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 18,000 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.
· The library and Beth Israel’s Adult Education Committee sponsor Coffee, Cake and Conversation, a monthly Sunday-morning learning session that offers a light breakfast and socializing followed by a stimulating speaker and discussion. Be sure to check the Beth Israel calendar for upcoming Coffee, Cake and Conversation events.
Our new librarian is Judy Weidman. She joins Beth Israel after 12 years of library experience in Canada and Houston, including nine years at the Houston Public Library. She also spent 15 years in the travel industry, working for El Al Israel Airlines in Houston. Judy and her husband live in the neighborhood and are long-time members of Brith Shalom. They have two daughters, one who lives on the West Coast, the other on the East Coast. No doubt, Judy and her husband are earning a lot of air miles going back and forth. Judy replaces our long-time librarian Kerry Hoffman who retired after 20 years at Beth Israel. We wish Kerry all the best and invite you to please stop by to meet Judy and say hello!
Contact Judy at :
(713) 771-6221 ext. 370 or
email her at
jweidman@beth-israel.org
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 jweidman@beth-israel.org for more information.