The Centenary History Congregation Beth Israel of Houston, Texas |854~|954 by ANNE NATHAN COHEN J HCU .~“z‘c:A.:gt1. ;_.;; §,;1j§~€ARY RDLSELESBHS CLA J\/ ROl52l65335 iclay “Let us congratulate the first congregation of Texas . “Let us hear often from the new society all that is good and pleasant.” ——TheOccident, Philadelphia, Pa., March 16, 1860 H DEDICATION The lives of countless devoted men and women have enriched the history of Beth Israel during its first 100 years. For them, some living, others whose memory we bless, we are eternally grateful. None made such noteworthy contribution to the’ spiritual or material development of our congregation as did Dr. Henry Barnston. Nor has any exceeded either his gifts toward the cultural enhancement of the whole com­ munity or his example of brotherhood and mutual appre­ ciation among men and women of all faiths. Through the half century span of January, 1900, to December, 1949, as Rabbi and as Rabbi Emeritus, Henry Barnston dedicated his whole being to this his congrega­ tion. His great intellectual capacity, coupled with his strong religious conviction, inspired his constantly growing flock. Three Temples were built under his spiritual leader­ ship to accommodate those whom he led in their increasing devotion to Judaism. His love for Beth Israel was matched only by our love for him. Gratefully do we dedicate this Centenary History of Congregation Beth Israel to the memory of our beloved departed Rabbi Emeritus, DR. HENRY BARNSTON. MAURICE N. DANNENBAUM, General Chairman of Centennial. FOREWORD The Centenary History of Congregation Beth Israel has been written within the frame—work of the Minute Books, dating from August 4, 1861, until the present time. Other sources are listed in the Appendix. Mr. Adie Marks has planned the format of the History and has arranged for details of publication. Photographs of historical places and manuscripts were made by Mr. Carroll Jacobs, Mr. Bob Lowenthal, and Mr. Dan Hardy. I am grateful to Dr. Schachtel for his untiring aid and understanding, and I would like to thank Mr. Maurice Dannanbaum, the Chairman of the Centennial Commit­ tee, for reading the manuscript. Mr. Leonard Gold, the Executive Secretary of the Congregation; Mrs. Rose Brill­ ing, the Secretary for the Sisterhood; Mrs. Ruth Robinson, the Principal of the Religious School, and the many mem­ bers of the Congregation whom I have questioned con­ cerning their ancestors and related historical matters have been a constant source of assistance in the writing of this book. To them and to all who have aided in the forma­ tion of this history, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks. ANNIE NATHAN COHEN, April 15, 1954 Original Charter An Act to incorporate the Hebrew Congregation of the City of Houston Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas Section 1st. That Henry Fox, S. L. Hohenthal, S. Meyers, M. Jacobs, G. Gerson, A. Cramer, S. Rosenfield, R. Cohen, A. G. Rottwitz (of Paris), G. H. Simon, C. Cowen, Jacob Stern (of Jefferson), L. Jacobs, A. J. Raphael, Julius Paris, Th. Harris, Jacob Alexander, A. Shnelin, C. David­ son, M. H. Levy, Wolf Bachrach, Moses Richman, B. Wolf, Isaac Elssasser, Charles Duffius, J. Colman, J. J. Rosenfield, Samuel Foy, W. Cohen, D. Weiner, Felix Wolf, and their associates and successors, be, and they are hereby created a body corporate in the City of Houston, for religious pur­ poses, capable of suing, and being sued, to have a seal, and to pass all necessaryby-laws, rules and regulations for the government of said Congre­ gation, not inconsistent with the laws and Constitution of this State. Section 2nd. That said Corporation may have and hold real estate and other estate not to exceedFifty Thousand Dollars, and to elect such officers and managers of said Corporation as they may deem proper, and this Act of Incorporation shall extend for twenty years. Section 3rd. That this Act take eflect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved December 28, 1859. Department of State. Austin, Texas, December 25, 1859. I, the undersigned Secretary of State of the State of Texas, do hereby certify that the above is a correct copy of the original Act on file in the Department of State, the day and year first above written. (L.S.) E. W. CAVE,Secretary of State I. 1854-1870 EARLY HISTORY 1. Beginnings and Background. 2. "Cemeteries . came first.” 3. "They managed to care for their Poor." 4. The War and the Congregation. 5. this Minhag-matter. .” 6. Rabbis, Readers, and Lay—Leaders. 7. “ ‘. to teach the Children . the Mosaic Religion.’ ” 8. “ ‘the new Hebrew Temple of worship, called Beth Israel.’ ” II. 1870-1908 THE FRANKLIN AVENUE TEMPLE 1. “We find such items as ‘Bricl<—work’and ‘Marble Tablets.’ " . and eventto plant trees.” “Determination triumphed over the times." Rabbis and Ritual Lay—Leaderson Franklin Avenue oxux.