Honorary Citizen of Rio

More than 200 community members gathered at Rio de Janeiro’s Beit Lubavitch last Tuesday, May 20, Lag B’omer, for a ceremony honoring Rabbi Yehoshua Goldman as “Honorary Citizen of Rio de Janeiro.” The Honorary Citizen title, bestowed yearly by the Chamber of Commerce on several deserving individuals or organizations, awards citizens for their contributions to the benefit of the city. Goldman is director of Chabad of Rio de Janeiro, with four branches serving Rio’s large Jewish population with a wide range of social and educational services, including a soup kitchen that feeds 100 daily and provision packages with basic staple items delivered monthly to over 300 families, members of Rio’s impoverished lower class. Jason Berger, a member of the local municipality board, presented Goldman with the award. Addressing the crowd were local politicians and Jewish leaders, including Mr. Luiz Fux, Brazil’s Justice Minister; Israel Klabbin, former mayor of Rio and a long-time Chabad supporter, and Osias Wurman, president of the SIERJ, Jewish Federation of Rio de Janeiro.