Abraham Goldstein

Abraham Goldstein was born in Kiev, Russia on December 30, l893, the son of Lazer and Sarah Goldstein. He attended college in Kiev, specializing in Yiddish Literature. He joined the Zionist movement while in school and studied under the famous Zionist leader Shmarya Levin (or Levine).

During the early part of WWI, Goldstein served in the Russian Army and then left in the fall of 1915 for a "difficult journey" through Siberia, China, Japan, San Francisco, Seattle, and eventually to New York. After his arrival, Goldstein joined the Zionists in Brooklyn.

In 1919, he moved to Hartford and worked for the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) as director of the Connecticut Zionist Bureau. He quickly became known for his skills as an orator, especially in Yiddish. He built up the membership of the local chapters through his own natural talents and through the visits of prominent Zionists whom he brought to this city, including Chaim Weizmann, Albert Einstein, Louis Brandeis, and Shmarya Levin.

A few years later, Goldstein went to work in insurance and soon became a highly successful General Agent (head of the Goldstein Agency) for Bankers National Life Insurance Co. He continued his active work on behalf of Zionism, gaining the friendship of many prominent figures in the movement. He earned positions as Vice President of the ZOA, member of its national administrative council and executive committee, delegate of the ZOA to the World Zionist Congress, and council member of the United Palestine Appeal. Locally, Goldstein was an active supporter of the Hartford Zionist District, the Hartford Jewish Welfare Fund, and Agudas Achim Synagogue.

Goldstein was always known for his talent with words and his love of Yiddish and Hebrew literature and culture. In addition to publishing his own Yiddish monthly, Die Zeit or Die Neie Zeit and a book in Yiddish on fishing, he wrote letters, articles, and columns for numerous other publications, including Yiddish Lebn, Dos Yiddishe Folk, The Day, The Forward, and The New Palestine. He also became known for writing and acting in satiric comedic musicals about members of the local community.

Goldstein is considered an outstanding figure in the American Zionist movement. His oratorical skills and organizational abilities turned the efforts in Connecticut into a model for the rest of the U.S. He was known for his integrity, loyalty, courage, and leadership, both here and abroad.

Goldstein married Anna Hurewitz, whom he met through Zionist activities, and they had two children: a son, Ellie, and a daughter, Ziona. Goldstein died on December 26, l953.