Israel Goldstein (June 18, 1896 – April 11, 1986) was an American-born Israeli

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, author and

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

leader. He was the primary founder of

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

.Jewish Telegraphic Agency, ''Dr. Israel Goldstein Dead at 89'', Jerusalem, April 13, 1986

/ref>

Early life and education

Goldstein, born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, was a noteworthy graduate of

South Philadelphia High School South Philadelphia High School is a public secondary high school located in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia, at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of th ...

(SPHS) in 1911. At that time the school program was manual training, but his record showed to school administrators that there was more promise for academics servicing the immigrant population of

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Gratz College Gratz College is a private Jewish college in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. The college traces its origins to 1856 when banker, philanthropist, and communal leader Hyman Gratz and the Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia (established in 1849 ...

, which is the oldest independent Jewish College in the United States. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

at the age of 17. Later he attended the Jewish Theological Seminary where he was ordained in 1918 and received his Doctorate of Hebrew Letters (D.H.L.) in 192

Career and Zionist activity

From 1918 until his immigration to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

in 1960, Israel Goldstein served as the rabbi of Congregation B'nai Jeshurun in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, the second oldest synagogue in the city. He was head of the

New York Board of Rabbis The New York Board of Rabbis is an organization of Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist rabbis in New York State and the surrounding portions of Connecticut and New Jersey. The roots of the New York Board of Rabbis date to 1881 wit ...

(1928–30), the

Jewish National Fund Jewish National Fund ( he, קֶרֶן קַיֶּימֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Keren Kayemet LeYisrael'', previously , ''Ha Fund HaLeumi'') was founded in 1901 to buy and develop land in Ottoman Syria (later Mandatory Palestine, and subseq ...

of America (1934-1943), the

Zionist Organization of America The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) () is an American non-profit pro-Israel organization. Founded in 1897, as the Federation of American Zionists, it was the first official Zionist organization in the United States. Early in the 20th centur ...

(1943-1946), and

American Jewish Congress The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress or AJC) is an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts. History The AJCongress was ...

(1952-1959), and helped found the

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

. In 1945, he was a consultant to the U.S. delegation at the Founding Conference of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. From 1961 to 1971, Goldstein was World Chairman of

Keren Hayesod Keren Hayesod – United Israel Appeal ( he, קרן היסוד, literally "The Foundation Fund") is an official fundraising organization for Israel with branches in 45 countries. Its work is carried out in accordance with the Keren haYesod Law-5 ...

-United Israel Appeal. He led Keren Hayesod during a period of expansion and growth, particularly after the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

Death

Israel Goldstein died on April 11, 1986, at

Shaare Zedek Hospital The Shaare Zedek Medical Center ( he, מרכז רפואי שערי צדק, ''Merkaz Refu'i Sha'arei Tzedek'') (lit. "Gates of Justice") is a large teaching hospital in Jerusalem established in 1902, It affiliated with Hebrew University of Jerusa ...

in Jerusalem after a long illness.

Published works

*''Century of Judaism in New York'' (1930) *''Towards a Solution'' (1940) *''Shanah b’Yisrael'' (Next Year in Israel; 1950) *''American Jewry Comes of Age'' (1955) *''Brandeis University - Chapter of its Founding'' *''Transition Years, New York-Jerusalem, 1960-1962'' (1966) *''Israel at Home and Abroad'' (1977) *''My World as a Jew: The Memoirs of Israel Goldstein'' (1984)

Honors and commemoration

Dr. Goldstein has been inducted into the SPHS Alumni Cultural Hall of Fame. In 1947, more than 1,000 acres of Jewish National Fund land situated between Gaza and

Lachish Lachish ( he, לכיש; grc, Λαχίς; la, Lachis) was an ancient Canaanite and Israelite city in the Shephelah ("lowlands of Judea") region of Israel, on the South bank of the Lakhish River, mentioned several times in the Hebrew Bible. Th ...

were named "Chevel Goldstein" (lit. "Goldstein's region") in his honor. The

Israel Goldstein Youth Village Israel Goldstein Youth Village, known in Hebrew as the Havat HaNoar HaTzioni ( he, חוות הנוער הציוני), is a youth village and high school in Jerusalem, Israel. History Havat HaNoar HaTzioni was established in 1949 as a home for 40 ...

, whose director he was, is named after him. Established in 1949, it is a Zionist

youth village A youth village ( he, כפר נוער, ''Kfar No'ar'') is a boarding school model first developed in Mandatory Palestine in the 1930s to care for groups of children and teenagers fleeing the Nazis. Henrietta Szold and Recha Freier were the pionee ...

in the

Katamon , settlement_type = Neighborhood of Jerusalem , image_skyline = בית רה"מ לוי אשכול ברחוב בוסתנאי 3 בשכנות קטמון בירושלים.jpg , imagesize = 300px , image_caption = House ...

neighborhood of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. On his eightieth birthday, Israeli prime minister

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; he, יִצְחָק רַבִּין, ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77, and from 1992 until h ...

and other government and Zionist movement officials gathered at his home to pay him tribute."Israeli Officials Honor Longtime Zionist Leader," ''The New York Times,'' June 28, 1976, p. 14 The Rabbi Dr. I. Goldstein Synagogue on the

Givat Ram Givat Ram ( he, גִּבְעַת רָם) is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is the site of Kiryat HaMemshala (Hebrew language, Hebrew: קריית הממשלה, ''lit.'' Government complex), which includes many of Israel's most important na ...

campus of the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

was built in his honor. The Israel Goldstein Prize for Distinguished Leadership is the highest honor bestowed by Keren Hayesod. The prize has been awarded annually since 1980, the 60th anniversary of Keren Hayesod.Israel Goldstein Prize

References

*The

Central Zionist Archives Central Zionist Archives (CZA; he, הארכיון הציוני המרכזי) is the official archive of the institutions of the Zionist Movement: the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency, the Jewish National Fund, and Keren Hayesod/the U ...

in Jerusale
site
Office of Israel Goldstein (S57), Personal papers (A364) and his photograph collection (PHIG) {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldstein, Israel 1896 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American rabbis Brandeis University people American Zionists American Orthodox rabbis University and college founders Rabbis from Philadelphia South Philadelphia High School alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni