Port Arthur 7
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Preserving Jewish Heritage in Texas Texas Jewish Est. 1980 Historical Society February 2016 News Magazine Encyclopedia of Texas Jewish Communities The Texas Jewish Historical Society awarded a grant to the Institute of Southern Jewish Life to research and publish the histories of Jews in Texas towns. These histories are available on the Institute’s website and are called “Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities.” We will adapt one of these histories in each issue of our News Magazine. Thanks to the History Department of the ISJL for permission to do so. To see other towns, go to the TJHS website at www.txjhs.org, or the Institute’s website, www.isjl.org, click on the “History Department” and look for “Encyclopedia” in the drop-down menu. Beaumont Jews established an influential reporting that “a number of Israelite merchants have settled presence in Beaumont long before the here, a precursor of the prosperity which is to follow.” discovery of oil and the expansion of Unlike in other small Texas towns in the 1880s, Jews retail markets. Jewish peddlers trav- in Beaumont engaged in many different professions besides eled throughout the Beaumont area, retail trade. When Wolf Bluestein moved from Orange, selling their wares to the families that Texas, to Beaumont in 1881, he went into business with So- settled in East Texas. Census records linsky and both men turned their attention to the perform- indicate that a merchant named Simon ing arts. In August of 1881, Solinsky purchased the newly Wiess arrived in Beaumont in 1838, built opera house and traveled to New York to find vaude- but Wiess married a Presbyterian wom- Rabbi Samuel ville acts for the new performance space in Beaumont. an and largely gave up his ties to Juda- Rosinger, Beau- Bluestein and Solinsky established their new business in a ism. Beaumont Jews credit Morris J. mont’s longtime brick building on the corner of Tevis and Forsythe Streets, Loeb with laying the foundation of the rabbi, 1910. and Bluestein converted the second floor of the building Jewish community in Beaumont. Loeb Photo courtesy into an opera house until the Crosby Opera House was moved his family from New Orleans to www.isjl.org. completed in 1883. Several Jews participated in the agri- Beaumont in 1878 and opened a small cultural sector of East Texas. Bluestein was one of the first cigar shop. Numerous other Jewish merchants moved to commercial rice growers in Orange County and continued Beaumont in the early 1880s to take advantage of the grow- to oversee his farm after he moved to Beaumont. The first ing saw mill economy. Henry Solinsky and Morris Hecht boxcar of rice shipped from Orange County included 100 opened a dry goods store in 1880, and a year later Sid and barrels of Bluestein’s rice. Sam Lederer moved to Beau- Leon Levy opened their own stores. In 1881, a New Orle- mont in 1886 and shortly thereafter established a rice farm ans newspaper identified the opening of the Jewish-owned south of the city. stores as an indication of Beaumont’s economic vitality, As more Jewish settlers made their way to Beaumont, continued on page 3 IN THIS ISSUE: Message from the President 2 Encyclopedia—Port Arthur 7 New Mexico Jewish Historical Society Fall 6 Grant Committee to Fund Research 10 Conference, by Vickie Vogel by Hollace Weiner Texas Jewish Historical Society - February 2016 Page 1 Message from the President by David Beer Dear Fellow Society head our organi- in my eight years of membership in Members, zation. I learned a TJHS. Kudos must be extended to As we move into lot at the meeting, Rabbi Jimmy Kessler and his lovely 2016, I want to wish and we were off wife, Shelley, who put together one all of you the best for a and running! helluva great weekend. We began happy, healthy, and pros- October came with a wonderful Friday night Shabbat perous New Year. I look along and we service and pot luck supper. Rabbi back on 2015, which went to Tyler for Marshall Klaven, who succeeded Rab- began with my instal- our fall meeting. bi Kessler, led services, and it is very lation as your president Even though the evident that the future of Congregation in April at the Annual weather wasn’t B’nai Israel is in very good hands. Gathering in Dallas. ideal, we had a Saturday morning began with a From there we went to good turnout and visit to B’nai Israel Cemetery, and Salado for a board meet- learned about the from there we went to see the original ing where I started “getting my feet history of Jews in Smith County. In building of the congregation. We were wet” by hearing feedback from past spite of rain on Saturday which caused then treated to a tour of the Mason- presidents and board members about some outdoor activities to be cancelled, ic Lodge