Second in a Series

San Diego, CA (special) -- The new rabbi who came to Las Vegas in 1964 made quite an impression on the Tell family, which owned The Las Vegas Israelite. Jay Tell, who now lives in San Diego, recalls that his father, Jack, the publisher, was so pleased with the articulateness of Rabbi Aaron Gold's first sermon, that he applauded in a headline: "All That Glitters Is Gold."

If the Conservative rabbi and his family felt like part of the gambling city's glitterati, who could blame them? Temple Beth Sholom was in the process of building a new home for them, but during the several months that it remained uncompleted, Gold and his family were assigned to temporary quarters -- a suite in the Sands Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Apparently, nothing was too good for the new rabbi, so far as the city was concerned. So he keeps kosher? The Sands ordered a complete new set of dishes and utensils for his family's use. But the golden cloud had a dark lining: within a few weeks of his arrival in Las Vegas, the rabbi learned that he had colon cancer. He flew to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, where doctors removed his large intestine and rerouted waste products from his body. Today, cancer has invaded Gold's lungs--but he is fighting the disease with the same determination that helped him 37 years ago to survive and thrive. As one who had a measure of tsuris in his own life, Gold proved a sympathetic listener to the problems of his congregants and to Jewish and non-Jewish visitors to

GOLD AND SUCCESSOR -- Rabbi Aaron Gold, right,  and Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal stand at walk-in Ark at  Tifereth Israel Synagogue after Rosenthal's induction  as an assistant rabbi. Rosenthal succeeded Gold as the congregation's senior rabbi in 1992.

town.

Rabbi Gold was summoned by safety personnel more than once to persuade would-be jumpers not to commit suicide. On one occasion, he remembers, "I walked right out on the ledge and grabbed the guy in."

Another time, he was called to the bedside of one of the most despondent men he ever had met. The man, who was quite obese, had come to Las Vegas for a job, only to learn that it wasn't there for him. He had lost all his money, and now his wife was threatening to leave him. Gold not only counselled the man; he went down to the casino and asked the boss for contributions to help the man back on his feet.

It was neither the first nor the last time he would take such a personal interest in a stranger's welfare, but what made this situation unique was that several years later the man, much slimmed down, returned to Las Vegas.

He gave Gold a sizeable contribution for the synagogue, explaining: "I came to bring you back money, so that you can help somebody else, because you helped me when I needed it."

As the only rabbi in Las Vegas at that time, Gold frequently received visits from rabbinical colleagues from all over the world. He'd entertain them, and trade ideas with them: they were a constant source of renewal.

According to Las Vegas gambler Lem Banker, who then ran the Sahara Health Club, Gold also became something of a celebrity, getting to know such athletes and entertainers as Joe Louis, Sonny Liston, Paul Anka, the Smothers Brothers, Johnny Carson, Jack Benny, Judy Garland and Nancy Wilson. 

In return for informal lessons about Judaism, Banker had traded Gold membership in the health club--where he followed a special regimen to recover from his cancer surgery. Having little religious training himself, Banker appreciated Gold's patience and willingness to be a teacher.

Lured to the synagogue for a service, Banker remembers how pleased he was to hear a mixed choir of Jews and Christians, Blacks and Caucasians singing not only traditional prayers under Rabbi Gold's direction but also "The Age of Aquarius," the rollickin' standard from the musical, Hair. Gold had incorporated the piece into a Jewish-themed cantata, one of many he had composed.

Banker said he will never forget that when Gold returned from a trip to Israel he brought back from him a tallit and yarmulke. He said he keeps them close to his bed, and holds them each morning (but doesn't put them on) when he says a prayer.

At one point, there was a kosher butcher in Las Vegas who threatened to kill Gold after the rabbi had certified a rival butcher as also being kosher.

Friends were so concerned about Gold's safety that they spread the word that anybody who messed with Gold would have to take on the likes of Liston too, who had been the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. 

Although Gold had a fear of dogs ever since he was attacked as a boy in Poland by a farmer's pack, the rabbi was persuaded to accept a Doberman Pinscher for protection. The family named the dog, "Zahava," Hebrew for "Gold." However fierce Zahava was towards outsiders, she was gentle as could be with the family. The dog slept on the beds of Gold's daughters. 

Gold helped to redesign Temple Beth Sholom's sanctuary, and participated in attempts to restructure Las Vegas society. He served as chairman of Gov. Paul Laxalt's Fact Finding Committee on Open Housing for the state of Nevada, as well as a member of the Las Vegas Human Relations Commission. 

