a quarterly publication of the texas jewish historical society … · 2009-11-27 · past...

25TH ANNIVERSARY

ANNUAL GATHERING

A RESOUNDING SUCCESS!

A Message From President Marvin Rich

My Friends:

Again, I'd like to thankyou for placing yourconfidence in me to serveas your President of theTexas Jewish HistoricalSociety. I will try to liveup to my predecessors'accomplishments andyour expectations.

The Silver Anniversary Annual Gathering held April 30through May 2, 2004 in San Antonio was a resoundingsuccess. Enjoy this issue of the TJHS News Magazine, whichcontains photos and reprints of some of the presentationsmade during this fabulous and memorable weekend. If youwere unable to attend the Annual Gathering, we hope thisgives you a taste of the San Antonio weekend. Many thanks,once more, to the Planning Committee, who worked so hardto make the 25th Annual Gathering so informative and fun!

The first announcement, which I am proud to make, is that wehave an agreement of terms and a contract between the TJHSand the University Press of New England, on behalf ofBrandeis University Press. This was completed by directconversation between Phyllis Deutsch and myself, with theadvice and assistance of TJHS Past President and Counselor,Lonnie Schooler. Lonnie explained that he could not attendour Sunday Board meeting because of turbulent weather inHouston, but he insisted on working out the agreementbecause of his experience with our previous publishing.

(President�s Message cont. page 3)

IN THIS ISSUE…

ARTICLES PAGE

25TH ANNIVERSARY ANNUAL GATHERING

Silver Anniversary Wrap-up CoverTJHS President Marvin Rich

Message from Past Presidentt5Charles B. Hart

Some Silver Anniversary Highlights 6

Rabbi Henry Cohen of Galveston:Man, Myth & History 8Grandson Rabbi Henry Cohen

The Uniqueness of Texas Jews 13Samuel M. Stahl, Rabbi EmeritusTemple Beth El – San Antonio

Newly Elected Officers & Board, 26Bylaws Amendments

Silver Anniversary in Pictures 14-15

SYLVIA WOLENS TEXAS WRITING

COMPETITION WINNING ESSAYS

A Divine Collaboration 20David Hirsch Hoffman, FAIA

The Mensch Who Played Santa 23Joseph Billy Pfeffer

Two Guests At Lunch 25Ralph S. Marks

ARTICLES & COLUMNS

125 Years Temple Rodef Sholom 4Ima Joy Gandler

Pursuing Iser 19Melody Amsel

Honorable Menschen 18Dorothy Harelick

TJHS Notes 2Selma Mantel

A Quarterly Publication of the Texas Jewish Historical Society Summer 2004

Texas Jewish Historical Society - Summer 2004

Charles Hart receives the PastPresident’s pin from newly electedPresident Marvin Rich

New TJHS Membership Brochure Available For Your Organization

Who do you know whowould enjoy membershipin the Texas JewishHistorical Society? Nowyou can use a new,updated brochure tointroduce them to ourterrific organization. Weare happy to sendbrochures on your behalfto people you know, ordirectly to you for display inyour synagogue or otherappropriate organization.Simply send your requestalong with the name andaddress of the people ororganizations to whom youwould like the brochuressent to Membership ChairElaine Albin, 1893 BayShore Dr., Rockport, TX78382, phone 361-729-6487 or email:[email protected].


Book A Free Exhibit For Your EventBy Jack Gerrick

Jews throughout theUnited States arepreparing to celebratethe 350th anniversaryof Jews coming toAmerica, and theTJHS has two exhibitsfor organizations whowould like to celebratewith some TexasJewish history.

In cooperation with the Institute of Texan Cultures inSan Antonio, the TJHS produced and offers, at nocharge, a series of old photographs, stories and alook into the earliest beginnings of Texas Jewishhistory. The traveling exhibits are on museum-quality reproduction foam board and include 25large photos with descriptive literature. The exhibitscan be displayed on easels or hung on a wall. Theyare packed in waterproof boxes that can be shippedand returned to the Society using prepaid freight.TJHS prepays the exhibit to the point the showing.Contact Jack Gerrick at [email protected] or 817-927-8765. Member News

By Selma Mantel, Corresponding Secretary

We all join in extending our heartfelt sympathy to thefollowing TJHS members and their families:• Chris Adler, on the passing of her mother, Bess Nance• Dr. Melvin Cohen, on the passing of his mother, Betty • Harold Hoffman, on the passing of his wife, Gloria• Shirley Hoppenstein, on the passing of her husband,

Archie• Rusty and Mitzi Milstein on the passing of his mother,

Ada • Mitzi and Rusty Milstein, on the passing of her father,

Howard Shapiro, age 89• Edward Tann, on the passing of his wife, Rosabelle• David and Vickie Vogel on the passing of their mother,

Caroline

Get well wishes to: Roy Elsner, Louis Pink, and LibbieStool.

Thank you for your gifts to the Texas JewishHistorical Society’s Endowment Fund:• Jewish Federation of Waco & Central Texas• Dr. & Mrs. Stanley Hersh• Bernice & Joel Breslau in honor of Frances Kallison’s

birthday

TEXAS JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAGAZINEis a quarterly publication of the Texas Jewish Historical

Society, P. O. Box 10193 • Austin, Texas • 78766

Newsletter Editor/Design…...........Susan Elsner Furman Assistant Editor……………...........……..Davie Lou Solka Photo Contributors…................…Susan Elsner Furman,

Barry Green, Helen WilkProofreaders….Susan Elsner Furman, Davie Lou SolkaPrinter………........…..……Rabbit Reproductions, Dallas

We appreciate your articles and photos. Please sendonly color photocopies of photographs and documents(even of black & white photos). Please do not risksending your originals. Make sure to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope if you would like yourdocuments returned (returns can not be guaranteed).

Send copies of articles, information andphotographs to: Davie Lou Solka, [email protected] or mail to 501 Bermuda Place, CorpusChristi, TX, 78411, phone 361-852-5815.

We welcome your ideas and suggestions. Please sendthem to [email protected] or mail to 6215Berthoud Pass, Dallas, TX 75252.

Albert Moses Levy(1800-1848)...joinedthe New OrleansGreys...His armycareer ran fromOctober of 1835 toFebruary of 1836and includedparticipation in thesiege of Bexar (SanAntonio) in 1835...

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Honor Loved Ones with Texas JewishHistorical Society Donor Cards

Honor a loved one or friend with a gift to the TexasJewish Historical Society�s Endowment Fund. Uponreceipt of your gift, the TJHS will respond with anacknowledgment. Thank you to those who havemade donations to the Endowment Fund. To make acontribution, please mail your donation, along withthe full name of the individual(s) being honored, thetype of honor (congratulations and occasion,memorial, etc.), and the donor�s (your) name(s).Send your gift and information to the Texas JewishHistorical Society, P.O. Box 10193, Austin, Texas,78766-0193.

TEXAS JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETYGratefully acknowledges your gift to its

Endowment Fund

$ _________

In ________________________

Of ____________________________

An acknowledgment has been sent to the party you specified.

Your gift will further the efforts to record, preserve anddisseminate historic information about Texas Jewish culture.

We clarified a couple of misunderstandings, addedsome provisions � which we learned through pastexperience � and reached an agreement. Both our co-editors, Rabbi Ken Roseman and Hollis Weiner aresatisfied with the outcome and are proceeding tofulfill their duties of promoting the symposium andgathering article contributions for editing.

I had the opportunity to visit both the ThompsonConference Center at The University of Texas atAustin and the Doubletree Hotel, where next year�sAnnual Gathering will be held. The ThompsonCenter is wonderful! The facilities are excellent andthe staff is professional. We will have on-site cateringand convenient, free parking. We should look forwardto enjoying Austin next April when the MountainLaurels are blooming. Our hotel is excellent, and islocated off of I-35, just three exits north of theConference Center. Our Friday Board Meeting willbe held in a spacious meeting room.

I hope that each of you will continue to collect andshare your family histories with all our members.Please encourage your children to participate. Ifnecessary, pay their dues for a year and let themreceive the Texas Jewish Historical SocietyNewsletter. We must keep our newer generations

aware of our wonderful history as Texas Jews.

I am pleased to tell you that TJHS Vice PresidentBeverly (L. B.) Beck Trachtenberg used her expertiseand experience to obtain rooms and meeting space forthe July 10, 2004 Board Meeting at the Courtyard byMarriott in Houston, 3131 West Loop, located acrossthe West Loop from the Houston Galleria. Those whorequested the meeting be held near attractiveshopping had their wish granted! (We try to keep ourshoppers happy!) Saturday�s Dutch-treat dinner wasin nearby Bayou City Seafood Restaurant.

Thank you again for allowing me to be yourPresident. As I told those who attended the SilverAnniversary Annual Gathering in San Antonio, I willask for your advice and help keep TJHS an active andimportant part of our Texas Jewish communities.

Please share your ideas and suggestions forprogramming and/or activities with me.

All My Best to Y'all,

Marvin RichPresident

(President�s Message, cont. from cover)


ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE YEARS

TEMPLE RODEF SHOLOM � WACO, TEXAS

by Ima Joy Gandler, Chairperson125th Anniversary Committee Celebration

Temple Rodef Sholom, a Reformcongregation, is the oldest Jewishcongregation in Waco, Texas. InJanuary, 1879, during a meeting ofthe Eureka Lodge, InternationalOrder of B�nai B�rith, it was resolvedto organize a formal congregationand build a synagogue. TempleRodef Sholom began with fortyfounding families and was charteredunder the state of Texas on April 28,1879. Rudolph Lessing was the firstPresident.

The dedication of the first building at924 Washington took place on August10, 1881. In 1882, Rev. Mr. M. Mayassumed the pulpit as theCongregation�s first Rabbi. The firstConfirmation Service was held in theSpring of 1893, with Rabbi E. M.Myers.

Rabbi I. Warsaw convinced thecongregation that the building wasinadequate and a second one wasbuilt on the original site in 1910.

Rabbi Wolfe Machs was Rabbi from1919-1952. Louey Migel washonored in 1922 for 25 years ofservice to the congregation, 16 ofwhich he served as President (1906-1922). Other honored guests werePast Presidents Sol Hirschberg,Charles L. Sanger, A.S. Sanger,Charter Members A.S. Haber, A.Cohen and L.I. Efron. Mr. Efronbecame honorary Vice President forlife.

