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Hi, my name is Joshua furman. I'm the curator of the Houston jewish history archive at Rice University. And I'm here with Paula Schwarz stein to talk about um her family and growing up jewish in Schulenburg texas Paula. How are you today? Fantastic. And today is september

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30th 2020 Paula start by telling us about the history of your family when it was that they came to texas and what brought them there? My family came from uh the Alsace Lorraine area. Um I think they first came in about 1865. Um They there was

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a some back and forth, I think there was a uh possibly a civil war going on in the area. And so at one point the kind of family matriarch veronica Schwartz uh left with some of her Children came settled in pallets ville texas, then went back

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to Germany or sent some of the Children back to Germany And then a little later some more of the sun's came over. Um I know she's buried in Gonzales texas and um in the jewish cemetery there. And my great grandfather was Isaac Schwartz and his wife

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was Amelia Schwartz and they first set they first settled in Engel texas which is a little area um outside of Schulenberg. And when the train, when the train uh railroad came through Schulenberg they moved to Schulenburg to uh set up a general store by the train

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tracks and it was a I think I would say a boarding house and a store where they sold sandwiches to the fellow passengers on the, you know to the passengers on the train and they, let's see. Um my grandfather Julius came with them and he was

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three years old at the time and Julius had, I want to say about I think let me think was Julius max, I think there were like six or seven siblings, Henry um and they all were in Schulenberg uh Julius helped his mother with the uh I

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think selling sandwiches at the train stay at the train station. Um And one thing I recently found out was since he came at three, he later on in the 1940s had to actually apply for a citizenship in the United States in 1940. I found his papers

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since he wasn't born in the US when he first came. Um they ended up, my grandfather Julius and his brother max ended up starting a livery stable and uh by the train station and they had cattle, uh mules, horses, um that they would give to the

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settlers when they, you know, to rent or to buy when they came off the train to settle in Schulenberg. Schulenberg is very strong and check influence german influence um And besides that he also sold, they sold pianos, they sold let's see insurance, uh and it was

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called Schwartz brothers livery stable and uh just again recently I've come across a lot of papers that I'm kind of amazed at how much how far reaching their uh business went, They they traveled all over the United States getting cattle and, and horses. And uh also

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found a lot of information on how they lent money to people. And uh again I was recently told the story about the fact that it was during the depression, people would come to their to his house and either want to sell uh sell our borrow borrow

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money from him. And we've come across a lot of ledgers showing all these transactions and my aunt, my cousin told me that her mother, my grandmother and aunt were always told to go sit outside and wait while my grandfather Julius conducted business in the house. And

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uh, he also because of people at this time, he bought a lot of land and I think we've Probably have records of 30, 40 different almost parcels of land in the area that he bought during this time period. Wow, that's really incredible. So Schulenberg, for those

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not familiar with with the town or with Texas Geography. Schulenberg is about the mid point between San Antonio and Houston would you say? Yes, it is, is definitely the 100 miles from Houston and 100 miles from san Antonio and I would say about 80 miles from

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Austin. So it's really smack in the middle, in the middle of a lot of places and I guess it's, it's part of a region of texas known as the Tri county area. Well, the temple is okay, the temple is the Schulenberg, Temple Israel Bill is known

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as the tri county temple because it took in uh let's see Lavaca County Fed County and and Colorado County. Not that it didn't include you know other people, but those were the three counties that people started coming to the temple from right. And we'll talk more

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about the temple in a little in a little while. Um I think it's great you know that your family history really helps us understand A much larger phenomenon which is, you know, German speaking Jewish immigrants coming to Texas in the middle of the 19th century along

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with a lot of non other um non jewish german immigrants and I imagine they had very friendly relations and and and all of that. Um did you know your grandfather Julius at all? No, he died in 1943. Uh huh. So I did not know my sister,

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my older two older sisters knew him. Um but I knew my grandmother and she Julius married Helen, Strauss from Chicago Illinois, which again I find very interesting how he, I think it was through a cousin but I think also probably through his traveling for the business

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that they connected. And uh I can't imagine her shock of coming from Chicago to this small texas town and he was very much a uh really a cowboy. I mean he he was a texas cowboy and she was very much a refined a lady And I

