From left, Logan Rosenberg (Frisco), Noah Friedman (San Antonio), Harris Goetz (Dallas), Ben Galison (Austin), Eitan Hollander (Austin), Emily Taylor (Cypress) and Jordan Blechman (Port Lucia, Florida), looking forward to the celebration, are among the Jewish Aggies who enjoy spending time at the A.I. and Manet Schepps Hillel building in College Station. A gala weekend is planned for Oct. 21-23.
Marvin Noble, Gerald Ray, Robert Wolf and Don Zale among those to be honored
The Hillel at Texas A&M invites Jewish Aggies and A&M Hillel supporters to Aggieland the weekend of Oct. 21-23, to celebrate the first decade of the A.I. and Manet Schepps Hillel building and the decades of Hillel tradition at Texas A&M.
The celebration begins Friday evening with Shabbat dinner and services with Hillel students and will continue with a gala dinner Saturday evening honoring those who have enhanced Jewish life at Texas A&M. It will conclude with a fun alumni brunch Sunday morning. Friday night will be a casual dining and services experience. Saturday will be an elegant, semi-formal evening where Hillel at Texas A&M will award its first Mensch of the Year award to Dallasites Gerald Ray and Donald Zale for their continuing support of Hillel and their roles in the development of the Jewish and Israel Studies Program at Texas A&M. Sunday brunch will be a casual atmosphere to tour the Hillel building, visit with students and share memories with fellow alumni. Plan to attend all or part of the weekend!
During the weekend, an exciting new initiative at Texas A&M University will be spotlighted. Ariel Ilan Roth, executive director of the Israel Institute, announced: “In partnership with Donald Zale, Gerald Ray and others, the Israel Institute is planning some exciting expansions of Jewish and Israel Studies at Texas A&M. While the precise details cannot be revealed at this time, we expect Texas A&M to soon be able to offer a very significant number of classes each year to introduce Aggies to Jewish civilization, Jewish history, the role of Jews in the United States and the modern state of Israel. For some, this may turn into a structured course of study; for others, a place to dip their toe into the world of Jews, Judaism and Israel.” More details will be forthcoming.
Additionally, Marvin Noble (Dallas), Marc Sheiness (Houston) and brothers Michael Wolf (Beaumont) and Richard Wolf (Houston) will be honored with Hillel’s Taubenhaus Service Awards.
Esther Taubenhaus and her husband, Jacob, arrived in College Station in 1916. Dr. Taubenhaus was the first Jewish professor at Texas A&M. Upon realizing there was no organization for Jewish students, the couple founded the Menorah Club. In 1920, the organization changed its name to Hillel and in 1923 it joined the national organization. Esther Taubenhaus ran the Hillel Chapter in College Station until 1957. This award recognizes those who, like the Taubenhauses, have served Hillel selflessly for many years. Robert Wolf (Dallas) will receive Hillel’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes a recent graduate who has demonstrated a strong commitment to Hillel’s mission and goals.
As part of the effort to document the lengthy and continuous Texas A&M Hillel legacy, former students are asked to please send copies of photos from their time at Texas A&M to 10YearGala@tamuhillel.org. Photos can be archived and displayed.
For further information about the weekend, including weekend sponsorship opportunities, please email 10YearGala@tamuhillel.org.