The History Corner

An Exhibit and Presentation in Tribute to Jim Novy

On Saturday, May 26, the History Project will be honoring Jim Novy’s unparalleled 40 years of devoted service to Agudas Achim.  Jim Novy served as president of CAA three times, in 1937-38, 1946-38, and again in 1954-55.  During the Shabbat morning services, you’ll hear stories about Novy’s fascinating life from his daughter, Elaine Shapiro, and from Milton Simons, Ada Belle Fudell and David Chapin.

Novy was noted for his sense of community and his ability to relate to people from all walks of life.  A close friendship with Lyndon Baines Johnson connected him with many national and international figures.  His skillful negotiations were key to the acquisition of the land for CAA’s synagogue on 10th and San Jacinto (1924-1963), and the more recent synagogue on Bull Creek (1963-2000), and his generosity helped the synagogue through difficult times.  Many have said that Congregation Agudas Achim would not exist today without Jim Novy.

As part of our tribute, there is an exhibit about Jim Novy on display outside the Social Hall.  The exhibit was developed by the CAA History Project is underwritten by a generous gift from Milton Simons and Family in loving memory of the life and leadership of Jim Novy.  The exhibit will remain on display through August 2012.
 

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In 2014 Agudas Achim will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding. This historic event gives us an opportunity to remember our history and those who shaped it.  Each month, the story of our synagogue will be told through short pieces, quotes from talks, recorded oral histories and photos.

                                               The History Corner:
                                          Our Past and Our People

Since 1879, Austin had a Reform congregation, Temple Beth Israel, but new immigrants wanted to conduct services according to their own traditions.  They formed the Orthodox congregation of Agudas Achim.

These Jews first began to meet separately from the Temple for High Holiday services.  In 1901, their meeting place was the Knights of Pythias Hall at Seventh Street and Congress Avenue, and Rabbi Ben Nathanson of San Antonio conducted the services.  Until 1915, the Orthodox Jews usually celebrated the Sabbath at the Temple with daily minyanim held at various private homes.

Wanting to encourage Jews from surrounding small towns to come to Austin to worship, the members of the Orthodox community often opened their homes for overnight visits.  In 1914 the home of Mr. and Mrs. L. Frank at First and Brazos was filled with people from Lampasas, San Marcos, Taylor, Lockhart, Bastrop, Kyle, Granger, Temple, Belton, Seguin, New Braunfels and Elgin for the High Holiday services.  The following year Rosh Hashana servicers were held at a rented hall at the corner of Seventh Street and Congress Avenue, and the Kol Nidre service was held at home of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Laibovitz. 

Laibovitz, a local merchant, was active in helping to organize the Orthodox Jews into a separate congregation.  His son, Louis, remembered, “The Friday night minyans…were held at the home of my parents at 500 East 7th and Neches in the combination living room/dining room.  The Torah was set on the fireplace mantel.  They built benches on the front porch for people to sit on while waiting for the services to begin.”

Material from Building for the Future, 1989, a book commemorating the dedication of the new sanctuary of Congregation Agudas Achim.

                                             The History Corner--Part 2
                                              Our Past and Our People

Unable to feel at home with the Reform services at Temple Beth Israel, the Orthodox Jews arriving in Central Texas from Eastern Europe in the first decades of the 20th century wanted to participate in services according to their own traditions.  They began gathering on Friday nights for services at the home of local merchant  Isaac Laibovitz and his wife, Ida. Most were shopkeepers in downtown Austin, and for them Saturday was a work day.  For daily minyanim, all the group had to do was walk up the street to get enough men out of their stores.

Laibovitz helped organize these men and their families into a separate congregation, the beginning of Agudas Achim.  The group rented a variety of downtown locations to accommodate local Jews and those from nearby smaller towns for the High Holidays.  From 1916 to 1922, a Mr. Saffer from Temple, Texas conducted High Holiday services, and Wolf Meyerowitz, a butcher and grocer from Kyle, served as cantor.

The number of Orthodox Jews in Austin continued to grow and a building was needed.  On February 16, 1924, Congregation Agudas Achim was chartered, and a one-story house on Seventh and San Jacinto was purchased for use as a synagogue.

