Dennis Halpin collection

Dennis Halpin grew up in Houston, a devout member of the United Orthodox Synagogue, where he celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, mourned loved ones, and married his wife. His father, Morris Halpin, was a veteran and also a long-time member at the UOS. Dennis was honored by the congregation as a Chattan Maftir for his dedication to the synagogue.

The United Orthodox Synagogues is a modern Orthodox congregation located close to the Texas Medical Center, Rice University and the cultural and central business district of Houston. A center for worship, learning, and community service in Houston, the UOS serves approximately 350 families and spans all generations. The congregation was formed when three separate shuls—Adath Emeth, Adath Israel and Beth Jacob—merged into one congregation and adopted that name. Many congregants immigrated as part of the ‘Galveston Movement’, which attracted Jewish immigration away from New York and brought hundreds of Jews to Houston in the early 1900s. The synagogue offers daily and weekly ongoing adult classes, as well as a Montessori school, Community Mikvah, catering facility, bridal room, and a youth/teen lounge and serves as a spiritual home for a growing community of Jews seeking more meaning within traditional Judaism.

Cantor Irving Dean taught music three days a week for nearly 40 years at UOS Goldberg Montessori School, spending a half-hour with each group of children three days a week. Well-loved by both his students and the other staff, Dean taught both religious and secular songs, often in Hebrew. After the devastating floods in Houston, Dean left both his post at the school and his home to live with his daughter. Members of the congregation gathered to celebrate the beloved music teacher, who served United Orthodox Synagogues for more than 50 years. Nada Chandler, UOSGMS board president praised Cantor Dean, saying that “multiple generations of children have Jewish music in the hearts and in their daily lives because of [him].”