Rabbi Amiel Wohl was installed asRabbi in October, 1957, and he began

the Waco Federation of Temple Youththe following year. Carl Sachs wasthe first President of the YouthGroup.

Under the leadership of Rabbi Wohl,President Elihugh Levy and PhilipSanger, plans for a new buildingmoved forward. A BuildingCommittee was formed with thefollowing members: Philip Sanger,Mrs. Simon Florsheim, Abbye L.Freed, Jr., Jake Gandler, Charles M.Harris, Mrs. Monte Lawrence andHarry A. Wood, Sr. FinanceCommittee members were ElihughLevy, Monte Lawrence and NateChodorow. A new building, located at1717 North New Road, opened itsdoors on September 1, 1961. HarryA. Wood, Jr. was President of theCongregation and Mrs. Harvey Zigelwas Sisterhood President.

In 1964, Mordecai Podet becameRabbi, and served for 25 years. He isthe author of PIONEER JEWS OFWACO, and is now Rabbi Emeritus.

Temple Rodef Sholom celebrated itsCentennial Year with a dinner onApril 7, 1979. Rabbi Alexander M.Schnidler, President of the Union ofAmerican Hebrew Congregations,was the guest speaker. President ofthe Temple was A.J. �Joe� Schecterand Mrs. Frank Levy was SisterhoodPresident.

The 125th Anniversary of theCongregation was celebrated May 7-8, 2004. Shabbat evening servicesbegan with Past President Howard

Cohen blowing the Shofar. RabbiNorman Kleinman, Program DirectorUnion for Reform Judaism was theGuest Speaker. The processional intothe sanctuary included RabbiKleinman; Rabbi LawrenceJackofsky, Regional Director,Southwest Council, Union forReform Judaism; Rabbi EmeritusMordecai Podet; Rabbi Seth Stander,Temple Rodef Sholom PresidentHerb Silverberg, and Vice-PresidentEllen Burke. The Shabbat candleswere kindled by AnniversaryCelebration Chairperson Ima JoyGandler. Kiddish was led by LeonardGorin, the eldest male Templemember.

Waco Mayor Linda Ethridgepresented a proclamation from theCity of Waco. A dinner was heldSaturday, May 8 with an originalproduction written by Ellen Burke,Roberta Rosen, Herb Silverberg andLauren Wessinger titled �FromGeneration to Generation.� The�Talented Temple Thespians� castincluded Betty and Benjy Bauer,Marty Englander, Martha Ginsburg,Laurel Goldenberg, Marcie and Dr.Jim Olmsted, Cindy and Harry A.Wood II, and Lauren Wessinger.TJHS members in the cast includedJane and Daniel Bounds, Ellan andTerry Burke, Jan Hart, MauriceLabens, Herb Silverberg and HarveyZigel. Everyone attending received aprinted booklet that included a list ofthe Officers of the Congregation andSisterhood.

(Rodef Sholom, cont. page 5)


Now is the time for all goodthings to come to a close. Aftertwo years of being yourpresident, I can truthfully say ithas been a pleasure, eventhough there have been somebumps in the road.

I want to thank the Board of Directors, whosemembers have done a great job keeping thisorganization moving forward and reaching manygoals. Special thanks to Treasurer Ben Pfeffer, whohas the dubious job of keeping track of our finances,and to Ben Rosenberg for reviewing our taxes. Next,thanks to the many TJHS past presidents who havekept me on track. Some with whom I have been incontact for various reasons include Fay Brachman,Jack Gerrick, Rabbi Jimmy Kessler, BarbaraRosenberg, Lonnie Schooler, Don Teter and HelenWilk. Finally, thanks to my wife, Jan, for being therewhen I needed help with making a decision, proof-reading documents and writing speeches (such asthis one). Some of the major decisions and strideswe have made the past couple of years include:

• We have a second traveling exhibit. Jack Gerrickcan provide details on how to obtain this (see p. 2).

• We have a new person, Mrs. Kimberly Deitz, whopicks up the mail from our TJHS Austin P.O. Box.

• We have a new Newsletter Editor, Mrs. SusanElsner Furman, and a new Assistant Editor, DavieLou Solka, who receives all articles for review.

• With Mrs. Furman’s assistance, the Society

developed a new Membership Brochure &Application. Please feel free to request and usethe brochure for recruiting purposes.

• We have a new Membership Chair, Elaine Albin,who has graciously accepted this responsibility.

• Long-time Membership Chair, Fay Brachman,asked to step down after many years of excellentservice. We did prevail on having Leon Brachmancontinue to keep the membership records updatedon his computer, as he has done for so manyyears.

• For a long time, the Society has discussed a newbook on Texas Jewry. With legal advice andsupport from former TJHS President LonnieSchooler and then-Vice President (now president),Marvin Rich, the Society made major strides incontracting Rabbi Kenneth Roseman and HollaceWeiner to co-edit a Symposium Book Project. TheSymposium will be held next spring at the 26thAnnual Gathering in Austin.

• The TJHS began negotiations with BrandeisUniversity Press (recently completed), for theactual printing and publishing of the Book Project.

• The new bi-annual Membership Directory is beingprepared and will be mailed later this summer.

Congratulations to President Marvin Rich and hisnew Board of Directors for 2004-2005. Thank youagain for the privilege of serving you for the past twoyears.

(Rodef Sholom, cont. from page 4)

Also listed were the oldest family names still in the Congregation. These were Bruck, Desenberg-Scharff, Efron,Ginsburg, Gorin, Kestner, Lipsitz, Naman, Sachs, Sanger, Schwartz, Snaman and Wood.

Temple Rodef Sholom has applied for a Historical Marker from the State of Texas. Copies of the May 7, 2004 Shabbatevening services program and the 125th Anniversary Booklet will be placed in the Texas Jewish Historical SocietyRecords at the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. ◆ TJHS

FROM YOUR OUTGOING PREZ CHARLES B. HART

Presented at the 25th Annual Gathering,May 2, 2004 – San Antonio, Texas

More than 150 people attendedthe Texas Jewish HistoricalSociety’s 25th AnniversaryAnnual Gathering in San Antonio,April 30 through May 2, 2004. ThePlanning Committee workedtirelessly to make the event thebest yet! The committee included

Local Chairman Max Stool, Co-Chairs Bernice Mazer andGlenda Alter, and committeemembers Janet Alyn, ClayEpstein, Horty and Walter Fein,Hattie Lee Gleichenhaus,

Frances Goodman, EileenKrandel, Casey and IraLieberman, Greg Meyer, EileenRaffkind, Herschel Scheiness andHelen Wilk.

The three-day event began onFriday, April 30th with AuthorDocia Schultz Williams presenting

a fascinating tour of the hosthotel, the historic Menger Hotel,

which opened across the streetfrom the Alamo in 1859, just 23years after the fall of the Alamo.Ms. Schultz Williams relatedmany colorful and intriguingevents including the landmarkfacility’s connection with theJewish community.

TJHS members and Institute ofTexan Cultures (ITC) Docents

Walter Fein and Hannah Margolisled a tour of the 50,000 square-foot ITC, which features an exhibitdescribing every ethnic group thatparticipated in the development ofTexas, including the Jewishcommunity’s contributions.

Other presenters includedProfessor Char Miller, Chairmanof the History Department andInterim Director of Urban Studiesat Trinity University and a 2002Piper Professor Award recipientfor excellence in teaching andservice to higher education inTexas. Professor Miller is editor of


SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SILVER ANNIVERSARY ANNUAL GATHERING

April 30 – May 2, 2004By Susan Elsner Furman

The Jewish exhibit at the Institute ofTexan Cultures

Institute of Texan Cultures

Event Chairs Max Stool, Bernice Mazerand Glenda Alter

(Top) Docia Schultz Williams presentstour of the Menger

Institute of Texan Cultures

On the Border: An EnvironmentalHistory of San Antonio, and TheAtlas of U. S. and CanadianEnvironmental History. His latestbook, Deep in the Heart of SanAntonio, is to be published thisfall.

San Antonio Public Library’s AdultCollection Development Librarian,Lenore Karp provided apresentation on the early Jewishnewspapers of San Antonio. Localresidents Harold and Esther(Scharlack) Vexler presented atalk about their parents and SanAntonio’s early 20th CenturyJewish history. Prominent SanAntonio attorney, and a founderand partner in Oppenheimer,Blend, Harrison & Tate, Inc.,Jesse Oppenheimer spoke to thegroup about his family history.

Born in San Antonio, theOppenheimer family has been inranching and merchandising, andoperated a unique private bank,D&A Oppenheimer. He also is afounder and trustee of the Texas& Southwestern Cattle RaisersFoundation.

Another highlight of the 25th

Annual Gathering weekend was atour of the privately funded MazalLibrary, an incredible resource forhistorians, researchers, studentsand the public. The multi-levelfacility is located in the beautifulhome of Mr. and Mrs. HarryMazal. Founder and developer,Harry Mazal presented a tour ofthe library, which features rows ofmoveable floor-to-ceiling shelvesfilled with a vast and growingcollection of more than 20,000books, microfilm rolls andpamphlets related to theHolocaust, anti-Semitism, racismand bigotry, as well as 70,000

original documents used in theNuremberg Trials.


Professor Char Miller

Sliding walls of shelves housethousands of books in the Mazal Lirary

Harry Mazal shows TJHS members abook on the Holocaust

Touring the vast private Mazal Library

Harry Mazal shows Holocaust victims’bone fragments tht were used to pave aroad

◆ TJHS


KEYNOTE ADDRESS, SILVER ANNIVERSARY ANNUAL GATHERING, SATURDAY, MAY 1, 2004 “MY GRANDFATHER, RABBI HENRY COHEN OF GALVESTON: MAN, MYTH AND HISTORY”Presented by Rabbi Henry Cohen, Rabbi Emeritus Beth David Reform Congregation, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania

Editors Note: Rabbi Henry Cohen isworking on a biography of hisgrandfather and he needs your help.If you or someone you know hadexperiences or interactions withRabbi Henry Cohen of Galveston,including the receipt of letters ordocuments please share them withhis grandson. You may emailinformation about your experiencesto [email protected] or write to him at1001 City Ave., EC-606, Wynnewood,PA, 19096. Your help is greatlyappreciated.

