Our Building
CTI has the great privilege to call Texas' oldest active Orthodox synagogue its home. And like many of the members of the Austin Jewish community, the synagogue itself is a transplant! In 2015, it was moved from its original location in Brenham, Texas, to the state's Capital.
The Building’s History
In the 1860s, Jewish settlers from Eastern Europe began arriving in Brenham. They formally established a congregation in 1885 and built its first synagogue in 1892.
In the 1860s, Jewish settlers from Eastern Europe began arriving in Brenham. They formally established a congregation in 1885 and built its first synagogue in 1892.
For the approximately 50 Jewish families living in Brenham at the time, the synagogue was the spiritual center of their town. Unfortunately, in the last half-century, the size of the Jewish community of Brenham continuously decreased.
Over the decades, Leon Toubin, a Brenham native, and his wife Mimi worked hard to maintain the historic building. However, the Toubins were determined not to let their synagogue turn into a museum dedicated to the Jewish past. Rather, they had a vision of dedicating it to a Jewish future, filling it with Jewish life again.
The Building’s Move
A bold plan was devised to move the building to Austin, one of the fastest growing cities in the country, which just so happened to be in need of a building for its Modern Orthodox congregation.
A bold plan was devised to move the building to Austin, one of the fastest growing cities in the country, which just so happened to be in need of a building for its Modern Orthodox congregation.
Eventually, the plan became reality and the building completed the 90 miles move west to Austin’s Dell Jewish Community Center in early 2015. After several months of construction work, CTI finally moved in in August of the same year.
Since then, the building has become the new home for CTI, which continues B’nai Abraham’s legacy by becoming a lively center of Austin’s Modern Orthodox Jewish life.
Here are two excellent videos of the B'nai Abraham Project. Enjoy!
Sat, January 16 2021
3 Shevat 5781
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Sat, January 16 2021 3 Shevat 5781