Jim Hogue
Jim Hogue's mother's family emigrated from Russia around 1919, fleeing the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution and traveling through Europe for years before reaching the United States. With help from a relative already settled in Oklahoma, the family made their way to Broken Bow, Oklahoma, where his grandfather ran a general store in one of only a few Jewish families in the area. His father grew up nearby in Idabel, and after his parents met, they moved to Nashville, Arkansas, where Jim was born at home. Because his mother's family was determined to integrate into American society, Jim grew up in a household with little religious observance.
The family moved to Dallas in 1941 when Jim was about two years old, drawn by his father's employment. He grew up in the Peace Palace area, attended Temple Emanu-El's religious school, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1957. Through friends and Jewish youth groups such as AZA and BBG, he formed lifelong friendships and found his connection to Jewish community life. He went on to the University of Texas at Austin. Growing up during the Second World War, Jim experienced considerable anti-Semitism, an experience he credits as part of what drove his lifelong commitment to community involvement.
Jim married Jeanette, originally from El Paso, in 1964, and together they became deeply involved in the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, joining one of its first young leadership groups and traveling to Israel with a close-knit group in 1974. That year they became the first couple in Dallas to receive the Federation's Young Leadership Award. Jim served as president of the Federation and of the Jewish Vocational Counseling Service, and held leadership roles with the Jewish National Fund, the Jewish Community Relations Council, and other organizations, later focusing on the Dallas Holocaust Museum Center for Education and Tolerance. The couple, married 48 years at the time of the interview, has two accomplished daughters, Mindy and Elise, and helped found Temple Shalom.
Full Transcript
today's December the 10th 2012 I'm talking to Jim oh and uh Nancy Youngerman so give me your full name James Elmen why did your parents select that name was it I think I've named after King James came from Jay go from a great grand and what's the history of having my father words of George mother's family immigrated to this country about 19 19 from Russia during they left Russia in 1979 Bolshevik Revolution 22 years approximately to get here and they went from Russia to Broken Bow home why well it's the story of most Jewish families in the southwest there was another family member at Oklahoma
help support them to come to Broken Bow and my grandfather had a general store in broken non-jewish know she was enough sure you had the preserve Jewish my father said was not my father grew up and I developed well which is 13 miles from Broken Bow and somehow they met after they met my parents moved to Nashville Arkansas where my father worked for a Jewish person by the name of a pan and i was born in a home in Nashville Arkansas so how did we get here to Dallas as quickly as I could right right my father's employment brought him here in 1941 I grew
up here so you moved your two years old through mathematics do you have brothers or sisters I do not my parents had me after they've been reading about ten years and decided one was enough genes are smart but after looking at me I guess they were ok so i have how your family came here were there any other members of your family in this area my my father had siblings in Fort Worth girls do you ever get back to the south is there any relatives there well it's really not the South it's more from here it's actually the Northeast well to get my own son
oh I when you say that I think of Oklahoma because that's where i used to go to visit my grandparents so far is that from Tulsa it's a long way there's a place called Broken Arrow which sometimes people get confused and then broken bow and broken arrow as close to plus my broken bow is close to tech closer to text account did you grow up in a religious household not at all when my mother's family emigrated from Russia to the United States and as most Jewish families at that point in time they had to leave everything behind and they were pretty determined to integrate into
American society and make a living and broken vocal on there were three Jewish families and so there was no religion from that what happened prior to that Russia I don't know well you seemed from what i know about you to catch on to the Jewish religion in the community in a hurry what was your inspiration what was your connection growing up in Dallas and being actually growing up in a part of dallas for the reverse you choose which was peace palace and I went to Woodrow Wilson High School in 1957 our graduating class was 525 95 congratulate and so most of my association or my
three years of high school was very large involvement with AZN BBG what got you there for friends from religious school we went to I went to temple emanuel indep in South doubts that's where in terms of religion and so the friends from there and just wanted to be with them and so I became very involved in they CA and made a lot of lifelong friends and that and then one thing led to another and went to college was in the jury returned a pact Wade wife college university of texas at austin mobile at that point that was the only that was that was you know
the initiation of my involvement the friends not made a nice day and you still give some names of the french you grew up with in dallas that you still see that this day Texas Marcus Shaffer his brother dawn Schafer box long ago there were a lot of mud of Brooks that went to school at the University of Texas and bringing paths all came back here to Dallas Jay what's his middle name you're married yes to saline question did that hope and that seelman home it's from El Paso and how many children we have two daughters Mindy and Elise and they are currently 43 and 44
and at least lives in DC in New York City we have two granddaughters with Mindy Macy who was that you're very spoiled you're the only guy even the doggies you've been involved in so many organizations what what was the first what is your earliest memory of connecting what organization when right after unit and I were married which was in 1964 we got involved with the Federation Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and subsequently we were in the young one of the first young leadership groups the first I don't recall and that was really going back to gosh i guess the late sixties a caregiver now so
