1923
Rabbi
2017
Rabbi Baruch G. Goldstein
April 23, 1923 — May 30, 2017
Biography
Rabbi Baruch G. Goldstein
Rabbi Emeritus Congregation Beth Israel
Only Holocaust Survivor after all of his
48 Relatives Were Exterminated
Loved by All
WORCESTER – Rabbi Baruch G. Goldstein, age 94, died on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 in JFK Hospital in Delray Beach, Florida.
His wife of 63 years, Rebbitzen Riva (Golinkin) Goldstein, died in 2001. He leaves a son, Meyer Goldstein and his wife, Sue-Rita of Pawtucket, RI; four grandchildren, Jonah, Liza, Sarah and Daniel Goldstein; and two great-grandchildren, Ronan and Asher Goldstein.
He was born in Mlawa, Poland on April 23, 1923 and was a son of Israel Meyer and Tirtza (Kleinbard) Goldstein.
In 1939, after Germany invaded Poland until his Liberation in May of 1945, he lived in ghettoes, labor camps, Auschwitz Concentration Camp and survived forced death marches.
In 1948, after three years in a refugee camp in Italy, he immigrated to the United States and moved to Worcester to marry Rebecca (Riva) Golinkin. He then began a career as a Jewish teacher, educator and Rabbi. He worked at Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester as a teacher and youth group leader until 1964 when he moved to Wakefield, MA to assume the pulpit of Temple Emanuel. In 1971, he returned to Worcester to become, first, the Assistant Rabbi and then the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, where he served until his retirement in 1986.
In the 1980's, for the first time, he began speaking publicly about his experiences during the Holocaust. He spoke in hundreds of middle schools, high schools, colleges and adult organizations emphasizing the destructiveness of hatred and the importance of love and family. His speaking motivated him to write his memoirs, published in 2008, “For Decades I Was Silent, A Holocaust Survivor's Journey Back to Faith”.
He was beloved by his students, his congregants and all who met him for his warmth, kindness and openness to people. A former student and now an adult friend of the family wrote: “You have always been my hero, and the best example of what a true mensch, a full human being, can be. To survive what you have and to be able to emerge to lead such a positive, optimistic and future-oriented life, teaching and leading others with your wisdom, your words and your example, is beyond my comprehension. Knowing you has always been my privilege and my inspiration. Thank you for surviving despite everything, to bring enlightenment and hope and your love to all of us. The world desperately needs your message of tolerance and your testimony to the dangers of hate.”
FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE HELD AT 1:00 P.M. ON SUNDAY, JUNE 4, AT CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL, 15 JAMESBURY DRIVE, WORCESTER, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN. Burial will be in Holy Society Cemetery in Leicester.
Memorial contributions may be made the Congregation Beth Israel or a charity of the donor’s choice.
Memorial Observance will be announced at the time of the Funeral Service.
Funeral Services
Sunday
June 4, 2017
,
1:00 PM
at
Congregation Beth Israel
Click for Map and Directions
Burial
Sunday
June 4, 2017
at
Holy Society Cemetery
Click for Map and Directions
Rabbi Baruch G. Goldstein
Rabbi Emeritus Congregation Beth Israel
Only Holocaust Survivor after all of his
48 Relatives Were Exterminated
Loved by All
WORCESTER – Rabbi Baruch G. Goldstein, age 94, died on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 in JFK Hospital in Delray Beach, Florida.
His wife of 63 years, Rebbitzen Riva (Golinkin) Goldstein, died in 2001. He leaves a son, Meyer Goldstein and his wife, Sue-Rita of Pawtucket, RI; four grandchildren, Jonah, Liza, Sarah and Daniel Goldstein; and two great-grandchildren, Ronan and Asher Goldstein.
He was born in Mlawa, Poland on April 23, 1923 and was a son of Israel Meyer and Tirtza (Kleinbard) Goldstein.
In 1939, after Germany invaded Poland until his Liberation in May of 1945, he lived in ghettoes, labor camps, Auschwitz Concentration Camp and survived forced death marches.
In 1948, after three years in a refugee camp in Italy, he immigrated to the United States and moved to Worcester to marry Rebecca (Riva) Golinkin. He then began a career as a Jewish teacher, educator and Rabbi. He worked at Congregation Beth Israel in Worcester as a teacher and youth group leader until 1964 when he moved to Wakefield, MA to assume the pulpit of Temple Emanuel. In 1971, he returned to Worcester to become, first, the Assistant Rabbi and then the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, where he served until his retirement in 1986.
In the 1980's, for the first time, he began speaking publicly about his experiences during the Holocaust. He spoke in hundreds of middle schools, high schools, colleges and adult organizations emphasizing the destructiveness of hatred and the importance of love and family. His speaking motivated him to write his memoirs, published in 2008, “For Decades I Was Silent, A Holocaust Survivor's Journey Back to Faith”.
He was beloved by his students, his congregants and all who met him for his warmth, kindness and openness to people. A former student and now an adult friend of the family wrote: “You have always been my hero, and the best example of what a true mensch, a full human being, can be. To survive what you have and to be able to emerge to lead such a positive, optimistic and future-oriented life, teaching and leading others with your wisdom, your words and your example, is beyond my comprehension. Knowing you has always been my privilege and my inspiration. Thank you for surviving despite everything, to bring enlightenment and hope and your love to all of us. The world desperately needs your message of tolerance and your testimony to the dangers of hate.”
FUNERAL SERVICES WILL BE HELD AT 1:00 P.M. ON SUNDAY, JUNE 4, AT CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL, 15 JAMESBURY DRIVE, WORCESTER, UNDER THE DIRECTION OF RICHARD PERLMAN OF MILES FUNERAL HOME OF HOLDEN. Burial will be in Holy Society Cemetery in Leicester.
Memorial contributions may be made the Congregation Beth Israel or a charity of the donor’s choice.
Memorial Observance will be announced at the time of the Funeral Service.
Funeral Services
Sunday
June 4, 2017
,
1:00 PM
at
Congregation Beth Israel
Click for Map and Directions
Burial
Sunday
June 4, 2017
at
Holy Society Cemetery
Click for Map and Directions
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