SAN DIEGO – A cofounder and former executive director of the Friendship Circle of San Diego, Elisheva Green, has resigned “with a broken heart” from the nonprofit organization founded to help children and adults with disabilities, citing irregularities in the organization’s governance by members of the family of disgraced former rabbi Yisroel Goldstein of Chabad of Poway.
In a letter addressed to leaders of the San Diego Jewish Community, Green wrote:
“July 2020, along with the rest of our community, I was stunned to learn of the criminal activities and conviction of Yisroel Goldstein, Chairman of the Board of the FCSD. As the Chairman, he had control of the FCSD finances and he had involved the FCSD in his criminal activities. After Yisroel Goldstein knew he was going to be convicted he turned over the Friendship Circle to his son Mendel Goldstein and a board of respected honest community members who had no prior involvement with the Friendship Circle.
“Since July 2020, Mendel Goldstein has repeatedly promised to return control of the FCSD to a group of founders, major donors and active volunteers in the FCSD. This hasn’t happened. Mendel’s entire board resigned and he has turned over complete control of the FCSD to his brother Shuie Goldstein. Shuie has no prior experience or training in running a nonprofit. He has control of the substantial funds that many of you and your members donated to support those with disabilities. He continues to spend down those funds while providing almost no programming or services to FCSD’s special needs community.
“In addition, despite Yisroel Goldstein’s conviction in Federal Court it appears to me that Yisroel Goldstein continues to pull the strings behind the scenes. Yisroel Goldstein drafted bylaws that give his family permanent control over FCSD, and despite over a year of promises, we have not received the signed releases that would end that ludicrous authority.
“After 14 months of being repeatedly lied to and attempting to pursue multiple recourses to regain control of the FCSD, I cannot remain part of the fiction that the current main mission of the FCSD is to provide services to those with disabilities. It isn’t. Its present primary goal is to provide income and employment for Shuie Goldstein and his family.
“At this point Shuie is demanding a large unearned severance package from the Friendship Circle-from money that was intended to help those with disabilities.
“With great regret, I resign from the FCSD. The past 16 years of working with our families have been among the most rewarding of my life. I am overwhelmingly appreciative of all of you, families, volunteers and donors who have made FCSD possible. You brought so much joy to our children and adults. I loved working with everyone involved in FCSD and we had established a strong sense of community.
“I pray that a caring competent board of directors who are familiar with the history and goals of FCSD will be able to regain control of the FCSD.”
San Diego Jewish World has messaged The Friendship Circle seeking comment on Green’s resignation letter, and awaits a response.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
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Ellen Edwards
The following letter was received from Lyn Zanders, a former board member of the Friendship Circle, who has chosen to resign.
To Whom It May Concern:
It pains me to write this letter of resignation from The Friendship Circle of San Diego, an organization which I helped launch, was an active participant, donor and board member since 2005. I was removed from the board without my knowledge, yet my name was used on multiple IRS Form 990’s for non-profit financial activity reporting.
I thought I had a good awareness of how Friendship Circle was governed, where the funds came from and how money was being spent. I attended hundreds of meetings over 16 years and my expertise as a special education teacher was utilized to create programs for the FC. There was never a reason for me to suspect that Yisroel Goldstein was using FC as a fundraising tool for his personal gain.
According to the California Attorney General’s Guide for Charities, no one owns a charity. By design, Yisroel Goldstein “owned” FC of San Diego. By owning it, he was able to pass authority and control down to his son, Mendel Goldstein, who in turn gave control to his brother, Shuie Goldstein after Yisroel was indicted by the US Government.
Now FC of San Diego is in the process of “buying out” Shuie’s control using donated funds that were designated for the special needs community, since that is what FC is about. After reading Chapter 5, Exercising Fiscal Management, of the Attorney General’s Guide for Charities, there is no mention of using donated funds for this purpose.
According to Shuie in an email dated June 9, 2021: “Now that the board is in our hands, we will make sure we are treated with respect. We will not give in to pressure or threats as this is not the way the Torah wants issues to be dealt with.” The board he refers to is himself, his wife, and others. The board has changed numerous times under Goldstein management at the discretion of whichever Goldstein has been in charge. Shuie is comfortable asking for a severance package close to $140,000 when his salary was $30,408 per year, as established by Yisroel Goldstein. This severance package is completely out of line and may potentially bankrupt FC.
I cannot be party to the Goldstein family holding the Friendship Circle hostage for a payoff. I feel that they are playing a game called “Beat the Clock.” The clock runs out when money from a newly recognized estate is deposited in the FC account, under the name of Yisroel Goldstein as the beneficiary.
They have promised the old board members numerous times over the past fourteen months that they would hand over FC control to the old board after they receive an extravagant severance pay off. Nothing has happened. Many promises have been made to create an illusion that “we are getting closer” but I have no expectation for resolution.
I have come to believe that this whole scenario is just wrong and questionable therefore I don’t want to be involved! Many people have asked me what is going on with FC? I have kept quiet, but I’ve had enough. Who am I protecting? I am protecting people who don’t deserve my loyalty and no longer have it.
“Rotten wood cannot be carved.” Confucius
Regretfully,
Lyn M. Zanders