Richard & Rhoda Goldman: Visionaries who understand that young people are the key to Jewish continuity
Richard and Rhoda z”l Goldman
It’s hard to miss the striking life-sized portrait of Richard Goldman and his late wife, Rhoda that adorns the entrance to the offices of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. The couple, both native San Franciscans, worked diligently to strengthen their Jewish community in the Bay Area and Israel. Since Rhoda’s untimely death in 1996, Richard has maintained his commitment to philanthropy, continuing his support for causes in the Jewish and general communities. Their lifetime of giving is reflected in the double row of awards and plaques that lead from Richard’s office reception area to a set of windows overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. In speaking about the roots of their philanthropy, Richard said, “We visited some of the camps such as Auschwitz and Birkenau; we learned how horrible the Holocaust was. The Shoah shaped our commitment to strengthening the Jewish community, particularly in the Bay Area. We always asked ourselves what we could do to help make the community stronger and prouder. We always wanted to leave the world a little better than when we found it. For us, the Federation seemed like a natural place to use for our giving.”
Strengthening our Jewish community by engaging a new generation in Jewish life
Rhoda Goldman, z”l
Today, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund continues to help our Jewish community thrive. The Fund’s two-year Challenge Grant encouraged new gifts from donors under age 50 as well as contributions for next generation programming. Not only did the Federation’s Annual Campaign meet the Goldman Fund’s $750,000 match but exceeded it by $125,249, raising a total of $875,249. The Goldman family’s rich history of collaboration with the JCF has been an inspiration for a variety of innovative activities and programming that have attracted thousands of participants. Programs such as the Teen Foundations that empower adolescents to become strategic grantmakers to Get Fed’s ‘Plant the Dream Tu Bishvat’ event, where socially conscious Jews became symbols of environmental activism are just two examples of more than twenty new Federation programs and fifty different events that are successfully connecting Jewish youth to one another and their community.
Tu Bishvat event
The world is better thanks to Richard and Rhoda. Their heritage of generosity paired with their foresight helps ensure our future by developing young Jewish leaders for the road ahead. It is with immense gratitude that we acknowledge these pioneers of Jewish leadership.
