Honorary Hosts:

Mona & Artie Allen

Dot & Basil Haymann

Ynette & Jim Hogue

Susan & Allyn Kramer

Jackie & Steve Waldman

Andrea & Loren Weinstein

Host Committee:

 

Lots of exciting raffle opportunities are coming – Stay tuned for more info!

Raffle tickets are $25 each, or 5 tickets for $100.

 

CLICK TO PURCHASE RAFFLE TICKETS
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We are the Storykeepers of the Dallas Jewish Community.

In 1971, two friends watched as a piece of their history was reduced to rubble. As Ginger Chesnick Jacobs and Ruth Brown Kahn watched the demolition of Temple Emanu-El’s early South Dallas building, the third in the congregation’s history, they became acutely aware of the importance of saving local Jewish history. Though it was too late for that building, it wasn’t too late for the history of the Dallas Jewish community. They began the Dallas Jewish Archives, a committee of the Jewish Community Center (JCC), which evolved, a decade later, into the Dallas Jewish Historical Society (DJHS), an independent 501c(3) non-profit, dedicated to education on and preservation of Dallas Jewish history. The agency is the only one that collects, preserves, and records the history of the entire Greater Dallas Jewish Community and related émigré stories. Their legacy lives on.

Within the walls of our climate-controlled Archival vault are a plethora of documents, photographs, and audio-visual materials, and objects from Jewish-owned businesses, organizations, congregations, families, and individuals dating 1860- thru today (quite literally), which are woven into the fabric of Dallas history. In addition to many treasured artifacts, the Dallas Jewish Historical Society continues to expand the Morton Rachofsky Oral History Archive, having gathered 1018 personal interviews with members of our Jewish community since 1971. Our treasure trove is regularly utilized by DJHS volunteers and staff, researchers, and the public, to learn about and re-imagine Dallas Jewish history – its preservation and care are at the center of our work.

The concept of L’Dor V’Dor, or generation to generation, is also deeply ingrained in our roots as an agency – exemplified through in-depth interviews and personal genealogical support – we help families trace their roots, capture their stories, and ensure their legacies endure.

From Downtown to South Dallas, the Cedars to Goose Valley, Deep Ellum to North Dallas and beyond, Jews have influenced the formation of Dallas. From the long-standing congregations of Temple Emanu-El, Shearith Israel, and Tiferet Israel to the newer houses of worship, and those long since faded into obscurity—Agudas Achim and Anshe Sphard among them—DJHS stands to preserve their past and their future in history. The DJHS safeguards not only our history, but also information on our impact locally,  nationally, and internationally.

Preserving Jewish history isn’t just about remembering the past—it’s about shaping the future where every experience, every generation, and every story matters.

Today, the Dallas Jewish Historical Society is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas.

Our Vision:  To help connect present and future generations with Jewish Dallas

Our Mission:  To preserve and protect collections of written, visual and audible materials that document the history of the Dallas Jewish community, to make these materials available to the public and researchers, and to keep the past as a living legacy for our community

What is the Dallas Jewish Historical Society?

  • DJHS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
  • We acquire and preserve personal papers, organizational records, photographs, and memorabilia documenting Dallas Jewish community history.
  • We serve as an educational research center for historians, writers, students, and genealogists.
  • We provide an Annual Lecture series, workshops, and other community programming.
  • We record and make available the oral history interviews of individuals and families in the Dallas Jewish community.
  • We present exhibits on various aspects of Dallas Jewish community history.
  • We are a community partner of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and many other agencies throughout the year.

How are your memberships and donations utilized?

Below are pictures of some of the items contained in our archive, and below are examples of how monies raised benefit programs and preservation duties at the Dallas Jewish Historical Society.

  • A gift of $25 provides preservation for one rare book in the DJHS collection
  • A gift of $35 covers cost of one set of Preservation 101 workshop materials
  • A gift of $50 provides 100 acid-free archival quality file folders
  • A gift of $100 provides 10 acid-free archival quality document storage boxes
  • A gift of $150 covers the cost of producing and preserving one Oral History interview

 

The Ann Loeb Sikora Humanitarian Award is DJHS’ biennial fundraising event, and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to public service, and who stand as role models for future generations. Honorees represent Ann Loeb Sikora’s legacy of leadership and devotion to social justice and humanitarian causes in the Jewish and general community.

 

Ann Loeb Sikora

Ann Loeb Sikora was a native Texan with roots in Ballinger and Sweetwater. After attending University of Texas – Austin, Ann returned to Sweetwater to work in her family’s business, Levy’s Department Store. Eventually, Ann made her way to Dallas where she worked in Neiman Marcus and became involved in community causes.

Endearingly dubbed a “professional volunteer,” she volunteered and/or served on the Board of Directors for a plethora of organizations including: United Way of Metropolitan Dallas; Community Council of Greater Dallas; Greater Dallas Community Relations Commission; American Jewish Committee; Council of Jewish Federations; National Council of Jewish Women; Congregation Shearith Israel; and, Golden Acres –Home for the Jewish Aged.

Ann passed in 2001, leaving an emptiness in all areas in which she served and big shoes to fill for her successors. Ann Loeb Sikora was loved and respected by many. Her legacy is rooted in her devotion to countless causes in the Jewish and general communities. And, her time and attention continue to resonate today.