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Allison Schottenstein Master Report Copyright by Allison Elizabeth Schottenstein 2011 The Report Committee for Allison Elizabeth Schottenstein Certifies that this is the approved version of the following report: “Perl’s of Wisdom:” “Rabbi” Sam Perl, New Models of Acculturation, and the “In- Between” Jew APPROVED BY SUPERVISING COMMITTEE: Supervisor: Robert Abzug John McKiernan-González “Perl’s of Wisdom:” “Rabbi” Sam Perl, New Models of Acculturation, and the “In- Between” Jew by Allison Elizabeth Schottenstein, B.A. Report Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts The University of Texas at Austin December 2011 Dedication For my family, my friends, and my advisors who have enriched my life with pearls of wisdom. Acknowledgements I would like to begin by acknowledging the contribution of my advisor, Dr. Robert Abzug, who during my time at UT Austin has encouraged me to examine American Jewish history from exciting, innovative perspectives. Indeed, Dr. Abzug has challenged me to glance outside of my “East Coast bubble” to better understand how Jewish experiences in small Southern towns are just as pertinent to appreciating the complexities of Jewish life in America as the experiences of Jews in places like New York City. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Dr. McKiernan- Gonzalez, whose seminar not only provided me with the space to explore the experiences of Jews in borderland regions, but also helped me to discover the unique narrative which is Perl’s. Moreover, I would like to acknowledge the contribution of those archives which enabled me to support and explore my research ideas. Throughout my graduate school career at UT Austin, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, in particular, has been a great source of help and an extraordinary sounding board for new and vital ideas. Original research I conducted regarding the life of Perl was also made especially valuable through the contributions of Ito Perl, David Perl, Frances Goodman and Julie Edelstein, each of whom shared innumerable stories about Sam Perl and remained open and enthusiastic about all of my areas of inquiry. Indeed, through their stories Perl emerged from a scattering of archival materials as a living, breathing person. Additionally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to previous Perl scholars Hollace v Ava Weiner and Harriet Denise Joseph for helping me fill in the missing gaps in Perl’s intricate, interstitial life. On a personal note, I would like to thank my mother Gail, my father Gary, my brother Sam, and my sister Melinda for supporting me throughout this project and believing in me as they always have. Without them, I would never have made it this far in my career, nor would I be able to continue to believe that I am capable of making it farther. Last but not least, I want to thank my longtime friend and mentor Daniel Vilmure, who has helped me better appreciate how language may inspire and challenge others. Before I close, I also feel the need to say that I truly wish that I could personally thank “Rabbi” Sam Perl himself. His legacy is an inspiration to me. vi Abstract “Perl’s of Wisdom:” “Rabbi” Sam Perl, New Models of Acculturation, and the “In- Between” Jew Allison Elizabeth Schottenstein, M.A. The University of Texas at Austin, 2011 Supervisor: Robert Abzug “‘Perl’s of Wisdom’: ‘Rabbi’ Sam Perl, New Models of Acculturation, and the ‘In- Between’ Jew” examines archival materials from the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The Brownsville Herald and El Heraldo de Brownsville to demonstrate how Sam Perl — an Eastern European Jewish immigrant who changed the face of Brownsville, Texas — redefines historical approaches to Jewish acculturation. In this bordertown, Perl not only revitalized the Jewish community when he became the temple’s lay-rabbi, but he also actively united Mexican and Anglo communities both in Brownsville and across the border in its sister city of Matamoros. In Perl’s efforts to simultaneously revitalize his own religious community and the greater social landscape of the border area, Perl proved that he did not need to conform to the expectations of Anglo-Christian identity to succeed. Challenging theories of whiteness studies scholars, Perl never sacrificed his Jewish identity, had a boulevard named after him, and came to be known as “Mr. vii Brownsville.” Indeed, Perl’s profound impact on the Brownsville-Matamoros community was the result of his ability to occupy an “in-between,” interstitial position that did not require him to blend in with majority cultures; that is, Perl remained distinctly Jewish while simultaneously involving himself in both Anglo and Mexican arenas. Immersing himself in every aspect of bordertown life, Perl occupied multiple roles of community authority, serving as a businessman, rabbi, a Charro Days founder, cultural diplomat, court chaplain and radio host. A close examination of Perl’s life and considerable legacy demonstrates how new acculturation models are needed to better understand the manner in which Jews like Perl have adapted and contributed to dominant cultures. viii Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: The Early Jews of Brownsville and Minority Inter-Relations ........... 