It's wonderful to be back in SanAntonio, to renew old friendships, toreminisce about my months in 1955,as chaplain at Fort Sam, where Ilearned how to kosher dishes andutensils for a Pesa-dik mess hall. (I'dtell you how but I only have 30minutes.) As you know, I havefamily roots here: Beth-El's formerrabbi, my Uncle Eph and Aunt Ruthhad one son, David Frisch (olavhasholom) who was like a big brotherto me. This Tuesday in Austin,David's son, Henry Frisch and I willbe meeting with the librarian at theBarker library to try to arrange formy grandfather's papers to beduplicated and sent to the AmericanJewish Archives where rabbinicstudents and scholars should findthem useful. This brings me to mytopic: Henry Cohen: Man, Myth andHistory. I grew up in Houston, but onweekends we went to Galvestonwhere I enjoyed being with mygrandparents and listening toamazing stories about the legendaryrabbi. Psychologically, it was as

though I had two grandfathers namedHenry Cohen. There was "GrandpaCohen" - we never called him Zedibecause the only Yiddish I knew wasBei Mir Bist Du Schoen, as sung bythe Andrew Sisters. Grandpa Cohenenjoyed saying to me such sillinessas "ellipticalasiatical pantry curiousnervouscordial." Grandpa Cohenbelted out from Gilbert andSullivan's HMS Pinafore: "For he isan Englishman, for 'e 'imself 'ath saidit . . ." Grandpa Cohen would annoyGrandma by singing British dancehall ditties considered R-rated byVictorian standards: e.g., "Go away,naughty boy�" Grandpa Cohensmoked cigars until the ashes fell andburned holes in his black suit, furtherannoying Grandma. Grandpa Cohenalso made sure the family memorizedmoralistic or clever poems that hewould tape to the bathroom wall. For65 years I have been unable to get outof my head: "We had a little tea partythis afternoon at three; 'twas verysmall, three guests in all, just I,myself and me." (I can't even recallthe plot of last week's movie.)

Grandpa Cohen liked lyrics and, onoccasion, liquor. After returningfrom his morning rounds (listed onhis stiff white cuff), he would beltdown a shot of scotch and perhapsrecall how he had provided a case ofscotch for the great ScottishVaudevillian, Harry Lauder,whenever he would perform inGalveston singing "I Love a Lassie,"or for the home crowd, "The DixieGirls Are Good Enough for Me."That was the Grandpa Cohen who,

when I returned from my third year atHUC asked almost plaintively,"What could I teach at the College?"I answered: "Maybe you could teachthe students how to be rabbis."Grandpa Cohen was a natural. Bythat I mean he was the same on thepulpit as off, no deep sonorous tones.Who you saw and heard was who hewas.

That was Grandpa: a playful, earthy,life-loving, unpretentious mensch, avery human being. Then in mypsyche alongside Grandpa, themensch, was Rabbi Cohen, super-mensch! Not "Grandpa" but RabbiCohen was the almost mythic hero ofmany stories I loved hearing as achild. There were stories of SouthAfrica, where because he so quicklylearned the click dialects of theZulus, he became an interpreter forthe British Army. (He would show onhis head the scar from the wound hereceived when he was hit over thehead by a Zulu with the butt of agun.) More impressive were storiesof how he would intervene with thosein power on behalf of those in need.The most famous of those storiesconcerns the stowaway Lemchuk,who was about to be sent back fromGalveston to Russia where he wouldsurely be executed. Rabbi Cohenwas not able to persuade the localport authorities in Galveston to lethim stay, so he went to Washingtonand eventually saw President Taft.The President said: "Sorry, I can'thelp you, but it's wonderful how youJews do so much to help each other."

(Rabbi Cohen, cont. page 9)


(Rabbi Cohen, cont. from page 8)

Rabbi Cohen exclaimed: "This manis not a Jew. He's a Greek-Catholic."President Taft was stunned: "Youcame all the way from Galveston fora man not of your faith?" RabbiCohen: "He's a human being."

The President issued an order:"Release Lemchuk in the custody ofRabbi Cohen." This was but one ofseveral stories told of Rabbi Cohenthat demonstrated the power of onesmall but mighty man to movemountains.

There was the case of a juvenile whowas flogged in a state institution.Rabbi Cohen knew the boy would bebetter off with his parents, so hewent to the judge to ask for hisrelease. The judge refused. TheRabbi locked the door to the judge'soffice, and lectured him.�Remember how many times wepicked you up out of the gutter, of allpeople you should give that boy asecond chance!� The judge releasedthe boy into the custody of theRabbi. You'll find more suchamazing stories in my parents�biography, The Man Who Stayed inTexas (which I'm trying to have re-published, G-d and McGraw-Hillwilling.

My cousin, David Frisch wasextremely skeptical of the veracityof these stories. To him they weretall tales, the tallest being that of Taftand the Stowaway. Unlike David,who was ten years my senior, Ibelieved with complete faith everydetail of all the stories. Davidbecame a physicist. I became arabbi. Perhaps the truth lies

somewhere in between David'sskepticism and my unquestioningfaith. Perhaps we come closer to thetruth when we examine the historicalrecord. I was encouraged to go onsuch a search by Rabbi StanleyDreyfus, one of my grandfather'ssuccessors in Galveston and myLiturgy Professor at HUC.

Dr. Dreyfus was upset that most oftoday's rabbis know nothing aboutHenry Cohen of Texas. And theyshould know. We all, includingrabbis, need moral models. So off Iwent on my search for the historybehind the man and the myth.

This was not the first time I had doneresearch into Henry Cohen's life andrabbinate. In 1986, I had readthrough his papers at the Universityof Texas. I was impressed by anarticle which indicated that in 1930,Stephen Wise, Rabbi of the FreeSynagogue of New York andfounder of the Jewish Institute ofReligion, was asked to name thosehe considered to be the ten "foremostreligious leaders" in the country.Wise named nine Christianclergymen and Rabbi Henry Cohenof Galveston, Texas. Last summer Ifound the article in the New YorkTimes. The headline reads: "10Leaders of Church Listed by RabbiWise . . . one Negro among them."(That one Jew was among them didnot impress the headline writer.)

Why did Wise choose Henry Cohen?That's what Charlie Joseph, a Jewishjournalist from Pittsburgh, wanted toknow. (I found Joseph'scorrespondence with Wise in the

Wise Papers at the American JewishHistorical Society in New York.)

Wise replied to Joseph: "One man inthe rabbinate had come to have afine religious or spiritual influencein a large section of the country."Wise wrote that he had urged RabbiCohen to become Chaplain at Largeto the Jewish Inmates of PublicInstitutions of New York, but hedeclined "because of his sense ofduty to the people of Galveston andthe life of the state of Texas."

Wise, arguably the foremost oratorin the rabbinate, concluded,"Oratory is so often a cheap and easything, life is always so difficult andstern a thing. Henry Cohen is a soulwho touches and kindles souls."

But how did Henry Cohen become asoul who touches other souls? A verybrief flash-back into his life beforeTexas: Born April 7, 1863 in Londonto a poor tinsmith, David Cohen andhis pious wife, Josephine, Henry wassent to Jews Hospital, a boardingschool subsidized by wealthy Jewsfor the children of their lessfortunate co-religionists. At the age


Rabbh Cohen presents the keynoteaddress at Saturdays banquet



of fifteen, Henry worked for theBoard of Guardians, distributingbread tickets to the poor and earningenough to attend Jews College atnight. There he was immersed inJewish studies and, after his SouthAfrican adventure, was given the titleof "Minister," which authorized himto perform all Jewish clerical duties(including that of mohel and shochet)except rendering decisions in Jewishlaw. For that one must have rabbinic semicha, and suchordinations were not given inEngland until 1903. After graduatingfrom Jews College in 1883, Henrywas sent to the colonies -specifically, Kingston, Jamaica,where he became the minister of theAmalgamated Congregation ofIsraelites. (Amalgamated meantAshkenazic and Sephardic.)

When I visited the synagogue that hededicated, I saw evidence of theantagonism that drove him toAmerica: two eternal lights � one forthe Sephardim, one for theAshkenazim!

It was in Woodville, Mississippi, thatHenry gradually became transformedinto a Reform rabbi. After threeyears in Woodville (1885-1888), hewas invited to become the rabbi inGalveston, Texas, a thriving port,population 22,000, including about175 Jewish families. There heremained as the active rabbi for 62years (perhaps a record for years ofservice in one synagogue) before heretired in 1950, at the age of 87.

Before 1900, Henry was to marryMollie Levy, have two children, Ruth

and Harry, and to write more thantwenty articles or pamphlets, and editone book, Talmudic Sayings. Amongthe topics were the history of theJews of Texas and, after the DreyfusCase and pogroms in Russia,"National Loyalty, a JewishCharacteristic." His scholarlypursuits came to an abrupt end onSeptember 8, 1900, the day one-fourth of the population of Galveston� 7,500 men, women and children � drowned in a catastrophic storm. As amember of the Central ReliefCommittee, Rabbi Cohen played asignificant role in reconstructing themorale of the citizens of Galveston.It was after the storm that RabbiCohen became the Rabbi of allGalvestonians.

I shall assume you know about theGalveston Movement, whichchanneled Jews from Russia andPoland to Galveston, from wherethey would be transported to towns inthe Midwest and Southwest wheretheir skills were needed. That's whenHenry Cohen blended the role ofrabbi and social worker, warmlygreeting the immigrants in Yiddishand then helping them find localeswhere they could be gainfullyemployed. To some historians thismovement was a failure because only10,000 of the two million Jewishimmigrants came through Galvestonbefore the Movement was disbandedin 1914. But Rabbi Cohen did notmeasure success by numbers. Forhim the significance lay in the souls,the individual human beings whowere able to start life anew, fromKeokuk, Iowa to Hannibal, Missouri.

It was during this period that theTaft-Lemchuk story came to be told.I was determined to settle thatargument between my cousin Davidand me once and for all, so I went tothe Library of Congress inWashington, to the Taft papers, to getthe facts, ma'am, just the facts.Unfortunately the papers did notinclude a daily appointment bookduring Taft's presidential years. But Idid find some interestingcorrespondence between Taft andRabbi Cohen. The Rabbi sent a letterof congratulations to Pres. and Mrs.Taft on their 25th weddinganniversary. (That's the only time tomy knowledge Rabbi Cohen eversent a mazel tov on any President'swedding anniversary.)

