Congregation Beth Israel's Schachtel Library houses one of the finest collections of books of Jewish interest in the Southwest United States. The Houston Friends of Rabbi Hyman Judah Schachtel founded the library in 1967, in honor of his outstanding service to our city. The contributors included such notables as the De Menil, Wortham, George R. Brown and Abercrombie families. The original gift has presently grown into well over 20,000 volumes including an extensive Archive of materials dating back to the beginning of the Congregation in the mid 1800s.
Primarily aimed at serving Beth Israel members and its schools, Beth Israel's Schachtel Library welcomes everyone in the community and serves as a reference source for people nationwide.
Beth Israel's Schachtel Library is divided into two sections:
· The Hyman Judah Schachtel section serves adults with books that are of specifically Jewish interest or by Jewish authors for both scholarly and leisure time reading.
· The Myrtle and Walter Loewenstern section is designed for children and has both general interest books like math, history, picture books, and more, as well as those about Judaism including holidays, crafts, music, folktales, and Bible stories
Contact the Temple Librarian:
Judy Weidman
(713) 771-6221 ext. 370
Judy’s hours are
9:00-2:00 Tuesday-Friday
or by appointment for research assistance.
The Beth Israel Archive
The Beth Israel Archive documents the activities of the congregation from its earliest days, with records, pictures and documents relating to the life of an active Temple. The archive material is open to anyone needing the information. Please contact the librarian by phone at (713) 771-6221 x370, or email for more information.
The Readers' Group
Join us for our Readers’ Group. We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 1:30 p.m. in the Board Room at the Temple. All congregants and friends are welcome to join this convivial group. Look for meeting announcements in the calendar of events.
________________________________________
RECOMMENDED READING
Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman, formerly from Houston and the Beth Israel family, has just published "Sacred Parenting: Jewish Wisdom for Your Family's First Years", from the URJ Press. The library now has it in the collection, so call to reserve it.