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Fall 2000 Newsletter a Bit of the History of San Antonio Jewry by Hilton Goldman

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Fall 2000 Newsletter a Bit of the History of San Antonio Jewry by Hilton Goldman Preserving Jewish Heritage in Texas Texas Jewish Established 1980 Historical Society Fall 2000 Newsletter A Bit of the History of San Antonio Jewry by Hilton Goldman Let us invite you, dear reader, to take an Russian persecution, began arriving. These Jews imaginary tour of some of the places of Jewish were religiously Orthodox. So, in 1889, Congrega- interest in San Antonio. But before we start the tion Agudas Achim was chartered as an Orthodox tour, have a seat while we give you a little back- Congregation. ground information about the beginnings of the With that bit of background, we will now Jewish community in San Antonio. start our tour. The first site that we will visit is the Most of the early Jewish arrivals came corner of Jefferson and Travis streets downtown. from Germany, and Germany was where the This is the location of the first Temple Beth-El structure. Reform move- By 1903, it was ment in Judaism replaced by the second began. Informal Temple Beth-El religious structure. That struc- services were ture was sold to Travis held in private Savings and Loan in homes as early 1927 when the congre- as 1854. By gation relocated to 211 1874, a group of Belknap Place, the some 44 Jewish present site of Temple men were Beth-El. Incidentally, meeting to about 15 years after organize a Travis Savings and formal Congre- Loan purchased the gation. It was site, they decided to do formally some remodeling, and, chartered that in the process, discov- San Antonio’s active downtown business disctrict, circa 1870, same year. ered a sealed-off room at Commerce and Main, showing D & A Oppenheimer’s. Then they they didn’t know was invited plans to there. When they build a synagogue that would not cost more than entered this room, they were amazed to find that it $10,000. (Actually, it cost $14,000.) On Friday contained an eternal light, and that light was still evening, Sept. 10, 1875, the dedication ceremonies burning for Temple Beth-El were held. The sanctuary was Now let’s move a few blocks from there to packed, and, interestingly, quite a few of those Main and Quincy and some of the history of Congre- present were Christians -- an indication that gation Agudas Achim. In its first few years, services relations with the gentile community were very were held in private homes. Their first Synagogue good. The Union Of American Hebrew Congre- was constructed in 1898. It was replaced by a new gations was organized in 1874, and that same year Synagogue at this site in 1921. But, that same year, Temple Beth-El joined the Union. just prior to the High Holidays, there was a heavy By 1870, a large influx of Jews from Eastern Europe, who were fleeing from Czarist Continued on page 4 From the TJHS President In Memory of Dear Members The exhibit weighs 40# in two boxes Florence Blum of TJHS, and can be shipped anywhere in the State via UPS. The exhibit depicts the When I was preparing to On Sunday, July passage from Europe, to many cities in assume the presidency of TJHS in 16, the Officers Texas. There is no charge for the 1998, I called Florence Blum and and Board of exhibit other than freight return. The asked her to serve on the Board. She Directors met exhibit, titled “Passages,” is finally was somewhat reluctant and shared for our quarterly ready to be displayed and available for her concern about her ability to attend meeting at the shipment. every meeting. But I assured her that Dallas Jewish To the Officers and Board Community members, my sincere thank you for the bylaws only required a board Center. First of all I want to express your work and efforts in making our member to attend at least ONE my gratitude and thanks for the Society so viable. The next Annual meeting a year and she already cooperation of the center to our needs Gathering will be in Austin at the attended more meetings in the capacity as far as facilities and meals. They Radission Hotel April 20-22, 2001. of a non board member. Some time certainly contributed to the success of Please mark your calendar accord- later she confided to me that she was our meeting. ingly. The program will be very surprised and flattered to be asked to Some 62 members attended exciting and we hope to view the serve on the board because people of the Board meeting with visits from finished movie “Matchmaker” pro- her age are usually no longer asked to members of the Dallas Historical duced by one of our members. take an active role in organizations. I Society. Everyone participated in spirited exchanges and I can report found that very short sighted on the that your Historical Society is in great part of organizations! shape both enthusiastically and finan- Florence accepted the role of cially. We discussed on-going efforts Board member, came to almost every on how to obtain more complete Our membership is meeting during those next two years, information of Texas Jewish History. I and most important of all, spoke from proposed a plan to divide the State into now 610! experience and with wisdom on many ten regions and appoint an individual in Your membership enables us issues. She continued to serve on the each region to aid in research by current Board and she was an ex- asking neighbors and friends to write to accomplish our goals of tremely active and valuable member of stories of their families and how they got to Texas. I am happy to report that collecting and disseminating the Board of TJHS. Additionally, she was one of the most gracious, intelli- two weeks after the meeting, we have the valuable information about three volunteers who will help in gent and delightful women I have various regions. The State is so large it the interesting heritage of the known. makes it hard for individuals living Jews of Texas. She died Erev Yom Kippur as elsewhere to do any research miles she was dressing to go to services. I from their home. For a non-recorded message have heard through the years that only For months the society has on the further benefits of TJHS the most blessed people die on Yom attempted to put together a traveling Tov and this seems a perfect example. exhibit of historical pictures and text to membership, call The news of her death filled me with be used for schools, Sunday schools, 409-866-5205. JCCs, Synagogues and Temples etc. profound sadness. She will be greatly missed by all of her friends and fellow Board members of TJHS. We send The Texas Jewish Historical Society Newsletter our sincere condolences to her family. is a publication of the Texas Jewish Historical Society, P.O. Box 10193, Austin, Texas 78766 May her memory always be a bless- ing. Jack Gerrick (Fort Worth).......................................................................President Buddy Freed (Fort Worth)......................................................Managing Editor Walter Fein (San Antonio)..............................................................Proofreader Sandra Freed (Fort Worth)..............................................................Proofreader Helen Wilk (Corpus Christi)..............................................................Proofreader Helen Wilk Geri Gregory (San Antonio).............Layout, Typesetting and Distribution Past President, TJHS Page 2 Texas Jewish Historical Society – Fall 2000 Letter to the Letter From Editor Our Editor to Their Editor Dear Editor: The following letter was written by our newsletter editor, Buddy Freed, I was dismayed and disap- and appeared in the September 1, 2000 issue of the Forward. pointed that the name of Dr. Jakob J. Petuchowski was not mentioned in the “Texas Jewboy” two articles on the history of the Regarding Texas Jewish Historical Society: Laredo Jewish community in the June Masha Leon’s “Some comedian once quipped 2000 issue of the Texas Jewish August 18 that there were no Jewish cowboys. I Historical Society Newsletter. Dr. column. I am a wonder how one could meet his Petuchowski had served Temple B’nai Texas “sabra.” I qualifications? Not to be Jewish, but to Israel in Laredo from 1956 to 1991, grew up in a be a cowboy? I have known many small South Jews in the cattle business. My father with enormous distinction, as its visiting Texas town owned over 5,000 acres of land and rabbi. He was revered by both Chris- learning more 2,000 head of cattle when he died. I tians and Jews in Laredo. about New took the operation over and ran it for In addition to officiating at York than New several years before moving to Fort High Holy Day worship at the Temple, Yorkers have Worth. Charlie Gurinsky Cattle Dr. Petuchowski often delivered the ever learned about Texas. I have Company in San Antonio prospered in sermon at Congregation Agudas often, and accurately, said that New the cattle business as did Freedman Achim in Laredo at its services for the Yorkers do not think that there is Brothers and Siegel and Block in second day of Rosh Hashanah and viable Jewish life west of the Hudson Houston M. Schwartz of Uvalde was preached the Sunday sermon at one of River. I have even been told that the very big in the sheep and goat busi- the local Methodist churches. Jews who settle in small towns, do so ness. Abe Mehl, Sylvan Gurinsky, Abe How fortunate Laredo was to to hide. Be assured that if a Jew wants Moses and many others I cannot to hide, the big city is a far better place recall, made their living from farming benefit from Rabbi Petuchowski’s vast for concealing one’s Jewishness. In a and ranching.
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