Texas Jewish Historical Society

05/02/2026

May is Jewish American Heritage Month. The Joan and Stanford Alexander South Texas Jewish Archives would like to highlight Jews in the South Texas Jewish community. Today we begin with Rebecca Sakowitz Nathan (1887-1974). Born in Russia and raised in Galveston since the age of 2, Rebecca moved to Houston with her husband Max Nathan in 1909.

Rebecca was active in Houston Section of the National Council of Jewish Women for five decades and served as president in 1926. During her tenure she helped create the Council House, more affectionately known as Happy House, in Houston’s 6th Ward. The Happy House focused on immigrant families in the community, regardless of religion, who needed help. Children played at Happy House after school, learned music, art, dance, and sports. Adults could take ESL classes and engage in job training programs. Rebecca ran the house for 10 years, even after her time as president of NCJW. When the house was eventually closed she turned her attention to similar work with the YWCA and served on their board for decades.
Rebecca was a champion for interfaith initiatives.

She founded the Round Table of Christians and Jews which later became a section of the National Council of Christians and Jews in 1937 and Co-Chaired the Temple of Religion for Texas Women’s Advisory Committee during the 1939 World’s Fair in New York.

Through her leadership and vision, Rebecca Sakowitz Nathan helped shape a more inclusive Houston, one story we are proud to preserve and share. You can learn more about Rebecca at the South Texas Jewish Archives at Fondren Library Rice University

04/29/2026

04/10/2026

Save the Date for the New Mexico Jewish Historical Society Fall Conference!

Work is already underway to bring you this years Fall Conference! This year we'll be exploring Jewish Life in New Mexico Through the Arts on Sunday, October 25th at the Santa Fe Woman's Club.

Do you have a favorite New Mexico Jewish artist?

01/31/2026

We found a gem of Texas Jewish history today in the boxes of Congregation B'nai Israel in Galveston, Texas. These are the original minutes from the 1st board meeting of the newly formed Temple B'nai Israel. Written in 1868, it includes some of the earliest Jewish families in Texas such as the Dyers, Blums, and Kopperls. B'nai Israel is the second oldest synagogue in Texas and home of Rabbi Henry Cohen z"l.

It's amazing that this book survived the great Storm of 1900 and is still so clear over 150 years after it was written!

07/17/2025

Proud of TJHS members, Hy and Lynn

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The Jewish Herald-Voice - Houston's Jewish Newspaper

05/25/2025

Ride For The Living (RFTL), first held in 2014, is a comprehensive educational, social, and spiritual fitness experience. RFTL provides participants a chance to immerse themselves in Krakow’s Jewish past and present while generating support to help build Krakow’s Jewish future. From the 60 Holoc...

03/17/2025

Texas Jewish Historical Society to Hold its 46th Annual Gathering in College Station, April 25-27, 2025.

Centered around the historical and cultural experiences of Texas A&M University’s Hillel, the Texas Jewish Historical Society (TJHS) will host its 46th Annual Gathering in College Station. The event will feature presentations centered around Texas A&M University’s Hillel and the broader Jewish community of Bryan/College Station. Registration forms and a detailed agenda are available on the TJHS website at www.txjhs.org where one can register for the entire weekend of events or for individual events.

The weekend will kick off on Friday, April 25, with a Shabbat services and dinner at Texas A&M Hillel.
Saturday’s programming will explore the history of the Jewish presence at Texas A&M, beginning with a look at Hillel’s roots that date back to 1916. This will be followed by discussions on Jewish life in Bryan/College Station, including the legacies of Temple Freda and Congregation Beth Shalom. Attendees will also hear personal narratives from former and current Texas A&M students, sharing their experiences as part of the Jewish community on campus.

Another highlight of the day will be a story of immigration, tracing a family's journey from Odessa, Ukraine, to establishing a well-known local business in Bryan. The event will also feature an introduction to Texas A&M’s newly formed Jewish Studies Program, emphasizing its role in academic exploration and cultural preservation.

Afternoon sessions will showcase research and creative projects completed by 3 TJHS grant recipients. These include a photography exhibit on Jewish identity of synagogues in small communities across Texas, an exploration of Jewish women’s organizations in the Southwest, and Jewish history in Texas borderlands.

Sunday’s agenda includes the TJHS Board Meeting, the Annual Membership Meeting, and the installation of new officers and board members.

For more information about TJHS and the Annual Gathering, visit the TJHS website. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with history, connect with community, and celebrate the enduring legacy of Jewish Texans in College Station and Bryan.

03/17/2025

The Lynna Kay Shuffield Memorial Award was established in 2020 by the Texas Jewish Historical Society (TJHS) to recognize scholarship in the field of Texas Jewish history. The award was presented in late February at the annual meeting of the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) in Houston to Emily Rena Williams for her work, Infinite Poem. The work is an exploration of identity and place -- both literal and metaphorical -- in small Jewish communities in the Deep South. The work documents a broad range of Jewish sites and experiences through photography and interviews across Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

A photographer, educator, and artist, Emily is interested in investigating communal and individual memory, identity, and placemaking through photography, writing, and audio. She holds a BA in fine arts and history from Haverford College, an MFA in photography from Louisiana State University, and is an incoming PhD student in American studies at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Her work has been supported by SJHA, TJHS, Alabama Folklife Association, and the LSU School of Art Graduate Student Scholarly & Creative Activity Support Fund.

Works submitted for consideration for the Lynna Kay Shuffield Award must have been published within the previous three years by any graduate student or lay historian who publishes a book, authors chapters in published books or articles in scholarly journals, or publishes a post-graduate thesis or dissertation on a topic in the field of Texas Jewish history. Applications are accepted through www.tshaonline.org.

Picture: Hollace Weiner, TJHS member; Emily Williams; and Joan Linares, TJHS President at 2025 TSHA Awards Luncheon.

03/15/2025

08/01/2024