More significant, the President's half-brother, Charles, on whom thePresident depended for advice andfinancial support, was accused ofprofiting from a land grab in Alaskabecause of insider information. ThePresident was viewed by some asbenefiting from the transaction. Taftwas so stung by this attack on hisreputation that on June 17, 1911, hewrote to (guess who?) Rabbi Cohenthat he was not involved in any waywith the transaction. Rabbi Cohenresponded to the President's personalsecretary that he recognizedimmediately that the accusation inthe local paper was "a canard." Heconcluded: "We have always felt thatthe high standard of integritymanifested by Mr. Taft warrants ourthorough confidence in his personalunassailability." (Thanks to Rabbi



(Rabbi Cohen, from cont. page 10)

Jimmy Kessler for finding the articlein the Galveston Daily News thatshed light on this incident.)

I found it quite interesting that thePresident of the U.S. would write theRabbi of Galveston defending hisown integrity, and that the Rabbiwould assure the President that henever doubted his moral character.

This suggests to me that there had tobe a connection between the two men. This exchange for me iscircumstantial evidence that ahumane President Taft could verywell have facilitated what today wewould call political asylum for aRussian refugee - though I have mydoubts about the details of the story.

A colleague has suggested that myobsession with "the facts" isunwarranted.

The deeper meaning of the story isthe truth of a rabbi who would takeextraordinary measures to help afellow human being, whateverhis/her faith.

This "truth" does not depend uponthe Taft connection. The Cohenpapers at the University of Texasprovide other examples. In 1930, Rabbi William Braude, a youngercontemporary, wrote of anotherinstance when Rabbi Cohen had gonefar out of his way for someone inneed. At one time Galveston hadbeen a stopover point in a brisk whiteslave traffic. Rabbi Cohen found oneunfortunate woman who had beenforced into prostitution. He couldfind no place for her to live safely.So he put her up in his own home, not

as a maid or a servant but as arespected boarder. She lived therefor six months despite the protests ofseveral shocked congregants.

In his papers at the University ofTexas, I also read of how RabbiCohen successfully intervened onbehalf of a Roman Catholic woman,an illegal immigrant from Poland,who was threatened with deportationeven though she had married anAmerican. A Turkish Jew had beenunjustly incarcerated in a mentalhospital. Rabbi Cohen facilitated hisrelease in the care of the Jewishcommunity of El Paso. In 1915, hehelped a Jewish corporal get out of thearmy, so he could marry a girl he hadmade pregnant and support the baby.

When Henry Cohen visited hospitals,he brought comfort and a smile toeveryone, whatever one's faith. Hewas often quoted as saying, "There'sno such thing as Episcopalian scarletfever, Catholic arthritis, or Jewishmumps."

My personal memory is of him goingup the stairs of the Orphan�s Homecarrying large cartons and shouting,"Ice cream!"

By 1916, Rabbi Cohen had become arole model for the American ReformRabbi. That was the year he spoke tothe graduating class of HebrewUnion College and expressed hopethat some would be content to remainin smaller cities, where they wouldbe more likely to have an impact onthe entire community than theywould in large urban areas.

In 1921, Rabbi Cohen was asked byCarl Pritz, of the board of HUC, if hewould allow his name to besubmitted as candidate for thepresidency of the College. TheRabbi replied that he appreciated thehonor, but he declined because"among other reasons, I have not theadequate scholarship to be thesuccessor of Dr. Kohler." The super-mensch knew his limits.

By 1922, in his address to the CCARhe attached more importance to therabbi's role as social critic: ". . .where a political or economicsituation becomes a moral issue, thepulpit must thunder forth . . . . . thetemple should permit the greatestlatitude to its rabbi, it should be 'free'to the discussion of all sociologicalquestions, whether running counterto preconceived opinions or not."

I wonder what political or economicsituations he would have consideredmoral issues today. For HenryCohen, from 1917 to 1930, the moralissue that moved him to action wasthat of prison reform in Texas. In1917, as chairman of a statecommittee on the aftercare ofprisoners, he wrote: "What chancehas a pardoned or released prisoner?He leaves the walls feeling disgracedand dishonored. The state gives himoften-times only a second-hand suitof clothes, prison-made shoes thatevery detective can discern a blockaway, a ticket to the city or townfrom which he was convicted, andthe munificent sum of $5! How in thename of heaven can he start life all




over again?" Rabbi Cohen becamean unofficial counselor for ex-convicts. They would report to himweekly. After one year, the man wasexpected to be on his own. TheRabbi had a remarkable success rate,but was not satisfied.

The entire prison system had to befundamentally changed. During the1920's, Rabbi Cohen led the battlefor separation of kinds of prisoners(first offenders, long-termers,mentally ill) and, above all,rehabilitation. The details have beenrecorded elsewhere. Once significantprogress had been made, the Rabbiresigned from the state board butremained active working withreleased prisoners by serving on thecounty parole board.

There are aspects of Henry Cohen'srabbinate that have not beendiscussed elsewhere. His papers inAustin reveal that he was a precursorof the peace movement andfeminism. Each Armistice Day hewould compose or quote a poem thatcondemned the use of arms. Heopposed the introduction of ROTC inGalveston's Ball High School. In hisletter of protest he wrote: "Boys intheir early teens�should be taughtthe values of peace achievementsrather than the glories of war."

On Armistice Day, 1936, he issued aplea for "peace education" andpredicted that "it is for the women ofthe world to teach the nations to liveon friendly sympathetic terms . . . orcease to exist at all." I recall that inhis 80's (!) he still carried with him acopy of Tennyson's "Locksley Hall."He would recite with fervor: "For I

dipped into the future, far as humaneye could see. Saw the Vision of theworld, and all the wonder that wouldbe��til the war-drum throbbed nolonger, and the battle-flags werefurled. In the Parliament of man, theFederation of the world."

Henry Cohen did support the waragainst Hitler. He would take mealong to services at Camp Wallacewhere he would remind the soldiersof the words of Oliver Cromwell:"Trust in G-d, but keep your powderdry!" However, after the War, I was with him at a Rotary Club meeting at which Dr. James Conant describedthe potential benefits and dangers ofatomic energy. After the program,Rabbi Cohen, all of five foot one,stood toe to toe with the Professorwho towered well over six feet andquoted Rashi's comment about thebee; "I want neither your honey noryour sting."

While Henry Cohen became aReform Rabbi as the ClassicalReform movement of Wise andEinhorn was taking shape, he did notfit neatly into any ideology. He didaccept the fundamental principles ofClassical Reform: belief inprogressive revelation, in adhering tothose traditions that "elevate andsanctify our lives," in the mission ofIsrael being a light to the nations.Still, in his personal life, he remained"Biblical kosher" (no pork or shell-fish), though he did not object whenhis family ate crab gumbo.

At our Seder he chanted theOrthodox Haggadah (all of it!). After

Shabbat eve dinner, he would chantthe traditional Birkat Hamazon (wecalled it, "benching"). He made surethat I became a Bar Mitzvah eventhough such ceremonies were veryrare in Reform temples in 1940. Hedid depart from tradition by havingme learn not the parasha of the week(Noah), but the Ten Commandments.I guess he figured that I may neverread from the Torah again, so at leastI would have learned the HebrewDecalogue.

The greatest tragedy in his life, thedeath of his daughter, Ruth, at the ageof 44, a victim of Hodgkin's disease,led him to return (perhaps) to theOrthodox faith in t'hiyat ha-maytim,the (bodily) resurrection of the dead.In a 1940 eulogy, six years after hisdaughter's death, he referred to herand said: "There is a time when wewere not, and then we are, and ifthere is a power to call people intolife, surely there must be that samepower which causes them to live onin any sphere which the Creatorwishes. So I think that in God's owntime and in His own way, we shall bebrought together again."

Henry Cohen was an unconventionalnon-Zionist member of the JewishAgency. He favored Jewishsettlement in Palestine and hecollected funds for Hov'vei Tzion(Lovers of Zion). In 1945, he wroteto his friend, Judge Hutcheson, thenthe chairman of the Americandelegation of the Anglo-AmericanCommission on Palestine, urgingabrogation of the British White Paper




and allowing "unlimited immigration to Palestine for those who wish tosettle there." He told me of his fearthat the Arabs would never accept aJewish state in the Middle-East.Once Israel was established, hebecame a firm supporter. He didjoin the anti-Zionist AmericanCouncil for Judaism. However,Henry Cohen was not known for hisadvocacy of any particular ideology.For the people of Texas and therabbis of his generation hetranscended ideology because of howfar he would go, how much he woulddo to help a single soul, and becauseof his pioneering efforts at whattoday is called tikkun olam,"repairing the world."

I began by speaking of two Henry

Cohens: my Grandpa, very human, natural, playful, down-to-earth, andHenry Cohen, hero of legend andmyth. I believe the connectionbetween the two is found in thehistorical record. This record tells ofthe great impact that a singleindividual may have on other livesand even social institutions.

(I recognize that in today'sbureaucratic culture it's much moredifficult for one person to have agreat impact, but as a communitybound by the covenant of justice wecan still make a difference.) As forthose marvelous Rabbi Cohenstories, sure some may be a bitexaggerated, but then what arelegends but the tributes paid bygenerations to those men and women

whom they most admire, and we do need our moral models.

Stephen Wise was right. His was asoul that touched and kindled othersouls. To the degree to which those souls that he kindled touched and kindled other souls and they, others,Henry Cohen lives on through thegenerations, just as surely as effectsbecome causes. As Wordsworth,wrote: �Enough, if something fromour hands have power. To live, andact, and serve the future hour; and if,as toward the silent tomb we gothrough love and hope and faith'stranscendent dower; we feel that weare greater than we know. HenryCohen of Texas was greater than heknew. But we know.

◆ TJHS

THE UNIQUENESS OF TEXAS JEWSPresented by Rabbi Samuel M. Stahl, Emeritus Rabbi of Congregation Temple Beth-El, San Antonio, Texas

Texas Jewish Historical Society 25th Annual Gathering, Friday Evening – April 30, 2004 – San Antonio, Texas

We warmly welcome those who areattending the 25th Annualconvention of the Texas JewishHistorical Society to Temple Beth-Eland want you to know how thrilledwe are to have you with us. Tonight,I want to focus my remarks on theuniqueness of Texas Jews.

Not far from here stands theimpressive edifice, known as theInstitute of Texan Cultures. I notethat many of our conventioneersvisited there this afternoon. In theInstitute, there are hosts of exhibitshonoring almost 30 differentnationality and cultural communitiesthat have enriched the great state ofTexas.

