Who Is ChabadU Student Number 250,000?
Ten years ago, ChabadU rolled out its debut course, a series of classes called The Infinity of One. Since then, there have been 250,000 enrollments, some people just taking a single course that interests them and others taking course after course as they become better-educated Jews, empowered to tackle life’s challenges with the Torah’s timeless wisdom.
So, who clicked “Join” the 250,000th time? It turns out it’s a woman from Castro Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area, who, having come closer to her Jewish identity, now prefers to use her Jewish name, Goldie.
Goldie came to Chabad after a tragedy. She grew up in a traditional Jewish family in San Francisco. They kept a kosher home and attended synagogue on Shabbat. But most of the other attendees were senior citizens and the reasons for Jewish observance were never clear to her.
During her college years, she once approached a rabbi seeking religious guidance but felt even more alienated by the experience. “I had so many questions,” she said. “The rabbi told me to light candles every Shabbat and holiday and come back and see him in a year.” That didn’t help her at all.
So, she kept searching.
She met her husband, Donald, in 1991. They started married life attending Shabbat services but couldn’t seem to connect. They tried various congregations, but eventually gave up. After 33 years of marriage, Donald became very ill, and she realized that they had not yet made any burial arrangements.
“We were not members of a congregation and did not have a rabbi to turn to. My brother suggested I look in the phone book,” she recalls. There was only one rabbi listed in Castro Valley, and that’s Rabbi Shimon Gruzman, who, together with his wife, Chanie, directs the local Chabad center.
The rabbi took her call and promised to help. Never did she dream how far the Gruzmans would go. Since her brother was a Kohen, who may not enter most of a cemetery, she asked the rabbi if he would help her find a burial site that would allow him to be present for the ceremony. Rabbi Gruzman then drove her to the cemetery to have a look at the four possible burial sites until she found one she liked.
With that arranged, she was able to be fully present for the month before Donald passed away.
Rabbi Gruzman and Chani stayed in touch and were with her through every step of the grieving process, making regular visits to her home to make sure she was OK and inviting her over to their house. “I had never met a rabbi and rebbetzin with so much caring, guidance, and help,” she reflects.
During Chanie’s regular Wednesday night visits, the two women would discuss Jewish concepts. They learned about Tanya’s notion of two souls, the proper way to wash hands, and many other tenets of Jewish belief and practice.
“I never met a couple like them,” says Goldie. “They are just so kind and make everyone feel at home. There is a special aura about them that people sense and love them for.”
Guided by the rabbi, she signed up for Chabad.org’s Daily Dose of Wisdom, which has become a part of her daily routine and a constant source of inspiration.
Drawing a parallel from that morning’s Daily Dose, which features an image of a spiral staircase and the words “Life is a spiral staircase. You think you’re going in circles when really, you’re getting higher every day,” she says she’s growing in Judaism in ways she never even envisioned.
She also began to read regularly from A Time to Heal, the Chabad.org book that distills the Rebbe’s unique approach to death and mourning, which has helped her heal from her own loss.
She’s taken several courses already and she’s far from done!
Looking forward to taking even more ChabadU courses and increasing her Jewish observance as she goes along, she observes, “I thank G‑d for guiding me to where I am now—it’s really exciting and meaningful.”
To share your congratulations with Goldie or to tell us which ChabadU courses you’ve enjoyed and why, please drop a comment below.
