Honoring an old gas station, the Texas Capitol and a synagogue

Leon and Mimi Tobin donated the historic synagogue from Brenham where it rested previously. A dedication ceremony was held Aug. 30, 2015, on the grounds of the Dell Jewish Community Center campus in Northwest Austin for the B’Nai Abraham Brenham Historic Synagogue, which was moved to the site from Brenham earlier this year.


The folks at Preservation Austin — do-gooders who do good under the great slogan “Saving the Good Stuff” — are out with their list of local stuff nicely saved. Included are a bus stop and, perhaps appropriately for Austin these days, something that moved here from out of town.

“This year’s recipients are among the best preservation projects from the past two years,” the organization said in announcing its 2017 Preservation Merit awards. “They represent a diverse cross-section of the city’s history and show the many ways in which preservation makes Austin a more engaging, authentic place for all of us.”

Indeed. I guess it’s great that a new Jetsons-looking P. Terry’s seems to go up on every corner, but good for folks who preserve old stuff.

My favorite honoree on Preservation Austin’s list is something I wrote a few thousand words about (and put together an hourlong documentary on) back in 2014 and 2015, when Brenham’s historic but defunct B’nai Abraham Synagogue was cut into three pieces, trucked to Austin, put back together and given a new life as the home of Austin’s Congregation Tiferet Israel on the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Northwest Austin.

Synagogue saga: B’nai Abraham’s most excellent road trip

In honoring Shalom Austin for its stewardship in giving new life to the old building (built in 1893), the Preservation Austin jury said, “The love and commitment of Shalom Austin, along with Brenham’s Leon and Mimi Toubin, to preserving B’nai Abraham as a synagogue is phenomenal. Moving the building involved difficult decisions followed by years of hard work and fundraising, but with wonderful results.”

Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/opinion/herman-honoring-old-gas-station-the-texas-capitol-and-synagogue/P9dbHUg8AN8vEEaYbC0VzI/

After living in Brenham and seeing how the synagogue was neglected, I'm glad that it has found a new home and new purpose.