in downtown Galveston, a the duties and responsibilities of what a good time was had by all. magnificent building of marble. The it would take to lead TJHS into the fu- At our winter meeting in Galves- building has an Egyptian motif and a ture. These comments and suggestions ton just concluded, we had one of the theatre and stage that has the ability gave me insights on what it takes to best weekends that I have experienced to be transformed with a “Three D” like effect into multiple displays of hand painted scenery. The best way to describe it was magnificent! The Texas Jewish Historical Society A break for lunch afforded us the February 2016 opportunity to sample some of the fresh-off-the-boat varieties of seafood Quarterly News Magazine along Waterfront Boulevard. We were The Texas Jewish Historical Society News Magazine is published treated to views of the port of Gal- four times annually. Stories about Texas Jewish history, oral histories, and veston, including docked cruise ships requests for assistance with research are welcome, as are photographs and and commercial ships from around the world. Following lunch, we toured historical documents. Please provide color photocopies or scans at 300 dpi the Seaport Museum and went aboard or greater in gif, tif, or jpg format, and send electronically to Editor Davie Lou Solka at [email protected] or by mail to 3808 Woodbrook Circle, continued on page 16 Austin, TX 78759, 512-527-3799. Be sure to include your name and con- tact information. The News Magazine of the Editor Davie Lou Solka Texas Jewish Historical Society Layout/Design Editor Alexa Kirk (USPS) is published four times a year by the Texas Jewish Histor- Note: The Texas Jewish Historical Society is unable ical Society, P. O. Box 10193, to guarantee the safe receipt and/or return of documents Austin, Texas 78766-0193, Travis and photographs. It is strongly recommended that you County. Periodical postage paid provide color photocopies of both color and black & at Houston, Texas. Postmaster, white documents. We welcome your comments and send address changes to the Texas Jewish Historical Society, P. O. suggestions. Box 10193, Austin, Texas 78766- Visit us on the web at www.txjhs.org. 0193. www.txjhs.org Page 2 Texas Jewish Historical Society - February 2016 Beaumont, continued from page 1 Jewish religious life began to rise. his small rabbinical salary by opening who had owned a boarding house in The earliest Jewish services took a Latin school on Pine Street, teaching town, purchased a lot on Broadway place in Wolf Bluestein’s home, but as forty students—both Jewish and Gen- and Willow for $1,600 and donated the Jews amassed more property, services tile—the basics of classical education. land as the future site of a synagogue. moved into larger venues. Congrega- When the Spanish American War With a lot on which to build a syna- tion records indicate that Beaumont broke out in 1898, Rabbi Levy headed gogue, the building committee moved Jews held services in the Bluestein a committee that put on a banquet for ahead and hired a Mr. Spaulding to Opera House, Lederer’s grocery store, the Beaumont National Guard in the build the temple. The Ladies Benevo- Deuster’s furniture store, and in the old opera house, giving troops from lent Society made a $3,000 donation to Harmony Club, which was located Beaumont a heartfelt sendoff. As the the construction of the temple, pro- above the city’s fire station. Saul turn of the century neared, Beaumont viding the necessary funds for electric Feinberg and Wolf Bluestein served Jews enjoyed a more organized reli- lighting and attractive interior furnish- as unofficial leaders of services for gious life and a greater participation in ings. The structure accommodated Rosh Hashanah and Passover, using Bluestein’s Sefer Torah scroll to con- duct the services. The expansion of Jewish religious life in Beaumont also encouraged the development of Jewish philanthropy. Morris Loeb’s wife, Delphine, her daughters, and Sarah Levy organized the Ladies Benevolent Society in 1895. The Society worked to provide for poor travelers passing through Beaumont and to secure a Jewish burial ground. In 1897, the Soci- ety purchased a plot of land called “Hebrew Rest” and provided for the ground’s maintenance. Although Jews in Beaumont worshipped informally for about a Temple Emanuel in Beaumont, built in 1923. decade, the community decided in 1895 that it should establish an official civic life. 300 worshippers, a space large enough congregation. In 1895, Lorraine-born As with much of Texas histo- to house the sixty families and numer- Dr. Aaron Levy left Beth-El Temple ry, the story of Beaumont’s Jewish ous young men attracted to the area by in Austin and moved to Beaumont to community followed the ebb and flow the Spindletop oil boom.