Nine high school students from five schools across the Houston region spent a week at Rice University this summer exploring the rich history of Galveston’s Jewish community through the South Texas Jewish Archives’ second annual summer fellowship program.
Held June 8-12, the program immersed students in archival research using materials from the Temple B’nai Israel Collection, introducing them to original historical documents and giving them firsthand experience with the work of historians and archivists.
“This year we’re focusing on B’nai Israel in Galveston and the history of the Jewish community there, going back to the 1840s, with a particular focus on Rabbi Henry Cohen,” said Melissa Cohen-Nickels, curator of the South Texas Jewish Archives.
The fellowship cohort has more than doubled in size since last year, reflecting growing interest in the program and the opportunity to conduct research using primary source materials.
“They’re getting to work with real resources that haven’t actually been studied by anybody else,” Cohen-Nickels said. “They’re looking at documents that haven’t necessarily been studied before, and they’re learning how to examine historical documents, pull out information and expand on a topic like a real historian would.”
Students spent the week working in Fondren Library’s archival spaces, examining newly acquired collections and developing research projects they presented at the conclusion of the program.
For many participants, the experience offered a new perspective on both Texas history and historical research.
“I never knew there was a Jewish community in Galveston,” said Tovah Miller, an incoming senior at Robert M. Beren Academy. “We learned about Rabbi Henry Cohen, and I’d never heard that name before, but he was very instrumental in bringing a lot of Jews into America.”
Logan Burke, a sophomore at Stephen F. Austin High School, said the program introduced him to chapters of Texas history he had never encountered.
“I barely even knew that there was an actual history of Judaism in Texas,” Burke said. “It’s been really interesting.”
“It’s very interesting, seeing so many original documents that they have in the archives from many, many years ago,” said Sophie Berman, a sophomore at The Emery/Weiner School. “It’s so interesting to hold the real thing and read about all these people who made such a big impact on today. I really think more people need to be aware and learn about what we’re learning about here.”
The South Texas Jewish Archives, housed in Rice’s Woodson Research Center, preserves more than 200 collections documenting Jewish communities throughout Houston, Galveston and South Texas. The archive originated from preservation efforts following Hurricane Harvey and has grown into a major resource for researchers, students and community members.
“It gives them a real hands-on experience inside of an archives that most college students don’t necessarily have the opportunity to do,” Cohen-Nickels said. “We have these amazing documents and all of these collections, and I want community members to know about them and use them.”