2002 february

Texas Jewish Historical Society - February, 2002

Historical Society

Preserving Jewish Heritage in TexasEstablished 1980

February, 2002

Texas Jewish

Jack Gerrick, President

Mark YourCalendars:

Annual Gathering of TJHSDate: April 19-21, 2002

Location: Houston, TX

Joint Meeting with SJHSDate: Oct. 24-27, 2002

Location: Shreveport, LA


the main problem seems to be thereading of the illegible handwriting ofnames, addresses and e-mail ad-dresses on the remittance envelopes.We’re sorry if a mistake is made,however, in some cases, we take aguess if the telephone number orname cannot be verified. The newdirectory is in process, so we cannotguarantee the accuracy.

One last item. I am very excitedabout the new Sylvia Wolens JewishHeritage Writing Competition forindividuals over 50, which shouldinspire some family histories andstories to further our research. Con-test rules are available in this newslet-ter for those interested in competingfor the montary rewards.

From the TJHS PresidentNormally,

most interimBoard Meet-ings are a one-day affair toconduct the

business of the Society and advise boardmembers as to the status and to vote onnew business. Last January 25-27, theBoard met in Corpus Christi for a two-day meeting with speakers telling usabout some of the accomplishments oflocal Jewish leaders and the growth ofthe local area.

We heard about Mr. Abe Katz fromhis daughter Sharon. She spoke aboutMr. Katz starting with very little as animmigrant to become one of the largestonion growers in the world. In 1948,Mr. Katz aided in the development ofIsrael and was instrumental in providingarms to the IDF. We saw pictures ofhim with the leaders of Israel sharingtheir gratitude. His story is on page 16.

Second, Mr. Sam Kane, also aresident of Corpus Christi, started muchin the same way as Abe Katz and built

his meat packing business from almostnothing into a major corporation nowemploying some 900 people in theCorpus Christi area. His business isvery diversified including feed lots and

some Kosher meat production. Both ofthese outstanding individuals are andwere very charitable in keeping theJewish Heritage alive in Corpus Christi.

A real treat was meeting andhearing Mr. Joe Jessel tell about hisefforts along with his committee onobtaining the aircraft carrier “Lexing-ton” (the Blue Ghost) as a museum ofWorld War II and docked at thewaterfront in Corpus Christi. Manycommunities around the United Stateswere in competition for getting theLexington, however, this former navalflyer convinced the Navy that Corpuswas the place. Even the IMAX

Theater aboard the ship isnamed for Mr. Joe Jessel.

I want to personallythank Marvin and YettaLeshin and Helen Wilkfor doing all the planningfor the hotel, meals,meeting rooms, speakersand above all, the devo-tion to our Society.

Our Society now hasover 1,000 members dueto the efforts of Leon andFay Brachman, however,

Left to Right: Carol Fisherman(Houston), Sharon Katz (Houston)

Daughters of Abe Katz with PictorialHistory of their father.

Speaker: Joe JesselHe was intrumental in bringingthe aircraft carrier “Lexington”to Corpus Christi as a museum.

Blanche Sheiness (Alice)

Speaker Panel on “Living History of Corpus Christi,”moderated by Helen Wilk. Left to Right: LeonardNisenson (Corpus Christi), Dottie Heffler (Corpus

Christi) Helen Wilk (Corpus Christi), Maurice Schmidt(Kingsville), Norma Albert (McAllen)


let gender barriers stand in his way, Jackvolunteered with Hadassah’s Check itOut program, which informs high schoolgirls about breast cancer screening. Also,Jack is a dedicated volunteer for the FortWorth Convention and Visitors Bureauand continues to report for duty eachMonday morning, welcoming visitors toFort Worth.

Between football seasons, Jack lovessailing his big, beautiful sailboat.Fortunately, Jack has a partner whoknows seamanship. An example of Jack’sskill with a sailboat, I went with himearly in his sailing career. On the openlake, we did okay, but when it came todocking, his idea of stopping the boatwas to hit the beach under full sail. Theboat stopped. I did too, only a bit later!But during football season, little ifanything can stop him and Joyce frombeing in the stands, watching theirbeloved Longhorns play – no matter thelocation or the weather.

Before Jack took office as President ofThe Texas Jewish Historical Society, heserved as Editor of this Newsletter. (Afar more important, time consuming anddifficult job than being President). Jackhas been the kind of person who leads byexample and makes a job look easy. Thisway he deludes people into acceptingdifficult jobs.

In spite of Jacks’ flaws, he hascertainly done a great job as officer,editor and President of the Texas JewishHistorical Society and well deserves thethanks and appreciation of the organiza-tion. Hollace Weiner has said it best“He’s worked tirelessly, but enthusiasti-cally. I have enjoyed every phone callfrom him, believe it or not, and haverarely turned down any request from him.He’s so upbeat; he helps me feel the sameway. Thank you Jack for your contribu-tions to the Texas Jewish HistoricalSociety!

Letter From the Editoror Freedian Slips

In apprecia-tion for theyears of hardwork our

outgoing president has spent serving theTexas Jewish Historical Society, thisedition is dedicated to Jack Gerrick.

It is difficult to write stories praisingclose personal friends. I have knownJack for over forty years, my wife Sandraknew him before College, when he wasstationed at Carswell Air Force Base;thus little of his history escapes either ofus. Jack and I share more than our lovefor the Texas Jewish Historical Society– we both grew up as Jewish boys insmall South Texas towns. Jack grew upin Pharr, Texas, a lot farther south thanmy home town, Crystal City. However,while Jack’s blood flows a burnt orange, Iwas more fortunate and was accepted atTexas A. & M.!

Jack served in the (U.S) Air Forcewhere he spent most of his time playingfootball and “sight seeing” in NorthAfrica. After his discharge he gaveprofessional football a try, signing withthe Baltimore Colts as a tackle. Jack stillholds the league record for the number oftowels stolen in a single season. ThenJack went to the University of Texas andplayed for the Orange and White. I don’trecall, however, him speaking too muchabout attending classes, but he says hedid earn a degree… After College, he

married Joyce Grey from Birmingham,Alabama. His earliest business wasselling mattresses and sleep products inthe Southeast. In 1963 Jack moved hisyoung family to Fort Worth and contin-ued his career assuring the nocturnalcomfort of the more discriminating.

When the Gerricks came to FortWorth, they brought their two youngchildren, Gayle and Mark. Gayle, likeher mother, is a very successful travelagent, but in Dallas. Mark has followedhis dad’s footsteps, manufacturing sleepproducts and has provided two granddaughters, Jessica and Rebecca. Markhas become the embodiment of a father/employer’s frustration – Mark hasbecome far more successful — once Jackfinally retired and turned him loose.

Once in Fort Worth, Jack showed hispenchant for communityinvolvement and leadership.After several years as amember of B’nai B’rith, hebecame its president. AndJack is a past Commanderof Fort Worth’s MartinHochster Jewish WarVeterans. He was also veryactive in and supportive ofthe now defunct DanDanciger Jewish Commu-nity Center. At the DDJCC,Jack was on its board forseveral years and served asvice president. Not one to

Host Committee for Winter Board Meeting 2002 inCorpus Christi, Texas. Left to Right: JackGerrick (Fort Worth), Millie Zalim (Corpus

Christi), Yetta Leshin (Corpus Christi), Helen Wilk(Corpus Christi), Marvin Leshin (Corpust Christi)


The Aron Brothers Five in the Tri-Cities Threeby Merilee Aron Weiner

Let me tell you about the TexasTri-Cities—Goose Creek, Pelly andBaytown, of my memory.

I was born there in 1923. Dr. G. A.Lillie’s son heard the Mrs. E. Aronwas expecting the stork on September14. Living across the street from theArons, the youngster waited on hisfamily’s front porch all day for it toarrive.

My parents, Esidor and OrinaAron, were five-year residents inGoose Creek when I wasborn, the first of fivesiblings: Peggy Aron Fine,Sidney Aron, Hertzel Aronand Bernadean AronRosenblatt.

When I left for NewYork as a new bride in1944, Goose Creek’spopulation was 8,000.Imagine my transition to ametropolis of 8,000,000.

Growing up, I rememberGoose Creek havingprincipally a long mainstreet called Texas Avenue. Eight ornine blocks in its entirety, it had twojewelry stores, two banks, two pictureshows, two restaurants and two drugstores along with many merchants, atleast a dozen of them Jewish.

Oil had been discovered in theGoose Creek Oil Field in Tabbs Bayoutside nearby Pelly. The advent ofoil in the area signifies a potentialeconomic boom. Also, between 1918-

1919, building the present ExxonRefinery in Baytown created manynew jobs and brought many morefamilies to the area.

The Tri-Cities began to prosper andgrow until the 1930s, when they werehit by the depression. I remember thatperiod vividly, as well as the BlueEagle Economic Recovery signs instores under Franklin D. Roosevelt’spresidency when the worst was finallyover.

Abe Aron, who had a business innot-too-distant Crosby, Texas, movedto Goose Creek. Sol Aron, who hadsettled also in Crosby before movingto Orange, Texas, also pulled upstakes, relocating to Goose Creek.Dave Aron chose to settle in Pelly.The youngest of the five brothers,Esidor, a tailor-turned merchant, anew American citizen by virtue ofWorld War I Service in the U.S.

Army, was nicknamed “Izzy.” Heopened E. Aron’s Men’s Outfitters at124 Texas Avenue on the same blockas his brother Abe. The fifth brother,Harry, a Master Tailor, settled in NewYork and only moved to Goose Creekupon retirement in the early 1940s.

It is interesting to note that the fourbrothers that were in business went tomarket together, to buy separately,each for his own clientele. They werenot actually competitors because each

catered to a different customer base.However, they possessed a very strongbond as brothers. Their comraderyand pleasure at shared leisure times isreflected in my siblings yet todaywhich attracts outsiders who wouldlike to be “family” and who arewelcomed as extended “Mispachah.”