we're in that era he went on to more things I wouldn't say bigger better things but parallel parallel gear were emotion to Federation well it was you know everybody has mentors and role models and Janice normal sweet we're certainly hours we were in their young leadership group and we were part of the group that went to Israel in 1974 where there was 20 30 of us which we might remain close friends with all that group pretty much ever since and that was really what got us entrenched in the Jewish influence on many lives what is your current connection now too as far as leadership the
organization and I'll primarily involved with at this point in time is the Dallas Holocaust Museum Center for Education and tolerance which I am a past chairman of and helping them with their building plans for the future for a permanent home for the holiday season and that is primarily what my focus is at this point you know I asked this question but I probably don't need to ask you since you weren't brought up in a religious family in your last name is hope but did you meet with any kind of anti-semitism very much so really because i think is hope and there are no Jewish well
actually that's not true I have since found out there was a rabbi in San Diego with the last name of and I have found out that there are couple of hoax there's one and I believe this Philadelphia information I always thought that I was a show in the world but I'll positive and but yes growing up in the neighborhood I grew up in during Second World War I met with a lot of anti-semitism a lot of people knew I was Jewish years and went a couple of Manuel and not to try to hide it and I was a small kid nice to get beat up
a lot I think when you go back and look at that I think that was part of the reason that I have become so involved in what I've done in the community is one and so I and the other thing is is that because you know I don't fit the stereotype of a Jewish person I don't have a Jewish last name I hear a lot of things that maybe we're just feeling here that maybe wouldn't be set if somebody thought I was Jewish how do you handle that depends on what said and who side try and tell it by educating people and telling asking now
you know about where they got that notion that i did and trying to help educate them change their and make them sensitive to their works of that everybody it's funny how certain stereotypes come to your mind this last election with how could any Jew vote for anyone but Romney misinformation true and I would imagine your mother having a Russian accent but that might have drawn some attention well my mother really good memories Nexus she came to this country when she was ten and she really had lost her Russian accent through the years of school are either hood still alive no 1907 28 105 this year
I made it to 100 to 1 yeah yours I've heard you've had two remarkable children tell me about each one well of course thank you for saying that but of course were prejudiced you know the our older daughter would first of all the two years less than two days less than a year park so actually had twins but Mindy our eldest daughter very accomplished in terms of her education she want to do to New York and master's in physical therapy worked in Harlem with underprivileged kids and Parliament's school tomorrow until she had our second granddaughter and at that point she became a mother full-time but
has since volunteer with many organizations helping out from culturing her purse and a dog's projects in going to New Orleans to help build homes in Katrina from Katrina helping with when it's just recently happened with hurricane disaster New York City and trying to also bring the number to help other people in the community who really had major issues with this last disaster New York City as well as starting a program of teaching younger children in school about how you help others in the community by starting in the second and third grade and taking them to community projects such as feeding people at stew pots and
things of that nature and she was also very much involved in a program helping girls who may have been abused verbally or physically by bringing them together to help with pets and particularly with dogs that they would have opted and help them they feel like if they care for a dog and see how they can help that dog and which has been adopted then there's some more self-esteem about what they're doing and Sarah and so many has done wonderful things like that and teaching her own children at a very young age that and about how you reach out in the community to help others Elise
has been a political activist an environmentalist she went to Vassar and got a master's in forest ecology for the University of vision and as worked for Bat Conservation International Austin's saving bats around the world for all about name of Merlin title who has been the international figure 4 y bats are good for the world what do you think that heard in today I well that was sort of in between her that was she worked there in between her Vassar and Michigan premiums and so she we just moved Austin and slowly filling to that job and then after she got her forced ecology master's degree she
went to work for Greenpeace was involved in marching in Seattle during the WTO where she might remember people were rounded up and put in jail she was put in jail and she's sort of a natural leader and people gravitate to her and two interesting stories one was that jailer came by the first night they were in jail Taylor jaber chain like I'm so nice and handed them a note and the note read it is the first night of Hanukkah and miracles do happen and second thing that came out of there was she got a new job she went to work for Rainforest Action Network and
moved from washington d city to to san francisco she worked there I guess about six or seven years and then she was employed by and i'm getting ready to forget the organization its name the Democratic like we just just went like no no anyway it'll come back to me but any event Democratic advocacy organization and she became the political director in the campaign director then was asked to move to DC here before the Obama election for Obama was elected and worked on his campaign and actually was meeting with the White House staff after he respected once every week or so and in February of his