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didn't know her. She died in probably like 1965. Sure tell us now about your parents. My dad was born in Schellenberg. Um He uh had one sister, I think they were about seven or eight years apart. Um we have pictures of him at the livery stable

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on horses and uh the other uh phenomena I find is we have pictures of him traveling with my grandfather again all over the country and I always have to tell myself it wasn't like getting on an airplane. So they traveled by car or train and uh

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pictures uh uh that my father really, they didn't just stay in Schulenberg, they ventured out I guess and my grandmother was didn't like the heat in texas. So every year she would leave um Schulenburg in the summer and go to colorado and she went to way

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before it was a fashionable, I was gonna say that's how the tradition got started. I've been back in texas now, I grew up in texas, but I've been back now five years and every everyone who can leave texas in the summer does them seemed to go

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to colorado and I can understand why and and this was this was very, very on early on when she did this. So the again we recently found a letter that was written by my dad after the war to the hotel, I think it was in Denver

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begging, it was after the war. So I think they were letting um uh maybe soldiers used the hotel and my dad wrote a letter begging them to let my grandmother come back to stay at their hotel because she had never spent a summer in texas and

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this was very important to her and he said please help a former, you know vet to accommodate his mother. So it was interesting and uh in Schulenburg, she she was also a poet, she loved to write poetry and she's your mother, you're you're talking about my

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grandmother, grandmother, grandmother still, yes, remind me your your grandmother's name please. Helen Schwartz Schwartz. Okay, very good. Um She one thing not that I ever remember my or see pictures with my grandfather with guns or I don't ever remember hearing stories about that, but I do

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remember hearing stories that my grandmother would throw would never let my dad have a toy gun. And uh so I don't you, now that I think about it, I don't ever remember seeing Julius with guns or anything like that as much as he dealt with in

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the farming industry. But um the uh let's see uh I wanted to ask you paul about your your family's history of political involvement and public service in Schulenberg. I know that your dad, her Schwartz was mayor for many decades and I think other relatives also served

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on the city council or in other roles, do you do you want to talk about that? Sure I would well again, let me just go back one step of five time my dad um he went again, he went to live in Galveston's with his uh cousin.

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So he could graduate from high school and then go on to law school at the university of texas. This was very, very important, I would say to my grandfather. And the story also goes that he was not allowed to marry my mother until he graduated from

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law school. Um And and during the summers he would also travel to colorado, he went to the University of Colorado and he went to uh Cornell University and would study during the summer time at these, you know, so education was very important. Um I have come

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across letters of my grandfather and again I could tell that his writing was there. You know, his education um wasn't as strong uh in his writing when I was reading the letters. So, And like you get the sense Paula that that your your grandfather didn't want

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your father hers to continue in the same business, but he wanted him to get a, get an education, get a law degree and something else definitely. And I also have the feeling after the war. I mean I'm trying to think, let's see my dad graduated in

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basically 33 from the University of Texas. I also wonder at that time if the business was really changing as well, but I don't, yes, he definitely wanted him to be a lawyer and by that and a banker that they also uh had ownership in the first

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National Bank of Schulenburg. Um My one thing my dad did learn to speak german before he spoke english at home. And uh so both his parents spoke german At home. Um let's see after he graduated from high school in Galveston's, he went on to the University

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of Texas, graduated in 1933. Then he uh and my mother got married um they had met in Galveston's even though she was grew up in New Orleans, her name was felice, Mark Schwarz. Yeah felice marks and felice for us. Well can I spell yeah felices it.

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F E L I C E. Great thank you. And she grew up in New Orleans, went to Tulane for I think one year, 1.5 years and then went to work in a bank in New Orleans. Then she married my dad and moved to Schulenburg. And and

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uh They let's see that was 33. My oldest sister was born in 30 for my other sister was born probably in 30 1936. And um my dad did practice law for a very short time. We again have a lot of letters that he wrote and some

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of his cases that he uh presided. Yeah Did. And uh I would say he worked very closely with his dad on legal issues, people who owed money the land land trying to keep all that in order. Uh they were again involved in the first national bank.

