January 13, 2022

Jo-Sandra Greenberg

Jo-Sandra Greenberg came from immigrant roots. Her mother's family emigrated from Romania, settling in New York City, where the family name was shortened to Segal. Her grandfather was an electrician who turned household objects into lamps, and though her grandmother kept a strictly kosher home with two sinks, her grandfather quietly enjoyed bacon and eggs at a corner eatery on Sunday mornings. Her father came from Russia and worked as a tailor, peddling children's clothing and mending garments in Dallas. Her mother, who had come from New York through Galveston to visit friends, was selling ladies ready-to-wear at a downtown store called the Leader when the two met.

Raised in University Park, Jo-Sandra attended Bradfield School, where she was the only Jewish child until the fourth grade and often felt solitary, riding her bike around University Park and Highland Park for fun. Her family later moved near Northwest Highway and Hillcrest, and she attended Franklin junior high and graduated from Hillcrest High School, taking part in orchestra, Latin club, and BBYO. Though her family kept the major holidays and observed traditions like visiting the cemetery, they did not attend services regularly. A powerful childhood moment came when she accidentally rode a bus to the new Shearith Israel building and, seeing sunlight behind the ark, felt she belonged there and asked to change congregations.

Determined to attend college and become a teacher, Jo-Sandra earned her degree and later a master's in special education. She married and briefly lived in Washington, D.C., where her husband served during Vietnam and she worked at the Pentagon, before returning to Dallas when he took a job with Sears. She taught in special programs in Fort Worth and beyond, spent 23 years with the Richardson School District, and later taught at Brookhaven College and the Dallas Institute of Funeral Service before retiring. She helped launch a special education Sunday program for the Jewish community and co-taught religious school at Temple Shalom. She and her husband raised two sons and take pride in their grandchildren, her teaching career, and the many programs she started that others carried forward.

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