2022 has been a year of explosive growth for the Orthodox Jewish community in Houston. We saw dozens of new families join our community, added a new kosher restaurant, and the expansion of our two new all-kosher grocery stores. Here’s a recap of what various Houston Orthodox organizations accomplished in 2022.
MEYERLAND MINYAN
The Meyerland Minyan Synagogue enjoyed an exciting 2022! Rabbi Menachem Bresler was hired as our official rabbi. We welcomed five families into the neighborhood who have become active in our daily services, volunteer and leadership positions and in our events, including the annual Sukkah Hop and Cholent Bowl. We expanded our eruv to accommodate our growing community. Our High Holiday services returned to our own building after having been held at the JCC for the past two years. We began our building expansion and improvements, including improvements to our kitchen and a mother’s nursing room. We’re eager to celebrate with our friends and family in 2023 across all of the Houston Jewish community.
UNITED ORTHODOX SYNAGOGUES
It has been an exciting year for United Orthodox Synagogues. We began the year by ratifying the contract of our new Rabbi, Rabbi Yitzy Sprung, who has brought fresh energy to our community.
We held a number of exciting events driven by our incredible lay and professional staff. We held our first ever “Purim Block Party,” which was a festive celebration attended by members of all ages. We participated in the Shabbat Project’s Challah Bake program, where participants gathered to mix and braid challah together. In the lead-up to Chanukkah, we organized a “Chanukah Crawl” through Willow Meadows, which included stops at different members’ homes for festive snacks and activities. It was a great way to celebrate the holiday and connect with other members of the synagogue. We ended the year with a HaKarat HaTov Shabbaton, which celebrated members who have been a part of our synagogue for over 40 years. It was a wonderful opportunity to honor and thank these dedicated members for their contributions to our community.
We were also fortunate to host a number of scholars in residence throughout the year, including Dr. Alick Isaacs, Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, Naomi Schrager, Dr. Rivka Press-Schwartz, Rabbi Aaron and Mrs. Lynn Kraft, Rabbi Asaf Bednarsh, Rav Eitan Kupietzy, Adi Rabinowitz Bedein, Rabbi Yaakov Sprung, and Rabbi David Bashevkin. Their insights and teachings added an extra layer of depth and enrichment to our programming.
We also made significant progress on the construction of our new building. We broke ground on the project earlier this year and are excited to see the finished product in the near future. The new building will provide much-needed space for our growing congregation and will allow us to expand our programming and services.
Overall, it has been a memorable and successful year for United Orthodox Synagogues. We are grateful to all of our members for their support and look forward to continuing to grow as a community in the year ahead.
CONGREGATION BETH RAMBAM
For the past 40 years, Congregation Beth Rambam has stood proudly at the center of Sephardic Jewry in Houston, not just as a place to pray but as a place to grow. A place where its members turn to learn, to celebrate, and to raise their children. As part of this important mission, Beth Rambam, under the leadership of Rabbi Daniel Masri, expanded to their
magnificent Magen Zion Campus, runs a Tomchei Shabbat program, and opened a Sunday Hebrew School.
In May 2022, Beth Rambam took another step by launching the CBR Learning Center, a full-day Torah learning program in which accomplished Torah scholars were appointed to learn together throughout the day, and engage the community with Torah study in the evenings. The daytime program is a Choshen Mishpat Halachah Kollel led by Rabbi Sheya Lazenga, the Rosh Kollel, and is under the auspices of Beth Din Maysharim of Lakewood, NJ. The evening program is coordinated by Rabbi David Azancot, the Assistant Rabbi. To date, the CBR Learning Center has hosted a slew of weekly shiurim including gemara classes, practical and business halachah classes, as well as parshah and hashkafah classes. The hope is that the CBR Learning Center shall expand to one day touch each and every member of the community.
HEIMISH OF HOUSTON
Heimish of Houston is a small shtieble in a house in the Northfield neighborhood. Inspired by the light of the Baal Shem Tov, it was started a few years ago to bring the warmth of Chassidus to the city. This year, Heimish continued to expand its offerings with classes such as The Lost Princess Book Club, Night Seder, learning Messeches Makos as a chaburah, and various other learning opportunities. Recently the Shul began Shabbos morning children’s groups, and hosted a grand
Chanuka party. Under the leadership of the Rav, Rabbi Yakov Nagel, the Heimish family always works on preparing for each Yom Tov with special learning and preparations made to welcome in each special time.
CHABAD LUBAVITCH CENTER
Chabad Lubavitch Center of Houston, the headquarters for Chabad in Texas, is celebrating 50 years since opening in 1972. Today, there are thirteen branches of Chabad-Lubavitch in Houston, each one comprising multiple departments. A fourteenth Houston-area Chabad Center will be opening in January of 2023.
Thousands participated in Chanukah celebrations with Chabad in Houston with tens of thousands of onlookers witnessing the pirsumei nissa at the Thanksgiving day parade and Houston Rockets game.
At Chabad Lubavitch Center, over 250 men, women and children celebrated Yud Tes Kislev, the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidus, with guest speaker Rabbi Yisroel Deren of Stamford, Connecticut.