12 Chapter Two: Becoming Sam Perl ................................................................................ 37 Chapter Three: Sam Perl, Charro Days, and Becoming Mr. Brownsville ................ 66 Chapter Four: Becoming Sam Perl Boulevard ............................................................ 93 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 120 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 124 Vita ................................................................................................................................. 141 ix INTRODUCTION I loved Sam Perl dearly . I happened to be at one of the City Commission meetings when Guy Pete and Steve Bosio were there in their efforts to have 12th Street renamed Sam Perl Boulevard. I was so happy to see someone taking the initiative for a tribute for our beloved Sam . [It would] be beautiful to have a statue of Sam on the highest peak of the street where the levee crosses . I have . this deep desire to accomplish this one small tribute to a great man, a man I loved with such emotion and all of Brownsville loves . So . I have talked to Dorothy Huddlestone, she in turn took the project to Rabbi Michaels, he discussed it with Temple Beth El!1 On March 29, 1981, Susan H. Austin — a superintendent in the Brownsville, Texas city government — wrote this letter to Stella Perl, the wife of Sam Perl, to discuss plans for a ceremony and commemoration to be held in honor of Stella’s husband, who had died the year before. But to someone unfamiliar with the history of Brownsville, this letter generates more questions than answers. Who was the mysterious figure at the center of this letter? What position did he occupy in this community? Why did he deserve a formal public tribute? And most importantly, what might the narrative and legacy of the celebrated individual named Sam Perl signify historically? One gathers from Austin’s letter that Perl was beloved throughout Brownsville as well as in the Jewish community. Austin does not elaborate upon why this South Texas border town had decided to dedicate an entire boulevard — let alone a public statue — to this particular individual, but it is clear that Brownsville supported the project. Given 1 Sam Perl, “Letter from Susan Austin to Mrs. Stella Perl, March 29, 1981,” Sam Perl Papers, 1927-2002, The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin [CAH], Box: 3k181. Folder: Letters, 1934,1949-1958,1970-1989. 1 that Brownsville’s population was 90% Latino in the 1990s,2 a ceremony in honor of a non-Latino might seem out of the ordinary. Moreover, Brownsville was reported to have only one hundred Jewish families in 1975.3 How was it that an Ashkenazic Jew became so well regarded in this predominantly Mexican-American border town? As surprising as Perl’s rise to prominence in Brownsville may be, it is equally surprising that so little has been written about this remarkable individual. Secondary works about Perl reveal that his experiences were in many ways atypical of those of immigrant Jews in America as commonly understood. For example, he immigrated through Texas, not through the traditional port of Ellis Island.4 In Brownsville, Perl occupied a number of positions, some of which were unusual — a lay rabbi, a founder of the Mexican pre-Lenten holiday Charro Days, a profitable clothing merchant, a member of the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, an ambassador on goodwill trips to Mexico, a media figure and court chaplain. One would expect a complex and successful figure such as this to feature prominently in American Jewish history texts, yet Perl’s story remains for the most part obscured and regionalized.5 Indeed, it has been relegated to 2 William L. Adams and Anthony K. Knopp, Portrait of a Border City: Brownsville, Texas (Austin, TX: Eakin Press, 1997), 28. 3 Temple Beth-El, “‘Jewish Life in Brownsville—A Salute to the State of Texas on Its Sesquicentennial, Slide Exhibit,” Texas Jewish
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