Rabbanus, Boca Raton
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg of the Boca Raton Synagogue is a tireless innovator and advocate in the Orthodox Jewish community and a shining star within the Orthodox Union.
In the five years that Rabbi Goldberg has headed the 600-family Orthodox shul he has taken on a number of positions in the synagogue and Jewish community and established a solid reputation within the Orthodox movement in America.
His duties include supervising Jewish schools, the community eiruv, community mikvah and religious conversions. He is co-chair of the ORB Vaad Ha’Kashrut and serves on the boards of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, Community Kollel and Hillel Day School.
Rabbi Goldberg is also treasurer of the Rabbinical Council of America and a mentor to young rabbis.
He brought Orthodox Union programs on ethical living and parenting adolescents to the Boca Raton Synagogue as well as a weekend program promoting the OU vision and mission of a modern, Orthodox-Zionist community.
“Our goal,” Goldberg said, “is to transform ourselves from a synagogue to a community [enjoying] the cultural, social, religious, spiritual and psychological aspects of life.”
He is proud of the small groups or chevrahs the synagogue has created for music, health and wellness, running, “Mommy and Me” and for other interests of its members.
“Our next chapter,” Goldberg said, “is having an impact on the ‘unshuled’ — those who are not blessed with the experiences and lifestyle that we have.” Goldberg said he wants to reach the broader Jewish community to “bring the richness of the Jewish tradition to them to fill the void in their lives.”
Rabbi Steven Weil, Orthodox Union executive vice president, was effusive in his praise of Goldberg.
“He is the top all-around rabbi amongst the thousand congregations that are under our umbrella,” Weil wrote in an e-mail from Israel. “[Goldberg] is a visionary, a shepherd and a mentor. He is a scholar, an orator, a pastor, a programmatic genius and a role model all in one. What is amazing is that he gets better every year.”