Leon Toubin, known locally as "The Last Jew of Brenham", a

Jewish Texan Jewish Texans have been a part of the history of Texas since the first European explorers arrived in the region in the 16th century. In 1990, there were around 108,000 adherents to Judaism in Texas. More recent estimates place the number at around ...

civic Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: Civic or CIVIC can also refer to: General *Honda Civic, a car produced by the Honda Motor Co. *Civics, the science of comparative government * Civic ...

leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

, was the caretaker of

B'nai Abraham Synagogue (Brenham, Texas) The B'nai Abraham Synagogue is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and former congregation from Brenham, Texas, in the United States. The congregation was organized in 1885. History Early Jewish settlers in the Washington County of Texas arrived dur ...

, which he began attending in the late 1930s as part of the daily

minyan In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( ''mīnyān'' , Literal translation, lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain Mitzvah, religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Judaism ...

Family

Leon Toubin is the son of Sam H. Toubin and Rosa (Levin) Toubin. The

Blinn College Blinn College is a public junior college in Brenham, Texas, with additional campuses in Bryan, Schulenburg, Sealy, and Waller. Brenham is Blinn's original and main campus, with housing and athletics. History Blinn was founded in 1884 as Mi ...

website states that, "Sam Toubin, long-time businessman, owned and operated the New York stores in nine towns in Texas. Rosa Toubin, a Brenham native, attended local schools, Blinn College and

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

. Both were civic leaders and well respected in the Brenham area for their philanthropic endeavors." Leon Toubin was raised in Brenham. Note: link goes to a more recent edition of the book.

Religious activities

After his mother's death in 1989, Toubin became the caretaker of B'Nai Abraham Synagogue. The synagogue was formally organized in 1885. Toubin and his wife were the last two members of the congregation. Toubin was interviewed for several books and a documentary which focused on oral histories of Jews in America, and specifically in Texas. In the book ''Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas,'' Toubin discusses the history of the Brenham, Texas Jewhish community and laments the lack of participation at the synagogue. He expounds on the subject in ''Growing Up Jewish in America: An Oral History,'' mentioning that many of the descendants of the Brenham Jewish community "were probably all Jewish once, but we're

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

now." In the documentary ''At Home on the Range: Jewish Life in Texas'', Toubin tells a similar story about a Washington County Sheriff. The sheriff once told Toubin that "I was probably Jewish. But the family came here and there weren’t any Jewish girls to marry. Everyone intermarried and I'm Lutheran today. But I was probably Jewish at one time."

Civic leadership

Toubin is involved in a project to restore an historic

cistern A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster. Cisterns are disti ...

on Toubin's property on Main Street. He is also on the

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

for

, and on the

board of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of the Economic Development Foundation of Brenham. Toubin is also the caretaker of the B'Nai Abraham

Jewish cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Halakha, Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' (house of s ...

. "Main Street Brenham will be able to complete its Toubin Park Project with the help of a $25,000 community development grant. This grant, provided by the

Lower Colorado River Authority The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is a nonprofit public utility created in November 1934 by the Texas Legislature. LCRA's mission is to enhance the lives of the Texans it serves through water stewardship, energy and community service. ...

, will be used to purchase benches, trash receptacles and lampposts for the new park area in downtown Brenham."

Philanthropy

Toubin and his wife have given money to various philanthropic organizations, including the Texas Hillel, the "Julie Rogers 'Gift of Life Program'", the Camp

Young Judea Young Judaea is a peer-led Zionist youth movement that runs programs throughout the United States for Jewish youth in grades 2–12. In Hebrew, Young Judaea is called ''Yehuda Hatzair'' (יהודה הצעיר) or is sometimes referred to as ''Ha ...

program in Texas, and

The University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

"Longhorn Foundation".

Family

Religious activities

Civic leadership

Philanthropy

References

See also