It is with profound sadness that the petirah of Rabbi Irving Goodman zt”l, Rav Emeritus of the Woodridge Shul, has been announced.
Rav Goodman dedicated more than 63 years of unwavering service to the shul and the broader Sullivan County community, leaving an indelible impact on generations.
Born June 19, 1930 in Brooklyn, he was educated at Yeshiva & Mesivta Torah Vodaath, graduating high school in 1949. He continued at Yeshiva College, earning a B.A. in 1953, followed by a Master’s Degree from Yeshiva University in 1960.
He began his career as a Hebrew teacher in Brooklyn in 1953. In 1955, he moved to Sullivan County to serve as Rav of Congregation Ohave Sholem, while also volunteering as a teacher at the local Hebrew Day School. His role quickly expanded, and by 1958 he was appointed principal of the school.
Chaskel Bennett, a longtime summer resident in Woodrudge and askan, described him as “an outstanding tzadik, an unbelievably special person who near singlehandedly held up Yiddishkeit in Woodridge and surrounding areas for decades.” He noted that Rav Goodman was responsible for maintaining three daily minyanim for over 50 years, often personally bringing people from local farms and businesses to ensure a minyan.
“He was also the dean of the Sullivan County Yeshiva Day School that educated most of the Jewish children for almost free, and served as a prison chaplain at Woodbourne for decades,” Bennett said. “The man was so incredibly soft spoken and a powerhouse. To know him was to know a legit tzadik.”
Bennett added, “At the end of each summer, I would bring my children to him to get a brachah before Rosh Hashana. I knew he was a humble tzadik living his life upstate in a midbar in service to Klal Yisroel and the Aibeshter. No words could do this man justice.”
The levaya will take place Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at the Woodridge Shul. The exact time will be announced.
Boruch Dayan HaEmmes…
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