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SITE TOPICS INDEX
An alphabetical index of every person, organization, event, place, concept, and document referenced on the GAJHS website — with direct links to where each topic appears.
198 topics indexed across 24 letters
A
Accessibility Statement — GAJHS website commitment to WCAG 2.1 AA standards
ADL (Anti-Defamation League) — Founded 1906; tracked ~10,000 antisemitic incidents in year after October 7
After God (book) — By Mark C. Taylor, University of Chicago Press, 2007
Agudas Achim, Congregation — Founded 1914 to serve Eastern European Jews; Bull Creek Road synagogue built 1963
Alamo, Battle of (1836) — Avram Wolf died at the Alamo — an early Jewish Texan
American Jewish Committee — Founded 1906; major national Jewish advocacy organization
American Judaism: A History (book) — By Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna; foundational text on American Jewish history
Antisemitism — Historical and contemporary antisemitism in America, including Henry Ford, Father Coughlin, Charlottesville, and post-October 7 data
Antisemitism in America (book) — By Leonard Dinnerstein, 1994
Antisemitism, An American Tradition (book) — By Pamela S. Nadel, 2025
Architecture and Planning Library (UT Austin) — Home to John S. Chase Collection; part of UT Libraries system
Archival Resources — Local and regional repositories for Austin Jewish history research
Austin Area Eruv — Eruv completed 2023, marking a milestone for Austin's Orthodox community
Austin History Center — Located at 810 Guadalupe, Austin TX 78701; home of the Austin Jewish Community Archive (est. 2017)
Austin Jewish Community Archive — Established 2017 at Austin History Center; primary repository for Austin Jewish history
Austin Jewish Film Festival — Established 2012; reflects cultural growth of Austin Jewish community
Austin Jewish History Jeopardy — Interactive Google Slides Jeopardy game covering Austin Jewish history
Austin Lodge of B'nai B'rith (1875) — City's first permanent Jewish organization, founded 1875
Avram Wolf — Died at the Battle of the Alamo (San Antonio, 1836); an early Jewish Texan
B
B'nai Abraham Synagogue — Historic synagogue built in Brenham, TX (1893); relocated to Shalom Austin campus 2015
B'nai B'rith, Austin Lodge (1875) — First permanent Jewish organization in Austin
B'nai Shalom, Congregation — Early Austin Jewish congregation, founded 1874
BBYO — B'nai B'rith Youth Organization; established Austin chapter 1952
Bell, Dr. Dean P. — President & CEO of Spertus Institute; delivered 2026 LTAJE lecture on interreligious engagement
Beth Israel Cemetery No. 2 — Historic Jewish cemetery in Austin; featured in header slideshow
Beth Israel, Congregation — Austin's first enduring synagogue, founded 1876; original building at 11th & San Jacinto (1884); relocated to Shoal Creek Blvd 1962; arson attack 2021
Beth Shalom, Congregation — Conservative synagogue established in Austin, 1981
Bifurcation of American Jewry — Dr. Sarna's analysis of the religious, educational, and marital split within American Jewry
Board of Directors, GAJHS — Jeff Cohen (President), Rachel Union (Vice President), Barry Silverberg (Secretary & Treasurer)
Brandeis University — Home institution of Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna, Professor of American Jewish History
Brenham, Texas — Original home of B'nai Abraham Synagogue before its 2015 relocation to Austin
Brodkin, Karen — Author of How Jews Became White Folks; cited in Bell lecture on Jewish assimilation
Building a Thriving Jewish Community (proposal) — 1996 community proposal that led to the Dell Jewish Community Campus
Bull Creek Road — Location of Congregation Agudas Achim synagogue, built 1963
C
Chabad — Reported 40% increase in attendees post-October 7; present in Austin Jewish community
Charlottesville Rally (2017) — "Jews will not replace us" chants; cited as modern antisemitic incident
Civil Judaism — Concept of shared Jewish identity beyond religious practice
Cohen, Jeff — President of GAJHS; member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Coleman, Peter — Columbia political scientist; author of The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization (2021)
College of Charleston Libraries — Source for the 1884 Congregation Beth Israel synagogue photograph
Colleyville, TX Hostage Situation (2022) — January 15, 2022 attack at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations — National umbrella organization for Jewish community relations
Consolidation of World Jewry — Dr. Sarna's theme: by 2024, US + Israel = 90% of world Jewry
Cornille, Catherine — Author of The Im-possibility of Interreligious Dialogue (Crossroad, 2008) and editor of The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue
Coughlin, Father Charles — Inter-war radio priest; portrayed Jews as both financiers and Communists; received Nazi payments
Council of Jewish Women — Established in Austin, 1921
Cullick, Robert — Author of the October 2019 Jewish Outlook article on GAJHS
D
De Cordova, Phineas — First documented Jewish record in Austin, 1849
Dearborn Independent — Henry Ford's newspaper; cited the Protocols of the Elders of Zion; called international Jews "the world's foremost problem"
Dell Jewish Community Campus — Property acquired on Hart Lane, NW Austin (1993); campus opened 2000; major expansion 2023
Dell, Michael — Austin entrepreneur; started PC upgrade kits from UT dorm room, 1984
Demographics, Austin Jewish — Population data: ~200 (1907) → ~500 (1920) → 10,000–12,000 (2000) → 25,000–30,000 (2024)
Dialogue with the Other (book) — By David Tracy, Peeters Press, 1991; cited in Bell lecture
Dinnerstein, Leonard — Historian; author of Antisemitism in America (1994)
Dochen, Sam and Celia — Sam was a merchant in Austin in the 1920s and helped establish Congregation Agudas Achim; featured in header slideshow
Dochen, Sandy — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History — UT Austin research center; part of archival resources for Austin Jewish history
Dutch West India Company — Overruled Peter Stuyvesant and permitted Jews to remain in New Amsterdam (1656)
E
Eck, Diana — Harvard religious pluralism scholar; referenced in Bell lecture
Elijah Interfaith Institute — International interfaith organization; referenced in Bell lecture resources
Everson v. Board of Education (1947) — U.S. Supreme Court case on separation of church and state and religious liberty
F
Family Heritage Preservation — Oral history and artifact documentation; Week 4 of the TJAHM Challenge
Fine Arts Library (UT Austin) — UT Austin library; part of archival resource network
Ford, Henry — Published the Dearborn Independent; major source of interwar antisemitism in America
Friends of Israel — Austin Jewish organization founded 1893
Fryer, Lauren — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
G
GAJHS (Greater Austin Jewish Historical Society) — Founded to discover, preserve, and interpret Austin and American Jewish experience; 501(c)(3) approved April 1, 2025
Galveston Movement — Early 20th-century immigration program that routed Eastern European Jews through Galveston, TX
Galveston, Texas — Jewish Immigration (1907) — Major entry point for Jewish immigrants to America in the early 20th century; 1907 photo featured in header slideshow
George Washington Letter to Hebrew Congregation of Newport (1790) — Landmark document affirming religious liberty for Jews in America; "to bigotry no sanction"
H
Hamas Attacks, October 7, 2023 — 1,000+ killed, ~250 taken hostage, 364 killed at music festival; transformative event for American Jewry
Harmony Club — Austin Jewish social organization, founded 1906
Harry Ransom Center (UT Austin) — Humanities research library and museum at UT Austin; archival resource
Haskins, Alachua — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Hebrew Benevolent Association — Austin Jewish organization founded 1872; among the earliest Jewish organizations in Austin
Hersh, Eitan — Tufts University researcher on Jewish identity and college campus antisemitism
