a performing arts room and our beautiful art studio. Upon his arrival, I became quickly aware that Joe was the one who was about to take me on a journey. We took a stroll down memory lane, but Joe also opened my eyes to a perspective on our LA community that I didn’t previously consider.

If you visit the HIAS (formerly known as the “Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society”) website (hias.org), you will read that Joe “works as the Community Engagement Director for the Western Region at HIAS, the world’s oldest— and only Jewish—international humanitarian agency serving refugees and asylum seekers of all backgrounds. He mobilizes activists, organizations, and lawmakers across California to ensure that displaced people are treated with the dignity they deserve. Before joining HIAS, Joe worked at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council, and began his career working on several political campaigns and progressive advocacy efforts. A Point Scholar for his undergraduate studies from August 2007–May 2011, Joe holds both a BA in Political Communication and Master’s of Political Management from The George Washington University in Washington, DC and lives in his native Los Angeles with his husband, Adam.”

Village Memories

Long before Joe started his incredible career and landed at HIAS, he was known around Village School as Joey. Contrary to his focus on politics and history as he aged, Joey loved science and math and fondly remembers the

“subterranean theater” that used to exist in the Swarthmore garage. He also told stories of snorkeling while on his class trip to Catalina Island and being surrounded by “hundreds” of leopard sharks. Maybe even more importantly, he recalled that his childhood spent at Village has stayed with him. Joe remarked: “I was a very sensitive kid and Village allowed me to thrive in a very safe and supportive place. It is wonderful that I had this experience; I’m so grateful for Village and I wish every kid could have what I had because they deserve it. To be able to take what this place gave me and put it into the career that I have today is a privilege. How dare I not do something that doesn’t involve giving back?”

The little boy named Joey who used to roam the halls of Village School now passionately speaks about his career and how he helps people help others. Joe enthusiastically told me about the important work that he does, while current Village students played on the field right outside my window.

We are so very proud of all that Joe has accomplished and all that he will do to make our community and world a better place. Plans are being made for Joe to return to school to work with our students, and we are thrilled to have him back in Los Angeles and making Village School a continuing part of his journey.

Through the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Joe mobilizes activists, organizations, and lawmakers across California to ensure that displaced people are treated with the dignity they deserve.