In Gold's congregation were numerous musicians, whom he--with his musical training--encouraged to form the Symphony Society of Las Vegas. Thereafter, the rabbi served as the society's president and traded off the duty of narrating some of its concerts with actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

By far Gold's proudest accomplishment In Las Vegas came in June of 1967 when, as president of the Clark County Ministerial Association, he and approximately 70 ministers of various Christian denominations stood together in support of Israel, then fighting for its very life in the Six Day War.

There were lows too, during this period of Gold's life. According to Banker, Gold always was too trusting and was "swindled" by some real estate people in a time share scheme. The rabbi's personal finances went sour and he had to declare bankruptcy -- one of the factors in his deciding to leave Nevada for California, the land of new starts.

Additionally, his marriage to Rita ended in divorce.
 

California Gold

In 1972, Gold accepted the pulpit at Burbank's Temple Emanuel, another Conservative congregation.

Rabbi Will Kramer, who frequently writes a column for HERITAGE, was then the religious leader at Temple Beth Emet, a Reform congregation which had split off from Temple Emanuel before Gold's arrival. 

Although there was some residual ill-will between the congregants of the two Burbank congregations, the rabbis related to each other cordially.

"He had a wonderful reputation in the community," Kramer said.. "I remember on one occasion having referred to that good reputation and I played on his name. I said he was Aaron, he was like a high priest, and his word was Gold."

Kramer said he was uncertain where he made the comment, but guessed that it might have been at a meeting of the Burbank Ministerial Association, in which they both were active. "He did enjoy a very good reputation and with the non-Jewish community as well," Kramer said. "That I remember."

Although his tenure in Burbank was for only two years, Gold is remembered for helping the synagogue transition to a new home in an old church building. The structure seemed almost perfect for a synagogue as it already had two tablets for the Ten Commandments on its exterior. As he had done at other synagogues, and would do again, Gold raised the money for remodeling the structure.

San Diego

Gold came to Tifereth Israel Synagogue in August of 1974, beginning what would be his longest tenure in the same pulpit--18 years, chai, a lifetime. Succeeding Rabbi Monroe Levens, Gold was deeply involved in planning for the congregation's move five years later from its home at 30th and Howard Streets to its current home at 6660 Cowles Mountain Drive in the San Carlos neighborhood of San Diego.

Working with architect Homer Delawie, Gold helped to design a sanctuary which could be expanded by unfolding the doors to the social hall to accommodate High Holiday crowds. The bima boasted a walk-in Holy Ark, in which numerous Torahs could be displayed. The sound system permitted prayers chanted inside the Ark to be heard throughout the congregation. The rabbi also worked with artists and sculptors to create beautiful doors for the Holy Ark as well as stained glass windows that seem to envelop the Ark in the holy flames that Moses encountered at the Burning Bush.

The rabbi's personal life also was in transition. Word spread like wildfire about the new, single rabbi. Would-be matchmakers conspired to find him just the right wife. Louise Riefman knew the perfect candidate, Jeanne Weissbuch, a financial analyst and engineering troubleshooter at Ryan Aircraft. She gave Jeanne's telephone number to Gold, and told her friend to expect his telephone call. He did not place it for three weeks, and when he did, Jeanne was about to leave her residence for an engagement. But she stayed on the telephone with him, instead, for about an hour.

Although not a member of Tifereth Israel Synagogue, she told him she planned to attend services the following Friday night. Perhaps afraid of being monopolized, the rabbi cautioned her that it was his duty to circulate at the oneg Shabbat following the services. She told him she had grown up in an observant home; she understood the amenities. 

As it turned out, there were special Shabbat services that night for members of Women's ORT, so the sanctuary was filled with women whom Rabbi Gold did not recognize. When the service started, the first to set foot on the bima was the quite elderly Cantor Goldberger, whom Jeanne recalled "probably was in his 80s at the time. I thought, 'oh, gee, that's not the rabbi, is it?'" Then Gold strode onto the bema, and as Jeanne recalls the evening, "he gave this marvelous service, great sermon, you know; tying thoughts together, it was so beautiful. He was really magnificent, and the whole time he was looking out there thinking, 'gee which one is Jeanne? Which one is Jeanne? There are so many strange faces out there.'" 

There was a receiving line at the oneg, and Jeanne kept the rabbi in suspense till the end of it, finally extending her hand and saying "I'm Jeanne." Whenever someone came to talk to the rabbi, remembering his admonition, she would start to turn away, but he, enchanted, would restrain her.

At the end of the evening, Gold walked her to her car. Although he had told her on the telephone that his calendar was full, he asked whether she was busy the following evening. Deciding not to play games, Jeanne said she was not. He invited her to join him at an engagement party the following evening for acquaintances of his friends. 

