England – The founder of London’s Shomrim patrol was one of 187 people to carry the Olympic torch today along its almost forty mile journey today through South London today, amid brilliant sunshine and enthusiastic cheers.

Twenty two year old Efrayim Goldstein of Stamford Hill told VIN News that he began his day at 4 AM this morning, when he was driven down to Lewisham and began to prepare for the day’s festivities. While Goldstein donned the same white official Olympic uniform as the other 8,000 torch bearers, he was the only one to receive an official Olympic yarmulke, which he described as white, bearing the same design as the uniform.

The Olympic torch was passed to Goldstein at approximately 8:30 AM and he carried the torch for just under half a mile. Goldstein described the experience as “really, really special.”



“While 250 people came down to Lewisham specifically for me, there were hundreds and hundreds lined up along the road,” Goldstein told VIN News. “People were screaming my name. It was something that I will never forget and to receive this kind of public recognition for the charity work that I do inspires me to continue helping others.”

Goldstein claims he got the support from Dayan Menachem Gelley of the London Beis Din who told him to be proud to carry the Olympic torch on behalf of Jews worldwide.

“I was honored to show the world that even though we are yidden who are living in galus, we stand united as a community in support of the government, something that I think made a huge Kiddush Hashem,” said Goldstein.

After handing off the torch to the next torchbearer, Goldstein was joined by a group of fellow torchbearer in observing a minute of silence in memory of the Israeli athletes who were murdered at the Munich Olympics forty years ago.

Each of the torchbearers will receive their own Olympic torch and Goldstein plans to go with his torch to schools and other facilities and share his Olympic experience in the hopes that others will be inspired to do whatever they can to help the needy in their own communities.