YOUNG ISRAEL OF HOUSTON
2022 was an action-filled and exciting year for Young Israel of Houston! We recently surpassed 200 member families and welcomed 22 new families to our neighborhood! Our community has enjoyed weekly classes for men and women, given by our Rav, Rabbi Yehoshua Wender, and our assistant rabbi, Rabbi Buchwald, as well as a boys M’Dor L’Dor learning program in conjunction with the Houston Kollel. A new 9:15, nusach sefard minyan was started for young professionals, as well as a new Kollel boker program.
We have been fortunate to have hosted a number of renowned scholars in residence throughout the year, including Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Rabbi Zev Leff in honor of the shul celebrating Israel’s 74th anniversary, and Rabbi Yisroel Majeski. Our shul was privileged to host a “Shabbos of Chinuch”, a community-wide weekend of inspiration and chizuk featuring renowned Rav and educator, Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rabbi Chaim Nosson Segal, and Rebbetzin Miriam Gettinger, who each spoke multiple times over Shabbos. A gala kiddush was held to show appreciation to the many Jewish educators from schools across Houston.
We were so excited to finally get our youth programming back in gear with the hiring of Mrs. Ari Benjamin as our shul’s youth director. Youth programs included weekly Shabbos morning groups for ages 3 – 7, and a new davening initiative aimed at encouraging elementary and middle school boys to daven in shul. Fun events were held for Chanukah, Purim, and Lag BaOmer with inflatables, crafts, and good food.
Our first-ever community-wide Women’s Purim Showcase took place this past year, with an auction, shopping, and an enthralling production by community women. Shavuos featured multiple learning opportunities with men and boys learning throughout the night at shul and a middle school and high school girls learning program at local houses. Classes for women were held every day of the chag, including the very well-attended panel discussion arranged by the Kollel.
Overall it has been a memorable year and we look forward to seeing what the next year brings!
CONGREGATION TORAH VACHESED
Congregation Torah Vachesed (CTV), a Sephradic/Israeli shul, was established in 2007 by Rabbi and Rachel Yaghobian. Its primary goal is attracting unaffiliated Jews to have a meaningful connection to Torah and Mitzvot.
Torah Vachesed’s community members have bought homes within walking distance to shul, kashered kitchens, and moved forward in their Avodat Hashem. Many couples got married and began raising their children in this community. Joy, happiness, and growth in Torah learning have become a reality at Torah Vachesed.
CTV has a flourishing adult education program in Hebrew, English, and Spanish. Additionally, CTV boasts a beautiful neighborhood Mikva that serves the greater Meyerland area.
TORAH DAY SCHOOL
2022 was a spectacular year at Torah Day School of Houston! After our most successful ever annual campaign, TDS was proud to see its graduates accepted into schools promoting Jewish communal leadership.
With the continued growth of the community, Torah Day School’s registration has been full in many classes. An expansion has just been completed for four new classrooms to handle an additional 40+ students.
TDS welcomed Adina Metchik into a newly-created position as Wellness Coordinator to promote the social and emotional health of TDS students. Student enrollment numbers rose to their highest level yet, and TDS is still busy creating classes for the newcomers. Students and staff are looking forward to an amazing 2023!
ROBERT M BEREN ACADEMY
The 2022-2023 academic year at Robert M. Beren Academy has been one of renewal and revitalization! Every division of the school grew as we welcomed 40 new families from all across the world, including our new Head of School, Rabbi Jordan Silvestri and his family.
Our first semester may have flown by, but it was packed with an incredible line up of events, experiences, and learning. Our lower and upper school students received national and local awards and recognition, participated in global initiatives including the Shabbos Project and a Day of Learning in memory of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”tl, and enjoyed field trips both on and off campus. RMBA saw a major security upgrade, with the hiring of additional guards, bolstering of gates, and additional ongoing security measures.
Our year was enthusiastically kicked off with the creation of the world’s largest kosher pizza, an engaging school-wide family event, and for the first time ever we hosted a school-wide grandparent and special friends day including our upper school division. Our upper school students have enjoyed retreats, weekly onegs on Friday, acclaimed guest speakers, and participated in the Auburn Basketball Shabaton Experience, and the national Better to Serve program.
Looking forward to 2023 we are excited to be hiring a new Upper School Judaic Studies Principal, and offer new upper school students (grades 6-11) game-changing scholarship opportunities.
YESHIVA TORAT EMET
Yeshiva Torat Emet has seen enrollment grow substantially in 2022, with over 460 students currently enrolled. This school year specifically, 22 new families joined YTE, with 76 new students. Shortly after Sukkos, two new temporary classroom buildings were added to the property. The temporary classroom buildings house four Upper School boys’ classes, making space in the main building for the growing Early Childhood department. New this school year are a third Tiny Toddler class and a third Pre-K class.