Even though the engaged couple did not know Gold well, because he was a rabbi, he was asked to make a toast. Somehow, he related the toast to that week's parsha in the Book of Genesis about Jacob seeing angels descending and ascending a ladder, and used it as a metaphor for married life. When he completed the toast, the guests all applauded. Jeanne, quite impressed, told him that he made such a good presentation, she hoped someday he would officiate at her wedding. Gold took the cue: "How do you know I won't be the groom?" he asked.

They became engaged on Valentine's Day, 1975, and even to today, Gold calls up Jeanne's father, Jules, every Valentine's Day and asks again for Jeanne's hand. The Golds were married June 1, 1975, at Jeanne's parents congregation in Anaheim, Congregation Beth Emet. He was 55; she was 30.

Approximately in 1978, the Golds became the "rabbinic couple" for Jewish Marriage Encounter, which was adapted from a program begun by the Catholic Church. Typically, a group of couples would go to a hotel, after Shabbos on a Saturday night, and stay through Monday night. By writing down their answers to personal questions, and sharing them with each other, couples were taught how to better communicate. Usually, three lay couples and one rabbinic couple led the proceedings. Gary and Carol Rosenberg, owners of the San Diego Jewish Times, served as a lay couple and organizers of the weekends. Dale and Jesse Charnick from Tifereth Israel Synagogue often served as another of the lay couples.

A major lesson in the Jewish Marriage Encounter program emphasized the difference between thoughts and feelings. Whereas, thoughts such as "it's cold in this room" could be disputed; feelings like "I feel very cold" were indisputable. When couples discussed deeper subjects such as death, sex, or religion, they were cautioned to remember the difference between feelings and thoughts, and to acknowledge their spouse's feelings and utilize them as a pathway to understanding. The Golds estimate they "encountered" 1,000 couples over a 10-year period.

Gold's encounters with Tifereth Israel's lay decision makers were not nearly so harmonious as the congregation decided the shape of its new facility on Cowles Mountain Road. Gold lost two major battles. He had proposed that a mikvah, a ritual bath, be installed in the basement of the building so that there could be a place in San Diego for Conservative conversion ceremonies. But some members strenuously objected, saying a mikvah on premises was too Orthodox. They threatened to resign if it were built, according to the rabbi.

He was also opposed on his proposal that the synagogue purchase from the Hebrew Home for the Aged 10 acres of land on Tommy Drive immediately adjacent to the synagogue grounds--where apartments now stand. Gold had envisioned building a complex for Jewish seniors, who could walk to the synagogue, participate in its activities, and through their payment of rent help to assure its income flow. But the proposal was turned down as too expensive. The asking price was $165,000.

Asked why the sanctuary faces west, rather than east, as is customary in synagogues, Gold replied, "I just ignored it, rather than create an issue."

Controversies notwithstanding, the dedication of the synagogue in 1979 was a joyous community event, which was shared by members of other Jewish congregations, ecumenical leaders, and such civic figures as Pete Wilson, who then was mayor but later would become a U.S. Senator, then California's governor.

By then a longtime advocate of interfaith meetings, Gold proposed joint Thanksgiving programming to the neighboring Catholic and United Methodist Churches, spawning creation of the Navajo Interfaith Council. He also became active in various dialogue programs with representatives of other religious and ethnic communities, including Evangelical Christians, Catholics and African-Americans. He helped write a Passover haggadah for Christians to understand the festive meal's traditions, and engaged in exchange pulpit visits with Catholic Bishop Leo T. Mather. Gold's friendship with Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis, vicar for interreligious and ecumenical affairs, is particularly warm.

The rabbi also participated in planning sessions for San Diego Hebrew High School--which is a supplemental program for children in secular high schools--and for the creation of the San Diego Jewish Academy, a Jewish day school which still maintains an elementary school campus on the grounds of Tifereth Israel Synagogue. The classrooms which serve Tifereth Israel's Hebrew School students serve double duty for SDJA students.

Gold's programs at Tifereth Israel included creation of a Torah Corps of youngsters who could correctly chant High Holy Day and Shabbat services and a "Rap with the Rabbi program" in which congregants could raise questions about any subject. He instituted "Family Shabbat" services for families with young children, and "Singles Shabbat" services to encourage young Jewish adults to find each other in a spiritual context. For several years during Gold's tenure, Tifereth Israel was without the services of a cantor, so Gold did double duty.

