Jewish Stars in Texas: Rabbis and Their Work (Volume 84) (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University) - Softcover

Weiner, Hollace A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1585444944 ISBN 13: 9781585444946

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press, 2006

Synopsis

A fraction of Texans are Jewish, yet Texas rabbis are among the most influential, colorful, and celebrated figures in the state's history and culture. In Jewish Stars in Texas, Hollace Ava Weiner examines eleven rabbis whose wisdom and leadership were felt not only by their congregations but also by their communities.

Texas proved to be a blank slate for many rabbis—a chance to escape traditional practices, make a fresh start, or, simply, a chance to make a living. Of Weiner's eleven rabbis, ten grew to lead Reform congregations, stressing social justice and community service, and one was affiliated with Conservative Judaism, which seeks to balance tradition with modernity.

Jewish Stars in Texas begins with the first large wave of Jewish immigrants to arrive in Texas in the 1870s. Weiner addresses the rabbis' roles as mixers, who bridged Jewish traditions with the cultural demands of Texas, and as motivators, who stirred up involvement in social causes.

The influence of these Texas rabbis—whether it involved fighting the Ku Klux Klan or founding a symphony—can be appreciated by everyone who benefitted from the causes they championed. Jews and Texans who wish to learn more about their heritage will find this book essential reading and an engaging source of informative and colorful stories.

About this title

About the Author

HOLLACE AVA WEINER, a native of Washington, D.C., graduated from the University of Maryland and for ten years was a journalist with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Her research into Texas rabbis has been published in American Jewish History, and her essay on Corpus Christi Rabbi Sidney Wolf is in the anthology Quiet Voices: Southern Rabbis and Black Civil Rights. She lives in Fort Worth

From the Back Cover

Texas Jews may be only a small proportion of the state's population, but their leaders have often shone as unlikely stars in this Bible Belt state. Grounded in the culture that gave rise to Christianity and thus sharing many of the community's values, rabbis schooled outside the region brought erudition and an exotic individuality to the frontier. Furthermore, a rabbi's prophetic sense of social justice, honed through centuries of Talmudic thought, gave a Hebrew minister moral clout in a vigilante climate.

Because Texas synagogues were small, rabbis served entire communities, evolving into public figures recruited for an array of roles. They blessed stock shows and rodeos. They founded hospitals, symphonies, and charities. They broadcast Sunday sermons over the radio. They challenged the Ku Klux Klan and fought for academic freedom and prison reform. Their names are etched on cornerstones and scrawled on state documents. Welcomed as leaders of the Chosen People, rabbis thrived, and many stayed their entire careers.

Rabbis who accepted a call to the Lone Star State when it was still on the edge of the frontier often ventured out West as a last resort. Some were freelancers, never ordained. Others came because they had no better pulpit offers. A number had left Europe as rebels, seeking to escape traditional religious practices. These maverick rabbis were drawn to places with little Jewish history or hierarchy -- communities such as Beaumont, Galveston, Fort Worth, Lubbock, El Paso, and Tyler -- where they created their own religious blueprints.

This thoroughly researched and engaging volume, covering a time span from the 1870s through the 1920s, tells the lively stories of elevenrabbis, their lives, and their Texas towns, from big cities such as Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio to the remote locales of Hempstead and Brownsville. Sit back and enjoy Texas history through rabbinical eyes.

Edition details

• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1585444944
• ISBN 13: 9781585444946
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 328