Shearith Israel Congregation collection

Shearith Israel Congregation had its inception in 1899 when the Jewish citizens of Wharton, Texas, first met to conduct religious services, using members' homes as meeting places. Later, under the leadership of I. Ditch, a congregation was organized and Sabbath services were held each Friday night and Saturday morning in the lower floor of the old Masonic Lodge Building. The first Torah used by the congregation was ordered from New York by Mr. Ditch.

As the community grew and the number of Jewish families increased plans were formulated for the building of a Synagogue. A committee composed of Joe Schwartz, Ben Davis, T. Gordon, and M. Bernstein solicited funds and the Synagogue was built on the corner of Rusk and Burleson streets in 1921. The officers of the Congregation at that time were: Ben Davis, President; Joe Schwartz, Vice President; A. M. Smith, Treasurer; Herman Davis, Secretary; Trustees, T. Gordon, M. Levine, I. Kurtz, and L. Smith. In addition to the officers the congregation listed as members the following: J. Goldman, B. Leder, P. Alpard, L. Abovitz, S. Yarno, M. Berstein, D. Gordon, I. Kreitstein, and J. Abovitz.

At first the membership consisted mainly of Wharton citizens, but as the Jewish population increased in surrounding towns the congregation expanded to include those who lived nearby from El Campo, Bay City, Ganado, Edna, Palacios, and Richmond, making a total of 85 members. In 1940, President Ben Davis headed a committee to build the Jewish Community Center. A tract of 2.14 acres was purchased and the building was completed in the fall of 1940. It was located just off the Bay City Highway near the city park.

Rabbi Israel Rosenberg came to Wharton to assume the pulpit of Shearith Israel in 1955, and remained the community’s spiritual leader until 1978. A year after Rosenberg’s arrival, the community dedicated a new, state-of-the-art synagogue building in the shape of a six-pointed Star of David at 1821 Old Lane City Rd., that was designed by Houston Jewish architect, Lenard Gabert. The construction of a Religious School building and the Maynard Smith Memorial Library followed in 1961. Perhaps, the most notable and enduring feature of the property, however, was the barbecue pit. Shearith Israel’s annual barbecue fundraiser, the social event of the year for the community, attracted hundreds of Jews and non-Jews from the area, as well as relatives and former members, who descended upon Wharton to eat chicken and coleslaw.

The synagogue closed its doors in 2002, when membership dwindled from a peak of 400 members down to just 39, and sold its facilities. In 2010, the main building burned to the ground, and, besides the community hall that still stands, visitors to the site today will see nothing but a concrete slab where the sanctuary and school once stood.

Excerpts from:

“History of Shearith Israel,” Box 5, folder 10 and http://jhvonline.com/remnant-of-israel-saving-jewish-history-in-wharton-and-bay-city-p24684-313.htm