History of the Jews in Houston

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Ethnicity in Houston
The current Congregation Beth Israel

The Jewish community of Houston, Texas has grown and thrived since the 1800s. As of 2008, Jews lived in many

Meyerland
is the center of the Jewish community in the area.

History

Previous Temple Beth Israel, now Heinen Theatre of the Houston Community College

Until 1880 Houston had a smaller Jewish population than

Third Ward.[2]

Sixth Ward received Jewish settlers from Eastern Europe. As of around 1987 the areas in the historic Fifth and Sixth Wards no longer have significant Jewish populations. Roselyn Bell, author of the "Houston" entry in The Jewish Traveler: Hadassah Magazine's Guide to the World's Jewish Communities and Sights, wrote that the Houston Jewish community was "much more shtetl-like than it is today".[2]

Beginning in 1880 many

Workmen's Circle opened.[1]

In the 1920s Jews began to settle in the

Houston Business Journal stated that, at one point, Riverside Terrace "was once on the same affluent level as the swanky River Oaks area".[6] During that period the neighborhood hosted the houses of the prominent Weingarten, Finger, and McGregor families.[6]

Around the 1874 Beth Israel became a

Zionist ideals were not allowed to be members, so Emanu-El was formed by people who disagreed with the decision. After World War II, more Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe moved to Houston.[2]

By the 1950s many Jewish families moved to

Fondren Southwest in Southwest Houston and the Memorial and Spring Branch areas. By 1987 there were around 42,000 Jews in Greater Houston and Jews were located in many areas of Greater Houston.[2]

In 2017 Hurricane Harvey damaged the Meyerland area, along with the three synaoguges with the largest congregations, the Jewish community center, various Jewish private schools, and the Jewish senior home.[7]

Jewish population

Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center

As of 1987, there were about 42,000 Jews in Greater Houston and about 2.5% of the City of Houston was Jewish.[2] In 2001 the figure was 47,000 Jews in the Houston area. The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston made another population count in 2016, indicating that 51,000 Jews live in Greater Houston.[8][9]

Houston Jews had origins from throughout the United States,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2] Philadelphia had a Jewish population more than five times larger than that of Houston, which had surpassed Philadelphia as the fourth largest city in the U.S. Bell wrote that the smaller relative population results in a combination of "the close-knit feeling of a middle-sized town with big-city sophistication and large-scale institutions".[2]

Jewish communities

The Houston Jewish community is centered on Meyerland

As of 1987 Jews lived in many communities in Houston.

Clear Lake City, Kingwood, and The Woodlands.[2]
Clear Lake City has also experienced a growth of Jewish populations in the 2010s.

Synagogues

Congregation Beth Yeshurun

As of 1987 there were over 20 synagogues in Greater Houston.[2] As of 2016 there were over 40 synagogues in Greater Houston.[9]

As of 1987,

Sephardic
Beth Rambam Congregation, Young Israel of Houston, Meyerland Minyan, and the Sephardic synagogue Torah Vachesed.

The United Orthodox Synagogues congregation formed in 1961 as a consolidation of three synagogues.[7] It occupied the same building near Meyerland since its groundbreaking that year. The building flooded during Memorial Day in 2015 and Tax Day in 2016. After Hurricane Harvey damaged the buildings in 2017,[11] in December of that year the congregation's board decided to have the sanctuary and school building demolished;[12] it would use the Freedman Hall building as the center of worship for the time being.[11] As of 2018 the congregation has 300 people.[12]

Congregation Emanu El Temple, using a

Mid-Century Modern architectural style, was built in 1949.[13]

By 2011 the

Chabad-Lubavitch, was established by Yossi Zaklikofsky in January 2011. It was the first Chabad-Lubavitch center in the city of Bellaire.[14]

Congregation Or Ami is located in Westchase,[15] in west Houston, in proximity to Greater Katy. As of 2018 the rabbi is Gideon Estes.[16]

