We will always remember Margot Goldman as the friendly face and welcoming voice at the front desk of the Jewish Community Center. From where Margot sat she could see everyone coming through the front doors, and always made it her business to say hello and greet visitors by name if she knew them — and she knew most of them. This was before all the security protocols changed the way people enter Jewish institutions.
By nature, Margot was warm, efficient and down to earth. No pretenses there.
She escaped from Nazi Germany and was able to reach Paris as a child in 1933. She came to America in 1939 and to Denver in 1951. The Holocaust shaped her youth, which made her a fitting match for her late husband, Jack J. Goldman, a survivor. Together, the Goldmans were fixtures in our community, serving as living reminders of the brutal Jewish past, even as they were personally congenial, friendly, outreaching and proud of their family.
Margot Goldman was also proud of the artistry and pedagogy of her husband Jack, a photographer, artist and Holocaust survivor and educator. If Margot was outgoing, Jack was introspective, though he gave presentations about his experiences in concentration camps to students around the state and founded a Holocaust memorial event. Margot Goldman supported her husband’s efforts in this painful but critical work.
Margot, along with Jack, were strong Zionists and instilled their love of Israel into their children, two of whom made aliyah and have raised their own families in Israel.
Although the Goldmans tragically lost a son, Margot persevered and lovingly raised her family and lived to enjoy grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As a person of faith, persistence, pleasantness and perennial concern for the welfare of others, Margot Goldman was a role model. Her welcoming and soothing presence is deeply missed.
Copyright © 2019 by the Intermountain Jewish News
