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West Texas Jewish Pioneers

German Jewish immigrants settled in El Paso, Texas, prior to the United States' Civil War. The first Jewish congregation, the Mount Sinai Association, was founded in 1887, and its temple was dedicated in 1899.

In 1939, El Paso Jews organized the American Jewish Community Council. The Jewish population in El Paso was placed at 4,800 in 1990. [NSJE:295]

The Synagogues of the Southwest Exhibit includes historical and contemporary photographs of El Paso's Temple B'Nai Zion and Temple Mt. Sinai.

University of Arizona users should retrieve the following article directly. Hollace Ava Weiner, The Mixers: The Role of Rabbis Deep in the Heart of Texas American Jewish History 85.3 (1997) 289-332. Due to licensing agreements it is not accessible online to other visitors unless your host institution subscribes to Project Muse. Also recommended is Dr. Weiner's 1999 book, Jewish Stars in Texas: Rabbis and Their Work, published by the Texas A&M University Press.

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