Misplaced Pages

Samuel Goldstein (rabbi)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Samuel Aaron Goldstein)

RabbiSamuel Aaron Goldstein
Personal life
Born(1852-06-12)12 June 1852
London, England
Died29 May 1935(1935-05-29) (aged 82)
Auckland, New Zealand
SpouseEva Phillips
Children2
Parents
  • Woolf Goldstein (father)
  • Sarah Goldstein (mother)
Alma materJews' College, London
Religious life
ReligionJudaism

Samuel Aaron Goldstein (12 June 1852 – 29 May 1935) was a New Zealand rabbi, scholar and community leader. A prominent figure in New Zealand's Jewish community, he served as the rabbi of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation for 54 years, and was known for his contributions to Jewish education and interfaith relations.

Early life

Samuel Aaron Goldstein was born in London, England to Woolf and Sarah Goldstein. His father, Woolf Goldstein was a jeweller and has German heritage. Samuel Goldstein received his ordination at the age of 22 following rabbinical training at Jews' College, London. He taught Hebrew at a school in Yorkshire, then at West Hartlepool.

Career

Goldstein first relocated to Australia to serve as the rabbi for the Hebrew congregation in Toowoomba, Queensland, before taking up a position in West Maitland, New South Wales. Goldstein consecrated the Maitland Synagogue in 1879.

In 1880, Goldstein arrived in Auckland on the SS Tararua to serve the Auckland Hebrew Congregation. Under Goldstein's leadership, the congregation expanded from 373 in 1881 to 950 by 1935. During the Long Depression, he voluntarily reduced his annual stipend by £75 to help alleviate the community's financial strain. To supplement his income, he took on cleaning and maintenance duties at the synagogue to support his family.

Goldstein was known for his interest in civic affairs. He served in the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Auckland Ladies' Benevolent Society. During and after the Second Boer War, he was the secretary of the Patriotic Society. He was also a member of the Auckland City Council's library committee and founded the Societe Literaire Francaise. Goldstein formed friendships with non-Jews, including George Grey, and served on Grey's memorial committee following his death. These friendships stemmed from Goldstein's support of empire; upon the death of Queen Victoria, Goldstein described himself as an English Jew 'with all the instincts and impulses of an Englishman.'

Goldstein was known for his strong views on a range of issues. A committed Zionist, he was the president of the Auckland Zionist Society for 22 years. Goldstein believed that the establishment of a Jewish state would enable the Jewish people to be recognized globally as a legitimate nation rather than marginalised outcasts. Goldstein did not support spousal conversion to Judaism on the basis that Judaism requires the proselyte to believe in the Jewish faith and marital conversion is conversion for other motives.

In 1928, Goldstein was awarded the title Morenu by British Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. Goldstein retired from active ministry in 1934, having served the congregation for 54 years.

Personal life

Headstone of Eva and Samuel Goldstein, Waikumete Cemetery

Goldstein married Eva Goldstein, née Phillips, on 14 June 1876 at Southampton, England. Eva died on 23 April 1935 aged 78. They had two sons who were both physicians. His eldest son, Major Herbert Myer Goldstein, served in the New Zealand Medical Corps during World War One and attained the Military Cross. Herbert died in 1954, aged 76. His youngest son, Henry, died of influenza in 1905, aged 23.

Samuel Goldstein died on 30 May 1935, following complications from surgery, aged 82. Goldstein was buried in Waikumete Cemetery in a ceremony conducted by his successor, Rabbi Alexander Astor.

References

  1. ^ Beaglehole, Ann. "Samuel Aaron Goldstein". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.
  2. ^ "Untitled". The New Zealand Herald. 16 December 1880. p. 4 – via Papers Past.
  3. ^ "The Rev. Samuel Aaron Goldstein". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company, Limited. 1902. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  4. "Religious Memoranda". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 September 1879. p. 7. Retrieved 25 November 2024 – via Trove.
  5. Israel, Ida (1990). "Rabbi Samuel Aaron Goldstein". In Gluckman, Ann (ed.). Identity and Involvement: Auckland Jewry, Past and Present. Dunmore Press. pp. 59–62. ISBN 9780864691811.
  6. "Sir George Grey's Memorial". Thames Star. 25 January 1899. p. 1. Retrieved 28 November 2024 – via Papers Past.
  7. "The Jewish Synagogue". Auckland Star. 28 January 1901. p. 3. Retrieved 28 November 2024 – via Papers Past.
  8. Trotter, Sheree Ann (2019). Zionism 'at the uttermost ends of the earth': A New Zealand Social History c.1900-1948 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Auckland. p. 126. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  9. Goldman, Lazarus Morris (1958). The History of the Jews in New Zealand. Wellington: Reed Publishing. pp. 199–200.
  10. "The Cause of Judaism". Otago Witness. 24 December 1928. p. 15. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  11. "Official Jubilee Medals". The Evening Post. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  12. "Deaths". Auckland Star. 23 April 1935. p. 1. Retrieved 25 November 2024 – via Papers Past.
  13. ^ "Death of Dr. Henry Goldstein". New Zealand Graphic. 22 April 1905. p. 23. Retrieved 25 November 2024 – via Papers Past.
  14. "Herbert Goldstein". Special Collections: First World War Centenary, 1914-1918. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  15. "Death of Rabbi". The New Zealand Herald. 30 May 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 27 November 2024 – via Papers Past.
Categories: