England – The founder of London’s Shomrim patrol was one of 187 people to carry the Olympic torch today along its almost forty mile journey today through South London today, amid brilliant sunshine and enthusiastic cheers.
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Twenty two year old Efrayim Goldstein of Stamford Hill told VIN News that he began his day at 4 AM this morning, when he was driven down to Lewisham and began to prepare for the day’s festivities. While Goldstein donned the same white official Olympic uniform as the other 8,000 torch bearers, he was the only one to receive an official Olympic yarmulke, which he described as white, bearing the same design as the uniform.
The Olympic torch was passed to Goldstein at approximately 8:30 AM and he carried the torch for just under half a mile. Goldstein described the experience as “really, really special.”
“While 250 people came down to Lewisham specifically for me, there were hundreds and hundreds lined up along the road,” Goldstein told VIN News. “People were screaming my name. It was something that I will never forget and to receive this kind of public recognition for the charity work that I do inspires me to continue helping others.”
Goldstein claims he got the support from Dayan Menachem Gelley of the London Beis Din who told him to be proud to carry the Olympic torch on behalf of Jews worldwide.
“I was honored to show the world that even though we are yidden who are living in galus, we stand united as a community in support of the government, something that I think made a huge Kiddush Hashem,” said Goldstein.
After handing off the torch to the next torchbearer, Goldstein was joined by a group of fellow torchbearer in observing a minute of silence in memory of the Israeli athletes who were murdered at the Munich Olympics forty years ago.
Each of the torchbearers will receive their own Olympic torch and Goldstein plans to go with his torch to schools and other facilities and share his Olympic experience in the hopes that others will be inspired to do whatever they can to help the needy in their own communities.
Its a tremendous chilul hashem the Olympics are yovon who tried to take away the holy torah by nes Chanukah to take part in this disgusting ceremony is to b from the misyavnim!
What a Kiddush Hashem!
well done efrayim ,you are the man
I don’t understand the association between the Shomrim and the Olympics. Also while it is nice to see a Chareidi get positive publicity, I’d like to see the day when a Charedi takes part in the olympics as an actual competitor, not just as a torch walker.
Yes, I know him personally, he is doing a lot off good to our community, and I mean A LOT, but to carry the torch? NEEEEEBACH, the eibishter is most probabely overjoyed and dances out of happines for this so called kidush hashem he made, please efrayim do NOT come to my childrens school teaching them about the olympics, they have other work to catch up,
Absoloutely beautiful Kiddush Hashem.
Idiots. The Jew of today just wouldn’t let and event go by without getting recognition in the press. What a shame
well . . . . . . he just about managed the half mile , so thats why he is not in the olymmpics .
Efrayim Good Job!! You make London proud!!
The problem with the Torch is in the Macabee games where the Jews want to imitate the Greeks carry a Torch. The Greeks glorified the body. The Jews glorified the soul. In this case the Religious Jew is being honored. Look at his dress. He is not trying to imitate the Greeks.
The root of the olympics is Greek heathenism and has nothing to do with Jewish thought or philosophy. It would be a pride if more chareidim would serve in the IDF. The massacer in Munich should be remembered and in 1936 Hitler refusing to acknowledge Jesse Owens and walking out from the stadium. The Olympics is the pride of the goyim
#4 , thats an oxymoron what you propose. Chareidi by definition should be religious observing Jews that dedicate their life to Torah, Avoida and Gemilas Chasodim. Thats why a Jew is put down on this earth, to sanctify Hashems name through those acts. Not swimming, jogging or doing acrobats with a bunch of low life shigtzas
Fantastic video!! Great Kiddush Hashem!! Very Nice!! Congrats Efrayim!!
True, its a gentiles world. But seeing Israel and the Jewish people represented in the forum is always a blessing. Think about it folks, it helps reduce antisemitism. I am sure that his image is not the most international jewish image, but its an image of a jew who is willing to help the congregation of the affluent.
To all of you “holier” than though frum piece of something. Like it or not this was a kiddush hashem. If you makes you happy tonight to say it was not so be it. You are all of a bunch of losers (and trolls).
efraim good job….kiddush hashem…all the naysayer here are probably molesters.
why cant people have something nice to say.?
Beautiful!
Why are we proud to emulate the Goyim Lo sailchu ….
whats worse It is Maaseh Avodo Zora or Maaseh Yovon
The only limud zchus is that this individual does not know the origins of Olympics.
What a bag of mixed reviews. My first reaction: wow! how nice for a nice Jewish boy to be be cast in such a positive light. Then the critics had me having second thoughts. All things considered, we are living among gentiles chutz la’aretz and nobody is forcing their way on us. All this respectable young man did was, as he said: “…show the world that even though we are yidden who are living in galus, we stand united as a community in support of the government…” He wasn’t showing off his physical prowess or honed muscle tone; he was simply representing a people chosen to be a light unto the nations. In my humble opinion, he did it in quite a dignified way.
Oich mir a dayan. And the group picture, what a shanda to klal yisroel, a typical TUNA BEIGEL
Amen – Rachel you said it best!
Regardless of your position on this person’s actions, how vicious and cruel can you be to call them tuna beigel and idiot? He is a private person harmlessly participating in a venue. Why does he have to be vilified?
Is it an aveirah? Are you a rav with certification to
affirm that? do you have a heter to call him out on it?
Now I know why Meshiach isn’t here yet. You argue about everything. Just enjoy life. Life itself is too short. ENJOY!!!!!
Everyone on here is going on about Kiddush hashem and all their opinions and cursing yidden in the 9 teg. Dayan Gelley is the Senior Rov of London Beis Din. I think he knows halocho. So if you don’t like it don’t comment but to curse somebody out for doing something and at the same time curse the rabonim – is that a kiddush hashem?
