MJ: Hi Mr. Goldsmith. How did you get started snake catching?

MG: I originally learned how to catch snakes when I was a kid in Boy Scouts clubs. Then living in New York I didn’t have anything to do with snakes for years. Sixteen years ago I made aliyah and three years after that my wife and I moved to Ramat Beit Shemesh. A couple of weeks after we moved my wife saw a viper in the lobby of our building. She called me for help and I caught it. Word spread and other people began calling me too. I bought myself a few books on the topic got the equipment I needed and let people know I was available.

Because Ramat Beit Shemesh is located near bare fields people often spot snakes. I don’t charge for my services; I just ask that people reimburse me for my travel expenses. It’s my chesed to the community.

MJ: How often do you get called?

MG: I sometimes get called three or four times a day and other weeks I don’t get any calls. Snakes go into hibernation for about three to four months in the winter. The past few winters have been so dry though that they seem to be going into hibernation later and coming out earlier and I’ve been getting calls almost straight through the winter.