"Lone Stars of David" authors hit the road to discuss Texas Jewish History
The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life is pleased to announce a four city Texas tour for its Southern States Jewish Literary Series featuring contributors and the co-editor of Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas. Hollace Weiner, who co-edited the collection and wrote four of its essays, will discuss the challenge of pulling together an anthology on the history of Jews in Texas. Dr. Stuart Rockoff will discuss his essay, "Deep in the Heart of Palestine," which uncovers a long forgotten history of a strong, early Zionist movement in Texas. The scholars will be appearing in Wichita Falls, Dallas, Waco, and Houston between May 8th and 14th.
Jewish life in the United States is often told from an East Coast perspective. The new book Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas presents a different panorama, with stories of Jews who ventured to Texas before the battle of the Alamo, who fought for the Confederacy, who herded cattle up the Chisolm Trail, who drilled for oil, and who forged Jewish communities far from New York's Lower East Side. Written by historians, journalists, and rabbis who have experienced Texas firsthand, these essays often challenge conventional wisdom and reflect the resiliency, diversity, and adaptability of Jews in the Lone Star State.
Weiner and Rockoff will speak at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU on May 8 at 7 pm. On May 9th, Rockoff will be the Pollman Lecture Series speaker at the annual meeting of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society at the Jewish Community Center in Dallas at 7:30 pm. On May 10th, Weiner and Rockoff will speak at Temple Rodeph Shalom in Waco at 7:30 pm. On May 14th, they will be joined by Dr. Bryan Stone at the Houston Jewish Community Center at 8 pm. Stone will discuss the disputed phenomenon of "crypto-Jews" and the difficulty of identifying the first Jews in Texas. Rockoff will explore the "Basic Principles" controversy which split the state's oldest congregation, Houston's Beth Israel, and led to the formation of Congregation Emanu El in 1944. Beginning at 7:30, the Best Little Klezmer Band in Texas will perform during a reception before the program in Houston. All events are free and open to the public.
Hollace Ava Weiner, a journalist enjoying a second career as a southern Jewish historian, moved to Texas in 1977. Her first book, Jewish Stars in Texas, is a study of important Texas rabbis. Texas-native Stuart Rockoff, who earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, is director of the history department at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, where he works to preserve and document the history of southern Jews. Bryan Stone completed his Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and is an assistant professor of history at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi.
The Goldring/Woldenberg has its roots in the work of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. The organization is dedicated to providing educational and rabbinic resources to small Jewish communities, documenting and preserving the rich history of the southern Jewish experience, and promoting Jewish cultural programs throughout a twelve-state region, including the Southern States Jewish Literary Series. The tour is being co-sponsored by the Texas Jewish Historical Society. This program is supported in part with a grant from HumanitiesTexas, the state partner of the National Endowment of the Humanities. Other co-sponsors include the Dallas Jewish Historical Society, the Jewish Community Council of Waco, the Jewish Community Center of Houston, Congregation House of Jacob, and the Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation. The program is part of the national celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend the presentation. For further information, contact the Institute of Southern Jewish Life at (601) 362-6357 or contact the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU at (940) 692-0923.