Hillel Foundation at University of Texas — Established at UT Austin in 1927; highest engagement numbers in history post-October 7
Hillel International — Campus-based Jewish organization; reported record engagement post-October 7
Hirsch, Emil C. — Chicago Reform rabbi; participant in the 1893 World's Fair Parliament of Religions
Hogue, Michael S. — Meadville Lombard scholar; co-author with Dr. Dean Bell of Interreligious Resilience (2022)
Houston's Congregation Beth Israel — Oldest Jewish congregation in Texas; opened before Civil War (1850)
How Jews Became White Folks (book) — By Karen Brodkin; examines Jewish assimilation into American whiteness
I
IBM Relocation to Austin (1995) — 900 IBM employees relocated from Boca Raton, FL; significantly grew Austin Jewish community
Interfaith America — National interfaith leadership organization; referenced in Bell lecture resources
Interfaith Leadership: A Primer (book) — By Eboo Patel, Beacon Press, 2016
Intermarriage Statistics — Non-Orthodox intermarriage rate rose from 18% (pre-1980) to 72% (2010–2020)
Interreligious Engagement — Central theme of Dr. Bell's 2026 LTAJE lecture; includes toleration, tolerance, and pluralism
Interreligious Resilience (book) — By Dean Bell and Michael S. Hogue, Bloomsbury, 2022
The Intra-Religious Dialogue (book) — By Raimon Panikkar, Paulist Press, 1999; cited in Bell lecture
IRS Determination Letter / 501(c)(3) — GAJHS received charitable tax-exempt status from the IRS on April 1, 2025
J
Jefferson, Thomas — Secretary of State; visited Newport, Rhode Island in 1790 alongside President Washington
Jewish Community Center (Austin) — Established in Austin, 1955
Jewish Community Council of Austin — Umbrella organization founded in Austin, 1939
Jewish Day Schools — Prizmah (Center for Jewish Day Schools) reported 60% of schools with new enrollment after October 7
Jewish Foundation of Austin and Central Texas — Established 2014; philanthropic arm of Austin Jewish community
Jewish Outlook Magazine — Shalom Austin publication; began 1981; October 2019 issue featured GAJHS article by Robert Cullick
Jewish Peoplehood — Concept of shared Jewish identity and collective responsibility
Jews of New Amsterdam (1654) — First Jews arrived in New Amsterdam fleeing Portuguese conquest of Brazil; Peter Stuyvesant tried to expel them
Johnson, Lyndon Baines — Vice President; had planned to dedicate a synagogue but event was delayed after JFK assassination
K
Keeper, Paul — CBI history expert; appeared with Rabbi Brian Leiken in Congregation Beth Israel history video (2026)
Kennedy, John F. — Assassination (1963) — Delayed planned synagogue dedication by Vice President Lyndon Johnson
Kol Halev, Congregation — Reconstructionist congregation; established in Austin, 2008
L
L'Dor V'dor — Hebrew phrase meaning "from generation to generation"; inscribed in GAJHS logo and central to GAJHS mission
Ladies Guild — Austin Jewish women's organization, founded 1915
Leiken, Rabbi Brian — Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, Austin; appeared with CBI history expert Paul Keeper in CBI history video (2026)
Lindbergh, Charles — Aviator; September 11, 1941 speech accused Jews of pressing America toward war
Lipshy, Ben — Co-founder of Zales Jewelry (Wichita Falls, 1924) with Morris Zale
Living the American Jewish Experience (LTAJE) — GAJHS lecture series hosted by Shalom Austin; features leading scholars of American Jewish history
M
Marcus, Herbert — Co-founder of Neiman Marcus (Dallas, 1907)
Mayyim Hayim — Boston mikvah that reported a 50% increase in conversions post-October 7
McKinney, James — Early Austin figure referenced in the Austin Jewish history timeline
Meadville Lombard — Unitarian Universalist theological school; affiliation of LTAJE co-author Michael S. Hogue
Menorah Society at University of Texas — Founded 1913 with approximately 30 Jewish students; early Jewish campus organization
Mission Statement (GAJHS) — "Discovering, preserving, and interpreting the Austin and American Jewish experience by providing resources, programs, and partnerships..."