Among them are the Germans, theItalians, the Czechs, the Lebanese,the Japanese, the Greeks, and theJews. But at this point, I need topose this critical question: Why arethe Jews included? We don�t findany other religious groups at theInstitute of Texan Cultures. There isno Protestant exhibit. There is noCatholic exhibit. There is no Muslimexhibit. There is no Buddhistexhibit. The Jews seem to be theonly religious group highlighted atthe Institute.

Obviously, there is a lot of confusionabout what and who Jews really are.Perhaps the reason is that Jewscannot be neatly pigeonholed intoany one category. Are we part of a

race, a nationality, or a religion? Itseems almost impossible to defineus. Some have erroneously calledJews a race.

In fact, we once described ourselvesas a race. In the older version of theHanukkah hymn, �Maoz Tzur - Rockof Ages,� the third stanza begins:�Children of the martyred race.� Thepresent versions fortunately havebeen altered to begin �Children ofthe Maccabees.� The most notoriousexample of declaring Jews a race wasHitler. Hitler was obsessed withcreating a master Aryan race. Hedenigrated Jews as a subhuman race,a race that had to be totallyexterminated.

(Rabbi Stahl, cont. page 16)


Leon and Fay Brachman, Max Stool and RabbiSamuel Stahl at Saturday’s Silver AnniversaryAnnual Gathering Banquet

THE TEXAS JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S SILVER ANNIVERSARYANNUAL GATHERING WEEKEND IN PICTURES

Rabbi Henry Cohen visits with guestsat Saturday’s Banquet


Guests watch & listen with interest to Harry Mazal’s presentationat the Mazal Library

Schmoozing in the Hospitality Room

Enjoying aSaturday lunchof SanAntonio’ssignatureMexican foodat Aldaco’sRestaurant

Herschel Sheiness and Walter Feinat Registration

THE TEXAS JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S SILVER ANNIVERSARYANNUAL GATHERING WEEKEND IN PICTURES


(Rabbi Stahl, cont. from page 13)

But Jews are emphatically not a race.In fact, Jews are represented in all themajor races. When I was an Armychaplain in Korea, a few Koreanswho were Jewish were in mycongregation. Most of them wereBuddhist or Confusionists at birth,but converted to Judaism later in life.Orientals, who are Jews, live in other Asian countries as well. We evenhave Asian Jews in our Temple.James Woo, a Chinese-American anda Temple member, was recentlyfeatured on the front cover ofREFORM JUDAISM.

There are also myriads of Black Jewsaround the world. About 25,000 ofthem have lived in Israel for the pasttwo decades. These Black Jewsescaped from the squalor andpersecution of Ethiopia, where theyhad practiced Judaism for centuries.So I hope that I have established thefact that Jews are not a race. Thereare Jews with skin coloring ofdifferent shades: white, yellow,brown and black.

We are also not a nationality.Indeed, Jews are citizens of almostevery country of the world. There ishardly a nation anywhere without atleast one Jew. We have EnglishJews, French Jews, Italian Jews,Argentinean Jews, Australian Jews,and Canadian Jews.

If we are not part of a race or anationality, are we then a religion?Are we the counterparts of Catholicsand Protestants? The answer is bothyes and no. Jews are a religiouscommunity but much more. The lateRabbi Mordecai Kaplan crafted themost accurate definition of Jews I

have ever encountered. He was oneof America�s towering Jewishreligious leaders of the last century.Kaplan most perceptively describedJews as a �people with an evolvingreligious civilization.�

Indeed, we are a people who embracenot simply a religion. We do muchmore than that. We are somereligion-plus. We claim a vastreligious civilization. We have aJewish language (Yiddish), which isnot strictly religious. We havedistinctive foods, like bagels, lox andgefilte fish, which are not religious.We have other characteristics, whichare best classified as ethnic. That isprobably the reason that we arefeatured in the Institute of TexanCultures, and Protestants andCatholics are not.

Now that we have established whothe Jews are, let us turn to thequestion of who Texas Jews are.What is our nature? What traitsmake us unique? When I visitfamily and friends up north and tellthem that I live in Texas, theirinstantaneous response is: �Gee, Ididn�t know that there were any Jewsdown there.� We actually have beenhere a long time.

I am not speaking about a certaingroup of Texans in the Hispaniccommunity, who may have Jewishancestors. They claim to bedescended from the Jews who wereexpelled from Spain in 1492 andultimately landed in the New World.They may practice one or two Jewishcustoms, like lighting two candleslate Friday afternoon to prepare forthe Jewish Sabbath. They are not

even aware of why they are doing so,since they have been RomanCatholics for centuries. To themlighting candles on Friday afternoonis merely a family tradition, passeddown from generation to generation.

Rather I am speaking about Jewswho came to Texas from Germany, beginning in the 1850's, followed inthe 1880's by Jews from Russia,Poland, Czechoslovakia and otherlands of Eastern Europe. From timeto time, someone will claim that Jewsdied at the Alamo. However ourTemple member, Frances Kallison,who is the acknowledged authorityon the history of the Jews of SanAntonio, emphatically insists that noJews died at the Alamo. She hasmarshalled impressive evidence toprove it. And don�t ever mess withFrances Kallison.

The majority of Texas Jews live infive metropolitan areas: Houston,Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio,Austin and El Paso. In most of theseplaces, the Jewish numbers are stableor growing. In smaller communities,with few exceptions, they areseverely declining.

In places like Galveston, Beaumontand Corsicana, synagogues onceflourished. Now their membershipsare shrinking. In fact, not too longago, Wharton finally closed itssynagogue.

It once had swelled to 100 familymembers. Now it has become ahistorical relic. The reason is that inthese smaller Texas cities, Jewishmerchants made up a large part ofsynagogue memberships.




Eventually, they retired and eithersold or closed their stores. For themost part, their children elected notto go into the family business, butchose other vocations and movedaway.

Jews are a tiny minority in Texas. Inthe United States, there are about6,000,000 Jews. About a quarter ofthem live in the Greater New Yorkarea. In Texas, there are only about120,000 Jews. Thus, we Jews makeup less than 1% of the total numberof Texans. In spite of the fact thatour numbers are small in this state,we love it here.

Texas is a state to which Jews comebut rarely leave. Jewish childrenwho grow up in Texas hardly everwant to spend the rest of their lives inanother state. Upon reachingadulthood, they may choose not toreturn to the city in Texas they wereraised. Yet they will usually take upresidence in another city in Texas.

Severe Northern winters have alsocaused more and more Jewish�snowbirds� to move to Texas, andwithin a short time they, too, havefallen in love with it.

Most Texas Rabbis also love it here.Texas is distinguished for itsrabbinical longevity. For example,here at Temple Beth-El, Rabbi BarryBlock, my successor, is only thefourth Senior Rabbi of thecongregation in over 80 years.Rabbi Henry Cohen, my predecessorin Galveston, served Temple B�naiIsrael there for 62 years. This wasone of the longest tenures of anyRabbi in the United States.

Throughout Texas, Rabbis of thedifferent denominations, withinJudaism generally enjoy harmoniousrelations. My dear friend in SanAntonio is Rabbi Arnold Scheinberg.He has been with San Antonio�sOrthodox congregation, RodfeiSholom, for almost 35 years. Hehonored me two years ago byspeaking at my testimonial dinnerwhen I retired. Such respect andcollegiality among Rabbis ofdifferent branches of Judaism is notfound in most other states.

In the interfaith sphere, Jewish-Christian relations have also beenexemplary throughout Texas. Letme focus on San Antonio alone. Allof us are the beneficiaries of thelabors of the interfaith clergytriumvirate of Rabbi David Jacobson(my predecessor), Episcopal BishopEverett Jones, and Roman CatholicArchbishop Robert Lucey.

As a united religious voice, theyfrequently spoke out boldly andcourageously on the pressing moralissues of their day. Working inconcert, these three toweringreligious figures succeeded indismantling racial segregation herein the 1960's. Remarkably, they didso without igniting any riots andprotests. Even today, such interfaithharmony flourishes. For two years,Christ Episcopal Church graciouslyoffered its facilities to Temple Beth-El for worship services andeducational programs while theTemple was undergoing a massiverenovation.

The Temple and First PresbyterianChurch, for several consecutive

years, sponsored Mitzvah Day.During this all-day program,members of both congregationsworked side-by-side to providehumanitarian outreach to the needyin our city. Such amity and goodwillbetween Christians and Jews can alsobe found elsewhere in Texas.

Let me now return to my priorquestion: How should we describethe hybrid known as a Jewish Texan?There is an adage that Jews are likeeveryone else - only more so. MostJewish Texans have fully absorbedthe ethos and culture of theirsurroundings. Some speak with theTexas drawl. In fact, they havecoined an idiom merging both Texasand Jewish languages: It is �Shalom,y�all!�

Even their recreational tastes areconditioned by Texas values. Jews,like the Halffs, have been some of theforemost ranchers of the state. Theyare among its most avid football fans.Additionally, even though hunting isnot traditionally a Jewish pursuit,Jewish Texans are among the mostenthusiastic hunters.

Throughout Texas, Jews have beenwell integrated into their widercommunity. Hardly any city in Texashas an exclusively Jewishneighborhood. Jews in Texas liveside by side with their non-Jewishneighbors. Indeed, Texas Jews havefully participated in the civic life oftheir communities. In San Antonioalone, Jews like Jack Kaufman, ofblessed memory, and Bob Ross havesat on our City Council. At leastfour Jewish mayors have ledGalveston. Annette Strauss served as




mayor of Dallas and its currentmayor, Laura Miller, is also Jewish.

Anti-Semitism has not been aspronounced in Texas as in otherplaces. It is unfortunately painfullytrue that years ago, Jews were notwelcome in certain exclusive Texas country clubs, corporate executivesuites, and law firms. However,today such subtle prejudice ispractically non-existent. With fewexamples, Jews can live anywhere,join anywhere and work anywhere inthe state.

Today, Jewish Texans are very muchat home in Texas and look forward toa bright future here. So we must askthe question: Why, in the Sanctuaryof Temple Beth-El, for example, dowe display three flags: United States,Texas and Israel? Such a pattern iscommon in almost all TexasSynagogues. Why is the flag ofIsrael among them? We Texas Jewsbelieve that the United States is ourcountry. We vote in its elections, weserve in its military, and we expressour political allegiance to it.However, we also have another tie,and that is to the State of Israel. Ourbond with Israel is primarily

historical, cultural and religious. It isnot political.

Yet, at one time, it would have beeninconceivable to post an Israeli flagin this sanctuary. Some Texas Jews did not always feel a bond withIsrael. Until the Six-Day War in1967, anti-Zionism was a factor inseveral Texas Jewish communities.