There are two Jewish places of worship in

Union of American Hebrew Congregations.[19] Chabad of The Woodlands was established in 2011 by Rabbi Mendel and Leah Blecher.[20] It is a branch of the worldwide Chabad Lubavitch movement, offering traditional-style services to contemporary Jewish families.[21] Chabad of The Woodlands inaugurated and sponsors the annual Chanukah on Market Street celebration,[22] and established the first Jewish preschool in the area.[23]

Chabad Pearland Jewish Center is the first Jewish center of worship in Pearland, established by Yossi and Esty Zaklikofsky in 2009. In addition to Pearland, it also serves Alvin and Friendswood.[24]

Temple Beth Tikvah, the Jewish Center of Clear Lake, is in the Clear Lake area.[24]

There are also synagogues in Humble and Victoria.[9]

List of Synagogues:

Education

The Emery/Weiner School

Houston has several Jewish elementary schools. The

Chabad Lubavitch sponsors the Torah Day School of Houston.[25]

Modern Orthodox primary and secondary school. The school, previously named Hebrew Academy, is an independent Jewish school. Roselyn Bell, author of the "Houston" entry in The Jewish Traveler: Hadassah Magazine's Guide to the World's Jewish Communities and Sights, wrote that the Hebrew Academy had "Orthodox leanings".[25]

Because of the large number of Jewish students, Bellaire High School historically had the nickname "Hebrew High".[26]

Economics

Around 1987 Roselyn Bell wrote that most Houston Jews work in professional industries, and that there was "a strong concentration in business, including direct retail and businesses supporting retail".

Arab countries.[25]

Mickey Leland founded the Youth Kibbutz Internship, which sends ten minority children to Israel during Summer periods. This was established to deepen relations between African-American and Jewish communities and to decrease anti-Israeli sentiment.[25]

Media

The Jewish Herald-Voice is a Jewish community newspaper headquartered in Houston.[27]

Institutions

Holocaust Museum Houston.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston is headquartered in Houston.[28]

The Jewish Community Center (JCC) has a main location on South Braeswood Boulevard and a Memorial-area west Houston branch. Within the Fondren area it operates the Bertha Alyce Early Childhood Center. The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston has its offices adjacent to the main JCC building. The Seven Acres Jewish Geriatric Center serves elderly populations.[25]

The

Houston Holocaust Museum opened in 1993.[25]

Other institutions and organizations include Jewish Family Service, Hebrew Free Loan Association, Chabad Lubavitch Center, Hillel Foundation of Greater Houston, Seven Acres Jewish Geriatric Center, and multiple Jewish day schools.[29]

Roselyn Bell wrote that synagogues and other major Jewish institutions in Houston "are built Texas-style; big, spread out, commodious, and pleasant to look at".[25]

Rice University established the Houston Jewish History Archive circa 2017 to preserve Jewish history. Several items were archived and rescued after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017. As of 2018 Joshua Furman, the Stanford and Joan Alexander Postdoctoral Fellow in Jewish Studies of Rice U., and Rice centennial historian Melissa Kean were collecting items for the center.[30]

