History of the Texas Jewish Historical Society
(from an article by Rabbi Jimmy Kessler in the TJHS Magazine, February 2003)
As a seventh grader in Pershing Junior High School in Houston, young Jimmy Kessler got his first lesson in the importance of preserving Texas Jewish history. Jimmy along with other Jewish students were absent from school for Yom Kippur and missed an important test in Texas History. The teacher gave all the absent Jewish students an “F”. Parents came to the school to ask why a failing grade. Jimmy remembered there was much back-and-forth discussion, but the comment that stuck with him was when the teacher said, “We Jews had to remember that we weren’t here in Texas – early on—and had nothing to do with Texas history.”
That comment stuck with Jimmy Kessler for more than 40 years.
As a first-year student at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio, Jimmy and his fellow rabbinical students were encouraged to check out the American Jewish Archives and its three walls of card catalogues, representing a collection of original materials from all over the world and reflecting some aspect of the American Jewish experience.
When Jimmy checked the “Te” box for “Texas”, he found only two cards.
As a third-year rabbinical student, Jimmy took an American Jewish History course taught by Rabbi Jacob Rader Marcus, father of the academic study of American Jewish History. Jimmy challenged Rabbi Marcus in one class when told “nothing of importance happened in American Jewish history before 1900 east of the Mississippi River.” Jimmy promised to prove Dr. Marcus wrong.
It was about this time that Jimmy Kessler knew that Texas Jewish experience had to be collected and preserved, but any action was put on a back burner after his 1972 ordination and a stint as Hillel Director at UT Austin until 1975. His early attempts to preserve records ended in disappointment.
In 1976, Rabbi Kessler was selected to lead Temple B’Nai Israel of Galveston. Galveston was a community that took its history seriously. It is the oldest extant Jewish Community in Texas and B’nai Israel is the oldest Reform congregation in the State. Moreover, Rabbi Henry Cohen, who had served B’nai Israel longer than any Rabbi, was well known for his role in the 1907-1914 Galveston Movement.
After years of kvetching about this need to archive Jewish material, Harris L. Kempner cornered Rabbi Kessler and asked what he needed to make things happen. Rabbi Kessler suggested a statewide meeting of folk interested in the project would be a good start. Harris pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check for $3,000 to defray costs for such a meeting.
In 1980 Rabbi Kessler published letters in The Jewish Herald-Voice of Houston and in The Texas Jewish Post of Dallas/Fort Worth calling for the creation of a historical society to preserve the history of the Texas Jewish experience. As a result, in March 1980 a first Gathering of interested Texans took place in San Antonio to organize the Texas Jewish Historical Society. Rabbi Kessler was chosen its first president.
Today, the Texas Jewish Historical Society continues to sponsor and encourage research, publications, and projects on Texas Jewish history, providing a forum for scholars, students, journalists, and genealogists.
Rabbi Jimmy Kessler died September 2022. His legacy will forever be a huge, celebrated part of Texas Jewish history.