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And uh I think it was probably in like 1942. My dad uh This was when the war was World War two was going on. He wanted to enlist and um at the time the uh he wanted he enlisted in the navy and at the time they

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did not he didn't fit the height requirement. Um And the story also goes is that they put him on a on a stretcher to stretch him the required half inch so he could be in the navy. Uh Tall or not. Tall was your father? I would

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say he was 57. I he wasn't that short that I remember. But uh I would say at that time again my mother would tell stories that it was very important that you know you went into one of the armed forces and he and she also always

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told me that my dad did not have to go because he was over the required age and he had Children and was married. And so there he was never drafted but he wanted to volunteer. So that was something that they you know always talked about that

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he felt very strongly about that he was able he went to officer training school I think in uh I wanna say in Arizona anyway and he was a lieutenant J. J. D. Or J. Uh in the navy. And then he was put on merchant marine ships.

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And uh my mother would talk about though being able to go when he would send her letters kind of in in code and where he thought he would be coming in to a port either new york or san Francisco. And she would get on a train

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and go out to uh and wait sometimes for weeks for his ship to come in. But uh and after the war um they he came back to Schulenburg and it was at this point, well his father died during the war. He died in 1943. He was

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actually had been on leave in Gulfport Mississippi I think it was in Mississippi and they got word that my grandfather had literally died of a heart attack. And so sorry. So he came back to Schulenburg. Uh we recently found letters that where he wrote a telegram

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asking for permission to have more time um At leave because he had to get his father's estate in order. And at the time I mean he quoted in this letter, it was like a $500,000 estate. So he felt he needed to do that. And actually the

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Navy said no he was needed back. So uh he uh went back, my mother's mother also passed away during the war so that in in New Orleans. No she actually died in Schulenburg. She was visiting Schulenberg. And uh so that took place after the war that

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my dad came back decided he really didn't want to be practiced law anymore. I would say his occupation then became a banker because he took over his father's position in the bank. And he also became just very civic minded. He uh was a veteran's of Foreign

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war, the american legion. Um He started doing very big in the Chamber of Commerce in Schulenburg. Uh eventually I mean very involved with the temple Israel. Um Let's see and uh he was a massage in the Masonic lodge and a mason and a Shriner all these

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things became his profession of that kept him very busy and then eventually he went on the school board in Schulenburg. And then uh then he ran when the mayor o h Walters passed away. Suddenly my dad became the uh Tould over the candidate, he was a

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candidate for that the next election to become mayor. And uh that was was 1965 and he became Marron say 1965. Um he ran again had opposition the first year and then probably two more. Maybe at least one more time. I remember when He won reelection and

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he won by the nine votes and there were nine Jewish voters in Schulenberg at that time. So the Jewish vote carried him voters. Yes. So and then after after that election I don't think anyone ever opposed him. And he was mayor until he died like 18

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years later uh In 1981 wow, that's, that's an incredible record of public service for a, for a texas, you in a, in a small town for that period of time? Very much so. And in the, in the, at the same time he became so the Shriners

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organization, they had, I guess you would say groups in Schulenberg, but they're big. But Houston was there like central headquarters and his other goal, he rose up in the ranks of the shrine, he was very involved with the crippled Children's Hospital in Houston and the Burns

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Institute in Galveston's. And he also became the potent tape of Arabia shrine temple in Houston, which was uh, again a very big commitment and a very big honor that he uh did this. So he, he was very passionate about helping others and, and I think it's

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amazing because he Schulenberg was 100 miles away and he would be back and forth constantly on the road, right? And there was no, there was no bucky's at the time, right? No, there was not, the only thing I do remember very, that was a big deal

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was when the CB radios came in and he would get on his CB radio and say, I'm coming home or you know, when he got in close enough, that was, that was a biggie, no cell phones. Do you, do you know, did your parents ever consider

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leaving Schulenberg, I mean, did they ever think about, you know, maybe it's time we should move to, you know san Antonio or Houston or Austin or or no, but I think I grew up very privileged in the fact that on weekends we did go to the,

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we went to Houston a lot more When I was little it would be san Antonio Austin Houston and a lot was to go to doctors. I mean they had doctors in those towns. My dad again had uh banking relationships in those towns. Uh I'm trying to