Israel Cohn, who was born in Russia and owned a clothing store, was elected the first president, a position he would hold for many years.  Jim Novy, an iron and steel merchant recently arrived from Poland, served as vice president. 

The congregation could not obtain a rabbi, so it sought the services of a shochet, or kosher butcher, who was knowledgeable in the Orthodox traditions and laws and could conduct services.  In 1929, Rev. Bernard Tannenbaum, father of our congregant, Estelle Kogut, was retained as a spiritual leader, cantor and teacher.  As the congregation grew, a Hebrew School was jointly organized with Temple Beth Israel, and young men became bar mitzvah.

Material from Building for the Future,1989, a book commemorating the dedication of the new sanctuary of Congregation Agudas Achim on Bull Creek.


                                               CAA History Corner--Part 3
                                                 Our Past and Our People

In the 1920’s, members of Agudas Achim continued their efforts to attract other Orthodox Jews to the Austin area by offering temporary financial assistance.  These efforts succeeded, and in 1930, the congregation sold the one-story house on Seventh and San Jacinto that served as its synagogue, and purchased a new site on the southeast corner of Tenth and San Jacinto to construct a larger and more functional building. 

The land for Agudas Achim’s new building was purchase for $12,500 on April 10, 1930.  A beautiful two-story synagogue was built for $17,353, and the dedication took place on September 6, 1931.  The building had a kitchen and a mikvah in the basement.  The mikvah, which was never used, was a great place for the children to play hide and seek.
 
The building on Tenth and San Jacinto would serve as the congregation’s home for the next 32 years.  Israel Cohn, who had served as president since the congregation was chartered in 1924, was again elected president of the new synagogue.

The congregation continued to grow, and on August 1, 1933, it took another step in providing full religious services to its members by purchasing the Agudas Achim Cemetery in the Austin Memorial  Park on Hancock Drive.  Until then, Orthodox Jews were permitted to be buried in the Temple Beth Israel Cemetery. 

Rabbi Harold Katz, brother of congregant Ida Lown, joined the synagogue as its first full-time ordained rabbi.  Previously a Rabbi Hurwitz from Galveston had traveled to Austin to lead services.

Members of CAA went to the small towns surrounding Austin to attract new members, and solicited funds from all Jews in Austin, including parents of University of Texas students.  They were able to pay off the mortgage on the second home of Agudas Achim by January 21, 1938.

Material from Building for the Future,1989, a book commemorating the dedication of the new sanctuary of Congregation Agudas Achim on Bull Creek.

Tribute to an Extraordinary Man

The History Project will be honoring Jim Novy’s unparalleled 40 years of service to Agudas Achim during Shabbat services on Saturday, May 26.  An extraordinary man, Novy served as president of CAA three times in 1937-38, 1946-48 and yet again in 1954-55. 

Though a recent immigrant from Poland, Jim Novy with his brothers was able to start a number of successful businesses in Texas.  Novy was noted for his generosity, sense of community, and his ability to connect with people from all walks of life. 

Jim Novy’s close friendship with Congressman Lyndon Baines Johnson connected him with many national and international figures. Novy traveled to Nazi-occupied Europe in 1938-42 and was involved the rescue of many Jews. 

Novy was central in negotiating the sale our first synagogue on San Jacinto as the site of a new downtown Post Office, and for the purchase of land for our synagogue on Bull Creek.  Vice President Lyndon Johnson agreed to speak at the dedication of CAA’s new building scheduled for November 24, 1963.  With the assassination of President Kennedy, the event was cancelled as the congregation joined the nation in mourning. LBJ never forgot his promise to Jim Novy and to Agudas Achim, and returned in December, 1963 as U.S. President to be part of the dedication.

Many have said that Congregation Agudas Achim would not exist today without Jim Novy.  When he died in 1971, many dignitaries attended his funeral, including Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson. 

During services on Saturday, May 26, you’ll hear many more stories about the fascinating life of Jim Novy from people who had close personal ties to him.