Samuel Goldstein received his ordination at the age of 22 following rabbinical training at Jews' College, London.

[1][2] Goldstein first relocated to Australia to serve as the rabbi for the Hebrew congregation in Toowoomba, Queensland, before taking up a position in West Maitland, New South Wales.

[2] During the Long Depression, he voluntarily reduced his annual stipend by £75 to help alleviate the community's financial strain.

He was also a member of the Auckland City Council's library committee and founded the Societe Literaire Francaise.

[13] His eldest son, Major Herbert Myer Goldstein, served in the New Zealand Medical Corps during World War One and attained the Military Cross.

Goldstein was buried in Waikumete Cemetery in a ceremony conducted by his successor, Rabbi Alexander Astor.