Leon Toubin

Leon Toubin, age 79, is a Jewish Texan civic leader, philanthropist, historian and caretaker of B'Nai Abraham Synagogue, Brenham. [cite web| url=http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/04/1204hanukkah.html| title=Brenham synagogue's caretakers guard their memories| author=MacLaggan, Corrie| date=2007-12-04| accessdate=2007-12-05| ]

Family

Leon Toubin, and his wife, are the last two members of one of the oldest Orthodox Jewish kehilla in Texas that predates the American Civil War and was formally organized in 1885. [cite web| url=http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/04/1204hanukkah.html| title=Brenham synagogue's caretakers guard their memories| author=MacLaggan, Corrie| date=2007-12-04| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] Leon Toubin is the son of Sam H. Toubin and Rosa Levin Toubin. [cite web| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oXOnaWM4NBMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Lone+Stars+of+David:+The+Jews+of+Texas&sig=sizmDp1oFPRpHOOVZoTj29QyLn0| title=Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas| author=Weiner, Hollace A.| date=2007| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] [cite web| url=http://home.earthlink.net/~awhart2/cemetery/bnaiabrahamcemetery.htm| title=B’Nai Abraham Cemetery| author=| date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] The Blinn College 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. Both were civic leaders and well respected in the Brenham area for their philanthropic endeavors." [cite web| url=http://www.blinn.edu/finaid/endowedJ_W.htm| title=Sam and Rosa Toubin Memorial Scholarship| author= | date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] Rosa Levin Toubin is a Jewish historian for the Brenham kehilla. Among other works, she wrote "Colorful Brenham Community has history of over 120 years" in 1980. [cite web| url=http://www.geocities.com/txsynvr/TJHSreferencelist.html| title=Texas Jewish Historical Society References| author=| date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ]

Civic leadership

Aside from his leadership concerning the Brenham kehilla, Leon Toubin is involved in the local community as a civic leader. Among his community activities, Mr. Toubin is involved in the "Toubin Pocket Park Project." The project is concerned with restoring an historic cistern on Toubin's mainstreet property. Texas Historical Commission archeologist, Mark Denton, has visited the site and commented that, "building a public cistern showed that Brenham was very progressive... None of the larger cities in Texas had public cisterns." [cite web| url=http://www.brenhamtexas.com/mainstreet/html/current_projects.html| title=Toubin Pocket Park Project| author=City of Brenham| date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] Mr. Toubin is on the board of trustees for Blinn College, [cite web| url=http://www.blinn.edu/about.html| title=About Blinn College| author= | date| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] and on the board of directors of the Economic Development Foundation of Brenham. [cite web| url=http://www.brenhambanner.com/articles/2007/11/21/news/news05.txt| title=EDF elects two new members to board| author=Brenham Banner Press| date=2007-11-21| accessdate=2007-12-05| ]

Philanthropy

Leon and his wife, Mimi Toubin, are involved in numerous philanthropic works within the state of Texas. There philanthropic donations have focused on numerous Texas organizations including many Jewish organizations. Some of these philanthropic works include donations to Texas Hillel [cite web| url=http://texashillel.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=99| title=Capital and Endowment Campaign Contributors| author=Texas Hillel| date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] , the "Julie Rogers 'Gift of Life Program'" [cite web| url=http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/04/1204hanukkah.html| title=Julie Rogers Gift of Life Program| author= | date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] , the Camp Young Judea program in Texas [cite web| url=http://www.cyjtexas.org/index.cfm/fuseAction/News.ViewNewsletter/NewsletterID/28.cfm| title=Camp Young Judea Texas| author= | date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] , and the The University of Texas "Longhorn Foundation" via the "Leon and Mimi Toubin Family Scholarship" [cite web| url=http://www.texassports.com/04.foundation/000_donate.html| title=The Longhorn Foundation| author= | date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] . Leon and Mimi Toubin also built the "Sam and Rosa Toubin genealogy Room" for the Washington County Genealogical Society. [cite web| url=http://www.home.earthlink.net/~awhart/wcgs/washgene.htm| title=WASHINGTON COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY| author= | date=| accessdate=2007-12-05| ]

Jewish Texan historian

Leon Toubin has been a spokesperson for the Brenham kehilla. [cite web| url=http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/04/1204hanukkah.html| title=Brenham synagogue's caretakers guard their memories| author=MacLaggan, Corrie| date=2007-12-04| accessdate=2007-12-05| ] [cite web| url=http://www.geocities.com/txsynvr/Brenham/Brenham.html| title=B'nai Abraham, Brenham, Texas| author=Davis, Robert P.| date=1996-06-20| accessdate=2007-10-18| ] In the text "Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas," Leon Toubin discusses the history of the Brenham, Texas kehilla. He states that the synagogue has, "holy scriptures and everything." He goes on to add that, "the only thing we need is Jewish people." [cite web| url=http://books.google.com/books?id=oXOnaWM4NBMC&dq=Lone+Stars+of+David:+The+Jews+of+Texas| title=Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas| author=Weiner, Hollace A.| date=2007| accessdate=2007-10-31| ]

In the text, "Growing Up Jewish in America: An Oral History," Toubin discusses the descendents of the Brenham kehilla and states that at one time they, "were probably all Jewish once, but we're Lutheran now." [cite web| url=http://www.dartmouth.edu/~frommer/jewish1.htm| title=Growing Up Jewish in America: An Oral History| author=Frommer, Myrna K.| date=1995| accessdate=2007-10-31| ]

Toubin tells a similar story for the PBS special one hour documentary, "At Home on the Range: Jewish Life in Texas". This story concerns former Washington County Sheriff Goldberg. Toubin states that, "The sheriff we had here was named Goldberg. I got a call from a Goldberg in Houston. He said: 'Leon, I want to ask you a question. There’s a sheriff in Brenham named Goldberg, is he Jewish?' So I stopped him on the street one day and said: 'Sheriff I want to ask you a question. Are you Jewish?' The sheriff said: 'Leon, 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." [cite web|url=http://www.applewest.com/awp_texas.htm| title=At Home on the Range: Jewish Life in Texas| author=Cohen, Brian| date=1996| accessdate=2007-10-31| ]

References

ee also

* History of the Jews in Brenham, Texas

External links

* [http://www.statesman.com/ap/mediahub/media/slideshow/index.jsp?tId=52791 Leon Toubin Slideshow by the Austin American Statesman]