David Lefkowitz (rabbi)
Encyclopedia
Rabbi
David Lefkowitz (April 11, 1875 – June 5, 1955), an historic Texan rabbi, became Temple Emanu-El (Dallas, Texas)'s rabbi in 1920. He was rabbi until 1949, when he was replaced by Rabbi Levi Olan
.http://books.google.com/books?id=weL9M46TcU8C&pg=PA340&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr= He took a firm stance against the Ku Klux Klan
. http://books.google.com/books?id=weL9M46TcU8C&pg=PA340&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr=. The Perkins School of Theology
houses the "Sadie and David Lefkowitz Collection of Judaica".http://books.google.com/books?id=weL9M46TcU8C&pg=PA340&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr= Sadie Lefkowitz was active in the National Association of Temple Sisterhoods.http://books.google.com/books?id=Tn8J5xhK0oEC&pg=PA76&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr= Rabbi Lefkowitz was a mason
and would attend meetings in attempts to convince fellow masons that the KKK was destructive.http://books.google.com/books?id=mysJZ_c5LO8C&pg=PA102&dq=%22rabbi+David+Lefkowitz%22+dallas#PPA102,M1
Texas A&M Hillel
, the oldest Hillel Foundation organization in the United States
, was founded in 1920, three years before the national Hillel Foundation was organized at University of Illinois. Texas A&M
Hillel began as the "TAMC Menorah Club" and was organized in 1916 by Dr. Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus
(the chief of plant pathology and physiology
at the Agricultural and Mechinical College in College Station, later Texas A&M
), and his wife Esther Taubenhaus. In 1920, the group was transformed into the "TAMC Hillel Club" with assistance from Rabbi David Lefkowitz of Dallas.
The Handbook of Texas
states that, "The formal preservation of the history of Texas Jewry goes back to Rabbi Henry Cohen
of Galveston
and Rabbi David Lefkowitz of Dallas, who set out to interview as many early settler
s and their families as possible. They produced a historical account for the Texas
Centennial in 1936."
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
David Lefkowitz (April 11, 1875 – June 5, 1955), an historic Texan rabbi, became Temple Emanu-El (Dallas, Texas)'s rabbi in 1920. He was rabbi until 1949, when he was replaced by Rabbi Levi Olan
Levi Olan
Rabbi Levi Arthur Olan was born in Cherkasy, Ukraine. From 1949 to 1970 he was Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, Texas. Prior to that, from 1929 to 1948, he was Rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Worcester, Massachusetts ....
.http://books.google.com/books?id=weL9M46TcU8C&pg=PA340&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr= He took a firm stance against the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. http://books.google.com/books?id=weL9M46TcU8C&pg=PA340&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr=. The Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology
Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J...
houses the "Sadie and David Lefkowitz Collection of Judaica".http://books.google.com/books?id=weL9M46TcU8C&pg=PA340&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr= Sadie Lefkowitz was active in the National Association of Temple Sisterhoods.http://books.google.com/books?id=Tn8J5xhK0oEC&pg=PA76&dq=rabbi+David+Lefkowitz+texas&lr= Rabbi Lefkowitz was a mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and would attend meetings in attempts to convince fellow masons that the KKK was destructive.http://books.google.com/books?id=mysJZ_c5LO8C&pg=PA102&dq=%22rabbi+David+Lefkowitz%22+dallas#PPA102,M1
Texas A&M Hillel
Texas A&M Hillel
Texas A&M Hillel is the oldest Hillel Foundation organization in the United States. The organization was founded in 1920, three years before the national Hillel Foundation was organized at University of Illinois. Texas A&M Hillel began as the "TAMC Menorah Club" and was organized in 1916 by Dr...
, the oldest Hillel Foundation organization in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was founded in 1920, three years before the national Hillel Foundation was organized at University of Illinois. Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
Hillel began as the "TAMC Menorah Club" and was organized in 1916 by Dr. Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus
Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus
Dr. Jacob Joseph Taubenhaus, born in Safed, Palestine on October 20, 1884, was Chief of the Division of Plant Pathology and Physiology of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas from 1916 until his death on December 13, 1937...
(the chief of plant pathology and physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at the Agricultural and Mechinical College in College Station, later Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
), and his wife Esther Taubenhaus. In 1920, the group was transformed into the "TAMC Hillel Club" with assistance from Rabbi David Lefkowitz of Dallas.
The Handbook of Texas
Handbook of Texas
The Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
states that, "The formal preservation of the history of Texas Jewry goes back to Rabbi Henry Cohen
Henry Cohen
Henry Cohen was the director of Föhrenwald, the third largest Displaced Persons camp in the American sector of post-WWII Germany in 1946. A native of New York City and a child of Jewish immigrants from the Vilna area of Lithuania, Cohen was a graduate of City College of New York. During World War...
of Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
and Rabbi David Lefkowitz of Dallas, who set out to interview as many early settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s and their families as possible. They produced a historical account for the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Centennial in 1936."
See also
- History of the Jews in Brazos County, TexasHistory of the Jews in Brazos County, TexasThe history of the Jews in Brazos County, Texas covers a period of over 140 years of Jewish history in Brazos County, Texas. Many notable individuals and communities have contributed to this history beginning with early Jewish settlement in 1865...
- History of the Jews in Dallas, TexasHistory of the Jews in Dallas, TexasThe History of the Jews in Dallas, Texas is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the state. Dallas is one of the largest cities in Texas and has one of the largest Jewish communities in the state.-Early history:Its first Jewish cemetery was established in 1854...