Hachnossos Sefer Torah at Laniado Hospital: Torah donated for Pinchas Goldner’s 15th Yahrtzeit
ByHachnossos Sefer Torah at Laniado Hospital: Torah donated for Pinchas Goldner’s 15th Yahrtzeit
On Sunday, June 18th, several hundred people – including doctors and medical staff of Laniado Hospital and members of the Kiryat Sanz community in Netanya – joined Sol and Gaby Goldner of Hancock Park and family and friends to celebrate a Hachnossos Sefer Torah written by the Goldners in memory of their son, Pinchas Elimelech, of blessed memory, on occasion of his fifteenth yahrtzeit.
The grand celebration spread over five hours, starting with the ketivas otios that took place in the home of the Admor of Sanz-Klausenberg and President of Laniado Hospital, Rabbi Elimelech Tzvi Halberstam, shlita. Many distinguished rabbis and representatives, doctors and staff of Laniado Hospital, and Chaim Hammerman, CEO of Laniado Hospital, participated in the writing. The “Younger Rabbis,” sons of the Admor of Sanz, were among those who added an os. The Admor of Sanz was honored with writing the os lammed to finalize the writing of the sefer and shared words of Torah to celebrate the occasion. The wife of the Admor, Rebbetzin Suri Halberstam, joined Gaby Goldner and family in the ezras noshim.
The Admor, shlita, was recuperating from surgery following a recent accident. He began the Torah procession assisted by his gabbaim, which opened the way for a beautiful and colorful parade through the streets of Kiryat Sanz until the entrance of Laniado Hospital. The Younger Rabbis, the Makover Rebbe’s son, the Nikolsburger Rebbe’s son, representatives of Toldos Avraham Yitzchak, the head of the Dor Yeshorim, and others participated. Sol Goldner, Rabbi Chaim Baruch Rubin, shlita, and Urie Lieberman, Director of the West Coast Friends of Laniado, were among those leading the procession.
Sol Goldner entered Laniado Hospital with the Sefer Torah and brought it to the Aron Hakodesh together with the hundreds who accompanied it to the hospital. A special l’chayim was made following the dancing and placing of the Sefer Torah in the Aron Hakodesh. Hagaon Rabbi Yechezkel Shraga Baruch Halberstam, the Younger Rabbi and Rabbi Chaim Baruch Rubin delivered words of praise and blessings from a specially set up dais. Rabbi Dov Shtemer – the newly appointed Director of the International Public Relations Department at Laniado Hospital was MC at the l’chayim event.
Hagaon Rabbi Y.S. Baruch, shlita, spoke about the holiness of the final letter of the Sefer Torah and gave special thanks to the Goldner family for their philanthropic role in assisting Laniado Hospital and for writing the Sefer Torah. Rabbi Shtemer thanked Rabbi Rubin for his role to help pave the way for the renewal activities of the West Coast Friends in Los Angeles. Rabbi Rubin, in addressing the large audience, spoke about the Goldner and Kasirer families and their very influential role in the building of Torah institutions, gemilus chessed, and tzedokah in the Los Angeles community, while touching upon the special character traits of Pinchas Elimlech ben Shlomo Asher haLevi.
A seudas mitzvah was held on the beautiful gardens of the Sanz Laniado Hospital, accompanied by a moving program provided by the Hershel Itzkovits Choir. A siyum mishnayos was completed by the avreichim of the kollel in Kiryat Sanz and yizkor candles were lit by Sol Goldner in memory of his dear son and dear father, zichronum livrochah. Sol’s father yahrtzeit fell on the same day of the Hachnossos Sefer Torah. Urie Lieberman was the MC of the program.
The line-up of speakers included Rabbi Chaim Yakov Schwartz, the Chaplain of Laniado Hospital; Rabbi Kalman Ber, Chief Rabbi of Netanya; Dr. Yaakov Ulano, Assistant Chairman of Surgery; and Sol Goldner. Rabbi Schwartz spoke about the 350,000 residents of Netanya that are served by the Sanz Laniado Medical Center. Chief Rabbi Ber pointed out how Sol Goldner and his eishes chayil, Gaby encompass the traits of Toras chaim and Toras chessed together. Dr. Ulano thanked Sol Goldner for his initiative together with the other Co-Chairman of the West Coast Friends, Sol Teichman and Joe Kornwasser, in collecting the needed funds to help complete the MRI Center, Dialysis Department, and for the recent Trustees Reception to help complete the Gynecological Oncology Department.
Sol Goldner expressed gratitude to the Laniado Hospital staff of 1500 for their life saving work done 24\7. He thanked the doctors and other Laniado Medical Staff members who have come to Los Angeles over the years to bring awareness of the Laniado cause to the Los Angeles Jewish community. Sol mentioned that not only is the Sefer Torah completed in memory of their son, Pinchas Elimelech, but it was also written in memory of his late parents, Pinchas Elimelech and Bluma Rosa Goldner, z”l; his late father in law, Mr. Yakov Kasirer, z”l; in memory of Vera Weingarten a”h, the late mother of their daughter-in-law, יבדל”א, and dear wife of their mechutan, Morris Weingarten, יבדל’א; and in memory of the six million Jews, הי”ד, that perished in the Holocaust. Sol wished Mrs. Raizel Kasirer, his dear mother-in-law, arichus yamim v’shanim.
The Hachnossos Sefer Torah celebration was the climax culmination of an international Sefer Torah campaign initiated by the American Friends of Laniado Hospital. Sol Goldner, Co-Chairman of the Board of Governors of the West Coast Friends of Laniado Hospital, and his wife, Gaby, were the key sponsors to this project to provide the synagogue in Laniado Hospital with its own Sefer Torah for the use of their patients and medical staff.
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