The American Council for Judaismhad a strong presence in Texas. Itsmembers believed that AmericanJews are Jews by religion alone andowe their loyalty only to the UnitedStates. American Jews, in theirview, should have no ties to any othernation, like Israel. Since 1967, theAmerican Council has lost itsinfluence and credibility. We TexasJews now see no contradictionbetween our attachment to Israel andour allegiance to the United States.

Let me suggest an analogy. We canlove both our spouses and ourchildren equally. But we love eachdifferently. Loving one does notdiminish our love for the other.

Let me emphasize that loving Israeldoes not mean that we uncritically

accept everything Israel does. SomeTexas Jews may disagree with someof Israel�s government policies andactions. Yet, we all agree that we must labor zealously and tirelessly toensure that Israel will survive, thriveand flourish, as an independentsovereign Jewish state. That is whywe Texas Jews enthusiastically giveour time, energy and resources todefend Israel and enable it to surviveand thrive.

We join advocacy groups. We writeop-ed pieces and letters to the editor.We contribute generously of ourmaterial resources so that Israel willalways be safe and secure.

So here we are, we Texas Jews, smallin numbers but intense incommitment. We are loyal to theUnited States. We are supportive ofIsrael. And we are proud of Texas.We try to blend the best of Texasvalues with the loftiest wisdom ofour Jewish heritage. I thank G-d thatI have been blessed to live and servein Texas for 35 years. Though notborn in Texas, I personally call it myhome and I look forward toremaining here for many years tocome. ◆ TJHS

Honorable MenschenBy Dorothy Harelik

Mazel Tov to Minnie Siegel, Dallas, who celebrated her 90th birthday on May 9, 2004. Minnie's children are Jan(Siegel) Hart & Charles Hart.

Barry and Fay Green became grandparents (again). Their son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Rachel Green,of Tuscon, Arizona, had a baby boy, Gabriel Eliazar on Friday, April 30, the first day of the Annual Gathering.

Mark Harelik is in the musical Light in the Piazza due at the Lincoln Center in February 2005. Mark is the son ofTJHS members Dorothy and Milton Harelik, and is the author of “The Immigrant,” which was presented at theGathering in Corpus Christi. Mark will be in New York this October.

Do you have news to share? "Honorable Menschen" features tid-bits about members their families' births, marriages,accomplishments, graduations, degrees earned, get-well wishes, condolences, announcements and more. Pleaseemail information for "Honorable Menschen" to Dorothy Harelik at [email protected] or mail to 602 South BellStreet, Hamilton, Texas, 7653l, phone: 254-386-3538.


Pursuing IserBy Melody Amsel

Reprinted with permission from AVOTAYNU, The International Review of Jewish Genealogy, Vol. XIX, No. 4, Winter 2003

Years ago, I was shown a photo of acousin, Iser Amsel, whom I hadnever met. When I asked about him,I was told three things � that he camefrom Austro-Hungary, that he hadsupported his father Moshe Ber, andthat he had lost his daughter in tragiccircumstances. And, turning thephoto over, I saw that �Corsicana,Texas� had been noted on the back.The story of Iser�s daughter hauntedme. Deciding to try my luck, I keyedin �Corsicana� on the JewishGenOnline Worldwide Burial Registrysite1, and found that three Amselswere buried there: Celia, Pauline,and Jake. Jake, not Iser? I reasonedthat Iser was probably Jake�s Hebrewname.

Through the JewishGen DiscussionGroup, I reached the secretary of theCorsicana Hebrew CemeteryAssociation, who kindly offered tocheck if Jake�s Hebrew name appears on his gravestone. It does not.Neither does it appear in theCorsicana funeral home records, butother details do. Jake Amsel wasborn in January 1870 in Austro-Hungary, married Celia Levy in1898, and was a 32nd degree Masonand a Shriner. The records also notedthat his daughter Pauline had beenmurdered in Durant, Oklahoma onNovember 11, 1914. Although Icould not verify that Iser and Jakewere indeed one and the sameperson, many details matched. LikeIser, Jake had been born in Austro-Hungary.

Iser�s daughter, like Jake�s daughterPauline, died young and was buried

in Texas. I had a feeling that this wasmy man. I also had a feeling that ifPauline were murdered, her deathwould make the local newspapers.And I was right. Not only did hermurder cover the front page of TheDurant (Oklahoma) Weekly News,but it was also featured in a numberof other county newspapers. Indeed,some followed the story for months,as posses pursued � but never found -the perpetrator. On November 12,the day after the murder, TheBokchito (Oklahoma) News2

screamed, �Miss Amsel Murdered by

an Unknown Man,� and went on todescribe �The most horrible murderever committed in the history of thiscounty when young Miss PaulineAmsel was slain in her bed�bysome unknown wretch...� On thatday too, according to records of theHolmes Furniture Store of Durant,Jake purchased a casket for $175.3

The next day, The Durant Weekly

News described Pauline�s death �atthe hands of an unknown assailantwho cut her throat, almost severingher head from her body.� 4

These newspaper articles yieldedadditional details about Jake Amsel,too. The Corsicana funeral servicewas conducted by a rabbi fromDallas, Texas, possibly the nearestJewish community. All the localbusinesses closed during the service,out of respect for Jake, who was alsoa merchant. And Pauline�s entirestudent body followed the funeralprocession. Interment took place inCorsicana, Texas, where Jake�s wifehad family. A month later, Jake soldhis store, and the couple left town forColorado Springs, Colorado, never toreturn.

Jake, Iser�this left me no peace. SoI tried another approach. I searchedfor records of Iser�s father, MosheBer Amsel, in the 1869 HungarianCensus. And sure enough, I foundhim under Zemplen County5, where Iknew my family had once lived.Going by birth dates, only hisyoungest son could have possiblybeen Iser � but his name was Szruly.The records stated that Szruly wasborn in 1869 and Jake was born in1870, but the discrepancy betweenthem could be explained awaybyeither choice or chance. Thenames remained the real puzzle.

I was fairly sure that Szruly was Iserwas Jake, but how could I prove it?Again, JewishGen came to the rescue.I entered Iser into the Hungarian

(Pursuing Iser, cont. page 20)

Jake & Celia Amsel


(Pursuing Iser, cont. from page 19)

Given Names Database6, and learnedthat Iser is the Yiddish equivalent ofthe local secular nickname, Szruly.Furthermore, Iser and Szruly bothare nicknames for Yisroel, which isIsrael. I took a deep breath and tookit one step further. In the Bible,Jacob adopts the name Israel. Iser(Israel), who came from a veryreligious family reversed it. Headopted the name Jake (Jacob). If allthis is true, perhaps Jake decided tobe a real American with a realAmerican name.

Author�s Note: Do you rememberthe Amsels? I am collecting anymaterials relating to their lives,[email protected] or mail to:34-4 Chut HaShani St., 98501,Maaleh Adumim, Israel. Phone 011-972-2-5354423.

Melody Amsel is a member of the IsraelGenealogy Society, and has researchedher Amsel family for 20 years.AVOTANU recently published her book,�Between Galicia and Hungary: TheJews of Stropkov.�

1http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Cemetery/ JOWBR, database of names and other identifying information from Jewish cemeteries and burial recordsworldwide, compilation of twodatabases: database of burial records,linked to a database of informationabout each particular cemetery. 2The Bokchito News, Nov. 12, 1914, p.1., col. 1.3List of Caskets Sold, Holmes FurnitureStore, entry #334, Nov. 12, 1914. Most caskets cost between $7-$100, butPauline�s also included the cost of shipping her body by rail to Corsicana,Texas for burial.4The Durant Weekly News, Nov. 13,1914, p.1, col 1-2.51869 Hungarian Census, Bela, p. 112.Latter Day Saints Reel #722.7116http://www.jewishgen.org/databases/GivenNames/search.htm Given NamesDatabases (European to ForeignSearch).

◆ TJHS

A Divine CollaborationBy David Hirsch Hoffman, FAIA

First Place – 2004 Sylvia Wolens Jewish Heritage Texas Writing Competition

Throughout history, humaninspiration in many forms hasmanifested great things uponwhich our civilization has beenbuilt. Inspired vision captivatesour intellect and moves usforward to greater heights ofawareness. Inspired designproduces buildings of purefunction with integrity of form inwhich we find sustenance.Inspired art yields objects ofbeauty that invoke ourwonderment and ignite ouremotions. Individually, eachinspiration can be a subtleinfluence on our lives.Collectively, they can have a

powerful effect on generations.

In the early 1920’s, the thoughtsand talents of three inspiredindividuals combined to producea magnificent and enduringhouse of worship in Beaumont,Texas. They were Rabbi SamuelRosinger, architect Albert S.Gottlieb and artist Ze’ev Raban.And together, in the creation ofBeaumont’s Temple Emanuel,these gifted men comprised adivine collaboration.

The Temple Emanuelcongregation in Beaumont, whichgrew out of an 1887 minyan, was

actually formed in 1895 andoriginally consisted of fiftymembers. With the influx ofpeople due to the discovery ofdeep oil at nearby Spindletop andthe resultant boomtown economy,the congregation grew and theysoon sought their own edifice.Their first temple structure wasdedicated in December of 1901and was a handsome framestructure with gothic windows,intersecting barrel vaults and twinonion domes flanking a Palladianentry. Rabbi Rosinger, then thirty-three years old, joined the congregation in 1910 after

(Divine Collab., cont. page 21)

SYLVIA WOLENS JEWISHHERITAGE WRITING

COMPETITION WINNERSANNOUNCED

The 2nd Annual Sylvia WolensJewish Heritage Texas WritingCompetition received a number ofwonderful entries. Open to amateursand professionals of all ages, thecompetition was developed as a wayto pass along reflections of the pastto the generations of tomorrow.Congratulations to the winnerswhose essays are included on thefollowing pages:

1st ($500) – David Hirsch Hoffman,FAIA, Divine Collaboration; 2nd($250) – Joseph Billy Pfeffer, TheMensch Who Played Santa; 3rd($100) – Ralph S. Marks, Two Guestsat Lunch.

The competition is sponsored byTJHS member Jerry Wolens of BocaRaton, Florida in honor of his wife,Sylvia. Judging is based onoriginality and content. All entries willbe included in the TJHS archives atthe University of Texas at Austin.