The brothers in the main sharedinterest in owning real estate, butseldom as partners. The one partner-ship between Izzy and Sol is GooseCreek’s Aron Addition which hasstreets named for Izzy’s daughter,Peggy and Sol’s children, Ruth andAlford.

Legend has it that Sol Aron wasonce invited to Houston for a meetingwith a Mr. Land. He went and waspromptly invited to invest $50,000 to

The brothers Aron, pictures left to right, Abe, Esidor, Sol, Hary and Dave.E. Aron, terminally ill when the picture was taken, died in January, 1941 at age 46.

He was the youngest of the five siblings. Two sisters living elsewhere completed the family unit.

The Texas Jewish Historical Society Newsletteris a publication of the Texas Jewish Historical Society, P.O. Box 10193, Austin, Texas 78766

Jack Gerrick (Fort Worth) PresidentBuddy Freed (Fort Worth) Managing EditorSandra Freed (Fort Worth) ProofreaderAlexa Kirk (Fort Worth) Layout and Typesetting

continued on page 5


develop the man’s invention of a“camera within a camera” to whichthe startled Sol replied, “Are youcrazy?” He went home, preferring toinvest in real estate. That Mr. Landhappened to be the Dr. Land ofPolaroid Land Camera fame.

The only remaining Jewish-ownedstore of the period of the 1920s-40s isWilkenfeld Furniture, under the direc-tion today of first generation daughter,Sharon Wilkenfeld. Morris Wilkenfeld,the founder, happened to be a brother ofthe two Wilkenfeld sisters, Orina andRosie, who had married two of the Aronbrothers, Izzy and Abe.

In 1928, K’nesseth Israel Syna-gogue was chartered for 50 years toserve the needs of the Jewish popula-tion; later it was amended to read “forperpetuity.” When completed in 1930,the Synagogue and community hallcomprised the campus. The Sukkahcame later. The greatest Jewishresidency in the Tri-Cities at any one

time was 47 families.Most of the congregants were

immigrants who brought with themthe traditions that they observed in the“old country.” Bea Wilkenfeldremembered in an interview beforeher death that a big controversy aroseover “Duchening,” the Kohen’srecitation of the priestly blessing.

Memories skip to the High Holidayservices. Dave Aron, the tallest of thebrothers, ascended the Bimah in mid-morning to sell Aliyahs (honors) eachyear. His distinctive sing-song chantsales-pitch concluded with a thump onthe bible in his hand when the sale wentto the highest bidder. A unique cardsystem kept track of the purchaser.

Sophie Keller (Mrs. Leonard)seated her choir, consisting of all thechildren of the congregation — withor without a good voice — on the leftfront row of the synagogue’s woodenbenches. Her memorable “L’Kha DoDi” remains etched in my mind to thisday; Gertrude Teter remembers thefeather in her hat that wiggled with her

movements as she directed the choir.On Sunday, March 29,1992, Congre-

gation K’nesseth Israel, 100 WestSterling Street, Baytown, Texas, wasdeclared a Historical Landmark with thePresident of the Texas Jewish HistoricalSociety, Fay Brachman, in attendance.The initial signatories on the documentsincluded the following Board of Trusteenames: Abe Aron, E. Aron, S. Aron, D.Aron, Ira Guberman, J. Guberman, P.Goldfield, H. Kaplan, C. Trifon, J.Feinberg, E. Hochman, A. Lensky, JoeMoskowitz, Sam Levine, AaronGrenader, Jake Sampson, MoseSumner, Joe Susnitsky, MorrisWilkenfeld and H. Lerner.

In anticipation of a daughter’sforthcoming wedding, a member ofthe congregation added a front set ofsteps to the altar to enable the bride toascend more easily. Before that time,entry to the Bimah was from eitherside, left or right.

Teachers were imported fromHouston for Sunday School classes.Three rabbis: Benjamin Wade, BenDanziger and Hugarian-born SamuelSchwartz of London, England, atone time, occupied the pulpit duringmy youth.

Today in 2002, lay people conductthe service held the first Friday ofeach month. The Synagogue’spopulation varies as new people moveto the area, but not in large numbers.

Many wives worked alongside theirhusbands in business. Those whodidn’t, busied themselves with Rum-mage Sale Fund-raisers for the Syna-gogue, weekly bridge games andcarpooling children to and fromschool. I remember one particularspecial event when the congregationalladies gave a bridal shower for thedaughter of a family with little means.All the synagogue families, however,alternated in making, or providing,refreshments for the Friday nightOneg Shabbat.

One car per family sufficed, since

Captioned “Sylvan Beach — Summer of 1926,” this wonderful picture is property of RuthKessler, given by Bertha Rosenberg Mitz from Orina Aron Straus.

Top row (left to right): Leon Aron and Morris Wilkenfeld. Middle Row: Meyer Leo Aron,Dave Aron, Abe Aron, Esidor Aron holding Merilee Weiner, Dr. Alford Aron and Sol Aron.Bottom row: Ruby Lee Rosensweig, Hannah Pearl Morris, Sarah Aron, Rosie Aron holding

Peggy Samet, Orina Aron Straus, Lillie Vogel, Sadie Aron and Ruth Kessler.

Aron, continued from page 4

continued on page 6


the three areas initially had mosteverything in walking distance.

Zoning? Hardly. In a two blockresidential area where we lived, therewas a Methodist church, a Baptistchurch, a funeral home and thetelephone company (whose operatorsplugged the lines in manually) inter-spersed with residences.

What did a young evolving com-munity do for recreation? On Fridaynights, the high school football gamewas a must for locals. However, thesynagogue managed to have more thana minyan of young families with littlechildren present toconduct the weeklyShabbat services.

For entertainment,there were long rides tothe Cedar Bayou area,the “scenic route,” withwindows down in pre-airconditioning times.There were picnics andbathing at EvergreenBeach which had manysmall rocks to traversebefore reaching sand andwater, and in the back-ground, there werepumping oil wells inTabbs Bay.

Close by also wasMorgan’s Point, a deep waterwayleading from Galveston to the originalHumble Oil Refinery docks inBaytown and on into the Houston ShipChannel. Watching passing freightersand oil tankers was amusement for thelong lines of traffic awaiting a ferry

ride en route to La Porte, Texas — thealternate route to Houston, Kemah andGalveston. Sandy beaches adjoiningthe water were used for “splashing.”

La Porte was also the home offamed Sylvan Beach with its extralong pier, necessitated by the shallowwater before reaching any depth. Awhite picket fence enclosed a hugeballroom that suffered the ravages ofhurricanes during the years, and wasactually blown away by an especiallydevastating twister. I understand nowthat the pavilion was rebuilt.

However, in it’s heyday, theDodgems were my favorite diversion.

The sculpted grounds of man-madeberms were ideal for picnics and itsboard sidewalk was great for strolling tothe sloping bandstand grounds, whichfeatured famous orchestras of the day.Rudy Valee is one that comes to mind.

Students from the adjoiningCatholic Seminary musthave had a secret passage-way to the enclosed groundsbecause the seminarianswere often in evidence onthe weekends.

Robert E. Lee HighSchool, which accommo-dated all the students fromthe Tri-Cities, was located

on a hill across the street from acemetery named Hill of Rest. Thecemetery sloped down at the rear to astream of water called Goose Creek.

This same high school later wasutilized to house Lee Jr. College. Thetransformation occurred each weekdayafternoon at 4:00 PM. Same building,only a change of name and classes thatextended until 10:00 PM.

In close proximity, but not walkingdistance, Lee High School wasreached either by hitchhiking or bycarpool. In the late 30s, it was per-fectly acceptable to stand in a desig-nated spot, using a raised thumb to

indicate direction andintent to reach the school.

In 1947, the Tri-Citiesamalgamated, taking thelegal name Baytown.

The Aron brothers,whose lives and times havebeen interspersed with mypersonal memories of theearly 1920-40s, remaintoday close in death, eitherby design or happenstance,each buried in his ownfamily plot in Houston’sAdath Emeth Cemetery onSylvester Road.

The gated cemeteryentrance lists H.Wilkenfeld as one of its

founders. Hertz Wilkenfeld was thefather of Rosie and Orina Aron andtheir brother, Morris.

Both sides of the families heededthe biblical injunction, “be fruitful andmultiply.” There are Aron andWilkenfeld cousins galore in the GulfCoast area.

And, as if history repeated itself,Adath Emeth Cemetery, under theauspices of Houston’s United Ortho-dox Congregations, when established,was far out in the country. It too, likethe Tri-Cities, is today flanked by I-610 at the rear, the Farmer’s Market infront, and assorted businesses on oneside, deep in the heart of Houston.

First bale of cotton ginned and sold in Goose Creek in 1923.Bought by E. Aron at 47 3/4¢ per pound.

Please Note:The Texas Jewish Historical Society and

the editorial staff of this newsletter cannotguarantee the accuracy or authenticity ofany article. This is the responsibility ofeach contributor, so please direct yourquestions, comments and/or corrections toeach author directly.

Aron, continued from page 5


Mrs. Steven Alexander isseeking for any information aboutBob Leavitt, who was from Texasand worked on the XIT Ranchbefore moving on to Ismay,Montana. We do not have apositive date but it should havebeen around the late 1800’s or theearly 1900’s. Any one who mighthave some clue should contact:

Mrs. Steven Alexander73 Hammond PlaceWoburn, MA 01801

Telephone 781-933-4654

Searching

more interesting enigma. He wasSecond Lieutenant Ben MauriceSimon, a P-47 Thunderbolt fighterpilot in the 404th Fighter Group of the9th Air Force. Lieutenant Simon losthis life in a mid-air collision withanother P-47, during an attack on aGerman airfield on March 14, 1945.

Lt. Simon's father was Mr. MeyerBen Simon, of Center, Texas, which isin Shelby County. His mother wasOlga (Edmunson) Simon. Meyer Benwas employed as a secretary treasurerand/or office manager at the O.H.Polley Mercantile Company, inCenter. Of course, like Lt. Faverman,this was over sixty years ago!