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think um and eventually when my older sisters both moved to Houston, that was also then we stopped going to san Antonio as much into Austin as much and went mainly to Houston to see my sisters and uh and they were married and started having their own

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families plus my dad's involvement with the shrine. And uh so it was kind of a natural progression that we went to Houston a lot. Uh they did have a have a apartment in the rice hotel. Especially when my dad became potent tape because of going back

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and forth. Um and we also my Julius my grandfather and my father both um they had connections in Houston very uh very um strong connections uh with even I know like jesse jones, they were uh both friendly with uh they had land in Houston that they

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purchased. Uh but they never considered leaving Schulenberg And uh till the point after my dad died in 1981. Eventually my mom had an apart got an apartment in Houston, but honestly until the day she died she would always say I wish I still had my home

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in Schulenburg, she sold it in 2000 and so, but she loved Schulenberg, she loved her home there and uh Mhm. Was it was just there um and uh it was actually my home until just now we're about to sell our last kind of land connection to

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that area, but I'll always be a part of me. So of course tell us now Paula about your own childhood. You know growing up in Schulenburg, what are some of your memories? Um I'm interested in, you know in particular being you know, such a minority in

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a in a small texas town. Um you know, did did did the jewish families stick together, did you have mostly non jewish friends growing up? What was that like for you? Um Okay so there was again I have to go back and say that when my

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sisters were growing up there were uh more jewish families with Children in Schulenberg Um and even in the surrounding areas and I would say they definitely had more two more Jewish influence with friends there, I mean we definitely have pictures of their confirmations, my mother was

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a Sunday school teacher. Um and uh when by the time I arrived in 1950 for um the main fan there was my family and of me because my older sisters had left, uh and the Lipman family and the Lipman family had four Children, um and I

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was between Sheldon Lipman who was two years older than me, and his sister Marilyn, who was two years younger than me, they were probably my closest friends, uh there was Irving lippman who was older than Phil lippman who was younger, so there was four, but the

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two that were, I was sandwiched between, so we uh we were, we were the jews of Schellenberg and the jewish Children and let's see, um but I had a lot of other friends in my grade, but I also think there was just a very strong pull

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growing up, the difference wasn't necessarily jewish or non jewish, I would say what I remember the most is you were either a you either grew up in the town of Schulenburg or you lived on a farm, and that was probably a bigger, uh you say, not

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discrimination, but a bigger divider because the form kids would take the bus in to school, and so after school, they would go back, take the bus home where the kids who were in town, the school was our main um, activity, I was in the band, I

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was in the drama club, I was uh, on the yearbook staff, I was on the paper staff and and that was our life was being very involved with the, with the school, um we uh, I was thinking um let's see, I lost my train of thought,

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sorry, um at school, oh the of course it was like living a friday night lights with the football team and uh again the band performed and the one time I always remember kind of knowing, realizing the jewishness was if Russia Shona on our young Kipper fell

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on a friday night and uh that was that was a big deal because um my mother and Sarah Littman would always have to go to the school and say the four of us or five of us could not participate because it was Russia Shona, our young

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kids for and we did participate um on friday nights, I do remember, well which we can get to later going to services. But truthfully, probably during football season, I have a feeling they never had services at the temple because everyone was at the football game, but

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and uh I'm trying to think the temple itself, I mean I remember having a Asuka at the temple, I remember doing uh hanukkah parties um and Passover was always a big uh thinking Schulenberg. Um it was reform and to my shock when I married someone conservative,

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I have to say, I never knew there were two days, two days have passed over or two days of Russia's Shona, that was like really, because that was never observed in Schulenburg. Um and there were some there were some other uh jewish kids in Hal it's

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ville, there were uh cousins of Schwartz, Schwartz, Armin schwarz and Mark Schwarz. Uh there were in low gray, I know, let's see by then, maybe Weimer had a few and and we would meet for sunday school uh at the temple. And and again, my mother was

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a sunday school teacher until I was in let's see what grade uh 10th grade or ninth or 10th grade. My mother decided she thought it was important for me to uh be confirmed and she didn't uh and get more of a jewish education so and be

