For the past few years, Bob Goodman has been a very involved member of Adath Emanu-El, a reform Judiasm synagogue in Mt. Laurel. He spent the last few years serving on various committees and helping to strengthen his community.
However, when Goodman was forced to undergo a heart transplant last year, it was time for his community to give back to him.
What took place was an experience Goodman will remember for the rest of his life.
Goodman, a 62-year-old resident of nearby Westampton, will speak at Adath Emanu-El on March 14 at 8 p.m. during Erev Shabbat Service.
Returning to Adath Emanu-El to speak in front of his fellow synagogue members and friends is the least Goodman could do after the last few months.
“They’ve given a lot for me,” Goodman said. “I guess it’s time for me to give back a little bit.”
Goodman received a heart transplant in November after contracting an autoimmune disease. Goodman had been heavily involved with Adath Emanu-El for the past few years, but was forced to step aside prior to receiving the transplant.
Goodman considers himself very fortunate. He was able to receive a heart after just three days of being on the transplant list.
“Not only did they get successfully onto the transplant list, but they also got me upgraded to the highest level of need,” Goodman said. “So that really set the wheels in motion.”
Goodman had been forced to stay at University of Pennsylvania hospital at the time. For 40 years, he worked in the health-care business, serving as a hospital administrator for 17 of those years. It wasn’t until last fall when he was able to see the business in a whole new light.
“Going through this process with this intensity and how they took care of me has been an incredible eye-opener, and I say that in a positive way,” Goodman said.
Goodman had good fortune with his transplant, but he had even more support after he went home. Friends, both from the Adath Emanu-El community and from other walks of life, helped Goodman with nearly anything he needed.
Goodman described how people would offer to drive him before he was cleared to operate a car. In his neighborhood, he described how neighbors have used their snow blowers and shovels to keep his pathways clear during the winter.
“Getting the support that you need is critical,” he said.
Goodman is bringing these experiences to the Adath community to emphasize how doing things for others is important. It is something Goodman discovered when he got involved with the synagogue as a member of its search committee for a new rabbi a few years ago. Goodman and his wife Patti had been with Adath Emanu-El since 1998.
“The best place for me to get started was an opportunity to join a search committee to appoint an interim rabbi,” he said.
Goodman ultimately stayed on the committee to find a permanent rabbi. He chaired the contracts committee and would go on to join the fundraising and development committee.
Ultimately, the can-do attitude he showed with his volunteering at Adath proved to be crucial in recovering from his disease.
“It’s in you,” Goodman said. “Either you can do it or you can’t do it.”
Goodman will talk about the importance of staying healthy and supporting others during his speech, but he also wants to encourage people to become donors. While he was fortunate to receive a new heart, there are many others who do not have the same luxury.
“Without this donor, I’d either be dead or still be waiting,” Goodman said. “So being a donor is something we try to encourage people to do.”
