“For the past 10 years, Chabad has provided a different and more traditional opportunity to make that connection and it speaks to me on a spiritual level,” Goldstone continued. “So I believe that Chabad's presence is good for our community and I am proud to support them.”
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A Jewish Astronaut to Touch Down in Santa Fe
Santa Fe, NM — “My support for the Chabad Jewish Center, comes from my desire to help Jews in Santa Fe connect with their culture and heritage,” Larry Goldstone, president of Thornburg Mortgages, said recently.
“For the past 10 years, Chabad has provided a different and more traditional opportunity to make that connection and it speaks to me on a spiritual level,” Goldstone continued. “So I believe that Chabad’s presence is good for our community and I am proud to support them.”
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That appreciation runs both ways. On Sunday, the Chassidic center will honor Goldstone with its Founder’s Award at a kosher banquet celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Santa Fe center. Other honorees include Lee and Susan Berk, who will be given the Community Impact Award, and Richard Lieberman, with the Friendship Award.
The keynote speaker at the gala banquet will be Jeffrey A. Hoffman, talking about “The Adventure of a Jewish Astronaut.”
A Jewish astronaut
Hoffman has logged more than 1,211 hours and 21.5 million miles in space. He was the first astronaut in NASA’s history to carry a Torah, or sacred Scripture, into outer space. He also spun a dreidel and celebrated Chanukah while orbiting the earth.
Hoffman was born Nov. 2, 1944, in Brooklyn, N.Y., but considers Scarsdale, N.Y., his hometown. He graduated from Scarsdale High School in 1962; received a bachelor of arts degree (summa cum laude) in astronomy from Amherst College in 1966, a doctor of philosophy in astrophysics from Harvard University in 1971, and a master’s degree in materials science from Rice University in 1988.
Hoffman completed five space flights aboard the Space Shuttle. His fourth mission was as an EVA (extra-vehicular activity) crew member on the Shuttle Endeavor. During this flight, the Hubble Space Telescope was captured, serviced and restored to full capacity through a record five space walks by Hoffman and his crew. “I think I may have contributed more to astronomy by fixing the Hubble than by being an astronomer,” Hoffman has said.
Hoffman recently joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a professor and senior lecturer in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He is interested in the future of human space flight and in the use of the International Space Station as a test bed for future aerospace technology.
Hoffman is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics, the International Astronomical Union, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the American Astronomical Society, the Spanish Academy of Engineering, Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. Away from MIT, he enjoys skiing, sailing, hiking, bicycling, skating and music. He is married and has two sons.
Other honorees
Goldstone will be presented the Founder’s Award for “his continuous, unwavering financial support and backing to Chabad” for the past 10 years. Goldstone is the founder and CEO of Thornburg Mortgage, a global business headquartered in Santa Fe.
The Berks will receive the Community Impact Award. Lee Berk is president of Berklee College of Music in Brookline, Mass. Two years ago, the couple moved to Santa Fe. They have gotten involved with many nonprofit organizations and created the Santa Fe Friends of Jazz. Lee Berk is chairman of Chabad’s building committee and of the 10th-anniversary celebrations. He and his wife sponsored a talk on Andy Warhol’s work and a concert by world-renowned pianist Kirill Gerstein as part of the celebration.
Richard Lieberman, M.D., is being given the Friendship Award, in recognition of the physician’s work in the community at large, and his friendship and support for Chabad Jewish Center of Santa Fe. He and his wife, Carol, are sponsoring Hoffman’s appearance and talk at the banquet.
A final 10th-anniversary event is planned for May 20, when the first Torah commissioned by the Santa Fe Jewish community, currently being written in Israel, is dedicated. The Torah is sponsored by Diane and Anthony Medina of Santa Fe.
Worth celebrating
Rabbi Beryl Levertov said he and his wife, Devorah Leah, the co-directors of the Chabad Center, had some misgivings about the mission when they arrived in Santa Fe from Brooklyn 10 years ago.
“Ten years later, I am happy to say that we are both glad that we made the move,” he said. “The Santa Fe community has been so welcoming and warm towards Chabad, and I am moved by this expression of love and welcoming.”
A 10th anniversary is a special one, he added. “In Judaism, the number 10 has a very special significance. In the Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism speaks of the Ten Divine Emanations, or sefirot. And we need 10 Jews for a minyan (quorum for prayer) and more, so celebrating this milestone together is very meaningful in Judaism,” Levertov said.
Worldwide movement
In its 10 years, the Chabad Center has established a Hebrew school and study and social groups for Jews interested in learning more about their religious and cultural heritage. Its community presence is most often seen during Chanukah, when community Menorahs are erected on the Plaza and at other sites in town, and community events like Chanukah on Ice are held.
“I am often asked about Chabad in Santa Fe: ‘Why would you move to Santa Fe where there are no Chassidic Jews? There are no Kosher restaurants? Do you think you will be able to create a Chassidic community in Santa Fe?’ ” Levertov said. “Well, that is not our goal. Chabad has some 3,500 Jewish educational, religious, social and humanitarian centers around the world and it’s growing. Chabad provides soup kitchens in Israel, Argentina, the former Soviet Union, and other countries. Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl has rescued more than 2,500 children and youth from the nuclear disaster area of Chernobyl. Chabad’s Friendship Circle provides friendship and help for families of children with special needs.
”Chabad’s mission is to be there for every Jew, and to every human being, and provide for their needs both materially and spiritually,“ Levertov said. ”Because Chabad believes that every human being is endowed with a divine soul, which is waiting to be cultivated and ignited. Every person has a purpose for which they were created to bring holiness and G-dliness to this world, by performing selfless acts of goodness and kindness.
“The late leader of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, revolutionized Judaism post-Holocaust and inspired a generation of Jewish leaders who are on the forefront of Jewish education and humanitarian services around the globe,” Levertov said. “So that’s why we are here in Santa Fe even if there’s no Chassidic community— because Chabad is not only for Chassidim.”
