Enoch Goodfriend Dies of Cancer
Above: Enoch Goodfriend sings “The Partisan’s Song” at the 2015 Yom HaShoah ceremony.
Goodfriend Glatt Kosher Catering Co. founder Enoch Goodfriend, 62, of Atlanta died Sunday, June 26, 2016, from complications of his battle with cancer. The funeral was held the next day at Congregation Ariel.
Goodfriend is survived by his wife, Kim, and his children, Miriam and Avi.
Goodfriend was the son of Lithuanian immigrants and Holocaust survivors Isaac and Betty Goodfriend. His father served as the cantor at Ahavath Achim Synagogue for more than 30 years, and he grew up as part of that congregation.
Enoch Goodfriend himself was a fixture of the Atlanta Jewish community. He, along with his family, belonged to Congregation Ariel. His company, Goodfriend’s Grill, was the caterer at the Marcus Jewish Community Center from 2009 until this year.
“The MJCCA leadership and staff are deeply saddened by the passing of Enoch Goodfriend, an integral part of our JCC family. The MJCCA had a terrific partnership with Enoch and Goodfriend’s Grill for 6-plus years,” Marcus JCC CEO Jared Powers said. “Enoch didn’t just rent space at the MJCCA; he was a true partner. The successful business he brought to the agency in 2009 provided meals and refreshments for hundreds of community activities, programs and events, serving preschoolers and campers, MJCCA members and staff.”
Outside of his business ventures, Goodfriend was a constant presence throughout Jewish Atlanta. He was involved with organizations such as the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Jewish National Fund, which gives an award named for his parents each spring.
He could be seen every year singing “The Partisan’s Song” in Yiddish at the Yom HaShoah observance organized by Eternal-Life Hemshech at the Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery.
“Enoch was the kindest, sweetest, most loving and generous man,” said Karen Lansky Edlin, a fellow child of Holocaust survivors and the head of Hemshech. “When describing a true mensch, his smiling face would come to mind. His family and the community have lost a special soul.”
Goodfriend clearly was struggling with his health at this year’s Yom HaShoah ceremony in May but still managed to lead “The Partisan’s Song.”
“Enoch had a big heart and a genuine love of the Jewish community, which was always evident in everything he did,” Powers said. “We offer our heartfelt condolences to Enoch’s wife, Kim, a longtime friend and staff member of the MJCCA, and to Avi and Miriam, his children. May Enoch’s memory be a blessing to all who knew him.”
The family has request that memorial donations be made to the National Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002.
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