Remarks about Richard Goldman by the Right Reverend William E. Swing, delivered December 3, 2010
When Doug called on Monday to tell me that his dad had died, pictures of Dick Goldman began to collect in my mind. And when I went to bed that night and had a chance to reflect, a whole album of pictures emerged.
Up until 1993 my relationship with Dick had been pleasant and cordial, but in 14 years of occasional conversations I didn’t have enough snapshots to fill a tiny photo album.
But . . . in 1993 I sat at lunch with Dick and told him what I was imagining. Just as he was changing the environmental world, I wanted to change the interfaith world. I predicted that there would be a rise in religious fanaticism which, through militancy and intimidation, would poison civilization. What was needed was for people, respectful of religious difference, to come together and become a practical force for addressing society’s needs. When I said this, most people said to me, “Good Luck.” Dick Goldman said, “Go for it.”
In 1993 Dick Goldman became my mentor and hero, my inspiration and supporter. He just had a way of breathing confidence into a person. That Jewish patriarch became the moral tutor of this Episcopal bishop.
Needless to say, we became fast friends. And I was able to picture up close on so many occasions the passion and affection in his heart which trumped his considerable knowledge.
When Rhoda died, I happened to be working in Jerusalem. Upon hearing the news, I walked to the Western Wall, wrote her name on a slip of paper, and stood at the Wall praying for her soul. Now that Richard has died, I clutch a bulky album of endearing pictures to my chest. I stand in this holy place, Temple Emmanuel, and give thanks to God for the life of the Gold man who was a good man.