Notable persons

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Bell, p. 216.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bell, p. 217.
  3. ^ Kaplan, Barry J. (University of Houston). "Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970". The Houston Review. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 186.
  4. ^ Kaplan, Barry J. (University of Houston). "Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970". The Houston Review. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 187.
  5. ^ Feser, Katherine. "Much history flows through Riverside". Houston Chronicle. July 9, 2002. Retrieved on April 18, 2009.
  6. ^
    Houston Business Journal
    . August 15, 2008. Retrieved on April 18, 2009. "It's becoming common practice for homes in the Riverside Terrace area — a historic Inner-Loop neighborhood bounded by Scott, North MacGregor, Almeda and Wheeler[...]"
  7. ^ a b Ketterer, Samantha (2018-04-09). "United Orthodox Synagogues face new beginning with post-Harvey demolition". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  8. ^ 2016 Houston Jewish Community Study, Berman Jewish Data Bank, The Jewish Federations of North America, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Barden-Smith, St. John (2016-10-23). "Temples of the gods: Houston's religious diversity reflects community". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  10. ^ Rothman, p. 358.
  11. ^ a b Rendall, Autumn (2018-02-06). "Thrice-flooded Houston synagogue's search for higher ground continues". Houston Chronicle.
  12. ^ a b Takahashi, Paul (2018-02-01). "Harvey-damaged synagogue faces demolition". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  13. ^ Pugh, Clifford (2004-04-11). "Will Houston find its true past in the '50s and '60s?". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  14. ^ Lassin, Arlene Nisson (2011-05-03). "New synagogue, Rabbi's home damaged by fire". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  15. ^ "Land Use Map". Westchase, Houston. Retrieved 2019-11-09. - PDF Archived 2019-11-08 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ Iracheta, Michelle (2018-09-10). "Sunday Conversation: Rabbi Gideon Estes, Congregation Or Ami". Houston Chronicle. The Katy Rancher. Retrieved 2019-11-09. [...]Congregation Or Ami located at 3443 Wilcrest Drive.[...]Congregation Or Ami, a synagogue in Katy/West Houston, for eight years.
  17. ^ Trumble, Janet (2004-01-20). "Woodlands synagogue to welcome new spiritual leader". Houston Chronicle '. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  18. ^ Stueckemann, Jane (2018-09-11). "Symbols of Faith: Torah represents covenant with God for synagogue in The Woodlands". The Villager. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  19. ^ Fredericks, Melinda (2000-09-28). "Jewish families prepare to celebrate Jewish New Year". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  20. ^ Dillon, Patricia (2018-02-23). "Villager Q & A: Rabbi Mendel Blecher of Chabad of The Woodlands". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  21. ^ "Chabad of The Woodlands celebrates new Torah". jhvonline.com. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  22. ^ Dillon, Patricia (2017-12-15). "Community gathers to light menorah, celebrate Hanukkah". Houston Chronicle. The Woodlands Villager. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  23. ^ Stueckmann, Jane (2019-06-27). "Woodlands' first Jewish-focused preschool aims to keep traditions alive". Houston Chronicle. The Woodlands Villager. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  24. ^ a b Torentinos, Natalie (2009-04-01). "Rabbi, wife open Chabad Pearland Jewish Center". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bell, p. 218.
  26. EBSCOHost
  27. ^ "Contact Us". Jewish Herald-Voice. Retrieved on April 7, 2014. "Delivery: 3403 Audley St. Houston, TX 77098"
  28. ^ "Contact Us" (Archive) Jewish Federation of Greater Houston. Retrieved on January 19, 2014. "Jewish Federation of Greater Houston 5603 South Braeswood Boulevard Houston, TX 77096-3907"
  29. ^ "The Jewish Community of Houston". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.
  30. ^ Rhor, Monica (2018-04-06). "Rice University creating archive to preserve history of city's Jewish community". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  31. ^ a b c d Bell, p. 220.
  32. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-08-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h Bell, p. 219.
  34. ^ Snyder and Goodman, p. id=XkBDAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Marvin+Zindler%22+Jewish&dq=%22Marvin+Zindler%22+Jewish&hl=en&sa=X&ei=nH2dUpnTDIiVrQHM7YD4BA&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAg 38. "The tape specifically referred to Jews as "other non-whites!' Marvin Zindler, a Jewish Houston television personality, felt ANP's telephone message threatened public welfare and safety, created a public nuisance, and caused him personal[...]"
  35. ^ "Houston Attorney | New York Attorney | David Berg".
  36. ^ Kelly, Christopher (8 June 2013). "Decades Later, Revisiting a Death in the Family". The New York Times.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jewish community in Houston.
Houses of worship
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