Ruth Miriam Goldstein was born on September 2, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Samuel and Rose Katz. She grew up in a warm and lively household in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, where the smells of brisket and challah were as constant as the sound of Yiddish and laughter. Ruth was the kind of child who remembered everyone's birthday and never let one pass without a card. She graduated from Girls' High School in 1953 and married Irving Goldstein the following year at Congregation Adath Jeshurun. Together they built a life in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, raising four children in a home that was always open — to neighbors, to friends of friends, to anyone who needed a meal or a place to sit and talk. Ruth worked as a bookkeeper for her husband's hardware business for twenty years while simultaneously running what her children called "the most organized household in South Jersey." Ruth was a pillar of Congregation Beth El in Cherry Hill, where she chaired the Sisterhood for a decade, organized the annual Purim carnival for thirty years, and taught Sunday school with a patience and warmth that her former students still speak of. She was a devoted bubbe who attended every recital, every game, and every graduation, and who made each grandchild feel like the most special person alive. In her later years, Ruth took up watercolor painting, traveled to Israel twice, and read voraciously. She faced her final illness with characteristic grace, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, telling stories until the very end. Ruth Miriam Goldstein left this world on July 18, 2026, at the age of 90. Zichronah livracha — may her memory be a blessing.

Hobbies & interests

Watercolor painting; reading novels and biographies; traveling — including two beloved trips to Israel; organizing the annual Purim carnival at Congregation Beth El; baking challah and rugelach for Shabbat; attending every grandchild's recital, game, and graduation

Survived by

Her children: Marcia Goldstein-Shapiro (Alan) of Cherry Hill, NJ, Steven Goldstein (Deborah) of Marlton, NJ, Linda Goldstein-Rubin (Mark) of Scottsdale, AZ, and Paul Goldstein (Nancy) of Baltimore, MD; eleven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and her dear friend of sixty years, Sylvia Horowitz of Philadelphia, PA.

Preceded in death by

Her husband of 58 years, Irving Goldstein; her parents, Samuel and Rose Katz; her brother, Herbert Katz; and her sister, Phyllis Katz-Bernstein.