Watch a brief video overview of TJHS:
Officers and Board of Trustees
Officers 2023-2024
President – Joan Linares (Baytown)
1st Vice President – Susan Novick (El Paso)
2nd Vice President – Jules Frapart (Brownsville)
3rd Vice President – Cynthia Wolf (Beaumont)
Recording Secretary – John Campbell (Austin)
Corresponding Secretary – Amy Milstein (Frisco)
Treasurer – Ben Rosenberg (Sugar Land)
Historian/Archivist – Sally Drayer (Dallas)
Parliamentarian – Vickie Vogel (Austin)
Board of Trustees, 2023-2025
Nelson Chafetz (Austin)
Joyce Davidoff (El Paso)
Janice Gerber (Houston)
Dolly Golden (Austin)
Martin Frost (Alexandria, VA)
Kathy Kravitz (Austin)
Scott Langston (Weatherford)
Bob Lewis (Big Spring)
Cindy Lindauer (Austin)
Alan Mondell (Dallas)
Ruth Nathan (Houston)
Eric Nelson (Houston)
Alan Selzer (Houston)
Laurie Selzer (Houston)
Barbara Green Stone (Dallas)
Gary Whitfield (Fort Worth)
Sherry Zander (Dallas)
Board of Trustees, 2022-2024
Elaine Albin (Rockport)
Doug Braudaway (Del Rio)
Marlene Eichelbaum (San Antonio)
Mel Eichelbaum (San Antonio)
Anita Feigenbaum (College Station)
Michael Furgatch (Brownsville)
Sonny Gerber (Houston)
Henry Greenberg (San Antonio)
Jan Siegel Hart (Temple)
Jeffrey Josephs (Austin)
Marilyn Lippman (Dallas)
Jane Manaster (Dallas)
Hy Penn (Kingwood)
Paula Stein (Houston)
David Vogel (Austin)
Betty Weiner (Houston)
Hollace Weiner (Fort Worth)
Michael Wolf (Beaumont)
Joyce Wormser (Pearland)
Past Presidents
1980-1982 – Rabbi Jimmy Kessler (Galveston)
1982-1984 – Frances Kallison (San Antonio)
1984-1986 – Lionel Schooler (Houston)*
1986 – Ed Lax (Dallas)
1986-1989 – Ginger Jacobs (Dallas)
1989-1991 – Milton Smith (Austin)
1991-1993 – Fay Brachman (Fort Worth)
1993-1995 – Don Teter (Baytown)
1995-1998 – Barbara Rosenberg (Sugar Land)*
1998-2000 – Helen Wilk (Houston)
2000-2002 – Jack Gerrick (Fort Worth)
2002-2004 – Charles B. Hart (Temple)*
2004-2006 – Marvin Rich (Houston)
2006-2008 – Vickie Vogel (Austin)*
2008-2010 – Sally Drayer (Dallas)*
2010-2012 – Howard Milstein (Longview)*
2012-2014 – Marc Wormser (Pearland)*
2014-2015 – Debra Weingarten
2015-2017 – David Beer (Dallas)*
2017-2019 – Davie Lou Solka (Austin)*
2019-2021 – Susan Zack Lewis (Big Spring)*
2021-2023 – Sheldon Lippman (Austin)*
* Living past presidents serve on Board of Trustees
TJHS Bylaws
The Texas Jewish Historical Society was established on January 26, 1980 at the First Gathering of interested persons, held in San Antonio. On February 15, 1980, the Texas Secretary of State issued Charter #509732 incorporating the Texas Jewish Historical Society, Inc.
Past Annual Gatherings and Board Meetings
| wdt_ID | YEAR | WINTER MEETING | SPRING MEETING | SUMMER MEETING | FALL MEETING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1980 | SAN ANTONIO First Gathering January 26-27 |
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| 2 | 1981 | GALVESTON 2nd Annual Gathering January 31 - February 1 |
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| 3 | 1982 | AUSTIN 3rd Annual Gathering February 27-28 |
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| 4 | 1983 | DALLAS 4th Annual Gathering February 12-13 |
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| 5 | 1984 | HOUSTON 5th Annual Gathering February 12-13 |
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| 6 | 1985 | SAN ANTONIO 6th Annual Gathering March 8-10 |
DALLAS Board Meeting May 19 |
HOUSTON Board Meeting September 21 |
AUSTIN Board Meeting December 15 |
| 7 | 1986 | DALLAS 7th Annual Gathering March 14-16 |
MARSHALL Board Meeting May 18 |
AUSTIN Board Meeting September 21 |
FORT WORTH Board Meeting December 14 |
| 8 | 1987 | FORT WORTH 8th Annual Gathering March 6-8 |
DALLAS Board Meeting May 17 |
AUSTIN Board Meeting June 12 |
HOUSTON Board Meeting September 20 |
| 9 | 1988 | AUSTIN 9th Annual Gathering March 4-6 |
DALLAS Board Meeting May 15 |
MARSHALL Board Meeting August 21 |
AUSTIN Board Meeting December 11 |
| 10 | 1989 |
JEFFERSON 10th Annual Gathering |
AUSTIN Board Meeting June 11 |
FORT WORTH Board Meeting August 27 |
GALVESTON Board Meeting December 10 |
| YEAR | WINTER MEETING | SPRING MEETING | SUMMER MEETING | FALL MEETING |