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around jewish kids. So she uh had me go to temple uh congregation Beth Israel in Houston. So every saturday we would get get up, get to uh saturday school in Houston, so I could be confirmed with with Rabbi, Rabbi shocked. And uh so we I did

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that um I can't say it was the best of experiences uh religiously it was, but uh socially I'm not sure I was really a part of the the class, it was very awkward um coming from Schulenburg, you know, you didn't, it was it was kind of

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a long way to, you know, be in the mire land area with with kids who all kind of grew up and knew each other and and I mean, did you feel more at home, you know, in Schulenberg with kids who weren't jewish, but you know, kind

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of oh, same, same small town background versus you know, jewish kids in Houston, it's a totally different environment and my, when I well and I'm also remembering when I was 13, um my mother and my older sister thought it was important that, you know, they got

00:35:05.100 - 00:35:27.390

me invited to bar mitzvahs and the, you know, going to parties in Houston um and I definitely remember that, I definitely kind of remember feeling very much like an outsider at these at these parties, they were fun, but uh I never felt completely welcomed by some

00:35:27.390 - 00:35:47.430

of the kids. Um I'm trying to think, so that was barman Barmaid for years. Um then um the one thing I find interesting is so my parents came in to Houston, you know, all this time and again they did everything to have me involved, I they

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joined the jewish Country club, Westwood Country Club, they wanted me to again be with in the social part of of the jewish kids in Houston and I remember my mother trying to see if I could join um BBg and supposedly and again I did not know

00:36:07.650 - 00:36:29.960

what it was, but supposedly the leaders of it told my mother it wouldn't really work because uh they have a lot of meetings during the week that I couldn't attend, so looking back and you know, it's kind of interesting, kind of like a kind of soft

00:36:29.970 - 00:36:53.740

prejudice in. Yes and so I so I didn't meet these kids through B B G or the um and I think that would have maybe helped uh feeling more part of the group, I definitely remember going to the uh what would you uh when you go

00:36:53.740 - 00:37:10.490

on uh for the weekend retreat? Sorry, you know the confirmation retreats? I remember those. I mean I enjoyed it. I you know I I still remember a lot of the names and I still wish I could find which is somewhere that my confirmation picture because I

00:37:10.490 - 00:37:24.760

do have you know remember a lot of the kids and um nowadays I'll I will meet someone and I'll find out oh you know his brother was in my confirmation class or the sister and I'm always like well whatever happened to him, maybe I just had

00:37:24.760 - 00:37:41.250

a weird year. I don't know, I don't know. I'm sure we could we could maybe find that picture that I just wanted to finish up just an earlier topic before we move on to something else. So so you it sounds like you were sort of made

00:37:41.250 - 00:37:57.290

to feel to feel more out of place in the Houston jewish community coming from Schulenburg than you did in Schulenburg as a as a jewish. So nobody ever made any kind of anti Semitic remarks to you called you you know christ killer or you know you're

00:37:57.290 - 00:38:20.740

going to hell because you don't accept jesus or nothing like that, nothing, nothing that I I mean I try to remember thinking back and no um I really really can't um it was kind of amazing that uh I mean if there were undertones that my dad

00:38:20.740 - 00:38:42.480

and mom face, I never never remember hearing it um to this day, I also, you know, people will mention somebody and they'll even, they'll say oh well he was, they were anti Semitic or something and I always think they were, you know, I know my father

00:38:42.480 - 00:39:03.030

knew him in business and I always say, well I never heard that from my parents on anyone. Um and I was just gonna say when after I after my confirmation class was ended and I didn't, I didn't continue in in uh saturday school, so then I

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had probably at least one or two years that I spent my weekends back in Schulenburg a little more and uh then I got ready to go to the University of texas and going there again, I look back and think here I was a small town girl

00:39:21.060 - 00:39:44.550

going to to texas, and again it was important to my parents that I joined a jewish sorority and uh but it was, it was different because again they all had their groups and you know, I I definitely fit in, but later on, I I've looked back

00:39:44.550 - 00:40:07.980

and think, wow, I really was kind of by myself in a lot of ways uh and uh and they all knew each other, but I managed to survive just fine, managed, I managed and uh let's see this uh this story, So my husband which will go

