Dallasites Jeffrey Beck, Kenny Goldberg named to 1-year terms 

(JNS) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed five people to the state’s new Holocaust, Genocide and Anti-Semitism Advisory Commission.

The commission, which was created in September, “shall conduct a study on anti-Semitism in the state, provide assistance to schools, and meet with appropriate representatives of public and private organizations to provide information in addition to various education duties around the state,” according to Abbott’s announcement on Jan. 6.

Abbott appointed Dallas residents Jeffrey Beck and Kenneth “Kenny” Goldberg for terms that will expire on Feb. 1, 2023.

Beck is chairman of the board of United Texas Bank, Quantum Holdings and Beck Ventures. He is a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, and sits on various boards for the country of Israel as well as a University of Miami board. He previously served as the national board chair for the American Senior Housing Association. Beck received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami.

Goldberg is retired from Gold Metal Recyclers, which he founded in 1976 and eventually merged with European Metals Recycling Company in 2011. He is past president of the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center and has served many organizations including the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Israel Bonds and AIPAC. Goldberg received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

For a term set to expire on Feb. 1, 2025, the governor appointed Austin resident and Holocaust survivor Lucy Taus Katz and Providence Umugwaneza from San Antonio. 

Katz was hidden by a Catholic family in Poland during the Holocaust in order to save her from Nazi capture. She has been active in creating awareness worldwide about the Holocaust and genocide since she was 17 years old. She is a member of the steering committee of Decedents of Holocaust Survivors in Central Texas, lifetime director for the Texas Association of Homebuilders and the National Association of Homebuilders and former president of both the National Association of Remodelers Industry and the National Kitchen and Bath Association, both in Austin. Katz attended Temple University. She and her husband Joel are members of Temple Beth Shalom, Austin.

Umugwaneza survived the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority ethnic group in Rwanda, where she lost her parents, five siblings and other family members. She volunteers with fellow Rwandan genocide survivors to advocate for women and girls who were assaulted and infected with HIV/AIDS during the genocide. She currently leads educational programs in the U.S. to educate and raise awareness. Umugwaneza received a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Science from the University of Kigali in Rwanda.

Abbott additionally appointed Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Ilan Emanuel of Corpus Christi for a term set to expire on Feb. 1, 2027.

Emanuel is a former board member of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis, the Lincoln Jewish Community School Board and the Lincoln Jewish Federation. He is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Corpus Christi Clergy Alliance, and was recently appointed to the Corpus Christi School Health Advisory Committee. Emanuel received a degree in law from the University of Manchester and the University of Westminster and his rabbinic ordination from the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio.