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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.
242 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
All We Have Standing Between Us (exhibit) — American Jewish Historical Society exhibit exploring 250 years of American Jewish history through 75 artifacts; hosted at the Center for Jewish History
All We Have Standing Between Us (podcast) — AJHS narrative podcast series hosted by Gemma R. Birnbaum exploring American Jewish history through untold archival stories; connected to the exhibit
American Jewish Committee — Founded 1906; major national Jewish advocacy organization
American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) — National organization preserving and promoting American Jewish history; produced "All We Have Standing Between Us" exhibit and podcast
American Jewish Settlement, 250th Anniversary (1905) — National commemoration of Jewish settlement in America; led by Jacob Schiff's committee and covered by the Austin Statesman
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; locally, the 2021 Beth Israel arson and a 2021 Travis County denunciation resolution
Antisemitism in America (book) — By Leonard Dinnerstein, 1994
Antisemitism, An American Tradition (book) — By Pamela S. Nadell, W.W. Norton, 2025; traces the persistence of antisemitism throughout American history
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 American-Statesman Jewish History Archive — Growing collection of historical Austin American-Statesman articles documenting Austin's Jewish community, 1872–2010
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. FLAG: a 2002 Austin Chronicle article ("The Whole Schmear") documents an inaugural festival already running in 2002, organized with the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life -- possibly an earlier iteration or a relaunch; not yet reconciled with the 2012 date above
Austin Jewish History Jeopardy — Interactive Google Slides Jeopardy game covering Austin Jewish history
Austin Jewish Population, Growth of (1990s) — Statesman profile on Austin's rapidly growing Jewish population, 1996
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 Abraham Synagogue, Brenham — Small-town Texas synagogue built 1893; down to two members by 2007 as small-town Jewish life faded; the 122-year-old building was relocated 90 miles to the Dell Jewish Community Campus in February 2015 to house Orthodox Congregation Tiferet Israel
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
Beacon Hill (Boston) — Historic Boston neighborhood; site of the Vilna Shul and the old Jewish immigrant community of Boston's West End; GAJHS toured July 2026
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
Birnbaum, Gemma R. — Executive Director of the American Jewish Historical Society; host of the "All We Have Standing Between Us" podcast
Board of Directors, GAJHS — Jeff Cohen (President), Rachel Union (Vice President), Barry Silverberg (Secretary & Treasurer)
Boston By Foot — Boston walking tour organization; GAJHS took their tour of the Vilna Shul and old Jewish neighborhood of Beacon Hill, July 2026
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
Bryan Museum, The — Galveston, TX museum; hosting the "Port of Promise" exhibition on Jewish immigrants who helped shape Texas
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
Bullock Texas State History Museum — Austin museum dedicated to Texas history; home to the Texas Story Project including the "I Am Texas" video series featuring Gregg Philipson
C
Center for Jewish History — New York institution hosting the American Jewish Historical Society's "All We Have Standing Between Us" exhibit
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
Daily, Dr. Ray K. — Vilna, Lithuania-born Houston ophthalmologist; first Jewish woman to graduate from a Texas medical school (1913); longtime Houston School Board member; namesake of Ray K. Daily Elementary, Houston. Profiled in a November 2019 Kveller feature on Jewish women with schools named after them
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, American Jewish — Roughly 90% of world Jewry now lives in the U.S. and Israel; American Jews increasingly divided along religious, educational, and marital lines
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
Forward, The (newspaper) — Jewish-American newspaper (founded 1897); removed its paywall in 2026, making its full archive freely readable. GAJHS compiled 30 Forward items on Austin's Jewish community, 2003-2026, including features on Cantor Neil Blumofe, Mayor Steve Adler, the 2021 Congregation Beth Israel arson, and Yiddish culture in Texas; 20 of the 30 are Forward-original reporting with full transcripts, while 10 are JTA wire-service pieces the Forward picked up (not eligible for republishing under Forward policy, so only a source link and context note are given for those)
Freed, Louis A. — Delivered a "Judea for the Jews" Zionism address at Temple Beth Israel, Austin, 1908
Friedberger, Sam — Austin Jewish merchant; owner of the "Temple of Fashion" dry-goods store on Congress Avenue, active 1870s
Friedman, Jen Taylor (soferet) — One of fewer than ten trained female Torah scribes worldwide; also created "Tefillin Barbie". Wrote Congregation Agudas Achim's Torah scroll, dedicated February 2018 -- the first in Texas written by a woman
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"
Grit & Grace: How Jewish Women Built a Better Texas — 52-minute documentary by Barbara Rosenthal on five pioneering Jewish women who shaped Texas history
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
I Am Texas (Texas Story Project) — Bullock Museum video series documenting Texas stories one person at a time; features Austin Jewish community member Gregg Philipson
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
Israel, Declaration of Statehood (1948) — State of Israel declared May 14, 1948, amid Arab-Jewish fighting in Jerusalem; covered by the Austin Statesman
J
Jefferson, Thomas — Secretary of State; visited Newport, Rhode Island in 1790 alongside President Washington
Jewish Book Month — Annual Jewish literary observance; marked by the Austin Public Library with a culture and history display, 1958
Jewish Community Association, Austin — Historical Austin Jewish communal organization; Jay Rubin returned to lead it in 2006, timed to Rosh Hashanah