Mutual Responsibility — Core value of GAJHS; Jewish concept of shared communal obligation
N
Nathan, Joy — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Neiman Marcus — Founded in Dallas, 1907 by Herbert Marcus, Carrie Neiman, and Abe Neiman; iconic Texas Jewish business
Neiman, Carrie — Co-founder of Neiman Marcus (Dallas, 1907)
Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection (UT Austin) — Major UT Austin library collection; part of archival resources network
Newport, Rhode Island (1790) — Site of President Washington's letter to the Hebrew Congregation affirming Jewish liberty
Nostra Aetate (1965) — Vatican II declaration on non-Christian religions; landmark shift in Catholic-Jewish relations
O
October 7, 2023 — Hamas Attacks — 1,000+ Israelis killed, ~250 taken hostage; transformative event for American and world Jewry
Oral History Project — GAJHS initiative to record and preserve personal Jewish heritage stories
Orthodox Jews — Approximately 9% of American Jewry; discussed in context of denominational bifurcation and intermarriage rates
P
Panikkar, Raimon — Author of The Intra-Religious Dialogue (Paulist Press, 1999)
Parliament of the World's Religions — Interfaith organization; 1893 World's Fair in Chicago was a landmark event; referenced in Bell lecture
Patel, Eboo — Author of Interfaith Leadership: A Primer (Beacon Press, 2016)
Perry-Castañeda Library (UT Austin) — Main general library at UT Austin; part of archival resources network
Pew Research Center — Published major studies on American Jews (2020) and religious knowledge/interfaith (2019, 2024)
Pickett, Allison — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Pittsburgh Platform (1885) — Foundational Reform Judaism document; cited in context of American Jewish denominationalism
Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting (2018) — Tree of Life Synagogue attack, October 27, 2018; 11 killed — deadliest antisemitic attack in US history
Pluralism, Religious — Core theme of Bell lecture; distinguished from mere toleration and tolerance
Pope John XXIII — Convened Vatican II; led to Nostra Aetate (1965) and transformed Catholic-Jewish relations
Pope Paul VI — Signed Nostra Aetate (1965); formalized Catholic shift in relation to Judaism
Poway Synagogue Shooting (2019) — April 27, 2019 attack at Congregation Chabad of Poway, California
Price, Carli — Author of "Roots & Legacy" article on Rachel Stern; Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Prizmah (Center for Jewish Day Schools) — Reported 60% of Jewish day schools with new enrollment post-October 7
Protocols of the Elders of Zion — Antisemitic forgery cited by Henry Ford's Dearborn Independent
R
Rebecca Samuels — Petersburg, Virginia Jewish woman; late 18th-century personal letters cited in Bell lecture as evidence of early American Jewish life
Reform Jews — Approximately 35% of American Jewry; discussed in context of denominational bifurcation
Religious Pluralism and Interreligious Theology (book) — By Perry Schmidt-Leukel, Orbis Books, 2017
Rodin, Judith — President of University of Pennsylvania and Rockefeller Foundation; referenced in Bell lecture
Rubin, Jay — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
S
Samuels, Rebecca — Petersburg, Virginia; late 18th-century Jewish woman whose letters document early American Jewish experience
San Antonio Holocaust Museum — Museum displaying artifacts of Holocaust survivors including Heinrich and Mathilde Stern's passports with Nazi-imposed "Israel" and "Sara" names and red "J" stamps
Sarna, Dr. Jonathan D. — Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University; delivered 2025 LTAJE lecture
Schmidt-Leukel, Perry — Author of Religious Pluralism and Interreligious Theology (Orbis, 2017)
Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies (UT Austin) — UT Austin center for Jewish studies; part of archival resources network
The Scourge and the Surge (lecture) — Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna's January 7, 2025 LTAJE lecture on post-October 7 American Jewry
Secure Community Network (SCN/SCAN) — Jewish security organization; created 2004 in response to growing antisemitism
Seinfeld, Jerry — Comedian; Seinfeld sitcom (1990s) referenced in context of Jewish cultural visibility in mainstream America
Seixas, Moses — Merchant of Newport, Rhode Island; his 1790 letter to President Washington prompted Washington's famous reply
Shalom Austin — Jewish community organization in Austin; hosts LTAJE lectures; located at Dell Jewish Community Campus
Sheftall Sheftall — Son of Mordecai Sheftall; referenced in Sarna lecture opening
Sheftall, Mordecai — Savannah, Georgia Jewish patriot; 1783 (Treaty of Paris era); quoted opening Dr. Sarna's lecture
Shoal Creek Boulevard — Location of Congregation Beth Israel's 1962 relocation in Austin