Though his mother was obviouslyScandinavian, I'm wondering if MeyerBen (passed away January, 1978) wasJewish. (“Gee, the name sounds thatway...” Hmm ... ) If so, I can't helpwondering if the family had any kindof Jewish affiliation, or if Mr. Simonlet that aspect of their lives drift away,because of the difficulty of maintain-ing a Jewish identity in such a locale,at that time. But, that is only conjec-ture on my part. Then again, perhapsit's just a straight German-soundingname, that coincidentally “sounds”Jewish. Additionally, some records Irecently obtained from the Army aresomewhat ambiguous regarding Lt.Simon's religion.

I searched for the names of these

Several errors in our last Newslet-ter were called to my attention. I didnot properly identify those who diedwith their association to the Society.Please note Dr. Charles Nathan andDr. Raymond Reiser were past mem-bers of the Texas Jewish HistoricalSociety. It was also pointed out that

A Letter to The SocietyFrom Michael G. Moskow

Dear Friends:I'm an amateur historian, and I'm

interested in many aspects of history,among them World War II, militaryand aviation history, and Jewishhistory. In this context, I've recentlycome across the names of a two WWII serviceman from Texas, who mayhave been Jewish. Perhaps you canhelp me with my quest?

The first serviceman was SecondLieutenant Joseph Faverman, a B-26Marauder bombardier in the 386thBomb Group of the 9th Air Force.Lieutenant Faverman was killed whenhis plane was shot down by anti-aircraftfire on October 7, 1944. His next-of-kinwas listed as Mr. Mandel Faverman, of2811 29th Street, in Lubbock.

Some time ago, I wrote to theLubbock Public Library, asking ifthey had any information about Lt.Faverman. They tried their best, butwere unable to discover anything.However, I was told that the addresslisted above no longer exists, andgiven words to the effect that thelisted locale had been transformedfrom a residential address to someother type of land, since the war.

The Second serviceman is an even

men in the book “American Jews inWorld War II,” but did not find themlisted under “Texas.” or anywhereelse, for that matter. Still, the absenceof their names is not necessarilyindicative that they weren't Jewish, forthis book lacks the names of many ofthe people who should have appearedwithin its pages. (In technical terms, a“false negative?”)

I also searched the web for informa-tion about any kind of Jewish commu-nity in or near Center, but drew a blank.I can only assume that if there ever wasany kind of Jewish community inCenter — as I am certain there musthave been, at one time, like so manyother small towns throughout the UnitedStates — that any Jewish people therelong since passed away, drifted away, orassimilated out.

If you have the time, I'm wonder-ing if any of the above information"rings a bell," or "shuffles a database."Might any of your members know ofanything about these men, or thesefamily names?

Thank you for “listening” to thisvery long letter. I do appreciate anyand all help you can give me!

Michael G. Moskow54-12 Revere RoadDrexel Hill, PA 19026610-622-7953P.S. I found your organization's

name and address on the Web.

Winter IssueEditor’s Corrections

Norma Alberts was called Normanand Fay Brachman’s name wasmisspelled. For permitting these errorsto go uncorrected before publication, Iam deeply sorry. It would be good ifwe had one or two more proofreaders,before, not after publication. Do I hearany volunteers?


Jewish Heritage Writing CompetitionThe Texas Jewish Historical Society

announces the initial start of the SylviaWolens Jewish Heritage Writing Compe-tition that offers adults, ages 50 and over,to pass on reflections on the Jewishheritage to the generations of tomorrow.The competition is open to both amateurand professional writers. Each participantreceives a Certificate of Achievement,plus the top three winners will receive amonetary prize.

The contest was started by TJHSmember Jerry Wolens of Boca Raton,Florida in honor of his wife Sylvia and isnow in its 11th year in Southern Florida.The contest has received a great amount ofpublicity and recognition by both theJewish and non-Jewish communities. Inthe last competition, over 200 poems andshort stories were submitted from all overthe country and Canada. They includetales of “Jewish love, respect, bravery andfamily, as well as Jews helping otherJews.”

Entries may be as a single paragraph, oras long as 2,000 words — but no longer.Each entry should have a word count listedand handwritten work will be accepted, aslong as it is legible. Each entry should alsoinclude a four to six line biography of thewriter. Entries sent for submission will bejudged on originality and content and maybe edited for publication in the TJHSNewsletter and/or local media.

Every entry must include the name,age, address and telephone number of theauthor and be titled on each page.

Up to four entries may be submitted,however the materials will not be returned,so it is suggested that the author retain acopy of the submission. The winners willbe announced at the annual Gathering ofthe Society in the spring of each year andthe deadline for submission is FEBRU-ARY 1ST OF EACH YEAR. The TexasJewish Historical Society will compile allentries and submit them to our archives atthe University of Texas.

All entries should be sent to:Sylvia Wolens Jewish Heritage

Writing Competitionc/o Texas Jewish Historical Society

P.O. Box 10193Austin, TX 78766-0193

For further information, contactJack Gerrick at 817-927-8765.

Historical Texas SynagoguesHistorical Texas SynagoguesSend Historical Texas Synagogues note cards when corresponding with friends or relatives.

Each pack contains color prints, two each of five different synagogues - 10 cards and 10 envelopes.

Package A contains: Temple Beth-El, Corsicana; Temple Mizpah, Abilene; Temple Freda,Bryan; Temple Beth Israel, San Angelo; Schwarz Family Synagogue, Hempstead

Package B contains: B’nai Israel, Galveston; Temple Emanuel, Beaumont; B’nai AbrahamSynagogue, Brenham; Sinai Hebrew Congregation, Jefferson; B’nai Israel, Victoria

Order FormOrder FormName: ________________________________Mailing Address: ______________________________

City: ______________________ State: _______ Zip:________Telephone: (_______)______________

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Make check or money order payable to: The Texas Jewish Historical Society and send it with this form to: TJHS,c/o Charles B. Hart, 2509 Redwing Drive, Temple, TX 76502. Allow 4-6 weeks delivery. Retail shops receive a40% discount with a minimum order of any 10 packs. A Texas Resale Certificate must be included with order.

Being Rapoport: Capitalist With aConscience, by Bernard Rapoport astold to Don E. Carleton, will be re-leased by UT Press in May, 2002. Itis 336 pages with 28 photos andretails for $39.95. For more informa-tion, visit www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/rapbei.html.

New Book byBernardRapoport


The Bermans of Colorado CityBy Harold B. Berman

Colorado City, Texas, the countyseat of Mitchell County, is locatedbetween Sweetwater and Big Spring.For years, it was known as the“Mother City” of West Texas becauseof its location on the Colorado Riverand its historical involvement in thedevelopment of that part of the state.It was a flourishing center of com-merce, inhabited by individuals whoexemplified the pioneer spirit thatmade Texas great.

From approximately 1922 throughthe early 1990s, the Berman Brotherswere among those pioneers. Max,H. I. and Philip Berman were enthusi-astic and tireless leaders of the com-munity. The memories of theircontributions are still cherished bymany of the citizens of Colorado Citywho are living today.

It all began around 1903. TheBerman brothers (the oldest being fiveand the youngest 1 1/2 years of age)arrived at the Port of Galveston withtheir mother, Mamie Berman. Theyhad left Russia, sailing from Bremen,German, directly to Galveston. Theywere on their way to join their father,Sam Berman, who came to the UnitedStates about a year before, arriving inBaltimore, and moving on to Seguin,

Texas. When they arrived inGalveston, all three boys were sickwith scarlet fever and the immigrationofficials immediately quarantinedthem in a Catholic hospital there.(This hospital later became the JohnSealy Hospital, and H.I.’s childrentrained there while getting theirdegrees at the University of TexasMedical School in Galveston.) Theofficial immigration records reflectthat their mother had no money, just arailroad ticket to Seguin.

During their lifetime, the brothersfrequently discussed the circum-stances of their arrival. It was difficultfor them to envision their mother, whowas an orthodox Jewish woman,approximately 4’6” tall and about 100pounds in weight, arriving in a strangecountry, penniless, with three youngchildren, stricken with a contagiousdisease, and being taken to a Catholichospital for care. No one forgot thewonderful treatment they received inGalveston at this hospital, and allthree of the Berman brothers werelifetime supporters of the CatholicChurch in gratitude for the kindnessand care that they were shown by thisreligious order.

After their recovery, they pro-

ceeded to Seguin, Texas, where theirfather awaited them. Their childhoodwas spent in that community, attend-ing public schools, and becoming“real” Texans. In fact, about 35 yearslater, after a visit by all three brothersto Seguin, the local paper came outwith a large banner headline that read“NATIVE SONS RETURN.”

While in Seguin, their sister, Lena,was born. Their father was able togive up his peddling and open up aretail grocery story, known as “ThePick & Pay.” With the help of all hischildren, he was able to support hisfamily from that business.

After the Armistice of World WarI, a decision was made to move on.The oldest, Max, was the first. Hewas recruited by the West Texas DryGoods Store in Colorado City, Texas,to work as a clerk. This store wasowned by Louis Landau, who was oneof the Jewish patriarchs of WestTexas. He recruited young Jewishmen throughout the state to work forthem, and then to keep them, hesought out Jewish brides. Maxmarried Sydell Brodsky, a distantcousin of the Landaus from Chicago,and a daughter, Phyllis, was born ofthat union.

H.I. (Hyman Israel) was next.Realizing that The Pick & Pay inSeguin could not support everyone fora lifetime, he began looking for aplace to open his own business. Hisbrother, Max, invited him to ColoradoCity, emphasizing the progressive andvivid growth of the community. H.I.Came and stayed. In 1924, he estab-lished Berman’s Variety Store, a 5 and10 cent store, which was a first for thecity. He chose that kind of store sinceit was unique and he felt it wasdepression proof, since the depressionwas already beginning throughout thecountry. Shortly after his arrival, the

continued on page 10

Left to Right: Max Berman, Sydell Berman, Minna Berman,Philip Berman (back in middle), Alice Berman, H. I. Berman


Bodzin family, who owned a drygoods store in Colorado City, invited adistant relative from Brooklyn to visitthem. Their relative, Alice Shapiro,was introduced to H.I., and they weremarried in late 1924. They had threesons of that marriage, Harold, andtwins, Stanley and Irwin. H.I. told thestory many times that when thetwins were born in 1929, in themidst of the depression, hisbusiness had one of its best daysbecause his customers came byoffer their condolences to him forhaving an additional two mouths tofeed during such hard economictimes and, while there, bought hismerchandise.

