Anthony Goldstein was a British wizard of Jewish origin born into the Goldstein family. He joined Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and boarded the Hogwarts Express on 1 September 1991. The Sorting Hat sorted him into the Ravenclaw house. He was in the same year as the famous Harry Potter and was close friends with Terry Boot and Michael Corner. They were also his roommates in the Ravenclaw dormitory.
He was also friends with Ernie Macmillan. He was made a house prefect for Ravenclaw House in his fifth year. He also joined the Dumbledore’s Army, founded by the golden trio of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. J. K. Rowling later revealed that Anthony Goldstein was a Jewish wizard.
Early Life
Anthony Goldstein was born in Great Britain. He was born in the Goldstein family and was Half-blooded. At least one of his parents was a witch or a wizard. He was a distant relative of Porpentina Goldstein and Queenie Goldstein. Therefore, he was also related to Newt Scamander. When he turned eleven, he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Family
Very little was revealed about Anthony Goldstein’s family except that they were Jewish and that his father was a descendant or a distant relative of Queenie and Porpentina Goldstein. This is because it is highly likely that Anthony took his father’s last name rather than his mother’s since this was common at that time.
While it was never specified in the Harry Potter series that Jewish characters were present, J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, later revealed that Anthony Goldstein was of Jewish Heritage. However, this revelation has divided Jewish fans of the Harry Potter series, as it was not mentioned in the books that Anthony Goldstein was a Jew. He was one of the only people in the Harry Potter series to be explicitly claimed to be Jewish.
Hogwarts Years
Anthony Goldstein joined Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September 1991, at the same time as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. Anthony was sorted into Ravenclaw house during the sorting ceremony. He became close friends with his roommates, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, and Ernie Macmillan. He was Harry’s classmate and shared several of his classes with the trio.
In his fourth year, he asked Mandy Brocklehurst for the Yule Ball as he had a crush on her. She accepted his request with great enthusiasm, and it was revealed later that she also had a crush on him. They went together to the Yule Ball. This was the same year that Harry would see the return of Lord Voldemort and Anthony’s friend from Ravenclaw, Cedric Diggory, would be killed during the final task of the Triwizard Tournament.
In his fifth year, Anthony Goldstein was made the house prefect of Ravenclaw house along with Padma Patil. He was also one of the first students of Hogwarts to become a member of Dumbledore’s Army. He attended the meeting at the Hog’s Head to decide on the group’s name and members and signed the parchment along with his friends.
During the first meeting of the Dumbledore’s Army held at the Room of Requirement, Anthony was paired with Zacharias Smith, and the group was supposed to practice the disarming charm. Fred and George constantly kept disarming Zacharias unbeknownst to anyone before Anthony could disarm him. At the end of the school year, when Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and Vincent Crabbe tried to attack Harry, several Dumbledore’s Army members, including Anthony, protected Harry and fired spells back at Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.
In his seventh year, during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Anthony was one of the first members of Dumbledore’s Army to go to the Room of Requirement after he felt that the new Hogwarts administration was in poor hands. He fought with his peers in the Battle of Hogwarts and helped Harry defeat Lord Voldemort.
Career
Very little is known about Anthony Goldstein’s life after Hogwarts. He may have joined the Ministry of Magic after he graduated from Hogwarts or became a teacher at Hogwarts. He may also have picked some other type of job after leaving Hogwarts. Since he had experience in the Dumbledore’s Army and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, it is also very likely that he received an invitation from the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, to become an Auror in the Ministry of Magic.
Diversity in the Harry Potter Series
The Harry Potter series has been among the most popular children’s books ever. A lot of people have read it throughout the world and from different demographics. However, many questions have risen about representation and diversity in the Harry Potter series, and in many cases, later remarks by J. K. Rowling have added new twists to the diversity of characters in the series. While it is not essential to have diversity in every piece of literature, especially when the story is set in a place lacking diversity, many fans have had exciting questions about diversity in this series.
Anthony Goldstein is one character under scrutiny after J. K. Rowling claimed he was Jewish. While it is not necessary for it to be mentioned in the books explicitly for it to be accurate, as in the case of Albus Dumbledore being gay or Hermione possibly being African-American, it still begs the question as to whether J. K. Rowling meant for these characters to be that way when she wrote the books.
FAQs
Is Queenie Goldstein related to Anthony Goldstein?
Yes, Queenie Goldstein is likely related to Anthony Goldstein. Queenie Goldstein existed in the early twentieth century in the United States of America, and Anthony Goldstein lived in the late twentieth century and the twenty-first century in Great Britain. However, the two may have been related because of their common surnames as well as the connections that Queenie Goldstein had with British wizards and witches after she met Newt Scamander, who eventually became her brother-in-law.
Who did Anthony Goldstein go to the Yule Ball with?
Anthony Goldstein went to the Yule Ball with Mandy Brocklehurst. He had a crush on her for a long time and mustered the courage to ask her to go with him to the Yule Ball. However, Mandy also had a crush on Anthony and agreed to go with him to the Yule Ball. The two went together to the Yule Ball and probably dated after that.
Is Anthony Goldstein related to Tina?
Yes, Anthony Goldstein is likely related to Tina Goldstein as the two had the same surname, and the Goldsteins were a popular wizarding family in both Great Britain and the United States of America. Furthermore, despite the significant gap in the times that the two lived, Tina was still alive when Anthony Goldstein was born and frequently visited Great Britain since she was married to Newt Scamander.