passengers she left that organization to go out on her own do consulting work right now she's working for the Sorel's slrs not George but his son had instrumental in trying to bring legislative election in quality they are trying to overcome the super PACs that the Supreme Court is okay and so there's two daughters but your wife is equally involved in decorated for her accomplishments which some of them are well we've been very fortunate within forty-eight years now and we've shared the same interests going back to the leadership group we were the first couple in dallas in 1974 to be awarded the young Leadership Award by
the Jewish Federation in first couple and so we've actually yet and I actually led the young Leadership Group two different times and nails and she led me to Israel no well no the group oh okay putting the group together and bringing programming etc although she and I both have led missions too much and we blend together as well as separate and so but she has been involved in all sorts of leadership capacities within the Federation whether it be the women's division whether the campaign ship or or other various various committees etc as well as being on many boards and the community American Jewish Committee legacy
national conference national there's she's been involved in many many organizations fortunately as i said the opportunity to share this passion for the Jewish community remarkable family well I can't wait to see I hear about your grandchildren and five hear this I want to backtrack did your mother did your mother have any stories about the old country now not really they which is a shame that I didn't have the opportunity to really record any members of the family she had an older brother that may have had more my stories the stories I remember were when they left Russia because the aggressions were breaking all the young
men into the army they had to smuggle my own without the trunk they travelled through Europe for several years before they got here the Redmen family which may be a name from Tyler they were my rose rudman was the first cousin of my grandmother and there they were very improved they were instrumental in bringing my family but they were really too young in fact there were conflicting stories about where they even entered the country I have a letter from a great uncle who was about you for my uncle for what purpose is saying that they came in from Baltimore my mother always told me that
they came in through Nova Scotia we were in Nova Scotia and I went to try and research it nor was no evidence of them coming in through Nova Scotia so I not quite sure the letter for my grandpa says they all came together but I heard conflicting stories and I'm not been able to go back and confirm are there any particular role models I eat you said Arnie and Janice but any other role models that have been an inspiration for you you know I think has one grows up and you have different friends and you see what people do I had a very close friend
in Houston only know Mara Nathan who was several years older than I shooters ridge mall at the dough of a za he was it was a mr. i would say silent a balaban this was very important part of our life in terms of involved in the leadership program but there are many others you know I would just say the friends that we've had people we've worked together within the community we've all probably been an influence on each other and I believe very strongly that one of the great rewards you get by working in the community wonderful and that's there's really the reward that I would say we stars stars before we finish wrap this up is there anything that I might not have covered that you look like to and I don't know
how much you don't know the various organizations I've been involved you asked about my wife in my years yeah okay I thought we'd federation and press press of the Federation I was first organization that I was president of here was the Jewish vocational counseling service wait for us way back when and which is no longer part of that is no longer in existence it was merged in the Jewish family shows I've been very I've been involved with the Jewish National Fund I was trusting of that here Ben share of the Jewish Community Relations Council many different forms currently on the session so this earlier currently
on the AEL regional board and many other different boards I guess you know the two most meaningful positions i believe i've held is precedented Federation and share of the dallas colonizers although every one of them meaningful in their own way deval been wonderful experiences and certainly none of these leadership roles go without challenges such portico you really brought this the Holocaust to life I may be bad your leadership when I was on the I didn't ask you what congregation grew up until I broke into the manual as I mentioned we were founders of Temple Shalom because Jeanette came from ortho conservative background from El Paso
we end up moving to share that she was comfortable any leadership development outside Jewish well first of you well well the I was I went to the state Democratic convention many years ago as a delegate actually saw I was involved in politics for a while when the Colombian board was plumbing clovis functioning else on their board for several times right now I am sharing a capital campaign for the mount Crested Butte performing arts center which is 23 million dollar campaign so much time you spend in pursuit which been most of the summer there and back and forth in the winter of our schedule for meals
little life well it's been a pleasure interviewing you learn some new things and I can very much thank you for what you do are we good now you're good oh very try question what sports do you like it you're in great shape you do something to do well I always played sports and colleague played water intramurals football handball baseball and I've run for marathons putting Boston New York twice upon Dallas and currently husky and walk a lot and don't run anymore but just try and get myself in appreciate about watching you what I do which is a seafood diet you know and discipline I discipline
well thank you again