Around 1925, Max bought out adepartment store in Colorado City,which was the oldest departmentstore in West Texas at the time.He renamed it “Max Berman’sDepartment Store” and it becamethe “Neiman Marcus” of WestTexas. If you wanted fashion,name brands or style, you came toColorado City and shopped at MaxBerman’s.

After his father died, Philip movedthe Pick & Pay from Seguin to Colo-rado City. Around that time, hemarried Minna Kirschbaum of Dallas,Texas, who had a brother in businessin Colorado City. To that marriage,two sons were born, Joe and Melvyn.At the time of his move, Philip alsobrought his mother to Colorado City,where she lived the balance of her life.

Their sister, Lena, married MarcelJosephson of San Antonio. A daugh-ter, Sandra Jean Caplan (now inHouston), was born of that marriage.The Josephsons moved to Snyder(twenty miles from Colorado City)and opened a grocery store which wasalso named Pick & Pay.

All of the marriages of the Bermanbrothers and their sister were happyand complete. The brothers and theirsister all predeceased their spouses,

but left a legacy of devotion and loveto their respective families.

All of the brothers had differentkinds of businesses. The familypronouncement was that the Bermanscould almost live “wholesale.” Youcould get clothing from Max, grocer-ies from Philip, and what they did nothave, H.I. had in his variety store.

They were excellent merchants, at onetime expanding their interests inColorado City to seven stores amongthem (all faithful to the type of theiroriginal store). They were extremelycompetitive and their businesses wereflourishing to the date of their retire-ment. A recent speaker at the OldTimer’s Reunion in Colorado Citymade a statement that if the Bermanbrothers were still in business, theywould have put WalMart into bank-ruptcy.

Their families and their businesseswere important and took up a greatdeal of the lives. However, theirinterests were varied and energetic.All were active in the local Chamberof Commerce, supportive of conserva-tive political agendas and very gener-ous to all local charities, both religiousand otherwise. Both Max and Philipwere leaders in the Lions Club, whileH.I. became Regional Governor ofKiwanis. H.I. and Philip were mem-

bers of the local Masonic Lodge,while H.I. was a member of bothScottish Rite and Shriners. AfterH.I.’s retirement from business, hebecame very active in politics. Hereceived an appointment by PresidentEisenhower as the Regional CensusSupervisor. He was also electedMayor of Colorado City and upon his

retirement, he was honored withcommendations for the magnifi-cent work he did for the com-munity.

Although Colorado City hada population that hoveredaround 5,000, its Jewish popula-tion varied from time to timefrom as little as five families toas many as ten or twelvefamilies. The Jewish history ofColorado City is a long one, andit was most vivid during theperiod of time that the Bermanbrothers were among theirleading citizens. Although therewas neither a Temple nor asynagogue in the city, all of the

Jews in Colorado City did not disguisetheir Judaism. All of their stores wereclosed during the High Holy Days(and that was a very expensive thingto do when the holidays fell on aSabbath during the fall) and they wereconstantly invited to represent theirreligion in the many gatherings thatthe various churches in the communitythroughout the years. They did theirbest to give some Jewish education totheir children, taking them toSweetwater to attend an informalSunday School taught by Frieda Levy,wife of Abe Levy; always taking themto High Holy Day services, usuallyheld in a hotel in Sweetwater; andhaving magnificent Seders in theirhomes and other places in ColoradoCity. The Berman brothers’ Seders inColorado City became famous andeventually expanded into communityseders, attended by Jews throughoutthe West Texas area. Those seders

Berman, continued from page 9

Left to Right: H.I. Berman,Philip Berman, Max Berman



were held at a local hotel, who sup-plied the basic entree (the favorite ofthe Berman children was barbecuechicken), with the gefilte fish, thematzo balls and all of the othertrimmings for the Seder being sup-plied by various families. MarcelJosephson, husband of Lena BermanJosephson, contributed immensely tothe success of these affairs. He wasblessed with natural culinary skillsenhanced by training as a cook whilehe was in the Navy.

The Jewish community of Colo-rado City was blessed. Almost all themembers of the Berman families haveabsolutely no recollection of anyincidents of antisemitism. All of theBerman brothers agreed that theirlives and bringing up their families inColorado City was a wonderfulexperience for all concerned, and allof their descendants agree fully withthat assessment.

West Texans are a unique breed.Their friendliness and support are bothsincere and given without stringsattached. The Berman brothersbecame real West Texans. They each

owned a farm in the area, grew cotton,and sometimes spent their Sundayspicking cotton.

Although there are no members ofthe family still living in ColoradoCity, the children of the Bermanbrothers still have strong ties to thecommunity, inherited from theirparents. It is a thrill to the families tohave individuals approach as you walkdown the street and tell you how muchthe Berman brothers meant to them,personally and to their family. Theytell you about their first job in thevariety store or the grocery store, andthen, after becoming experienced,being promoted to a position with theMax Berman Department Store. Thefamily continually hears stories abouthow the Berman brothers supportedthe community during World War II,by not only contributing their sons tothe war effort, but also helping thefamily of those servicemen who werecalled to service from Colorado City.So many individuals have repeatedlytold the children of the Bermanbrothers that the Berman family lifewas a standard that each of theirparents attempted to emulate and

which, they in turn, benefitted. TheBerman brothers and their familieswere dedicated to Colorado City andits citizens, and in turn, they receivedthe support of all during their life-times. The West Texas Museum inColorado City has displayed a specialexhibit on the Berman brothers’families.

Max and Sydell’s daughter, PhyllisRudnick, is now retired and lives inDallas. H.I. and Alice’s sons areHarold, who practices law in Dallas,and Stanley and Irwin, who are bothpracticing surgeons in California.Philip and Minna Berman’s sons areJoe, a professional consultant who isnow retired and living in Phoenix,Arizona, and Melvyn, who has hisown computer business and resides inMenlo Park, California. Lena’sdaughter, now Sandra Jean Caplan,wife of Louis Caplan, lives in Hous-ton.

Approximately five years ago, thesons of H.I. and Alice Berman had afamily reunion in Colorado City.They not only brought all of theirchildren, but they also brought theirfriends from all over the country. It

was a full weekend, withcoverage by the local press,radio and televisionstations. About 350townspeople participated inthe event.

At a community cel-ebration several years ago,the speaker was assignedthe subject of the “JewishInfluence on ColoradoCity.” The subject at-tracted the largest crowdthey ever had at thesereunions up to that date.Unfortunately, there are noJewish families remainingin Colorado City at thistime, but those that did inthe past have left theirmark.

Passover Seder at the Baker Hotel, Colorado City, Texas in 1960

Berman, continued from page 10


Services for Leo J. Hoffman, alongtime Dallas oil and natural-gaslawyer, were held at Temple Emanu-El, in Dallas.

Mr. Hoffman, 82, died Sunday,December 2, 2001 of prostate cancerat his Dallas home. He was buried inHillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas.

Mr. Hoffman was a nationallyrespected giant in oil and natural-gaslaw, said Stuart Hollimon, partner andchairman of the energy law depart-ment for Strasburger & Price LLP.

“Yet, despite that stature, he wasvery modest and genuine, a very kindperson,” said Mr. Hollimon, a col-league and friend of 25 years. “He wasa person who was loved by everybodywho knew him, both professionallyand personally.”

After a legal dispute, opposingcounsel would often speak as highly ofMr. Hoffman as his own clients did,Mr. Hollimon said.

“That’s a pretty rare person that canperform his craft in that fashion,” Mr.Hollimon said.

Mr. Hoffman also had a well-known, yet low-key and wry sense ofhumor, said his daughter PatriciaHoffman Bernstein of Houston.

Once, a rookie secretary spilled a

Leo J. Hoffman, Longtime Dallas Oil AttorneyBy Joe Simnacher / The Dallas Morning News, Reprinted with Permission

cup of coffee into a copy machine,spoiling an urgent legal brief. Shewent to Mr. Hoffman to apologize.

“All the copies came out brownand wet,” Ms. Bernstein said. “Heasked her what would happen if sheadded some cream.”

Born in Fort Worth, Mr. Hoffmangrew up in Comanche, Texas, wherehis father owned a dry-goods store.

In 1941, Mr. Hoffman earned hisbachelor’s and law degrees from theUniversity of Texas at Austin. At UT,Mr. Hoffman was on the varsitydebate team, served as president ofTau Delta Phi fraternity, and playedtrumpet in the Longhorn band as wellas a dance band off campus.

He was editor of the Texas LawReview and a member of a nationalscholastic law honor society called Or-der of the Coif and Chancellors. Heearned a master’s degree from theSouthern Methodist University School ofLaw, now the Dedman School of Law.

Mr. Hoffman served in the Armyduring World War II, completing hisservice as a first lieutenant.

In 1946, Mr. Hoffman joined thelaw department of Sun Oil Co. inDallas. In April 1960 he representedSun Oil before the U.S. Supreme

Court. Although the high court ruled5-4 in favor of the Federal PowerCommission, Mr. Hoffman later saidthere was some consolation. “JusticesJohn Marshall Harlan and FelixFrankfurter wrote strong dissentingopinions, which satisfied me that ourside had been right,” he wrote in anarticle for Texas Lawyer.

Mr. Hoffman briefly worked for aDallas law firm before joiningStrasburger & Price in 1963. He becamehead of the firm’s mineral law section.He was also chairman of the energy lawsection of the State Bar of Texas.

Mr. Hoffman was married toShirley Bennett Hoffman for 47 years.She died in February 1989.

In addition to his daughter, Mr.Hoffman is survived by his wife,Martha Hoffman of Dallas; son AlanHoffman of Paris; daughter NancyHoffman of Bethesda, Md.; brothersMaurice Hoffman of Houston andHarold Hoffman of Dallas; and fivegrandchildren.