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. FLAG: a November 2020 Shalom Austin retrospective states the paper began as a newsletter in 1989 under founding editor Gaylon Finklea Hecker -- not yet reconciled with the 1981 date above. Shifted from monthly to quarterly print starting 2021; CEO/publisher Jay Rubin 2006-2016; Federation directors Wayne Silverman and Barry Silverberg also helped shape it
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
Joan and Stanford Alexander South Texas Jewish Archives — Founded 2017 at Rice University to rescue Houston Jewish archival materials endangered by Hurricane Harvey
Johnson, Lyndon Baines — Vice President; had planned to dedicate a synagogue but event was delayed after JFK assassination
Join Email List — Sign up for GAJHS email updates; entries are forwarded to Barry Silverberg and Jeff Cohen
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
Kohler, Kaufmann (Rabbi) — Delivered a "Wandering Jew" address covered by the Austin Statesman, 1878; original scan too degraded for full transcription as of Aug 2026
Kol Halev, Congregation — Reconstructionist congregation; established in Austin, 2008. FLAG: a 2017 Community Impact article states Kol Halev was "established in 1997" -- not yet reconciled with the 2008 date above. By 2017 the congregation had opened a South Austin Hebrew school on William Cannon Drive under board president Sherry Blum
Kosovar Refugee Relief (1999) — Interfaith effort to help roughly 80 Kosovar refugees resettle in Austin, backed jointly by Jewish Family Service, Austin Metropolitan Ministries, Caritas, Catholic Charities, the Islamic Center of Greater Austin, and the Muslim Student Center
Kveller (website) — Jewish parenting and culture website; November 2019 feature "These 9 Jewish Women Have Public Schools Named After Them" profiles Dr. Ray K. Daily among others
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
Nadell, Pamela S. — Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women's and Gender History at American University; LTAJE speaker, January 14, 2027. Author of Antisemitism, an American Tradition (W.W. Norton, 2025)
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
Orum, Dr. — History of the Austin Jewish Community (1965) — Student paper from Dr. Orum's 1965 University of Texas class, sourced from the Austin History Center
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
Pasternak, Rabbi (Agudas Achim) — Named rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim, Austin, 1995
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)
Philipson, Gregg — Austin Jewish community member featured in the Bullock Museum's "I Am Texas" Texas Story Project video series
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
Port of Promise (exhibition) — Bryan Museum exhibition (Nov 2026–Jan 2027) on Jewish immigrants who helped shape Texas, centered on the Galveston Movement
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
Rosenthal, Barbara — Filmmaker; director of Grit & Grace: How Jewish Women Built a Better Texas (2026)
Rubin, Jay — Member of 2026 TJAHM Committee; Statesman archive shows him leading the Jewish Community Association (2006) and writing on the Dell Jewish Community Campus's 10th anniversary (2010)
Rubinett, Jarrell "Tank" and Shirley — Longtime Congregation Agudas Achim leaders (Jarrell twice served as president) and Jewish Community Council of Austin volunteers -- Jarrell on the JCCA Pre-School board (1967), Shirley chairing the JCCA cultural committee and bringing the Israeli Hassidic Festival to Austin (1984). Their Midcentury Modern home at 3004 Belmont Circle, designed by Lundgren & Maurer, was granted City of Austin historic zoning in 2021
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
Schiff, Jacob H. — National Jewish philanthropist and leader; led the national committee marking the 250th anniversary of American Jewish settlement, covered by the Statesman in 1905
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; 30th anniversary marked 2023, 25th anniversary of the integrated model marked 2025
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
Siegel, Danny — Jewish poet and tzedakah advocate; featured at Austin's "Community Unity" Weekend, 1994
Silberberg — Austin Jewish History 1850-1950 (1974 paper) — Student paper documenting one hundred years of Austin's Jewish community — Silberberg, University of Texas, 1974
Silverberg, Barry — GAJHS Secretary & Treasurer; co-sponsor (with Marcia) of LTAJE lecture series; 2026 TJAHM Committee member. Statesman archive shows him as Austin Jewish Federation director (1995) and writing on a Yom Kippur/Westlake Marching Festival scheduling conflict (1997). A 2025 Shalom Austin retrospective credits him, as 1990s Federation CEO, with first conceiving and proposing the integrated organizational model that became Shalom Austin; earlier coverage also shows him shaping The Jewish Outlook newspaper
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
Study of Jewish ATX (2025) — First comprehensive demographic study of the Greater Austin Jewish community; led by Shalom Austin with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, conducted by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University with NORC at the University of Chicago and the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Found ~86,700 people connected to Jewish life across Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties, with high rates of recent in-migration and intermarriage
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 History Navigator (app) — Free mobile app from the Texas Historical Commission mapping 18,000+ Texas historical markers, with audio/text descriptions and trip planning
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
Vilna Shul (Boston) — The 1919 Vilna Shul (congregation founded 1888) — the last remaining immigrant-era synagogue in Boston; located at 18 Phillips Street, Beacon Hill; GAJHS toured and photographed July 2026
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
Wolfson, Ron — National Jewish educator; headlined Austin's Jewish Unity Weekend, 1995
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
Yom HaShoah at UT Austin — 24-hour student-run reading of Holocaust victims' names organized through Texas Hillel; covered by the Daily Texan in 2014
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