00:40:07.980 - 00:40:29.040

back to how we met, but one thing did happen, we we were at a in a fraternity sorority pan Olynyk meeting and he, I met him the very first time, he said your name is Schwartz and I said yes, I'm from Schulenburg and he says, well

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are you, do you know the schwartzes from hal it's ville, who are cousins of mine. And I said yes, and then he went on to explain that his grandfather and grandmother were from hal it's ville, so the again the small town connection. Right? And um so

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yes, I'm trying to think, okay, I'll let you go on to the next or kind of, you know, and well, well by by turning the conversation this way, we'll we'll we'll hear more about how you met your husband rick, tell us about temple, Israel tell us

00:41:08.280 - 00:41:25.260

tell us about what this community was like. You know, if you you alluded earlier to like memories of Passover, other holiday celebrations, you know, for for those of us who grew up in, you know, bigger cities, larger jewish communities, what what is, what is it like

00:41:25.260 - 00:41:50.090

at a at a small town, you know, synagogue? Um okay, well also I think let's see the synagogue was built, trying to think in, I think 1952 it was opened uh up until then they had been meeting in uh like the Masonic lodge or even in

00:41:50.090 - 00:42:11.040

churches they would use for the holidays. And um it was in the early 1950s that they decided they wanted to have a permanent building. The land was given by my father and his sister and my grandmother. So it was literally catty corner to the house that

00:42:11.040 - 00:42:35.660

I grew up in. Uh and uh my father was president charge of the building committee. Uh he he loved to raise money honestly and uh so they started the building, it was dedicated in 52 and that was two years before I was born. So ever so

00:42:35.670 - 00:42:57.140

when I was born there has always been a temple to me in Schulenberg. Um and uh some of my first memories as a child was being able to literally walk out my back yard and walk to the temple. It was, we would literally play in in

00:42:57.140 - 00:43:10.490

the yard by the temple and it would be uh and we were really proud of it, I mean it was something that the jewish kids, we we go over there and I remember one time I think the door was open and we're like oh my goodness,

00:43:10.490 - 00:43:34.730

this is you know, run home, tell the mother what's what's going on, you got to make sure it's locked. And uh the the women had a uh like a sisterhood um trying to remember, I remember the high holy days, they had rabbis come from the Hebrew

00:43:34.730 - 00:43:53.650

Union College to uh they would come for basically two weeks and be there from Russia Shona, two young Kipper. And that was always very exciting to see who the, what, what rabbi, who, how young and and they were always young so that we love that. And

00:43:53.650 - 00:44:21.240

during that time period the sisterhood ladies would uh have them over for dinner and uh really wanted to make the rabbi feel very welcomed. Um was there was there a rabbi at at other times in the in not history? I remember not until after they, not

00:44:21.240 - 00:44:47.190

till much later, but mm hmm. So, so who would lead services and you know, right, the lay leaders? My dad, my rick's grandfather, Eli Rubin would he was a very good singer. I can still hear him sing. Um they the temple did have a very strong

00:44:47.190 - 00:45:12.220

connection with Rabbi cahn. I will, Rabbi cahn uh was there probably during the dedication and if there was a uh there was one wedding at the temple in Hamburg, it was a cousin of mine, Diane Schwartz Koenig and we actually have video of that wedding. Uh

00:45:12.240 - 00:45:32.170

so uh it was at the temple and I think Rabbi cahn uh was a rabbi, this is Rabbi robert Kahn of congregation Emmanuel, Yes, I would sit and because Schulenberg was a reform rabbi and Emmanuel was reform. I mean it was a very close relationship and

00:45:32.170 - 00:45:57.370

continued, even with Rabbi Walters from Emanuel and when the dedication took they had a rededication when the temple was 65 years old and Rabbi Walters came. Um they the temple would always look to them for um um Bar mitzvahs, they again would uh do the bar

00:45:57.370 - 00:46:18.540

mitzvahs, that's he, they came for the Lippmann Bar mitzvahs and the Reuben Bar mitzvahs um let's see. And they would come for funerals uh was you know, I can't remember if it was Rabbi cahn who did my father's funeral at the temple in Schulenburg. Um but