Memorials may be made to theProstate Cancer Initiative at theCancer Research Institute, 681 FifthAve., New York, NY 10022; or theTexas Jewish Historical Society, P.O.Box 10193, Austin, TX 78766-0193.

Maurice SchwartzMr. Albert Schwartz of El Paso,

Texas was good enough to write thefollowing history of his father:

“My father, Maurice Schwartz toldus he was met in NY (after a 2 weekvoyage from Europe) by a relative,sometime in 1989. He gave Dad 2tickets – one from N. Y. to Galveston,another, a rail ticket from Galveston toEl Paso, where his uncle awaited hisarrival. Dad spoke only Hungarian,but learned “apple pie and coffee”, his

Brief Historiesonly food for his many day trip fromNY to El Paso. I’m 82 and don’t owna computer, so I’d very much appreci-ate your forwarding all the info inyour database.

Thanks a lot! —Albert Schwartz”

Meyer MellingerMy stepfather, who was a member of

TJHS, died recently. Meyer Mellingerwas actually part of our family for 30years. Meyer was 85 when he died. Heand my mother had been married for 21

years. She died 8 years ago.Even though he was my step father

(my own father was Dr. HaroldRoosth who died in 1957), he did agreat job of being a father and father-in-law and above all a wonderfulgrandfather. When Meyer married mymother (RosaLee Leaman Roosth), hehad never been married. So, he got aninstant family when they were mar-ried, becoming husband, father, andgrandfather!

Take care. —Cynthia Wolf


The Story of Abe Katzby Sharon Katz

I am so delighted to be here inCorpus, my home town, to discuss themost influential person in my life, myfather, Abe Katz.

My father was born in the smallvillage of Pakon, Lithuania, whichborders the Baltic sea and was under thecontrol of either the Soviet Union orGermany for many years. He was bornthe winter of 1906, but didn’t actuallycelebrate a birth date until he marriedmy mother, Doris. He said his cousinremembered it was snowing at his birthso my mother chose December 18 as hisday to celebrate. Since he had nevercelebrated one previously we alwayshad to remind him it was time to blowout those candles!

Political unrest was part of daily lifein Pakon. When he was of school agethe Germans occupied the country andJewish children were not allowed toattend school. His father, a respectedrabbi, taught him the Torah and my dadtaught himself philosophy and history.When his younger brother, Max,reached school age, under Russianoccupation, he attended school and laterreceived a law degree.

He spoke of the Germans duringWorld War I, when he was about 9.The soldiers took their home and gavethem 48 hours to get out. They loadedwhat they could in their wagon andheaded north. They ate raw potatoesdug from the fields they passed alongthe way.

He called the American soldierswho landed in Europe “angels fromheaven. They were everywhere; theland covered with their bodies. Whenthey won the war they didn’t occupythe countries, but returned home.” Heremarked, “Twenty years later it wasHitler. The American soldiers whoarrived then were the sons of thosewho helped free us in 1918. Theyspent billions to put Europe back

together economically. There are noothers like the Americans.”

He lived with his parents until1926, when together with his olderbrother, Leon, he went to Mexico tolive until they could obtain visas forentry into the United States. He had$2.50 in his pocket. He spokeneither Spanish nor English, al-though fluent in 5 other languages.They were unable to enter the statesuntil 1928 due to immigration quotasand visa restrictions.

In the meantime, he sold clothesdoor to door in Mexico by readingabout 50 words in Spanish that a manhad written for him. I once asked him:“Did people really buy from you?”He answered, “Sometimes—I thinkthey felt sorry for me.”

In Laredo, he found work for adollar a day selling shoes. He oncetold me it was without a doubt the worstjob. Women never knew what theywanted or couldn’t make up their minds.I should add that some years ago I metthe woman in Laredo who rented themtheir first room. She laughed and said,“he used to eat bananas and hard rolls tofill his stomach! And he still owes me$10 rent.”

In the mid 1930’s, during thedepression, he struck a deal with a mannamed Mankof, from New York whocame to Texas each year to buy onions.Dad said he’d work for room and board.At the end of the season Mr. Mankofgave him a bonus of a $100 bill.

At the time, California grew mostof the onions in the country, alongwith the Texas Winter Garden areawhich was from Laredo to Uvalde.Katz’s new job with a local producecompany was to get local farmers toplant onions in the coastal bend, nearMathis, Corpus and Robstown. He didokay for several years until the floodscame and the company was bankrupt.

He then worked as a manager foranother New York company as theirproduce man in Robstown. His dayswere spent in the fields, selecting andbuying onions and his nights in thepacking shed until 2 or 3 AM overseeingthe vegetables packed for shipment.

During this period he studiedhistory and government in preparationfor U.S. Citizenship, which he ob-tained in 1935.

On a trip to Dallas, when he was28 years old, he met his businessassociate’s niece, Doris Goodman. Hethought she was the most beautifulwoman in the world. He was 5’8” andshe was 5’6” and wasn’t impressed.She was only 18 — 10 years younger.Her first comment when she lookedout the window of her parents home toview him coming up the walkwaywas: “I think I’m going to have aheadache” and she laughs and saysshe’s had one ever since. They weremarried 10 weeks after they met so he


Abe Katz 1906-1995


could combine the honeymoon with abusiness trip to New York.

The business was good the firstyear and then the floods came. Every-thing was lost. A Robstown bankerurged him to go into business forhimself. The banker said he was theonly farmer who wasn’t broke. Dadhad saved $6,000 and with that ascollateral the bank gave him anunlimited line of credit.

I should mention that he used topoint out the banker’s house to me onOcean drive and tell me how grateful hewas to him for showing such faith inhim. During all the succeeding yearsmy dad kept an account at thatRobstown bank and with thegentleman’s nephew upon the banker’sdeath. Dad continued the Abe M. KatzCo. and we still have a 1,500-acre farmbetween Sinton and Mathis.

After World War II, he moved themain office to McAllen in the RioGrande valley and established ValleyOnions, Incorporated in 1955 makingRoy Shapiro a full partner. It devel-oped over the years into a companythat farmed 6,000 acres and shippedonions throughout the U.S., Canadaand Europe. The brand name “BlueBaby” which he created, was thebrand known for obtaining the topprices in the market. He was unawarethat the term blue baby in medicinereferred to a very sick child! He wasthe largest onion producer/distributorin the United States until 4 companiesmerged, making him second. When Iasked him about it he laughed and saidthere were years in which you didn’twant to be the biggest producer oryou’d take the biggest losses.

While visiting Israel in the mid’70s, he read about an Israeli onion thatdid not rot in heavy rains and didn’tdeteriorate quickly in storage. Hebrought the Israeli onion seed to theUnited States. I met his broker inHawaii once who said they loved itthere, but it was too hot for most people.

The 1015 onion which you see inthe supermarkets today, and tastes muchlike the Georgia Vidalia onion, wasproduced as a result of 7 south Texasonion growers, including my dad. Theyagreed to fund the research on it and 12years later it was finally marketed as theTexas Grano1015y super sweet. It’sconsidered the best short-day, freshmarket onion in the world.

Dad was one of the first inducteesinto the Texas produce associationHall of Fame, begun in the 1980’s inthe Rio Grande Valley.

He wanted to visit his family inEurope in 1939 but his parents askedhim not to come. There was too muchunrest. He later learned from achildhood friend, Lazar Goldberg, thathis mother, father, two sisters andinfant niece were killed during WW IIby their Lithuanian neighbors, whowere Nazi sympathizers. He tried tomaintain a positive attitude and saidhis parents taught him it would beunforgivable to allow despair toobliterate the joys of life that God hasgiven him. After his death in 1995,we kept the big house for 2 more yearsprior to selling it. During that time wewere clearing out furniture, his office,etc. when I saw a perfect set of leatherluggage. I asked my mother where itcame from and she said Dad hadpurchased it to visit his family in 1939and had never used it.

When it came to charity andpolitics he took an active role. DuringWorld War II, in an effort to get Jewsout of Europe, he paid for a full-pagead in the New York Times to kick offa successful fund drive. In 1948, hereceived an office visit from a man herecognized from the former Nueceshotel barbershop. It turned out he wasan FBI agent and wanted to know thename of dad’s contact for allegedlypurchasing arms and ammunition forthe underground prior to Israel’sstatehood. Dad said he’d have tothink about it. I’m certain with a wifeand 3 young daughters at home he did

some heavy-duty thinking. When theagent called him to see what hisanswer was, he told him he was stillthinking. The next time he called, theagent said:” Abe, president Trumanjust recognized Israel as a State andwe don’t care any more.” The casewas closed . My dad’s contact insecuring arms for what would be thestate of Israel was Ben ZionNetanyahu, the father of Israel’sformer prime minister, BenjaminNetanyahu. My father’s brother, Max,was Menachem Begin’s boss duringWWII. With Israel recognized, theirgoal was achieved. However, dadalways thought those of us born inAmerica did not appreciate thiscountry the same way he and othernaturalized citizens did. He felt it wasa privilege and honor to be an Ameri-can. He also felt we took the privilegeof voting for granted and too manyfailed to vote. I have heeded hisobservations and consider voting anobligation and a privilege.

He supported both Democrats andRepublicans. As a naturalized citizenhe always commented “God blessAmerica.” When Dolph Briscoe, aDemocrat, was governor, he appointedDad to a six-year term on the Texasstate finance commission. He wasasked to serve again by RepublicanGovernor Bill Clements, but refusedand said; “I’ll be over 80—that’s tooold to ask for 6 more years!”

He was a member of the NationalExecutive Board of the United FreshFruit and Vegetable Association and hewas founder and director of the TexasCitrus and Vegetable Association.

