| Part of a series on |
| Ethnicity in Houston |
|---|
|
The Jewish community of Houston, Texas has grown and thrived since the 1800s. As of 2008, Jews lived in many Houston neighborhoods and Meyerland is the center of the Jewish community in the area.
| Part of a series on |
| Ethnicity in Houston |
|---|
|
The Jewish community of Houston, Texas has grown and thrived since the 1800s. As of 2008, Jews lived in many Houston neighborhoods and Meyerland is the center of the Jewish community in the area.
Until 1880 Houston had a smaller Jewish population than Galveston Island, then the cultural center of the state. In 1844, the first Jewish cemetery in Houston was established. In 1850, the Jewish community in Houston had 17 adults and in 1854, the Orthodox Beth Israel Congregation opened in a former house that had been converted to a synagogue. By 1860 the number of Jewish adults grew to 68, and that year there were 40 Jewish children. [1] In the 19th Century the Jewish population moved into the First and Second wards and later settled in the Third Ward. [2]
Congregation Beth Israel was first established in a frame building on LaBranch Street near the Third Ward settlement. In the 19th Century the Franklin and Navigation area in the Fifth Ward and the area around Washington and Houston street in the 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 Eastern European Jews moved to Houston; [1] they moved into wards two and three. [3] They integrated with German Jews, differing from Eastern European Jews in the East Coast. Around that time the Russian-Polish Adath Yeshurun synagogue and the majority Galician Dorshe Tov synagogue, both Orthodox Jewish synagogues, had been founded. Adath Yeshurun merged into Congregation Adath Yeshurun in 1891. The Galveston Plan, an early 20th Century plan that called for sending Eastern European Jewish immigrants from heavily populated East Coast areas to less densely populated areas between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, sent many Jews to Houston. In 1903 a Zionist organization in Houston opened. In 1908 The Jewish Herald-Voice began publication. In 1915 a Jewish Workmen's Circle opened. [1]
In the 1920s Jews began to settle in the Washington Terrace and later the Riverside Terrace areas in the current Third Ward area. Many Jewish institutions such as synagogues remained there until the end of the 1950s. [2] Temple Beth Israel moved to the Riverside Terrace area in 1925 and Temple Beth Yeshurun opened in the same area in 1945. [4] Jewish families moved to Riverside Terrace in the 1930s since they were not allowed to settle in River Oaks. [5] Allison Wollam of 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 Reform Judaism synagogue. Congregation Beth El was founded in 1924. It was the first Conservative Judaism synagogue founded in Houston. In 1925 it occupied the former Beth Israel building. Adath Yeshurun later merged with Beth El and became Congregation Beth Yeshurun. [1] In the 1930s many Jewish refugees from Germany moved to Houston. In 1943 Temple Beth Israel announced that people who espoused 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 Southwest Houston and Jewish institutions relocated there. The first subdivisions to receive Jews were neighborhoods along North Braeswood and South Braeswood. Subsequently, Meyerland began receiving Jews. From 1955 to around 1987 the Jewish population in Houston increased by 300%. By the 1970s Jews 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]
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, Israel, Mexico, Russia, and other places. Because the population of Jews in Houston rapidly increased between 1955 and circa 1987, many of the Jews in the circa 1987 count were new to Houston. [2] 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 this would make it, among other Jewish populations in the U.S., "medium-sized" and comparable to that of 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]
As of 1987 Jews lived in many communities in Houston. [2] In 2008 Irving N. Rothman, author of The Barber in Modern Jewish Culture: A Genre of People, Places, and Things, with Illustrations, wrote that Houston "has a scattered Jewish populace and not a large enough population of Jews to dominate any single neighborhood" and that the city's "hub of Jewish life" is the Meyerland community. [10] Bell wrote that Southwest Houston is the "Jewish core of town, if not exactly an ethnic stronghold" and that synagogues had opened in Clear Lake City, Kingwood, and The Woodlands. [2] Clear Lake City has also experienced a growth of Jewish populations in the 2010s.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2013) |
As of 1987 there were over 20 synagogues in Greater Houston. [2] As of 2016 [update] there were over 40 synagogues in Greater Houston. [9]
As of 1987, Congregation Beth Yeshurun, a Conservative Judaism temple, and the Reform Judaism congregations Beth Israel and Emanu-El are the largest synagogues in Houston. The Orthodox Judaism community includes several congregations: Chabad Lubavitch Center of Houston, the 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 [update] 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 Shul of Bellaire, a 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 [update] the rabbi is Gideon Estes. [16]