00:46:18.540 - 00:46:41.220

that was a big connection. What about it at Passover time? How did you go about getting food for Passover? Uh The sisterhood ladies would prepare all the uh the food, each one would bring stuff and Passover, let me just say that even though a lot of,

00:46:41.230 - 00:47:02.540

a lot of the young jewish people would leave Schulenberg, their parents would stay in shoe, you know would stay in Schulenberg. But for Russia Shona young Kipper Passover, they would come back to Schulenburg to be with the their parents. And so you would have a we

00:47:02.540 - 00:47:28.290

would have a very big service uh and a lot of the grandchildren would come back now and I became friends with the grandchildren who would come every Russia Shona young Kipper and Passover and uh one was um jay Kaplan um I remember him, his family coming

00:47:28.290 - 00:47:49.280

back. His grandparents were uh Sailing Hman, the klein family had a lot of uh uh relatives that would come back and it was a big deal for the four jewish, five jewish kids in Schulenburg to have these other jewish kids come back and they would come

00:47:49.280 - 00:48:12.190

back for the holiday. You know, we'd get to see them. So that was fun. Um for Passover I can remember very vividly, probably six or seven long tables set up in the, the hall. It was actually the room, you had the bima, then you had the

00:48:12.550 - 00:48:31.170

seats and then you have a, just an open space that had a curtain. But that's where we would always have Passover again. I grew up thinking every every temple you went to a community Seder. I never knew that people really observed it that much, you know,

00:48:31.170 - 00:48:53.100

in their homes. And because we always had a community Seder um would folks go to go to Houston to get Matzo? Yes, yes, that's exactly right. Sarah Littman. She would go to Houston uh go to Belgians and stock up on the Matzo and bring it home.

00:48:53.100 - 00:49:14.380

And uh it was a big thing that she would always have, you know, the, the sweets uh that if you found the afi koman there, you know, you got the box of chocolate. But you didn't find that in Schulenburg. And uh, I can still see the

00:49:14.390 - 00:49:40.790

plastic fruit hanging from the uh and the white lattice that they had that they built. And I think I remember uh several years we had at our house and uh Hanukkah again, we had Hanukkah parties. Um trying to think other and I assume we had poor

00:49:40.790 - 00:50:06.070

um um the uh made home and cash in. One thing I would say is the temple in Schulenburg always always always welcome non jewish. Uh anyone could come and we very big on wanting to share our holidays and tradition with people in Schulenburg. We never, we

00:50:06.080 - 00:50:30.770

never wanted it to be like, oh a mystery of what is going on, always wanted to be very inclusive. Um and uh I do remember the synagogue and my parents one time, they had the governor of texas come to Schulenburg and that was you know, a

00:50:30.770 - 00:50:46.880

big deal and it took place at the time and all the townspeople came and it was a very big deal that the governor was there and and the temple was the place, so you know, they, they wanted other people to be feel welcome there and to

00:50:46.880 - 00:51:09.320

this day um I mean we would be at services and the catholic priest would be there, some of the uh clergy from other, the churches would come to our services. So um you know, moving now kind of towards towards towards the end of our, of our

00:51:09.320 - 00:51:27.020

time together. So what's what's happening with Temple Israel in Schulenburg today, I know that rocha shana and Yom kippur continue to be kind of focal points for, for those who have ties to the community, so talk about in a, in a normal year, right that several

00:51:27.020 - 00:52:00.500

years, what's been happening around the high holiday. So I would say um let me just Go back uh in about 1975 76, the congregation was getting smaller. Um and they really didn't have okay, rise from the uh Hebrew Union College. So jerry jerome Sherman became the

00:52:00.500 - 00:52:23.710

rabbi in Schulenburg. He was now retired from Beth congregation Beth Israel. And for many years he was our rabbi, which was wonderful because he had a wonderful relationship with him when he uh passed away, there was talk about what to do and it was thought that

00:52:23.710 - 00:52:45.030

maybe we would not be able to keep holding services, but I'm very proud to say my husband rick Stein stepped up and said no we need to keep up the tradition and I will lead the services on rosh Hashanah. So to this day, so that was