When automotive designer Jerry Hirschberg and his wife, psychologist Linda Hirschberg, moved from Detroit to San Diego, Linda was quite worried about which synagogue to join. The niece of Rabbi Judah Nadich of New York City's Park Avenue Synagogue, she wanted to find a synagogue where her son, Eric, then 12, not only could become a bar mitzvah but could share her sense of commitment to Judaism. She recalls that at an open house at the synagogue, a man warmly greeted her, told her that Tifereth Israel was a nice place, which was interested in working with children. "What do you do here?" she asked. "I'm the rabbi," said Gold.

"He had such haimischeness, warmth, humility, and such generosity of spirit," she said. When she got back to the privacy of her car, "I was so touched I cried for a half-hour." Under Gold's tutelage, not only did Eric become a bar mitzvah, "he read seven trop."

Husband Jerry, known today as the author of The Creative Priority: Driving Innovative Business in the Real World, remembers connecting with Gold on a different level. "I am not a classically religious person," he said. "The only thing that would draw me into services were those rare rabbis who were really philosophers. At Rabbi Gold's peak, he really provoked interesting thought. Whenever I went, I was sitting up."

The Hirschbergs and the Golds often saw each other socially. Linda agreed with Jerry's characterization of Gold as having "an amazing ability to enter into people's lives, and to appreciate their work, their passions, their interests."

The rabbi took his turn for two years as president of the San Diego Rabbinical Association, and also negotiated arrangements with the Greenwood Cemetery for the separate "King David" burial section for Tifereth Israel members. 

Although he was a consensus-builder, Gold did not hesitate to speak out forcefully when he felt the situation warranted it. In the wake of the controversy over whether U.S. President Ronald Reagan should visit the cemetery at Bitburg, Germany, where nazi SS officers had been buried, Rabbi Michael Sternfield of Congregation Beth Israel had publicly suggested that the Jewish community should try to put the Holocaust behind it. "Enough is enough," Sternfield suggested.

Sternfield's views were a source of consternation in the Jewish community, and no more so than at Tifereth Israel, which was and is the home of the New Life Club of Holocaust Survivors. "The Holocaust was an event that shook the very foundations of our capacity as human beings to cope with brutality and genocide. How and when will our world learn if we don't continue to teach?" Gold demanded to know in a public response to Sternfield. 

Not only for his work in the pulpit but also for his work as a pastor was Gold widely admired. His steadfast helpfulness and sympathy during a family's time of crisis could be counted upon. I personally experienced Gold's caring touch when my mother, Alice Harrison Walters, died in 1987. Gold not only conducted the funeral service in San Diego, but volunteered to drive up with us to Los Angeles to officiate at Eden Memorial Park where my mother was laid to rest besides my father, Martin B. Harrison.

In that sense, congregants received from Gold the same kind of care he extended to his own family. His niece, Karen Roeckard, still remembers with gratitude how in 1989 Gold flew to Boca Raton, Fla., to the death bed of her mother and his sister, Saralee, just before Purim to chant the megillah for the very religious woman. 

"My mother came back to consciousness just hearing his voice," Roeckard recalled. "Imagine the scene of my mother, father, and some of my mother's sisters.... and their baby brother, chanting megillah. It was just profound."

Gold "retired" at age 72 in 1992 after 18 years at Tifereth Israel Synagogue. His successor, Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal--who had been his assistant rabbi--wrote a gracious tribute: 

"What is it that has encouraged Rabbi Gold during his many long and productive years in the rabbinate? It is certainly not the pursuit of wealth, power, glory or reward. Rabbi Gold has dedicated his life to serving others out of love. He cares not only about his flock, but about all human beings. When others celebrate, his own personal mitzvah is to increase the joy and delight they feel. When they suffer, he suffers with them and works to ease their pain. His life's work has been to emulate God's love of humanity and to realize heaven here on earth."

Cantor Alisa Pomerantz-Boro also wrote a heart-felt tribute, telling Gold: "It is every cantor's dream to work with a rabbi like you! Your love for Jewish music and Hazzanut became apparent to me the first time we met. You patiently went through the entire service with me, reviewing your favorite melodies, some of your father's melodies, and our synagogue's most popular melodies. You have been supportive of me and you even have a beautiful voice. I vividly remember my first day of work at Tifereth Israel when we officiated at a funeral together. Your remarks were so touching that, although I did not even know the congregant, I began to shed tears. I recall asking you, 'When will I be strong enough not to cry at a funeral?' You responded by saying, 'It is always okay to cry.'"

As it turned out, all the valedictories were premature. Gold may have been of retirement age, but retirement wasn't in his heart. He would go on to serve three more _Conservative congregations: Beth Emet in Anaheim, Ner Tamid in Rancho Bernardo and Beth Sholom in Chula Vista.

Next: Gold's Golden Years.
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