A great believer in Jewish educa-tion, Dad gave his time and financialaid to the Hebrew Academy of Hous-ton, now known as the Beren Acad-emy and to the Jonathan NetanyahuAcademy of San Antonio. He was asponsor of the United States HolocaustMemorial Museum in Washington,D.C. and donor to the Holocaust

Katz, continued from page 13



Museum in Houston, among others.At a dinner in San Antonio for my

dad’s 80th birthday, then ambassador,Benjamin Netanyahu lauded him forhis contribution to the school beingnamed in memory of Col. JonathanNetanyahu, the ambassador’s brother.For the naming of the JonathanNetanyahu Academy, BenzionNetanyahu came from Israel to attend.You may recall that Col. Netanyahuwas the 30-year-old leader of the raidon Entebbe, which rescued the hos-tages on a hijacked Sabena Airlines,from the dictator Idi Amin, who isnow in exile in Syria. Col. Netanyahuplanned the daring raid and led thesuccessful attack. He was their onlycasualty—dying aboard the planeduring its return to Israel. The eventwas the largest turnout for a Jewishaffair in San Antonio’s history. Asell-out with a waiting list!

Dad also served on the board ofthe National Council of Christians and

Jews, Texas region; was a member ofthe National Executive Committee ofthe Z. O. A. and the Jewish NationalFund. He received the City of Peaceaward for the sale of Israeli bonds andIsrael’s 30th Anniversary Year Awardfor State of Israel bonds. He also wasthe recipient of the Prime Minister’saward and a member of the PrimeMinister’s Club Cabinet and GoldenTrustee Society. He frequently chairedthe Big Gifts Division of the CombinedJewish Appeal. Other Jewish contribu-tions were to Amit Women; Armdi, theRed Magen David of Israel; assistanceto Lithuanian Jews, Inc.; Girls TownJerusalem; Beth Midrosh Avrohom yYeshiva; B’nai Brith; Hillel; B’naiIsrael Synagogue (of which he was afounding member); B’nai Israel Sister-hood and Cemetery; Diskin OrphanHome of Israel; General Israel OrphansHome for Girls; National JewishMedical Research Center; Ner IsraelRabbinical College; Simon WiesenthalCenter; Slabodka Yeshiva; Telshe

Yeshiva; World JewishCongress and Yeshiva ofthe South. He alsoprovided for Russianrelatives who immigratedto Israel several years ago.

Other contributionsinclude the AmericanHeart Association,Arthritis Foundation ofSouth Central Texas,Bethune Day Nursery,Corpus Christi MetroMinistries, DriscollChildren’s Hospital,Family Outreach, M. D.Anderson Cancer Center,Parkinson Foundation ofHarris County, RonaldMcDonald House and theSalvation Army.

My father influencedmy life in many aspects. Healways saw the bright side— the optimistic side. Hehad deep feelings for the

value of human life.When I was about 10 or 11, my

sister Annette was learning to drive acar. As she was backing down thestreet by herself, she ran into aneighbor’s car parked at the curb. Iran home and yelled: “Daddy, Daddy!Annette ran into another car!” Helooked up and asked, “Was anyonehurt?” I said, “no.” He then saidsomething I’ve never forgotten:“Remember, things can be replaced,people cannot.”

It was an interesting householdwith three daughters: Annette, wholives in Corpus Christi, and Carol andI who now live in Houston. One timeI had a slight argument with my fatherabout something and he said, “Whyaren’t you more like your sisters?” Iresponded, “Why aren’t you more likeyour brothers?” Silence ensued.None of us are alike, and wouldn’t itbe boring if we were? That’s whatmakes life interesting.

Dad was a great believer ineducation of any kind. As he rose inthe business world, he was sometimesasked to speak and felt his accent andlack of a formal education made itmore difficult to get his messageacross. So he took speech lessons atDel Mar College at night. He’d oftenread at night with a dictionary close byso he could learn new words he didn’tcomprehend. He never read junk. Heparticularly enjoyed reading the worksof Maimonides, the philosopher, inHebrew. When he was about 80, hewent to a geriatric specialist in Hous-ton to determine if he still had theability to manage his business affairs.Dr. Herati, an Iranian, at BaylorCollege of Medicine was thrilled tofind someone else who could discussthe philosophies of Maimonides,whose beliefs are frequently studied inmedical schools to this day.

Another way he exhibited hisbelief in fairness and integrity oc-curred at the first meeting he attended


Left to Right, Abe Katz, Mahaer Dagani,Israel’s Counsel General and General Ariel Sharon,

Prime Minister of Israel.continued on page 23


Rabbi Solomon S. Philo of Gainsville and Fort WorthA Wandering Jew of the Cloth, of the Stage, and of his Age

by Hollace Weiner

Solomon S. Philo (1842-1923),a peripatetic rabbi who helpedfound Fort Worth’s Reformcongregation, performed on thestage as well as the pulpit, doingwhatever it took to feed his familyof 11 children. A man of manyvocations, he was a silversmith, aShakespearean actor, a vocalist, aviolin teacher, and a showmanwho produced concerts starring hismusical offspring.

His name reflects his learningand his flare. The family surnamewas originally “Lieber,” German forlove or dear. Rather than retainingthe name or anglicizing it to Levy orLoeb, the rabbi hellenized it to“Philo,” the Greek word for love.1

A fifth-generation rabbi whowandered from Prussia to Poland,Wales, Canada, California, NewJersey, Texas, and New York, SolomonPhilo’s itinerant career reflects the timesin which he lived. Jews were on themove due to revolutions in politics andthinking. The rabbinate was in flux aswell. Reform and Conservative Judaismtook root. Rabbis, once objects ofreverence, became employees ofcongregations struggling to break freefrom Old World traditions. Thus,Orthodox Rabbi Solomon Philo, animpresario who spoke the Queen’sEnglish, seemed always in search of hisnext pulpit.

He ventured to Texas in 1901, tenmonths after being ousted from anAtlantic City, NJ, congregation for“conduct unbecoming a rabbi.”2

Responding to a want ad placed in theJewish press, he was hired by theUnited Hebrew Congregation inGainesville, a north Texas town thenon the edge of Indian Territory.

In Gainesville, he seemed off to a

Rabbi Solomon S. Philo

good start. He ran the Sabbath andSunday School, enrolling 43 Jewishyoungsters.3 He instituted a Thanksgiv-ing worship service.4 For Chanukah heproduced a student pageant replete withdramatic recitations, musical perfor-mances, and choral singing – much likethe classical concerts his own familytroupe had once performed in Victoria,British Columbia.5

When two pillars of Gainesville’sJewish community passed away,Rabbi Philo’s theatrical voice andheartfelt eulogies impressed a widecircle of Jews who gathered to paytheir respects. One of the departed wasMrs. Clem Heninger, mother of JakeHeninger, a future founder of FortWorth’s Beth-El Congregation.6 Theother was Gus Schiff, a close associateof Fort Worth’s Weltman family.7

Rabbi Philo’s funeral orations were sostirring that the Southwest JewishSentiment editorialized that the rabbiwas “an able instructor, zealous in his

official duties, and a sympathizing,comforting friend in the hour of trialand sorrow.”8

Yet Gainesville’s United HebrewCongregation did not renew hiscontract. The High Holiday season of1902 found Rabbi Solomon Philowithout a pulpit.

It also found 43 Fort Worth menlaunching a Reform congregation, tobe called Beth-El. Rabbi Philo wasinvited to Beth-El’s first meetingwhere the organizers discussedrenting a hall on Taylor Street for theHigh Holidays and borrowing aTorah from Dallas.9

Rabbi Solomon Philo wouldofficiate.

By all accounts, Rosh Hashanahand Yom Kippur went smoothly atthe new congregation.

Sabbath evening services contin-ued weekly, but attendance dwindledto fewer and fewer souls. The reason,according to Flora Weltman Schiff,who wrote the congregation’s firsthistory, was because of Rabbi Philoand his “deserved unpopularity.” Therabbi had become quarrelsome andmettlesome, “unfitted in every respectfor that holy office,” she later wrote inThe Reform Advocate, a Jewishnewspaper published in Chicago.10

By the spring of 1903, sevenmonths after Beth-El was chartered,the congregation disintegrated.Services ceased for the next eighteenmonths. The membership blamed therabbi for the congregation’s collapse.

Yet, Rabbi Philo still had his localadmirers. He lingered in Fort Worth,moving to the pulpit at Ahavath Sho-lom, the city’s Orthodox congregation. 11

Scarcely a word is recorded about histenure there, which did not last long.



In 1903, when the AmericanJewish Year Book mailed question-naires to the approximately 700 rabbisand cantors serving in the UnitedStates, Solomon Philo responded fromFort Worth’s Ahavath Sholom withbiographical details. He stated that hewas born, raised, and educated inBreslau, ordained by the Rabbi ofWarsaw, and called to pulpits inPrussia, Hungary, Newark, andAtlantic City, as well as Gainesvilleand Fort Worth.12

That same edition of the AmericanJewish Yearbook provides one morelead to his life story. The yearbook’salphabetical list of rabbis includesanother Rabbi Philo – this one, IsadorE. Philo of Ohio.13 He was SolomonPhilo’s son.

Eager to gather clues about Beth-ElCongregation’s founding rabbi andhopeful of finding his picture, I beganresearching the career of the youngerPhilo. At the American Jewish Ar-chives in Cincinnati, I discovered arabbinical thesis about the Philos. Itwas written by their descendant,Jonathan Philo Kendall, who today isa rabbi with a pulpit in Stuart, Florida.His thesis and other reference materi-als at the archives helped connect thedots between father and son and piecetogether our first rabbi’s past.14 .

The parallels and contrasts be-tween Solomon Philo, the vagabondrabbi, and his son Isador, the Ohiorabbi, proved striking.

Like the father, the son had a slightBritish accent and an actor’s timber tohis voice. He, too, qualified for morethan one profession. After becoming arabbi, Isador Philo (1873-1948)enrolled in law school, subsequentlyquitting his pulpit to open an Ohio legalpractice. Ultimately, he returned to therabbinate. An outspoken civic leader, hechampioned labor unions and madeearly inroads into the black community.Perhaps Isador Philo’s activism andoutspoken personality contain clues to

his father’s controversial conduct andcongregational disputes. The son mayhave been more polished and persuasivethan the father.