Efrayims a special guy and the group with him is his fam supporting him 🙂
Why is there so much jealousy in this world…?! Can’t you all just fargin him…cmon people grow up!!! And yes it was a HUGE Kiddush Hashem actually!!!
I am saddened yet unsurprised by some of the responses on this website. Let’s talk about some of the issues some seem to have here.
So the Olympics are affiliated with Yovon? I see. It makes no difference to you I guess that the Olympic movement have absolutely no connection to its original Greek roots and never claims to. I’m interested as to whether you keep time, or perhaps refer to months of the year, both of which originated in the Greek Empire. The Olympic movement is about bringing people together using sport. It’s about appreciating, getting to know and respecting other nationalities, backgrounds and races. I can see why some on here wouldn’t like that. The fact that a Frum Yid ran with the torch shows everyone who sees it that the yidden are a part of the world, and we contribute in all aspects.
Torch-bearers were chosen based on their work in the community. I assume some here think it is an awful thing to be seen as being associated in any way with anything outside of their daled amos and of course these are the people who do the most harm to Klal Yisroel.
Some here are denigrating Dayan Gelley for approving this man’s actions, and they are worst of all. I suppose you have no understanding of Daas Torah, never having needed it there in your lofty holiness. So, you sit in your comfy chair, writing on a website that you accessed from the treif internet about a Rov and Dayan with Semicha from the Rav Tuvia Weiss and the Gateshead Rov and you dare denigrate his decision (yes Alfred E Newman (#10), I’m talking to you)? I’m sure it is shocking indeed that someone would know more about Torah and Yiddishkeit than you. Of course it would be better to find a Rov with the answers that you want to hear. That’s Yiddishkeit today. Watching some of the posters on this site as they trip up over their own sanctimonious holiness would be funny if it wasn’t so obvious and embarrassing. And never mind about Rabbeinu Yonah who says that embarrassing someone berabim is like killing them. Or the Gemorah that says it is preferable to be thrown into a furnace than embarrassing someone beramin. Let’s ignore that part of the Torah.
Good on you Yenta (#23), use Yiddish in your post to make you feel better about the astonishing double standards in the life you live. Did you feel better, calling this excellent man a tuna beigel? You have furthered yiddishkeit indeed. Goyim will look at your post and say “wow, those jews are really lovely upstanding people, I now respect them more for having read that”. I congratulate you on your Kiddush Hashem. The Eibishter will thank you in person shortly I’m sure.
The saddest part of it is, I’m not surprised by these comments. It is now commonplace for Frum Yidden to ride roughshod over most of the Torah and Mitzvos in order to make some misguided point that will hopefully alienate more people and elevate their own feelings of self-worth. It is this kind of behaviour that stops Moshiach coming, not the behaviour of the people you laugh at in your glass houses. But, carry on. I know this comment won’t stop you. I just hope that some non-Jews will read it, realize that there are still a few decent Yidden in the world, and in some small way, I will have made a Kiddush Hashem as well.
just to clarify, the ppl around him are his family….next, the olympics are all happening just at our doorstep, yes its a very big kiddush hashem…all the thousands of tourist will be so close to stamford hill, its so important to be in thier good books…. and just that he founded shomrim at such a young age……high 5!!!!
People here really need a history lesson. Jewish practice has been influenced by Greek/Roman culture ever since the time of the Mishnah. Our Pesach Seder is practically a direct copy of the Greek symposium with Pesach-related themes grafted on.
Don’t worry about Efrayim Goldstein carrying this torch on a Tuesday morning. What about the Israeli, and maybe other Jewish competitors from other countries, who will be participating in the opening ceremonies this coming Friday night . That’s right the Israeli delegation will be participating in the opening of the Olympics on Shabbos which is also Tisha b’Av. Now that is a real chillul hashem.
The only sad part here is the vicious name calling and judging. THAT’S the real chilul hashem. these people are across the Atlantic and we are judging them so negatively.
I see sinas chinam is still going strong 2000 years after the churban.
Now we know why Moshiach isn’t here. We cannot fargin anyone. We make everything into a debate and an argument about “this type of frum vs. that type of frum”.
Let them live how they want to live, as they are not violating any halachos. They may not be living the same way you want to live and doing the things you want your children to do. So you teach your kids, but in a proper way without demeaning the other person. “There is more than one path to serve Hashem, and this is how we believe it should be done…”
If it was your non-frum brother- would you be screaming and shouting at him and saying how evil he is, following the ways of the Greeks? Or would you take him into your arms and try to show him the beauty of yiddishkeit?
There are two ways to make yourself look greater- build yourself up or knock the others down. Make our kids want to follow in our path, by showing how great we are as a nation without knocking down others.
I am sure Efrayim will be reading these comments.
So I just want to say what a great guy you are with a Goldstein Heart of Gold.
You asked Das Torah you did what you felt is right.
Your family stood by you.
Keep up your great work!
may Reb Maxi and Family only know nachas simcha (express!) vchol tuv
Oy, this was beautiful!! I didnt even know that a Jew was carrying the torch. Ephraim wears his Yiddishkeit PROUDLY and is truly a light unto the nations. Let’s hope that somehow peace amongst the nations and from our enemies will be posssible because of this one act. We should end all this baseless hatred. May we see the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple in the near future. Shabbat Shalom
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efrayim well done london sleeps with out you make me smile and many more smile who ever has a problem with kiddish hashem or chilul hashem are people who run away of there own problems and sins try make there own doings right, so who ever has a problem kish man tuches !!!!!!!!!!!! efrayim with love from israel