Memorials: Louis Goldberg

Louis Goldberg was born January 28, 1923 in Los Angeles, CA, into an orthodox Jewish home, the son of Nathan and Minnie Goldberg. He met his future wife, Claire Berman, also from an Orthodox Jewish home, while at Roosevelt High School in Los Angeles. Louis was a trainer in the U.S. Army for several years while pursuing his Bachelor's in Engineering from the University of Southern California which he received early in 1944. Still in the army, Louis and Claire were married near Newark, NJ, on July 14, 1944. After his army years, Louis began work at Automatic Electric in Chicago. Gus Graziano, a member of the Moody Memorial Church, worked with Louis and was a persistent witness to him for the Lord Jesus Christ. After six months of Gus's witness, Louis received Christ in 1948. Two months later, Claire was saved, and sometime later, Louis's brother, Daniel, also came to Christ.

The Goldbergs lived in Oaklawn and attended the Oaklawn Bible Church led by pastor Bach. Louis was also ordained in that church.

Louis obtained his theological education with a Bachelor of Divinity from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1953, and a Th.M. degree from the same institution in 1961. His Th.D. degree was earned several years later from Grace Theological Seminary, Winona Lake, IN. Louis pastured the Maranatha Baptist Church in Chicago for six years and the Dairy Dale Baptist Church of Cedar Rapids, IA, for three years.

Beginning in 1962, Louis taught at Temple Baptist Theological Seminary in Chattanooga, TN for three years, while also pasturing one of the "chapels." He then taught at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago from 1965 until he retired in 1993. Claire, a great children's worker, always a soul-winner, and a great helper to Louis died in 1991, and is buried in Chicago.

In 1994, Louis became Scholar in Residence for Jews for Jesus, and lived at their New York City headquarters at 109 E. 31^sup st^ St. He continued this work until his health began to fail in 2000, at which time he went to live with his daughter, Stephanie Anderson, in Charlotte, NC.

Louis carried on an extensive work in Israel, beginning in 1968, when the Israeli government asked him to come, tour, and write articles about the land and the people. From that time, until 2000, Louis spent every summer but one in Israel. He became an itinerant pastor to hundreds of Messianic Jewish congregations, and spoke on the same topic in a plenary session at the 52^sup nd^ Annual Meeting of the ETS in Nashville. Some of Louis Goldberg's published writings were: Our Jewish Friends (Moody); Leviticus (study guide commentary, Zondervan); Ecclesiastes (study guide commentary, Zondervan); Turbulance Over the Middle East (Loizeaux); Are There Two Ways of Atonement? (Lederer); Fire on the Mountain: Past Revivals, Present Revivals, and the Coming Return of Israel (Lederer); Counterpoints: Two Views on Messianic Movements (Zondervan, forthcoming); as well as many chapters in symposia and dictionary articles. Louis helped translate both the NIV and the NKJV.

Louis Goldberg had been a member of the Evangelical Theological Society for forty-one years. He served as president of the society in 1983, often presented papers, and rarely ever missed an annual meeting. He died of pneumonia on Wednesday, October 23, at the home of his daughter Stephanie in Charlotte, NC. His funeral was held at Emmanuel Bible Church in Berwyn, IL, and he is buried beside his wife, Claire. He lived 79 years, 9 months, and 26 days. Left to mourn are his daughter Stephanie Anderson and her children, Elasheva and Aaron Arie Anderson of Charlotte; and his brother Daniel Goldberg.

Copyright Evangelical Theological Society Mar 2003
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