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Congregation Beth Jacob - Houston, World War II banner

 Collection
Identifier: MS 822
Finding aid note: Forms part of the Houston Jewish History Archive. Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center in the annex. Digital version online at https://scholarship.rice.edu/

Scope and Contents

Silk banner embroidered with 220 names of World War II veterans associated with Beth Jacob Congregation, then located at 3847 Turnberry Circle, Houston, TX. Each name has a star next to it, including gold stars for those killed in action. A Star of David features in the center of the banner, which measures 8.75 feet in length. The banner was originally hung in Beth Jacob Congregation, which later merged into United Orthodox Synagogues in the 1960s. The banner was scanned in three parts at Fondren Library, and joined together digitally.

Names on banner include: Harvey Asher, Aaron Barinbaum, Sid H. Baum, Louis Bayer, Harry Becker, Morris Becker, Harry Berg, Phil Berg, I. Bergman, Harry Bornstein, Leon Bornstein, Morris Brand, Frank Brown, Harry Brown, Abe Brown, Pincus Brounes, Gerson Cohen, Jacob A. Cohen, Jacob M. Cohen, Melvin Cohen, Victor Cohen, Alfred Cohn, Louis Croft, Uriel d'Acosta, Sam David, Max Diamond, Nathan Diamond, Maurice A. Evans, Leonard Farber, Jack C. Feigenbaum, Isie Feinstein, N. Finkelstein, Louis Fisch, Morris J. Fisch, Barney Fox, Philip Frank, Fritz Friedman, Harry Friedman, Joe Friedman, Wm (William) Friedman, Freda Furman, Isadore Galperin, Herman Gardsbane, Chester Gelbert, Daniel J. Geller, Henry C. Geller, Ben L. German, George D. Gibson, Harry Goldstein, J. H. Goodman, Irwin M. Goot, Mitchell Gorin, Sam D. Gould, Sidney Greenberg, Max Grenader, Jacob Grossman, Morris Guttman, Harry J. Halpin, Max Halpin, Morris Halpin, Adrian Harris, Willard Harris, Henry A. Hein, Maurice Hersch, David Hertberg, Max Herzog, David Hoppenstein, Herman Horwitz, B. S. Israel, Max Kamerling, Lester Kaminsky, Max Kaminsky, Morris Kaminsky, Sam Kaminsky, Meyer Kaplan, Solomon Kaplan, Lew Kerner, William Kerner, Harry S. Kessler, Sol Koff, Dan Kornfeld, Mose Kornfeld, Louis Kost, Abe Laufman, Harry Laufman, Benjamin O. Leff, Bernard J. Leff, David M. Leff, Adolph Lefkowitz, Earl Lefkowitz, David Leitman, Herman Lensky, Morris E. Lepow, Dan Leva, Jay E. Leveen, Marcus Levinson, Joe L. Levy, Raymond S. Levy, Abe Lewis, Ben T. Lewis, Max L. Lewis, Robert Lewis, Bernard R. Mandel, Hyman Marcus, Abe Merfish, Rose Merfish, William Meyer, David W. Meyerson, Irving L. Meyerson, Bernard Moller, Charles Montrose, Abie Moore, Alex Moore, C. L. Morris, Joyce J. E. Muller, T. Nelkin, Max Orloff, Bernard Paull, Aron J. Perl, Joseph Perl, Leon Phillips, Lester Plotkin, O. M. Plotkin, Sam H. Plotkin, Ben Reichek, H. Reichek, L. (maybe I?) Reichek, Louis A. Reichman, Harold Reingold, Harold A. Reingold, Wm. J. Reingold, Michael Reznik, Frank Ribnick, David Rich, Jerome Robinson, Irvin B. Rose, Abraham Roseman, Israel Roseman, Irvin Rosen, Irvin Rosenberg, Henry J. Rosenbloom, Jerome L. Rosenbloom, Marvin Rosenfeld, Sol Rosenfeld, Hyman Rosenzweig, Louis Rubenstein, Leon Rudick, Max Rudick, Leon Samet, Udis Samuelson, E. E. Schaeffer, Bert Scheinbrum, Joe Schneidler, Abe H. Schonier, Harry Schreiber, Israel Schuleman, Harry Schulman, Schoel Schulman, Ben A. Schultz, Isie Schultz, Morris Schultz, Nathan Segal, Saul D. Seider, Bernard C. Seltzer, Carl Seltzer, Isadore Seltzer, Sam Shabot, H. Sheinberg, M. Sheinberg, Jake Sigerman, Leon Sigerman, Leonard Silverman, Marvin L. Simon, Jake J. Smith, Morris Smith, Melvin Sondock, Hyman Speer, Louis M. Speer, Morris Speer, Sam Speer, Jack Spiner, Marvin Stalarow, Irvin L. Stein, Irwin L. Stein, Sol Stein, Ralph Stekin, Melvin M. Suhl, Leon Taplitsky, Isaac Tapper, F. H. Testa, Leon Testa, Ralph Testa, David A. Topek, Sam Z. Topek, Alvin Torodetzer, Sidney Turboff, Percy Turk, Sammy Uitemb, Adolph Uzick, Ben Uzick, Louie Uzick, Max Uzick, Morris Uzick, Jenny E. Victor, J. Wagner, Simon Weiler, Martin H. Weinberg, Leon Weiner, Elmore Weingarden, Henry Weingarten, Irvin Weinstein, Abe Weiser, Sol Wilonsky, Dave Yellen, Milton Yellen, Herman Zainfeld, Sam Zeisman, Herman Zimmerman, Isaac Zimmerman, Joe Zimmerman

Dates

  • 1945

Conditions Governing Access

Material is open for research. Stored onsite at the Woodson Research Center in the annex. Digitized copy available online at https://scholarship.rice.edu/

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish the Congregation Beth Jacob - Houston, World War II banner must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library. The Woodson Research Center use policy is that researchers assume sole responsibility for any infringement of privacy, literary rights, copyrights, or other rights arising from their use of the archival materials. In addition to any restrictions placed by donors, certain kinds of archival materials are restricted for the life of the creator plus 50 years. These materials include, but are not limited to, student grades, transcripts, and any job applications or recommendations

Biographical / Historical

Beth Jacob was formed in 1937 in the home of Rabbi Max Geller to form a Modern Orthodox congregation designed “to serve the Jews residing in the South End of the city of Houston,” according to the synagogue’s board minutes. Twenty-three men comprised the first chartering members. That year the congregation bought land at Cleburne and Hamilton and in two years built their synagogue there.

Due to dwindling membership and financial issues, Beth Jacob and Congregation Adath Emeth merged in 1965, followed by Congregation Adath Israel in 1966, forming United Orthodox Synagogues (UOS). United Orthodox Synagogues was led by Rabbi Raphael Schwartzman and Cantor Irving Dean. In the 1970s Rabbi Schwartzman left the congregation and was replaced by Rabbi Kenneth Hain, followed by Rabbi Joseph Radinsky, who served UOS from 1976 to 2003. Since 2003, Rabbi Barry Gelman has served as UOS’s spiritual leader.

Extent

9 Linear Feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Silk banner embroidered with 220 names of World War II veterans associated with Beth Jacob Congregation, then located at 3847 Turnberry Circle, Houston, TX.

Arrangement

The materials in this collection have been arranged in one series as follows: Series I: General

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated in 2018 by Carol Ritter Elbaz, whose father had stored the banner at his home.

Processing Information

Names on the banner were transcribed and listed by Alisha Klapholz.

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Source

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Congregation Beth Jacob - Houston, World War II banner, 1945
Status
Completed
Date
2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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Harmful Content Statement
© 2023 Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892