There are two Jewish places of worship in The Woodlands, Congregation Beth Shalom, established circa 1984. As of 2004 [update] it had about 130 families, [17] and it belongs to Reform Judaism. [18] Its affiliated organizations are the Association of Reformed Congregations and the 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:
Houston has several Jewish elementary schools. The Conservative Judaism elementary school in Houston is the William S. Malev School at Beth Yeshurun. The Reform Judaism elementary school is the Irvin M. Shlenker School at Beth Israel. Chabad Lubavitch sponsors the Torah Day School of Houston. [25]
Emery/Weiner School is a Jewish secondary school in Houston. Around 1987 Bell wrote that the school, at the time I. Weiner Jewish Secondary School, had a "centrist" viewpoint. [25] The Robert M. Beren Academy is a 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]
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". [25] Around 1987 Bell wrote that economic anti-Semitism and hiring discrimination against Jews existed in Greater Houston due to the fact that many businesses in the oil industry city do business with 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]
The Jewish Herald-Voice is a Jewish community newspaper headquartered in Houston. [27]
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 [update] 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]
[...]Congregation Or Ami located at 3443 Wilcrest Drive.[...]Congregation Or Ami, a synagogue in Katy/West Houston, for eight years.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch, is a branch of Orthodox Judaism, originating from Eastern Europe and one of the largest Hasidic dynasties. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements. It is one of the largest Hasidic groups as well as one of the largest Jewish religious organizations in the world. Unlike most Haredi groups, which are self-segregating, Chabad mainly operates in the wider world and it caters to secularized Jews.
The United Synagogue (US) is a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, representing the central Orthodox movement in Judaism. With 56 congregations comprising 36,000+ members, it is the largest synagogue body in Europe. The spiritual head of the union is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth – a title that bears some formal recognition by the Crown.
Meyerland is a community in southwest Houston, Texas, outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8. The neighborhood is named after the Meyer family, who bought and owned 6,000 acres (24 km2) of land in southwest Houston.
Jewish Texans have been a part of the history of Texas since the first European explorers arrived in the region in the 16th century. In 1990, there were around 108,000 adherents to Judaism in Texas. More recent estimates place the number at around 120,000.
Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff is the current Texas Regional Director for Texas Friends of Chabad Lubavitch, Inc. and member of the board and executive committee of Agudas Chasidei Chabad. With the direction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, he established Chabad Lubavitch in Texas upon his arrival with his family in 1972.
The history of the Jews in Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada has been noted since the mid-19th century.
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5600 North Braeswood Boulevard, in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The congregation, founded in 1854, is the oldest Jewish congregation in Texas; and it operates the Shlenker School.
Congregation Beth Yeshurun is a Conservative synagogue at 4525 Beechnut Street, Houston, Texas, in the United States.
Jews have been living in Maine, a state in the northeastern United States, for 200 years, with significant Jewish communities in Bangor as early as the 1840s and in Portland since the 1880s. The arrival of Susman Abrams in 1785 was followed by a history of immigration and settlement that parallels the history of Jewish immigration to the United States.
Historic Congregation B’nai Abraham, officially B’nai Abraham Chabad, is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 523-527 Lombard Street, in the Society Hill neighborhood of the Center City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Established as a congregation in 1874 and the current synagogue building completed in 1910, worshipers can access daily, Shabbat, and holy day services in the Ashkenazi rite. B'nai Abraham is home to a Jewish Preschool, as well as Lubavitch of Center City.
The city of Frederick, Maryland is home to a small but growing Jewish community. With roots dating to the colonial era, Frederick's Jewish community is home to three synagogues, a Hebrew school, and a Jewish community center.
The history of Jews in Milwaukee began in the early 1840s with the arrival of Jewish immigrants from German-speaking states and the Austro-Hungarian empire. Throughout the 19th century, Milwaukee was the hub of Wisconsin's Jewish population with 80% of the state's Jews living there. As of 2011, it is home to 25,800 Jewish people, or 78% of Jews in Wisconsin, and is the 42nd largest Jewish community in the United States.
| History by city/region | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congregations |
| ||||||||||||||
| Schools |
| ||||||||||||||
| Museums | |||||||||||||||
| Communities | |||||||||||||||
| Media | |||||||||||||||
| |
