The Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies mourns the loss and celebrates the life of Bernie D. Goldstein (BBA ’49), a loyal longtime CJS supporter, donor, and friend. He was 93.
Bernie came to Madison from Nashville, Tennessee. As a student at the UW, he valued the friendships he formed through his fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau, and the education he received through the BBA program, which allowed him to refine the skills he would eventually need as a CPA.
A generous gift from Bernie and his family allowed CJS to create the Goldstein Family Student Lounge and Library, which opened in 2019. Designed to foster relationships and intellectual community among students, the lounge also holds books that are regularly assigned in Jewish Studies courses, as well as other significant contributions to Jewish history, literature, and culture. Dedicated to lifelong learning, Bernie and his wife Lenora (BS ’69) regularly attended the Center’s annual Greenfield Summer Institute and provided support for complimentary registrations so that more people could take part in the Institute’s offerings.
In an interview for the CJS newsletter in 2021, Bernie explained the belief that guided him throughout his life: “There’s nothing you can’t do if you want it badly enough and you’re willing to put in the sacrifice to do it.” He credited the UW for the success that enabled him and his family to support CJS. “None of this would have been possible,” he said, “without the great education we’ve received at the University of Wisconsin, both in and out of the classroom.”
Bernie is survived by his wife, Lenora; his children, Steven (Kent Newmark), Ronna, and Stewart (Maria) Goldstein (BA ’82), and his grandchildren Jack, Samuel, Zachary, Sari, Joshua (BA ’15), Catherine, and Bridget.