(Divine Collab., cont. from page 20)

responding to an advertisement,which listed their search priorityfor “a good lecturer who can makehimself agreeable with eitherOrthodox or ReformCongregation. In other words, wewant a MIXER.” Their unanimousselection of Rosinger proved tobe a wise one as he successfullyadministered to Temple Emanuelfor over fifty years.

Born in Hungary in 1877,Rosinger attended universities inseveral European cities ultimatelyreceiving a degree in philosophyand German literature. Heemigrated through New York in1904 where he pursued amaster’s degree at ColumbiaUniversity and was ordained atthe Jewish Theological Seminaryin 1908. His first pulpit was inToledo, Ohio where he served fortwo years before engaging withTemple Emanuel in Beaumont.From the outset, he was a strongpresence.

As he later wrote, “ I gave them tounderstand right then that theywere engaging not a lackey, but aleader whose specialty wasreligion. And Judaism is not apetrified creed, but a way of life;its interpretation and applicationmust be left to the rabbi’sjudgment.”

At the urging of Rabbi Rosinger,when it was time to begin actualplanning for the construction of anew temple to serve the growingcongregation, a New Yorkarchitect, Albert Gottlieb, was

selected for the commission.Gottlieb had authored severalpapers on synagogue design,had been published in TheAmerican Hebrew and made apresentation on the subject to theCentral Conference of AmericanRabbis in 1916. His main designpremise was that houses ofworship for the practice ofJudaism should express a spiritunique to its faith and embody inits physical form and detailingthose qualities which bestrepresent the characteristics ofthe religion: “solemnity, dignity,grandeur, nobility and withalsimplicity and clarity.”

Prior to World War I, Americansynagogue design had developeda pattern of emulating the stylesof the churches in their localenvironments. The synagoguebuilding had in effect assimilatedwith Western culture to the extentthat there were few outwarddesign expressions to distinguishit. The oldest survivingsynagogue in the United States,the Touro Synagogue (1763) inNewport, Rhode Island is a goodexample. It is simplisticallyGeorgian in style and is patternedafter a Colonial meetinghouse. InCharleston, South Carolina, theKahal Kadosh Beth ElohimSynagogue (1843) was a GreekRevival structure utilizing, of allironies, the Greek temple form.

During the last half of the 19thcentury, the predominant style fortemples and synagogues was inthe Moorish/Islamic tradition.

One of the most elaborateexamples of this style is theCentral Synagogue (1872) in NewYork City. Upon entering the 20thcentury, the styles were oftenmixed combining architecturalelements from multiple origins.

The first Temple Emanuel inBeaumont (1901) is an exampleof such an amalgam. Itincorporated twin onion domes inthe Eastern Orthodox Catholictradition, gothic windows from themedieval period and a classicallyinspired symmetrical entryway. Itwas architecture born of theDiaspora, which reflected thelocal culture of past experiencesbut it lacked Jewish expression.

While Gottlieb recognized thatthis design emulation wasevidence of the remarkableadaptability of the Jewish people,he also strongly felt that a religionthat had stayed true tofundamental principles andtraditions for so many centuriesshould have more of anexpression of its own timelessspirit. It was against this backdropthat Albert Gottlieb sought tochange the direction ofsynagogue design. RabbiRosinger, himself a forwardthinker, eagerly provided supportand encouragement in enablingGottlieb to apply his designtheories to the plan for the newTemple Emanuel.

In a prelude to the actual design ofthe building itself, Rosinger and




Gottlieb confronted their firstplanning consideration. Gottliebwas concerned that theconfiguration of the propertypurchased for the new buildingwas an obstacle to efficientdesign. He wrote “…it is next toimpossible to plan a building inwhich the seats face the East andstill have a good arrangement forthe building, not only from anarchitectural standpoint but alsofrom a practical one.”

While Rabbi Rosinger believed inthe traditional orientation ofworshiping toward Jerusalem withthe ark located on the east wall ofthe sanctuary, he deferred tohigher authorities and suggestedthat the architect contact Dr. CyrusAdler, president of the JewishTheological Seminary, Rosinger’salma mater. This was a wiseaction on the part of the rabbibecause, by deferring to others,he avoided a direct challenge tothe preferences of the designerand consequently preserved arespectful and cooperativerelationship between them. Adler,the administrator, referred thematter to Louis Ginzberg, theprofessor. Ginzberg was a highlyrespected author and professor ofTalmud at the Seminary for overfifty years. He formulated ascholarly and concise butconclusive reply and referred tothe “high antiquity” of the customthat originated in the Bible and islater reinforced by Talmudicinterpretations and later Codes.The matter was then settled by themomentary but consequential

participation of yet anothercollaborator, Ginzburg, in thedesign of Temple Emanuel. BothRosinger and Gottlieb acceptedhis interpretation and proceededto plan for the detailed design ofthe building whose congregationwould pray to the east in thetraditional orientation.

Gottlieb sought to instill a Jewishidentity in the design for hissynagogue buildings. He rejectedinappropriate and irrelevantarchitectural styles of the recentpast and attempted to reinforcethe religious character of hisbuildings through the use ofarchitectural detailing. Eventhough Gottlieb’s overall exteriordesign for Temple Emanuelincorporated a modified ByzantineRevival style, characterized by anoctagonal dome topped by acupola, massive planar brick wallsand selectively placed stonedetailing, he remained true to hisdesign precepts. He incorporatedthe tablets of Moses and the Starof David in both copper and stonethat give the building his intendedidentifiable Jewish expression. Abiblical inscription in cut stoneover the entryway furthers thereligious identity.

Based on Gottlieb’s precepts, therabbi and the architect conceivedthat the great domed sanctuarywould be planned around an awe-inspiring and magnificent designfeature whose symbolism wouldembody Jewish experience andvirtues. They mutually decidedthat the symmetry of the

octagonal sanctuary space wouldbe dramatically reinforced by sixmassive leaded glass windowsthat would represent not only ahigh level of aesthetics but conveya rich sense of spirituality as well.To that end, they enlisted thetalents of the third majorcollaborator in the design ofTemple Emanuel, the artist Ze’evRaban.

Born Wolf Rawicki in 1890 inLodz, Poland, Raban made aliyahto Palestine in 1912. Prior to thattime, he had received training inthe decorative arts in several ofthe cultural centers in Europeincluding Munich, Brussels andParis. He was a complex artistwho was exposed to extensiveaesthetic influences and hadproduced a wealth of artisticexpressions in a wide variety ofmedia. As a member of theBelazel School of Arts and Crafts,he dedicated himself to therenewal of Hebrew art inPalestine.

Much of his work was deliberatelyfocused on strengthening theidentity of an emerging Jewishstate through the revival andartistic expression of Jewishsymbolism. This emphasis was soconsistent with the design goals ofthe Temple Emanuel undertakingand it must have been with thegreatest of anticipation andexpectation that the rabbi and thearchitect solicited the creativegenius of the artist to join them intheir pursuit.




While the precise details of theinteraction between the threededicated men are unknown, thetestament to their collaborationexists in the glorious statements inleaded glass that flank the centralbody of the sanctuary. The archedwindows, each six feet wide byfifteen feet tall, are best describedin the words of Rabbi Rosinger:

“It was with keen knowledge ofJewish history and pencil andbrush handled with appreciation ofthe best in art that these windowscame to be. Each window has apronounced meaning. Centralizedin each design is a single theme.Each panel is at once a delight tothe eyes and a study, a liberaleducation in its particular phase ofBible history.”

The principal figure in each of thewindows is one of the sixprophets: Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha,Isaiah, Moses and Ezekial. Thereis a wealth of other representationcontained in the smaller detailingof the windows depicting biblical events and Jewish symbols. Thesecond commandment reads“Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner oflikeness of anything that is in theheavens above, or that is in theearth beneath.” This dictate hasbeen widely interpretedthroughout history to notnecessarily forbid the integrationof human and animalrepresentation in synagoguedecoration but rather was offeredto prevent idolatry and the actualfocus of worship on thosesymbols.

Examples of such decoration areplentiful and date back to theancient past. It is clear that RabbiRosinger placed a high value onthe aesthetic importance of thebuilding’s decoration when hesanctioned Gottlieb’s design of thesanctuary being dominated by thewindows and, with the solicitationof Raban’s participation,committed to the highest level ofartistic manifestation. Thetraditional representation ofelements with the lack ofabstraction, the richness of thecolors, the visual depth created bythe unique pattern of texture tothe glass and the placement of thewindows in the appropriatelyscaled room combine to create apowerful expression. It is one thatgenuinely supplicates theworshiper and effectivelyfacilitates a prayerful environment.

Rabbi Rosinger had a very strongsense of the self-worth of theindividual. In a sermon entitled“Man Can Become Godlike,” heonce wrote, “Man can rise todivine heights…Man is born fit tobecome the companion of G-d.He can rise to be the co-worker ofthe Creator.” With divineguidance, the rabbi, the architectand the artist all collaborated tocollectively seek this level ofattainment. In doing so, theybrought into existence a house ofworship of national significanceand international prominence thatinspires Jewish faith and willcontinue to serve its lofty purposefor many generations.

◆ TJHS

THE MENSCH WHOPLAYED SANTABy Joseph Billy Pfeffer

2nd Place, Sylvia Wolens JewishHeritage Texas Writing Competition

It was customary each Sundaymorning for my brothers, Shannonand Harry Pfeffer, to pick me up atmy house and drive to the Rice Hotelto have breakfast together. Wewould sit at the counter where wewould discuss how the week went,how the kids were doing, howbusiness was going. Occasionally,we would see the prominent Houstonlawyer, Percy Forman. He had aspecial booth, and there was alwaysa crowd around his table.

After breakfast, we�d leave togetherand go to the Fifth Ward. The FifthWard used to be a Jewishneighborhood with a Shul, but bythat time it had become an inner-city,high-crime neighborhood. We hadsome properties there. Together wewould go collecting rents. It wasgetting dangerous to go collectingalone. The people knew we had rentmoney on us, so the three of us wenttogether. To keep everything ingood repair, it was also necessarythat we worked every Sunday fixingbroken windows, torn screens, checkfor leaking water faucets, peelingpaint, etc. Sunday was the only daywe could spare from our full-timejobs to do this.

One Christmas morning, my wifereceived a phone call from mybrother, Harry. He was sick. I wasneeded for a job he couldn�t discussover the telephone. Our olderbrother, Shannon, would pick me up.

