Inspiring Jew from Today: Ruth Gottesman
- Jan 25
- 1 min read
Ruth Gottesman is a geneticist, educator, and long-time leader in medical education. She spent decades at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, helping shape how doctors are trained and how genetic medicine is practiced.
After her husband, investor David Gottesman, died in 2022, she inherited his fortune. In 2024, she donated around one billion dollars so that tuition would now be free for all students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, permanently.
She wanted future doctors to choose medicine because they were called to heal, including those who would otherwise be blocked by high tuition fees.
In Jewish terms, this reflects tzedakah at its highest level. Ruth Gottesman has shown what responsibility looks like when you hold immense wealth, and in doing so, she has set a serious bar for how it can be used for real, lasting good.