Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, a beloved figure among Jewish leadership in North America and the spiritual leader over the past 33 years of the vibrant Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, made aliyah with his wife this week, through the assistance of Nefesh B’Nefesh. NBN works in close cooperation with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel and JNF-USA.

The Goldins arrived last Wednesdy and were welcomed by their Israeli children and their families. Rabbi Goldin said, “It’s not easy to leave when you’ve defined yourself by a certain position and a certain role for so long, but it’s time to go home.”

Recognizing that Zionism and the passion for it needs reinvigoration, Rabbi Goldin will be joining the staff of NBN, serving as senior scholar, working with rabbis and the diaspora Jewish communities to help restore some of that passion. The goal is to try to answer the question, “What does it mean to be a Zionist and still be in the diaspora, for now?”

“It is natural for the passion over generations to have dissipated. We remember the Six-Day War, the birth of the state of Israel and we assume our kids and the next generations are starting where we started. We need to be intentional here. What are we going to do to really think about the question of Israel and the question of being Zionists in the diaspora community? How does the existence of the state of Israel change our lives on a positive and practical level in our daily lives?” asked Rabbi Shmuel Goldin. He will spend his time at NBN working to answer these questions. For more info: www.nbn.org.il