Unlike the elder Philo, the son wasa model of stability, serving atYoungstown’s Rodef Sholem reformcongregation from 1912 until his deathin 1948.

Early in his career, the son fell inlove with Bertha Cohen, a Jewish blueblood, whose ancestors fought in theAmerican Revolution. Needless tosay, her assimilated family disap-proved of her marrying an immigrantlad and a rabbi to boot. They pre-dicted “a life of unhappiness. . .chained to a synagogue.” Moreover,they recoiled at the sight of thegroom’s father, “an orthodox rabbireplete with beard and other abhorrentsingularly Jewish features.”15 Overobjections from the bride’s family,Bertha Cohen wed Isador Philo inJune, 1897.

Her family’s disdain may havestrained relations between the son andhis father. Further contact betweenPhilo the elder and Philo the youngerpractically ceased.

The Ohio rabbi’s surviving daugh-ter, now 86 and residing in Florida,never met her paternal grandfather.She mistakenly thought he had diedbefore her birth in 1915.16

Not so. When she was born, hergrandfather was residing in New YorkCity. At some point he moved in withhis daughter, Rose Philo Bilder, thefirst social worker at Brooklyn’sJewish hospital. During the finaldecade of his life, Rabbi SolomonPhilo became involved at the FifthStreet Temple at Coney Island and theBoerum Place Temple in Brooklyn.

When he died August 17, 1923, theNew York Times honored the rabbiwith a brief obituary, describing himas “The Rev. Solomon Philo, 81, rabbiin and around Brooklyn for fiftyyears.” 17 He rests in peace atPhiladelphia’s Mt. Carmel Cemetery.

Footnotes:1 Kendall, Jonathan P., “Philo: A

Biography,” Rabbinical thesis,Hebrew Union College-Jewish Insti-tute of Religion, 1974; The last namealso recalls Philo Judaeus ofAlexandrea, an ancient Jewish phi-losopher (circa 40 B.C.); There areother Philos scattered throughoutNorth America. Chances are good allare descended from Beth-El’s firstrabbi. For example, Professor PhiloWasburn at Purdue University is agreat-grandson. The soprano ViolaPhilo, a granddaughter, sang at NewYork’s Radio City Music Hall andsang with the Jewish tenor Jan Peerce.Telephone interview with JonathanPhilo Kendall, rabbi at CongregationBeit YaYam, Stuart, FL, Jan. 3, 2002.

2 In March, 1898, Solomon Philowas hired to fill a vacant pulpit atAtlantic City’s Beth Israel congrega-tion at a salary of $83.33 a month.That July, his wife, Regina, died. Therabbi could not pay the funeral ex-penses. Bills for Mrs. Philo’s burial,totaling $275.23, were sent to thecongregation, where the trusteesappointed a committee to investigatethe rabbi’s debts. In October the boardagreed to pay $111.38 of the sum.Philo was rehired in January foranother year. In mid-December, theboard voted him out, 16 to 9, for whatthe minutes later allude to as “conductunbecoming a rabbi.” His replace-ment was salaried at $100 a month.Congregation Beth Israel minute book,1891-1941, Congregation Beth Israel,Atlantic City, manuscript collection519, American Jewish Archives.

3 Southwest Jewish Sentiment, Nov.15, 1901.

4 Southwest Jewish Sentiment, Nov.29, 1901.

5 Southwest Jewish Sentiment, Nov.29, Dec. 27 1901; “Grand ClassicalConcert by the Philo Family,” VictoriaTheatre Program, September 1, 1891,Victoria, BC. Isador E. Philo manu-

Philo, continued from page 16



Norma Albert Has Seen the Valley Grow Upby Jane Talbot

Reprinted with permission from Valley Town Crier, North McAllen-Edinberg; January 23, 2002

Among my favorite interviews arethose with pioneer Valley residents whoshare with me “the way it was” before Imoved here. Norma Westerman Albertnot only grew up in the upper RioGrande Valley, she has been (and stillis) a significant contributor to its growthand success through her never-endingvolunteer activities.

Another of those “winners” I like towrite about, Norma Albert was namedMcAllen’s “1962 Woman of the Year”by the McAllen Chamber of Commerceand later received the Rio GrandeValley Confederation of Women’sClubs’ “1963 Citizenship Achievement”Award.

Fifty years before, on January 13,1913, Norma’s father, AdolphWesterman, came to the U.S. fromLatvia (before it became part of Russia).According to Norma, he had just left thecoldest winter he had ever experienced.When landing in Galveston, he ex-claimed he was so happy to be in warmweather, he was never going back.After thawing out, Westerman visitedhis sister in San Antonio, subsequentlywent to Laredo, and later moved toMercedes—in a search for more andmore sun.

Soon after Adolph’s arrival, AbeBaum, forefather of another pioneerValley family, became his best friend.Together they started a little business,traveling back and forth between SanAntonio and Laredo to see what peoplewere buying. Then they would bring alittle (whatever they could afford) ofthat merchandise from San Antonio tosell. Beginning with pocket knives,they added small musical instruments,like harmonicas and accordions. From alittle showcase (which they set up on thesidewalk in front of the movie theatre inLaredo), they sold their merchandise.

Later, they noticed that Mexicanshoppers loved Stetson hats and neededshorter, wider shoes than were locally

available, so those items were added totheir sidewalk shop. Gradually, thatlittle enterprise grew and evolved into amen’s store they established inMercedes.

After her parents moved toMercedes, Norma was born—but in SanAntonio; because there was no hospitalin Mercedes, her mother went home togive birth. (We can forgive her that—and still call her a native Valley girl.)“At that time Mercedes was the biggest,busiest city in the upper Valley,” Normatold me. “It was not easy to go fromtown to town in the Valley back then.To leave Mercedes, one had to cross atwo-lane wooden bridge with a flood-way under it, and when it rained, thebridge would flood and it was veryscary.”

“My folks moved to McAllen in1925,” she continued. “The city ofMcAllen was not incorporated until1911, and it really wasn’t much at thetime. My brother, David, was born inthe McAllen Municipal Hospital, whichwas just a little wooden building. Laterit was used for the nurses in training, itremained beside the larger hospital afterit was built.”

The Temple was in Mercedes at thattime, and the Jewish families inMcAllen had to drive their children toMercedes for Sunday school. Later,after she married and had her first child,Norma, who hated driving to Mercedeson the scary roads, coaxed her fatherinto starting a drive with Sam Lack andMax Lutz to build Temple Emanuel inMcAllen. (It’s now the only Temple inthe upper Valley.)

“After the move to McAllen, myfather opened the Man’s Shop here,”Norma said. “It is still run by mybrother, David. In addition, all mymother’s siblings had men’s shopsaround the upper Valley. One of myuncles owned the Harlingen Man’sShop and the other opened Levine’s

Man’s Shop in Weslaco (which is nowowned by his cousin.) Mike’s ManShop in Mission was opened by mymother’s sister’s husband, Mike Fallek,and was later operated by his son, Larry.(Mr. Baum remained in Mercedes withBaum’s Men’s Wear and eventuallyadded stores in Harlingen andMcAllen.)

“In the beginning, we lived at 7thand Gumwood, which was out of thecity limits. It was the last paved street;we even had a horse,” she reminisced.“Some of our neighbors includedNapper David (later a McAllen mayor),the Whighams, the Rawls, theCrawfords and the Ruckers.

“I attended Wilson Elementary,Lamar Junior High, and graduated fromMcAllen High after completing my 11thyear—we didn’t have a 12th year backthen. In the early days, McHi waslocated downtown on the property nowoccupied by Chase Bank, the JuniorHigh was next to it, and the stadiumbehind it. Nobody had cars then andthere were no buses, so we walked toschool.

“Later, our family moved toKendlewood Avenue. Some of ourneighbors included the Lacks, theThackers, the Rawls, the Bonneaus, andthe Barthels. After they built LamarJunior High, the mothers took turnsdriving the neighborhood children toschool when it rained because therewere no paved streets or sidewalksleading to the school and they didn’twant their children to walk through themud.

“The main excitement for earlyteens,” she continued, “was to sit in thecar on Main Street, watch people walkby and listen to the Lucky Strike hitparade on the car radio. Main Streetwas about two blocks long, and itcontained two movie theatres (theQueen and the Palace), various little



stores, and Gaston Wiley’s restaurant,where he developed the glaze for freshstrawberry pie.

“Later, when we began to date, wecould go to: Eddie’s Covered Wagon(which had both an inside and outsidedance floor), a movie, or a party atsomeone’s home. The high schoolsororities, the Tip Top and Sub Debclubs, had parties and hayrides. In thesummer, we went to swimming partiesand had picnics at Cascade Pool, andthe big parties (including graduation andweddings), took place at the Casa DePalmas Hotel. Everybody went to thefootball games. A tiny library, locatedin the basement of the bandstand atArcher Park, was opened.”

After graduating from McHi in 1941,Norma packed that steamer trunk andtook off for the University of Texas atAustin. “The war broke out my firstyear in college,” she said. While shewas in Austin, Norma met Louis Alberton a blind date. Before the war, he wasa practicing optometrist who closed hisoffice to join the war effort. Louis wasstationed in the Air Force NavigationalUnit in San Marcos where he practicedin the “Ear, Eye, Nose and Throat”medical unit. Norma’s sorority sisterwas dating Louis’s roommate, and shewanted them to meet. Because therewas no Temple in San Marcos, theJewish boys were taken to Austin forweekly services.

“It was my turn to serve after theservice,” Norma said, “and so we wereintroduced and went out afterwards.After we dated five months, we gotmarried and settled in Lockhart. Thatwas quite a town then! They did notknow a war was going on!

“When the war was over, Dadoffered Louis a job here,” she contin-ued, “and we decided to move toMcAllen. Louis never practicedoptometry again.” As the years wentby, the Alberts brought three wonderfulchildren into the world. Marsha wasborn in Austin, and Ronnie and Sharonwere born in McAllen.

