From Temple to Theater: How a Historic Synagogue Became a Symbol Of Resilience

By Elias Lilienfeld Univeristy of Houston Journalism Major and Houston Hillel’s Israel intern A couple of years ago, during the warm weather of Houston’s fall, I was walking to a class at Houston Community College Central Campus. On my way to class, I noticed that the building next to where I was having class was different from those around me. It looked older and I was surprised to find some Jewish motifs on its walls. The menorahs and Stars of David on the faade were surprising. I remember calling my mom and telling her that the theater at HCC looked like an old synagogue. What was an old Jewish building doing in the middle of a community college campus? As a Bolivian Jew studying Houston, I was unfamiliar with the Jewish history of the city and the state. Eager to learn more, I took note of the name displayed on the front facade of the theater, Temple Beth Israel. A Houstonian Jewish history Congregation Beth Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Texas, established in 1854. In the 1830s, due to the severe persecution that Jews faced in Europe, thousands of Jewish families moved to America, and many of them settled in Houston. With a Jewish community expanding, Congregation Beth Israel erected its first temple on Franklin Street in the Second Ward in 1874, 29 years after Texas achieved statehood. Eventually, the Jewish population became even larger and more prominent in the city, with people like Haskel and Abe Levy, founders of Levy Brothers one of Houston's first department stores that at its height employed over 400 people and was one of the biggest in the Southern states. Another prominent figure was Rabbi Barnston, a British-born rabbi that founded what would become the Houston Symphony Orchestra and the Houston Art Museum. With Jewish life thriving in the city, the need for a new, bigger temple arose. The congregation commissioned the design and construction of the new temple to Joseph Finger, an Austrian Jewish immigrant who had one of the most successful architecture firms in the city in the early 20th century. Among Finger’s works were many distinguished buildings such as the Harris County Courthouse, Houston City Hall, Houston Municipal Airport Terminal, and more. His design for the new temple was a proto-modern design which he described as having Greek and Egyptian influences. This new building was finished in 1924, located at Holman and Austin Streets, what is now the Houston Community College central campus. Schlueter, F. (1930s). Temple Beth Israel, https://www.curioushistonian.com/temple-beth-israel/ Preserving the Legacy After 100 years of its inauguration, Joseph Finger’s building is still standing. But its survival after all these years is not due to pure chance. In 1967, the building was passed on to the Houston Independent School District. In 1982, HCC completed the transformation of the temple into what is now the Heinen Theater. In 1984, the hero of the story appears, Carol Marke. A native Houstonian, Marke had attended the religious services at the temple and graduated high school in the same lot when HISD purchased the temple and the adjacent buildings (also designed by Finger) in what was the first integrated high school in the city. While taking photography classes, Marke thought of shooting the beautiful old temple where she used to hang out during the high holidays with his family. During her visit to the now Heinen Theater, she found out that HCC was planning on defacing the building and making it look more similar to the other buildings around campus. She was furious. Not only was the college destroying the building where she had had so many memories, but also a part of the city’s heritage. All because the architect hired by the HISD/HCC board wanted to make the campus more architecturally coherent. Marke embarked on a journey to preserve the legacy of the temple. After many meetings and phone calls with different non-governmental organizations as well as government agencies, she was able to gain support from 20 different institutions. With the backing of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, the National Council of Jewish Women, the American Institute of Architects, and more, Marke faced the board of HISD/HCC that was having a hearing before deciding on rebuilding the temple into a theater. State Designation When Marke started her fight to preserve the temple, she found out that the building was already on the National Register of Historic Places. It was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places by Ann Marie Malden, president of Save the Arts, Restore, inc. Interestingly, the nomination was objected to by the General Superintendent of HISD, Dr. Billy R. Reagan, but nevertheless was approved. Despite its designation as a national historic site, Marke found out that HISD/HCC could still decide to modify the building. The temple needed to have a state designation in order to protect its integrity, despite the owners wishes. After what she called “a sleepless night” Marke faced the Board and was able to convince them to protect and preserve the temple. The building is now designated as a Texas Historical Site and cannot be defaced. A great victory for an unrelenting Jewish woman trying to preserve the heritage not of only of her family, but of the entire country. In a Houston Review article published in 2006, Marke wrote the following, “This landmark stands as a reminder that as temples in Europe were being destroyed and millions of Jews were being murdered, we Americans prospered and worshipped in freedom. This building is a monument to the liberty of all Americans and a reminder of the importance of preserving structures that symbolize that liberty.” Plaque by the US Department of Interior denominating the Temple Beth Israel as a National Historic Place Plaque marking Temple Beth Israel as a Texas Historic Landmark Standing Strong Carol Marke has become a personal hero of mine. She took it upon herself to preserve the temple’s legacy and achieved her objective. Her tenacity in mobilizing support from various institutions serves as an inspiration. This made me realize how easy it is to overlook the history that surrounds us. As a Jewish student facing the growing antisemitism everywhere I go (especially in school), I find the story of the Temple Beth Israel as an example of resilience. Just like the Kotel, the last remaining wall of the Second Temple which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE and still stands as a symbol of Jewish perseverance, Temple Beth Israel now represents the perseverance of Jewish life in the new world. Carol Marke’s efforts mirror the endurance of the Jewish people despite facing tremendous adversity throughout history. The story of Temple Beth Israel now stands as a symbol of the resilience of Houston’s Jewish community. It serves as a reminder that Jews have been part of the history of this marvelous city and that America has been a haven for Jews since its inception. What is now the Heinen Theater stands as a heritage of the state and country, and as such it needs to be safeguarded. For me, this story is not just about architecture or history—it is about the power of memory, identity, and the determination to stand strong, even when confronted with forces that seek to erase or undermine us. I can’t wait to call my mom and tell her the story of the old synagogue-looking building I encountered while taking classes at HCC! Sources: Temple Beth Israel Dominican Excellence. Houston History Magazine, Mar. 2014, https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Temple-Beth-Israel-Domincan-excellence.pdf. Temple Beth Israel: National Register of Historic Places Nomination. Texas Historical Commission, 2007, https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/NR/pdfs/84001826/84001826.pdf. "Heinen Theatre." Houston Community College, Houston Community College, https://www.hccs.edu/locations/central-college/central-campus/heinen-theatre/. "About Us." Congregation Beth Israel, https://www.beth-israel.org/about-us/. Houston Landmarks. City of Houston, https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres/landmarks.html. Temple Beth Israel: Historic Landmark Details. Texas Historical Commission, https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details?fn=print&atlasnumber=5507014339. "Henry Barnston." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Barnston. "Levy Bros Dry Goods Co." Curious Historian, https://www.curioushistonian.com/levy-bros-dry-goods-co/. Texas Historical Commission. Texas Historical Commission, https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/.: “Congregation Beth Israel, Houston." Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/congregation-beth-israel-houston.