>_wN End of the Gas—LightEra III. 1908-1925 THE “ROMANESQUE” TEMPLE l. " ‘. to the reformed community as the key—stoneto the arch.’ " 2. We narrate . directly.” 3. about two milesSouth of the Synagogue..." IV. 1925-1954 THE GREAT EXPANSION Background to Expansion History and the Mausoleum . the source of . generations” “The course of Ritual . has been orderly . .” A Matter of Principles The Two Chief Rabbis The Congregation in the Community Building and Dedication §°9°.\'.°‘.V‘.“‘.°°!"!‘ “ ‘. a Congregation goes forward on the . hearts of its people.’ " DR. HENRY BARNSTON Rabbi of Beth Israel, 1900 to 1949 I— 1854-1870 Early History 1 — Beginnings and Background N the Houston Daily Telegraph of June 11, 1870, along with certain xx advertisements concerning “English Bareges” and “Eliptic Hoop Skirts,” there appeared an item under the title “New Synagogue." ,“We understand that the Rev. Mr. Jacobs, Chief Rabbi of the New Orleans Portuguese Synagogue, is expected in Houston upon Monday's train, to officiate in laying the foundation of the new Israelitish Church here. The ceremony will likely take place upon Thursday next.” There, in a paragraph, penned in the diffuse style of the period, we find the fruition of sixteen years of genesis and struggle that marked the early history of Congregation Beth Israel. Records of the first five years apparently are non-existent. In the writ­ ings of Dr. Henry Barnston of Houston and in "The Settlement of the Jews of Texas,” by Rabbi Henry Cohen of Galveston, we read of the beginnings. In his paper on the "History of the Jews of Houston” Dr. Barnston noted that in 1844 "the Jews of Houston acquired a cemetery, whilst ten years later the Congregation Beth Israel was formed. In 1859 it had twenty-two members." Rabbi Cohen's pamphlet supplies the infor­ mation that “the first Jewish cemeteryin Texas was established in Houston in 1844, and the Israelites of the .same city built the first synagogue in Texas exactly ten years later.” In the Minutes of a “regular meeting of the ‘HCBI’1 held on Sunday, June 17, 1866,” reference is made to “the congregation as a body corporate, duly chartered by the Legislature of the State of Texas, by an act approved December 23, 1859." (Later Minutes, we Will find, contain a copy of this Charter, and indicate that the name, "The Hebrew Congregation Beth Israel,” appears in an incorporation of the institution in 1873.) .7 Thus we have available only secondary sources” regarding the organi­ zation and character of the first Jewish congregation in Texas until we come—with dramatic suddenness—upon a document that thrusts this small band of congregants into vivid perspective. Beginning on August 4, 1861, with the disarmingly simple statement that “the committee for repairing the fence of our graveyard reported progress,” the Minutes of Congregation Beth Israel start recording its singular and lively history. Before entering the well-illumined circle of that small band of He­ brews———asthey liked to call themselves ——itwould be helpful to review 1. Hebrew Congregation Beth Israel. 2. Another secondary source of information regarding Congregation Beth Israel prior to 1861 may be found in the files of The Occidcnt, a Philadelphia weekly publication in which the Congregation advertised for a leader in 1859. (See Notes, Part 6, of this chapter for details.) something of their environment, for they were ——as all men are ——a product of their times. Texas3 on March 2, l86l, formally declared herself in union with the Confederate State of America. The City of Houston had voted over­ whelmingly for secessionin January, despite the fact that the man whose name she bore, "Old Sam,” in a melancholy and majestic statement, had refused to take the oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. The first effectof the war on the civilian population of Houston was the blockade of Galveston and the Texas coast by the Federal fleet. Soon Confederate notes made their appearance in town, and cotton shipments from the interior were stopped by local merchants because of the threat of invasion from the sea coast. As prices went up and the Federal blockade tightened, people used ground, dried okra for coffee, castor oil for lamps. and Wrapping paper in place of stationery. Many local stores were empty; it was a diflicult time for the merchants. In May, 1862, there was a widespread evacuation of Galveston Island. The refugees came in boats up Buffalo Bayou, as well as by wagon and train, with passengers riding on top of the crowded coaches. Houston, already crowded with soldiers, made room. Although ships occasionally ran the blockade, food prices continued to rise. Flour was $10 a sack: tea, $5 to $6 a pound. However, butter was only 20 cents a pound, and eggs, 25 cents a dozen.