YTE’s educational plan for this year, “Onward and Upward,” is focused on 3 pillars: communication, curriculum, and faculty, to meet the needs of its students. Fall highlights at YTE included Yom Tov assemblies, Rosh Chodesh games and activities, a Chanukah chagiga for Upper School girls, a Father and Son Chanukah mesiba, an Upper School Girls Shabbaton, and a Shabbos of Chinuch to honor our educators and bring in outstanding speakers to our community.
OHR ZAHAVA
With gratitude to Hashem, the newest innovative yeshiva in Houston is Ohr Zahava— a Greathearts Microschool. Our aim is to provide a complete, well rounded education that builds individual character and confidence and promotes academic, emotional, and spiritual success via the application of science, math, the arts, and literature as they apply to Derech Eretz, Jewish history, and identity. We empower students to think creatively, be hard workers, have good characters, and take pride in their community.
This year, we were able to open enrollment for K-3, and look forward to expanding to K-5 in the next school year.
For general studies, we use the Greathearts Academic Program, and for Limudei Kodesh, we use the Montessori program of Rabbi Jonathan Rietti.
For more information, contact Megan Kluger 917-207-2682
NCSY
Houston NCSY is a dynamic youth movement providing opportunities for hundreds of Jewish high school and middle school teens to be inspired and feel more connected to their heritage. Whether through fun social events, Jewish Student Union (JSU) public school clubs, Torah learning classes or a Shabbaton, teens have so many doorways open for them to find a meaningful connection.
Over the past year, teens have enjoyed unique events such as:
- – a fully immersive 3 day chessed mission in New Orleans
- – a 2 day elite national leadership conference
- – a 5 day Yarchei Kallah learning trip
- – a 300-teen combatting antisemitism public school assembly
- … and so much more!
For more opportunities please contact your local city director, Rabbi Nati Stern, at Sternn@ncsy.org or by calling him at (913) 787-1056.
BNEI AKIVA
We were proud to serve our Houston community and help our teens lead a variety of youth programs throughout the last year. Our main programs were:
Yom Chesed: A joint project of Bnei Akiva Houston, Robert M. Beren Academy and UOS, our annual Yom Chesed unites the entire Houston Jewish community as we gather for a festive Tfila and breakfast, and then are divided into
groups to complete various volunteer projects. Volunteers assisted in packing food packages, donated blood, and cleaned up cemeteries, along with other meaningful chesed projects.
Purim: Our madrichim packed Purim baskets and delivered them to recipients across the city. This is our biggest fundraiser, which allows us to help teens with scholarships to Bnei Akiva Shabbatonim and activities.
As we do every year, we honored our fallen soldiers and the state of Israel with beautiful Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut ceremonies at UOS.
Above all, Bnei Akiva Houston is proud to be led by teens who devote their free time to help run activities for the kids. Every weekend, our busy teen madrichim find time to plan a special activity with a message and run it on Shabbat during our Bnei Akiva snif meetings.
We are looking forward to an amazing year to come!
CHAVEIRIM OF HOUSTON
Chaverim responded to over 350 calls in 2022 and provided assistance to a variety of vehicle and home emergencies. Chaverim also launched a new Medical Device Gemach assisting with wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and more.
LEV ECHAD
Lev Echad was created as a generalized chesed initiative aimed to help manage day-to-day life for any community member or visitor – whether temporary or permanent – in any type of distress. In 2022, with the help of over 175 volunteers, they delivered over 3,000 meals, assisted 185 families with medical needs, assisted 34 families with moving to Houston, gave out 220 medical referrals, handled up to 50 calls a week, and dispatched 4 community emergency teams.
New Community in Maplewood West
Torchwood is the newest Jewish community in Houston, designed to cater to the millennial generation. Young Jews of all affiliations are encouraged to plant their roots here, focusing on the element of community rather than cultural labels. A project of TORCH, Rabbi Chaim and Tzaitel Bucsko moved into the Maplewood West neighborhood just over a year ago with the dream of developing “Torchwood” into a future haven for the upcoming generation that needs a judgement-free environment to learn and grow together.
Since the summer of ’22, Torchwood claimed three new households of young Jewish pioneering families and B’EH, will continue to expand over the years. Hosting intimately guided davening, weekly classes and social programs, Torchwood has already gained unforeseen traction among young adults around Houston and is immensely grateful for the unending chasdei Hashem!
Jewish Community Winter Break Weekend
Families from various Jewish communities in Texas, including Houston and Dallas, gathered together at the JW Marriott San Antonio for the first weekend of winter break. Coordinated by David Geldman of Dallas, the program offered a discounted group rate and daily minyanim.
The JW Marriott is a family-friendly resort that features a year-round water park, multiple activities for kids daily, nightly s’mores, and movie nights, plus both adult-only and family hot tubs, as well as a spa. Though the weather was some of the coldest Texas has seen, participants still enjoyed indoor amenities like the rec room, game room, cozy fireplaces, in addition to participating in activities like a rubber duck race.
Through Texas Wanderers, HJB has obtained an exclusive discount for anyone looking to book a vacation at the JW Marriott. Use code ZS7 for 10% off and a $50 resort credit. Click to book.