UT Hillel internship program increases student engagement

Texas Hillel is committed to engaging students so they form strong connections with other Jewish students, and they can discover their own Jewish identities. With this goal in mind, staff works every day reaching out to students and building meaningful relationships....

Prospective Jewish Aggies invited to open house

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – For the sixth year in a row, the Texas A&M Jewish community invites high school students to visit College Station during Aggie Jewish Open House. Scheduled for Friday, Feb. 10, through Saturday, Feb, 11, Aggie Jewish Open House is an opportunity for prospective students to experience the warm, welcoming family that is the Texas A&M Jewish community. Students arrive on Friday afternoon and meet their host students. Friday evening includes concurrent Shabbat services at Hillel and Chabad, followed by a community Shabbat dinner at Chabad. Aggie Jewish Open House coincides with the university’s massive open house, Aggieland Saturday, so prospective students can take tours of campus and dorms, visit libraries and computer labs and see what Texas A&M has to offer. At Aggieland Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 11, students also can learn more about Texas A&M’s colleges and majors, get information about admission and obtain financial aid and scholarship information. Following Aggieland Saturday, there are panels of student leaders and Jewish faculty to answer questions about Jewish life at Texas A&M. Saturday evening includes a Havdalah service, followed by dinner together at Hillel. For more information and registration for Aggie Jewish Open House, visit aggiejewishopenhouse.com. If you can’t make the open house but are interested in Texas A&M Jewish life, visit tamuhillel.org and jewishaggies.com and contact Rabbi Matt Rosenberg at Hillel ( [emailprotected] ) and Rabbi Yossi Lazaroff at Chabad ( [emailprotected] r).

