He looked older than the last time I’d seen him.
When I heard that Rabbi Goldberg (name changed) had been hospitalized I hurried over to see him. In the annals of theNew Jerseyrabbinate he was well known. In its heyday his shul inNewark’s Central Ward then known as the “Old Third Ward ” was one of the largest in the city. But by the time Rabbi Goldberg arrived in the late 1940s it was already in decline and by the time he left after the riots of 1967 there was no longer a minyan.
After the shul closed he moved toBergenCountywhere he did various jobs until his retirement. I met him years ago and we became friendly. Usually the conversation was dominated by the elderly rabbi. This time however he seemed subdued.
I asked him how he was feeling. As if I had touched a deep sore spot his face turned ashen. And he began to speak.
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