“I have three children, three grand-

children, and three great-grandchil-dren,” Norma quipped. TheWestermans and the Alberts built homesnext door to one another on NyssaStreet. It worked great. In the earlyyears, Mrs. Westerman could help withthe children when Norma entertained,and later, Norma was handy to take careof her aging parents (her mother passedaway at 80, but her father lived to 95.That means Norma has great genes!)Nowadays, Norma’s son, Ronnie, livesin the house next door, barbecues theirdinner almost every night, helps withher home repairs, and thoughtfullyescorts her about town.

After working for Mr. Westermanfor several years, Louis decided to openhis own store, Louis Albert’s Men’sStore, and after the children were all inschool, Norma went to work part-timehelping in the store. Not too longfollowing their 50th wedding anniver-sary, Louis passed away after a longillness. (Always energetic and fun,Louis didn’t want his friends to know hewas sick, so Norma helped him hide hisillness while he continued to play golf,hunt, ski, travel and be “the life of everyparty” right up to the end.) Everybodyin McAllen loved to be around LouisAlbert!

As a young matron, Norma devotedmany hours to the Temple. She was oneof the original members of the Sister-hood of Temple Emanuel which wasstarted by her mother in 1948. Workingwith the Council of Jewish Women, sheraised money for the March of Dimes(which focused on the polio epidemicthen) and volunteered at the CrippledChildren’s Center in Pharr. They alsohad holiday parties for the little patientsthere. Norma has also served asPresident of the Sisterhood and ofHadassah, and today she is on the Boardof the Texas Jewish Historical Society.

For 25 years, Norma served on theSalvation Army board, chairing it forseveral years. No longer on the board,she said, “I felt that I should make roomfor new blood—that we needed aturnover of membership.” A foundingmember of the McAllen Hospital

Auxiliary (now McAllen MedicalCenter), she served as its President andstarted its Life Membership program.“The Hospital Auxiliary is still one ofmy favorite activities,” she said. “Weearn over $100,000 a year, and we giveit away in nursing scholarships and toother charities, such as Make-A-Wishfoundation—last year we sponsored twochildren for them.”

A founding member of the McAllenInternational Museum’s Guild, Normaset up a Life Membership program therealso, served as its President, and is stillactive as the organization’s treasurer.She has also served as President of, andcontinues activities in, the Vesta StudyClub, and she is a former member andPresident of the McAllen Child StudyClub. Those memberships involved herin the McAllen Federation of Women’sClubs, which had a building then wherethe member clubs could meet. It waslocated on the corner of Pecan and 2ndStreets. A past president of the Federa-tion, Norma still sits on the President’sCouncil of the McAllen Federation. Inthe meantime, she served on theMcAllen Board of the American CancerSociety. She was in charge of theService Committee, which provideddressings and a loan closet of medicalequipment for cancer patients.

Recently, she joined the Pan Ameri-can Round Table. However, theMcAllen Orchid Society is Norma’sfavorite activity at present. “They meeton the first Sunday of every month atthe McAllen Memorial Library, andmeetings are open to anyone who has adesire to grow, study, and raise or-chids,” she said. They have greatspeakers, and Dr. Bob Ferry is theirdirector. “He does wonderful things forthe members,” she commented. “Forinstance, he recently gave the memberstwo plants each to take home, care for,and compare notes on their progress.He’s always willing to help you anyway he can.” Her hobby has grown tothe cultivation of over fifty orchidplants—in the house, in the yard, in herlittle hot-house (warmed by a hot tub—

Albert, continued from page 18



Albert, continued from page 19

of the Texas State Finance Com-mission in Austin. The staffmember asked for the board’sapproval to fire a long time em-ployee. My dad asked how longthe man had been there, when washe due to retire and what was thereason they were being asked tovote on his dismissal. After thegentleman responded, dad said:“You’re asking to fire someonewho is due to retire in 90 days andI think your reason is more foryour convenience than necessity.Therefore, you do not have myvote.” I heard this story from thepresident of a large Houston bank,also a board member. After themeeting he commented to my dad,“Abe, I have a lot of respect for


Philo, continued from page 17

script collection #253, AmericanJewish Archives. The concert programmentions Isidor [sic] Philo singing asong by Mendelssohn and recitinglines from Spartacus and JuliusCaesar; Mr. Joseph Philo playingviolin; Master Harry Philo, age eight,performing a comic Irish song; andDr. S. Philo singing songs by Schubertand Meyerbeer.

6 Southwest Jewish Sentiment, Dec.10, 1901.

7 Southwest Jewish Sentiment, Jan24, 1902.

8 Southwest Jewish Sentiment, Dec.27, 1901.

9 Beth-El Congregation, Fort Worth,Texas: 70 th Anniversary, 1902-1972,5662-5732, self-published, FortWorth, TX., p. 18.

10 The Reform Advocate, “History ofthe Jews of Fort Worth,” Mrs. Flora(Weltman) Schiff, Jan. 24, 1914, pp.1-12.

11 “Biographical Sketches of Rabbisand Cantors Officiating in the UnitedStates,” American Jewish Yearbook,1903-1904, p. 87.

12 Ibid.13 Ibid., p. 86.14 Kendall, Jonathan P., “Philo: A

Biography,” Rabbinical thesis,Hebrew Union College-Jewish Insti-tute of Religion, 1974.

15 Ibid., p. 5.16 Ann Philo Kendall, telephone

interview with Hollace Ava Weiner,December 12, 2001.

17 New York Times, Aug. 18, 1923, p.9 col. 7; Aug. 19, 1923, p. 26 col. 7;Aug. 20, 1923, p. 11, col. 4.

NOTE:If you know of any TJHS members who have passed away or mar-

ried, requiring a change in membership status, please notify:Fay Brachman, 3720 Autumn Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76109

Phone: 817-924-9207, E-mail: [email protected]

you can soak and luxuriate whileobserving the orchids.) Some arehers and some are “foster plants” sheis keeping safe in her shady environ-ment for Dr. Ferry and some othermembers.

This new hobby has basicallyreplaced the old one—the cultivationof African violets. At one time shehad over 500. “They’re a lot ofwork,” she confided, “so I don’tgrow so many now—orchids are lessdemanding.” Actually, Norma’sbackyard is a wonderland of gianttrees that orchids have been tied to,blooming shrubs, and a fruit orchard,including grapefruit, orange, tanger-ine, lemon, banana, plum, and twomango trees. “I’ve had mangos thatweighed as much as two pounds,”she said. (I’m so jealous!)

When she’s not keeping McAllenmoving forward through hervolunteerism, or tending to herorchard and gardens, Norma enjoysspending time with her miniatureschnauzer, Mitzi. Mitzi is 11, doesn’tlike babies or other dogs, and doesn’twant to go outside unless Normagoes, too.

Most of her cooking nowadaysinvolves “side dishes” to go withRonnie’s barbecue. For busy cooks,Norma has provided an easy rice dishyou can whip up to complement agreat main course. Enjoy, and begrateful that our community was builtby the entrepreneurship andvolunteerism of wonderful familieslike the Westermans and Alberts.

Onion RiceIngredients:

1 cup rice1 package onion soup mix

(Lipton’s)2 cups water1/2 to 1 stick butter

Directions: Mix in 2-quart casseroledish. Cover and bake in a 350 degreeoven for 1 hour. Enjoy!

you. You speak your mind and are aman of integrity.” To which my fatherreplied, “I sleep well at night.”

Did he have any bad habits orfaults? One in particular. He couldnever remember names, including hisdaughters’. I once walked into hisMcAllen office where he was convers-ing with 3 men. He said. “Fellas, I’dlike you to meet my daughter – Annette,Carol , Sharon.” I laughed and said “it’sa good thing you’ve only got three!”

But his genuine love of people andthe United States, in particular, madehim someone quite extraordinary. Hepossessed the sensitivity necessary toperceive a need and act on that need ifhe could. He emulated this quotefrom the Talmud “The giver whogives, without being asked, will bethrice blessed.”


Texas Jewish Historical Society 2001-2002

Officers

Jack Gerrick (Fort Worth) ..................................................................PresidentCharles Hart (Temple) ............................................................... Vice-PresidentMitzi Milstein (Longview) ........................................................ Vice-PresidentCynthia Wolf (Beaumont) ......................................................... Vice-PresidentBen Pfeffer (Houston) .......................................................................TreasurerVickie Vogel (La Grange) ................................................Recording SecretaryBeverly Beck (Houston) ........................................... Corresponding SecretaryMarvin Rich (Houston) ........................................................... ParliamentarianBlanche Sheiness (Houston) ...............................................................HistorianHoward Lackman (Arlington) ............................................................ Archivist

Board Members 2001-2003Elaine Albin (Rockport)Dorothy Borschow (El Paso)Roy Elsner (Odessa)Dorothy Harelik (Hamilton)Ruth Heidenheimer (Cisco)Leo Hoffman (Dallas)Rosalind Horwitz (Beaumont)Ed Katten (Waco)Sylvia Gayle Klein (McAllen)Sherman Kusin (Austin)

Annette Lackman (Arlington)Marvin Leshin (Corpus Christi)Selma Mantel (Houston)R. D. Moses (Fort Worth)Louis Pink (Houston)Nancy Polunsky (San Angelo)Ralph Robinowitz (Dallas)Don Schlossberg (The Woodlands)Merilee Weiner (Houston)Sherry Zander (Dallas)

Board Members 2000-2002Norma Albert (McAllen)James Alexander (Dallas)Doris Epstein (Laredo)Walter Fein (San Antonio)Buddy Freed (Fort Worth)Ima Joy Gandler (Waco)Mickey Graubart (Houston)Kay Goldman (College Station)Dave Hoff (Midland)Goldye Levi (Dallas)

Patti Maltz (Austin)Rusty Milstein (Longview)Cynthia Mondell (Dallas)Herman Morris (Fort Worth)Berta Schlesinger (McAllen)Louis Sokol (Houston)Max Stool (Del Rio/San Antonio)Mimi Toubin (Brenham)Hollace Weiner (Fort Worth)Edward Winkler (Fort Stockton)


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