Houston Hillel has new student board

As the current academic year draws to a close, Houston Hillel welcomes a new group of student leaders to guide Houston Hillel during the next 12 months. Houston Hillel’s student board is made up of students from many of the campuses served by Rabbi Kenny Weiss and Zoe Goldberg, Houston Hillel’s director of undergraduate engagement. The student board will gather in the coming weeks to schedule major programs for the coming year and discuss strategies for reaching out to Jewish students and involving them in Jewish campus life. This year, Rice and UH students elected co-presidents from each university. At the University of Houston, Ayala Huber and Michael Scheinthal will lead Hillel; and, at Rice University, Lawrence Harari and Talia Liu will serve as presidents. All four will be full voting members of Houston Hillel’s board of directors. Harari said, “I am very excited to serve as Rice Hillel’s co-president for the 2016-2017 year. Having served as vice president of engagement for this past year, I look forward to continue encouraging all Jewish students to come to Hillel events. I plan on working with the rest of the board to ensure our events are fun and engaging for all Jewish students at Rice.” Liu added, “I’ve made friends with so many great people through Hillel that I otherwise would have never met. After a full week of schoolwork, it is always so nice to come to Hillel events at the end of the week to destress and socialize with friends who all share a common bond of being Jewish. As co-president of Rice University’s Hillel, I’m really looking forward to welcoming and engaging with other Jewish students, especially new students. I want them to know that I’m not just there as another Jewish student on campus, but that I want to be a friend of theirs that they can count on.” Huber said, “Over this past year, Hillel has greatly impacted my involvement with Jewish life on campus.I am excited to be able to help reach out to other Jews on campus and to have them be a part of this amazing organization. I also hope to be able to bring more programs to the public, so more people can be aware of the Jewish students on campus and what it means to be Jewish. I hope I can serve Houston Hillel well!” Scheinthal added, “I am so happy that I will serve as president of Hillel this fall. It means a great deal that I will lead an organization that has been so influential throughout my college career. I am looking forward to guiding incoming Jewish students to Hillel, with the hope that Hillel can be as meaningful for them as it continues to be for me.” Goldberg said of the new student board, “It’s always exciting when a new and terrific group of student leaders becomes involved. The fall calendar is packed with a great variety of student-organized events on the various campuses, at Houston Hillel and in the greater community.” Joining the four presidents are UH vice president of communications, Galia Weber (UH) and, Matt Schwartz (Rice); vice presidents of engagement Gal Bengal, David Enav and Holly Hunter (UH); and Arthur Belkin, Becca Federman and Jack Kaplan (Rice); and general board members, Manuel Croitoru, Sharon Ghelman, Jessica Hartz, Annie Nordhauser, Michael Portal, Jeremy Reiskind and Leah Sherman. Also on Houston Hillel’s student board is Sam Houston State University student Katie Goodman. For more information about Houston Hillel’s activities, contact Rabbi Kenny Weiss at 713-526-4918.

UT White Rose Society honors Holocaust victims, hosts survivor Max Glauben

On April 6, the White Rose Society at The University of Texas at Austin hosted a time-honored tradition. More than 350 student volunteers worked to prepare and distribute 10,000 white roses throughout campus to commemorate 10,000 individuals who died in Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust. For 12 years, The White Rose Society at UT has engaged thousands of students, organizations and university staff members in an effort to remember the Holocaust and prevent future atrocities. Tied to each white rose was a note that raised awareness about the Holocaust and genocide prevention and promoted the evening speaker, Holocaust survivor Max Glauben....