(The Mensch, cont., page 24)


(The Mensch, cont. from page 23)

I protested - it was a day off, even fora Jewish boy - but to no avail. Hesaid there was a problem, and I wasneeded. Within an hour, a car pulledup in my driveway. My nephew,Larry, was laughing as I approachedthe car. He swung the door open, andI could see inside a person dressed ina Santa Claus suit wearing a large redhat, a white beard, and patent leatherboots. It was my big brotherShannon.

�What the hell are you doing?� Iasked. He laughed and answered,�I�ve been playing Santa Claus forthe last three years. Would you liketo join us this year?� Hesitating, Ismiled and replied, �Don�t mind if Ido.�

I squeezed into the back seat of hisstation wagon. It was full of toys,boxes of candy, books, and othertrinkets. As we took off, I though tomyself, this should be a newexperience for a guy like me, a third-generation congregant at BethYeshuren. By the time we reachedour destination - the Fifth Ward - myshare of the candy bars was eaten.Larry�s job was to take care of thetoys, while I handed out the rest ofthe candy.

Our first stop was a small wood-frame house in the backyard of alarger home facing a dirt street. Weclimbed up two wooden steps ontothe porch. Larry banged on the door.It slowly opened a crack. You couldsee the wary eyes of the tenantpeaking out. Larry stepped aside,and there stood Santa, who startedsinging in a loud voice: �Ho! Ho! Ho!�

The door flung open, and the lady ofthe house started hollering for herkids to �come see Santa Claus.� Thechildren screamed with glee as Larrystarted handing out toys and while Ioffered candy.

Looking and listening to thehousehold, I was moved and trulyfelt pleased that I had a chance toparticipate in delivering holiday joy.Each house we went to was a repeat:the expression on the children�sfaces, the glow in their eyes, and thetears from their parents.

At our last stop, we had to park bythe Union Pacific Railroad tracks.Larry got out of the car, and I heardhim say, �Dad, there is a little boywalking down the tracks.� Santatook one look and went into action.He grabbed his toy bag, slung it overhis shoulder, then started toward theboy. The small child was pretendinghe was a tightrope walker. He waslooking down at the track andwatching how he placed his bare feet,one foot following the other, tryinghard to balance himself so hewouldn�t slip off the track. Santamoved slowly toward him. The littleboy was so preoccupied with what hewas doing, he did not look up.

When he was a few feet from the boy,Santa rang a small jingle bellattached to his belt. The child lookedup and let out a scream: �SantaClaus! Oh, Santa Claus! You didn�tforget me!� With outstretched arms,the child threw himself forward,hugging Santa with all his strengthwhile crying tears of joy.

The man in the red suit put his large gloved hands under the arms of thechild, lifted him high in the air, thenbrought him down and held him tohis chest for a long moment. Not aword was said.

Standing only a few feet behind mybrother, I turned my head to the side.Tears flowed freely down my checks.What a beautiful irony for mybrother, a Jewish man, to bring suchjoy to a youngster on Christmas Day. What a strange place, the railroadtracks in the Fifth Ward, todemonstrate tolerance and kindness.

This story has lain dormant inside ofme for over fifty years. My brother,Shannon, and his son, Larry, aregone. Yet I will never forget the dayI spent with the Mensch who playedSanta Claus.

Editor�s Note: Joseph Billy Pfefferwrote the following: �...I am 86 yearsold. This is just one of a millionstories about our Jewish people. Thisis a reflection of the past generation.A true story about a man that tookextra kind means to make people happy for a day - some for alifetime...this very small act is true, ithappened in a period of time whenthere was little tolerance for ourfellow man. I have become a self-taught artist, story-writer, and poet. Ihave exhibited my Holocaust work atthe Houston Holocaust Museum, andmy painting called �Yom Hashoah�appeared on the front page of the SanDiego Jewish Heritage newspaper. Ijust finished writing a 214-pagenovel called REVENGE. Most ofmy friends are gone. Stories are theonly way to bring them back in mymemories.�

◆ TJHS

Texas Jewish Historical Society - July 2004

TWO GUESTS AT LUNCHBy Ralph S. Marks

3rd Place, Sylvia Wolens Jewish Heritage Texas Writing Competition

When the white-haired, short-statured man comes up to our tableaccompanied by an attractive blondegirl, we Jewish men at our weeklyget-together in Houston presumeboth are Jewish. I am impressed withthe beautiful blonde, about one-thirdthe man�s age. The young lady has ahaughty look, as though she might besmelling something from ourluncheon assortment of delicatessenfoods which pleases her. Little did I,an old man, know that the two ofthem are about to help me recall partof my life, including before myconfirmation in the Synagogue longyears ago, in 1935, in Marshall,Texas.

Shocked that this writer is 81? I�mthe youngest of our five or six persongroup, which meets almost weeklyfor lunch. By the way, each of ourparty is mentally alert, possibly withslight hearing or vision loss, but wethrow ideas around and clearly recallHouston happenings of the last 50years or so.

These two interlopers who are 56 and20 respectively, introduce themselvesand take me back, back in time inwhat the movies call a �flashback.�Back to Marshall where it alwaysseemed Spring and violets grewunder grape arbors.

Our Synagogue in Marshall drewJewish young people and theirfamilies from a periphery of about 30miles from Kilgore, Longview andother small towns. For Purim, we

performed the story of Mordecai,Haman and Queen Esther in theannex of the Sanctuary. It was alarge room, which featured a stagewith curtains, and was easilyconverted into a theater if one usedfolding chairs. Annually the Templeheld a Seder for the sixty-or-sofamilies from Marshall andsurrounding area towns.

I remember this one Passover when Iwas about 13, and was seated at thechildren�s table along the side. Thechair at the head of the long table wasvacant. Into the room swept a lovely12-year-old girl, wearing a purplecape and carrying a scepter. So helpme, she even had a tiara diadem. Shewas absolutely Queen Esther. Theyoung beauty took command of thetable and introduced herself as IrisFutoransky. As Iris came to servicesnearly each weekend, she and Ibecame friends - maybe more -childhood sweethearts.became

A group of us would ride around incars driven by adults. Now, bytoday�s standards, Iris and I would notbe considered sweethearts. There wasnever a kiss or real affection shown,just hanging out and listening to theoriginal-thinking young lady talk andlaugh. Everyone was drawn to Irisweek after week in Marshall�sByzantine-style Temple. We wouldcruise the town�s environs usuallywith several others - just �hangingout.� When we were confirmed, thosemeetings dissolved and I lost track ofIris Futor (Futoransky was shortened).

Fast forward - past World War II andcolleges and the twenty-yearintervening period. When I came to Houston, I dabbled in theater. Iris(Futor) Siff, with a background ofacting, organizing, directing USOtours and whatnot, was a well-knownstandout official of the Alley Theater.When Iris Siff and I would chance tomeet in Houston on rare occasions, itwas nostalgic, but gave credence tothe �Can�t Go Home Again� truism.She was focused on her family andvery successful career. Shockingly,tragically, at the Alley Theater whereIris held office, she met a publicized,violent end to her life.

Now, we come to the present - 2004 -and our weekly get-togethers. Theman mentioned in the beginning withthe blonde 20-year-old walks up to our table, for he is an invited attendeeto our meals. For the benefit of thoseof us who do not know him, the manaffirms, �I am Joe Siff, and this is mydaughter, Iris Siff.� The younglady�s resemblance to her lategrandmother, also named Iris Siff, isevident. As they sit, I recount forIris Futor Siff�s son, Joe, and hisdaughter the incidents, which areoutlined above. It takes mepleasantly back down the time tunnelthey never knew, to how we oncewere. The meeting at brunch makesme, looking out from under white,thinning hair and from behind myage-slacked face, feel, so helpme...young!

◆ TJHS


Voting at the Texas Jewish Historical Society 25th Annual GatheringApril 30 - May 2, 2004

Congratulations to the newly elected 2004 - 2006 Officers & Board Members:

Office Name Home City

President Marvin Rich HoustonVice President Mitzi Milstein LongviewVice President Beverly Beck Trachtenberg HoustonVice President Jan Hart Temple Treasurer Ben Pfeffer HoustonRecording Secretary Barbara Rosenberg Sugar LandCorresponding Secretary Selma Mantel HoustonHistorian Blanche Sheiness HoustonArchivist Ima Joy Gandler WacoParliamentarian Howard "Rusty" Milstein Longview

Elected May 2, 2003 to the Board for 2003 - 2005:

Name Home City Name Home City

Elaine Albin Rockport Barbara Lack Victoria Leah Burstein San Antonio Annette Lackman ArlingtonBernice Edelstein Brownsville Marvin Leshin Corpus ChristiBarry Green Tyler Alan Livingston HoustonElaine Greenberg Houston Dr. Louis Pink HoustonDorothy Harelik Hamilton Ralph Robinowitz DallasRuth Heidenheimer Cisco Keith Rosen BellaireEd Katten Waco Merilee Weiner HoustonSherman Kusin Austin Sherry Zander Dallas

Elected to serve on the Board 2004-2006:

Name Home City Name Home City

Norma Albert McAllen Mabel Masin HoustonJames Alexander Dallas Greg Meyer San AntonioDavid Bach Abilene Allen Mondell DallasRoy Elsner Odessa Cynthia Mondell DallasI. L. "Buddy" Freed Austin John Perel HoustonSandra Freed Austin Sheila Rosenfield AustinNoel Graubart Houston Leta Schoen HoustonLynn Greenberg Houston Davie Lou Solka Corpus ChristiKaren Kaplan Fort Worth Max Stool San AntonioGladys Leff Dallas Hollace Weiner Fort Worth

The Membership voted on the following Bylaws’ amendments:

Article IX – The President is allowed to authorize an expenditure of up to $500 without Board approval whenit is not feasible to obtain Board approval in a timely manner and he/she deems the funding necessary.

Article IV, B., (f) – To the extent permitted by law, members of the Board of Trustees or any committeethereof may participate in a meeting of the Board or of such committee by means of conference telephoneor similar communication equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can heareach other; including, but not limited to an internet “chat room” that can be utilized so that board memberscan be totally involved with offering and receiving information; and additionally, that the president can useemailed responses in the pursuit of conducting Society business, and participation in a meeting pursuantto this section shall constitute presence at such a meeting. The President shall save a “hard copy” and/orforward, in total, to all Board of Trustees emailed responses so that the Secretary will have them for theSociety minutes.


Attending sevices in Temple Beth-El, San Antonio,Friday, April 30, 2004.

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