Silverberg, Barry — GAJHS Secretary & Treasurer; co-sponsor (with Marcia) of LTAJE lecture series; 2026 TJAHM Committee member
Silverberg, Carol — Chair of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Silverberg, Marcia — Co-sponsor (with Barry) of LTAJE lecture series
Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership — Chicago institution; home of Dr. Dean P. Bell, 2026 LTAJE speaker
Stern, George — Son of Holocaust survivors Heinrich and Mathilde Stern; OB-GYN; father of Rachel Stern; moved family from New York to San Antonio in 1974
Stern, Heinrich — Austrian Olympic soccer player; Rachel Stern's paternal grandfather; married Mathilde in 1939 to improve escape chances; Holocaust survivor who fled to USA via Italy
Stern, Mathilde — From Poland; Rachel Stern's paternal grandmother; married Heinrich in 1939 to improve escape chances; Holocaust survivor who fled to USA via Italy
Stern, Rachel — Incoming CEO of Shalom Austin; third-generation Holocaust survivor; holds three degrees from University of Missouri and HUC-JIR; former Director of Education at Goldring/Woldenberg Institute
Stuyvesant, Peter — Director-general of New Netherland (1647–1664); attempted to expel the first Jews from New Amsterdam in 1654
Surge, The — Jewish Revival — Dr. Sarna's fourth theme: post-October 7 surge in Jewish engagement, identity, and affiliation
Susswein, Gary — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee
Synagogue Beth Israel (1884 Building) — First Beth Israel building at 11th & San Jacinto Streets in Austin; photographed in 1884; stained glass windows recovered from flea market
T
Tarlton Law Library (UT Austin) — UT Austin law library; part of archival resources network
Taylor, Mark C. — Columbia religion scholar; author of After God (University of Chicago Press, 2007)
Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission (THGAAC) — State of Texas advisory body; referenced as partner in TJAHM
Texas Jewish American Heritage Month (TJAHM) — May 2026/5786; four-week challenge series celebrating Texas Jewish history
Texas Zionist Association — Held convention in Austin, 1912; early Zionist organizing in Texas
Tiferet Israel, Congregation — Orthodox congregation in Austin
Timeline of Austin Jewish History — Living timeline from 1840s to present; covers five major eras of Austin Jewish community life
Tracy, David — Author of Dialogue with the Other (Peeters Press, 1991)
Tree of Life Synagogue — Pittsburgh (2018) — Site of deadliest antisemitic attack in US history; October 27, 2018; 11 killed
Tufts University — Home institution of researcher Eitan Hersh (Jewish campus identity)
U
Union, Rachel — Vice President of GAJHS
University of Texas at Austin Libraries — System of UT libraries serving as archival resources for Austin Jewish history research
University of Texas Student Histories (1960s) — Two histories of Austin's Jewish community written by UT students in the 1960s; unearthed at Austin History Center
UTSA Special Collections — University of Texas at San Antonio; source of the 1907 Galveston immigration photograph
V
Vatican II — Second Vatican Council; led to Nostra Aetate (1965), transforming Catholic-Jewish relations
VITA Framework — Vulnerability, Intentionality, Trust, Awareness — Dr. Bell's framework for interreligious engagement
W
Washington Hebrew Congregation — Historic Washington DC congregation; McKinley, Truman, and Eisenhower each dedicated a synagogue there
Watson's Grocery (El Paso, 1910) — Ashkenazi immigrant-owned grocery that sold smoked brisket; early Texas Jewish business tied to BBQ tradition
The Way Out (book) — By Peter Coleman, Columbia University Press, 2021; on overcoming toxic polarization
WCAG 2.1 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) — Accessibility standard to which the GAJHS website is built
Wolf, Avram — Died at the Battle of the Alamo (San Antonio, 1836); one of the earliest documented Jewish Texans
Workers of Zion — Austin Jewish labor-Zionist organization, founded 1906
World Jewish Population — Data: 16.7M peak (1939) → ~15.2M (2024); US + Israel = 90% of world Jewry
World's Fair, Chicago (1893) — Site of the Parliament of the World's Religions — landmark early interfaith gathering
Y
YMHA (Young Men's Hebrew Association) — Austin chapter established 1880 and again 1894; early Jewish social organization
Yom HaAtzmaut (1993) — Israel's 45th anniversary celebration; first major community-wide event on the future Dell Jewish Community Campus site
Young Hebrew Literary Society — Austin Jewish organization founded 1893
Z
Zale, Morris (M.B.) — Co-founder of Zales Jewelry (Wichita Falls, TX, 1924) with Ben Lipshy
Zales Jewelry — Founded in Wichita Falls, TX, 1924 by Morris Zale and Ben Lipshy; iconic Texas Jewish business