00:52:45.030 - 00:53:08.390

in um Yeah, it's probably been about 18, 20 years now, Rick has been doing it. Um he uh we go for Russia Shona, he likes to do it and include uh the congregants. So he is always has goes through the prayer book and gives everybody an

00:53:08.390 - 00:53:34.500

assigned part, wants everyone to feel very welcome and uh we do that, let's see um some of the good changes there. Becky burger is our president and she's great at keeping everyone informed. Uh it has gotten less and less people uh because of the membership dying,

00:53:34.500 - 00:53:57.710

but there are a lot of new new blood in the area because a lot of jewish people have settled on uh second homes or farms in their retired to the area. So I would say it it has a resurgence. Uh, and they're still going strong. Uh,

00:53:57.720 - 00:54:25.400

Passover still goes on uh young Kipper, we're not there. But again, they hold services and hold break fast and uh, we feel very positive um that it will continue. And uh, they've, they've definitely made new improvements to the building too. So that's something that's been wonderful.

00:54:25.410 - 00:54:49.400

The Argon finally wore out and there was a big donation of a piano and uh the uh joe Kaplan and his family, they have also endowed money from his mother who passed away joe ruth Kaplan so that there is money to have a rabbi come in

00:54:49.400 - 00:55:11.110

for young Kipper now and and of course this year because of the pandemic, everything is so different. So I guess there's no no in person services held this year, correct, correct. And uh, but we hope to be back there next year, even though I had to,

00:55:11.120 - 00:55:30.150

I had to think, I mean we might have a crowd of say 30 people on young Kipper, I mean on Russia Shona Eve, we might only have 25 20 for rush shown a day and I was thinking it would be a great place. You could social

00:55:30.150 - 00:55:51.390

distance pretty easy. So yeah, we're, that'd be great and we're just about out of time paul, I wanted to conclude by just asking you to reflect on, you know what what is special or unique about growing up, jewish in a in a small town, what you

00:55:51.390 - 00:56:17.300

know, what life lessons does that does that give you or what kind of perspective or insight do you get from that kind of, you know, small town upbringing? I think um the best thing that I got from growing up in Schulenberg was not being prejudice in

00:56:17.310 - 00:56:44.010

and being inclusive, it didn't matter what religion you were. Um I don't think, I mean it didn't matter what color you were or race, I feel like um that was something that it and it didn't matter may be economically where you were, we were all just

00:56:44.010 - 00:57:07.880

people and kids. And the one thing I noticed um when I did go to Houston and to maybe the university of texas, how divided people are. Um even with even being jewish, it was interesting to me, it was, it would be like, well I didn't know

00:57:07.880 - 00:57:31.030

them because they went to a different temple are and and I always thought you were jewish, you knew everybody and uh and also I learned that in Houston um again there were a lot of jewish Children that grew up only knowing only knowing jewish Children and

00:57:31.040 - 00:57:49.960

um one being my husband um and he went to bel air, he grew up in Meyer land, his life was the JCC and I didn't feel, you know, I felt like he had a very different upbringing because he didn't know people who weren't jewish and two

00:57:49.960 - 00:58:10.650

and my, and to me that was uh, the wonderful thing. I felt like I knew my jewishness, but I also knew the value of other of other religions. I mean, even to this day, I uh, I know a lot I can say about Christianity because of

00:58:10.650 - 00:58:31.370

my friends and and sharing uh holidays and, and you know, I feel strongly about my roots, but I also can accept other people's and that, that I think was really the best and my parents instilled that into my other two sisters and myself is, you know,

00:58:31.380 - 00:58:47.810

not to judge. Yeah, that's that's a really great perspective I think, you know, for us to hear those of us who don't have that experience growing up in a small town that it can, it can be a place that can instill diversity and tolerance and an

00:58:47.810 - 00:59:02.560

appreciation for people of all walks of life Paula. I want to thank you for your time today and wonderful, well, I didn't even know I had all this in me, but I could keep going, but we'll do that another time. We'll do it another time. Thank

00:59:02.560 - 00:59:04.340

you so much. Thank you