Port of Promise

November 7, 2026, through January 31, 2027

This exhibition explores how Jewish immigrants helped shape Texas from the early 1800s through the early twentieth century – building businesses, communities, and civic institutions while maintaining cultural and religious identity on the frontier. 

Between the years of 1907 and 1914, The port of Galveston played a starring role in a story as big as Texas and as poignant as individual struggle for survival. Galveston was an alternative entry into the United States for persecuted Jews. The Galveston Movement assisted close to 10,000 immigrants with travel and new lives further inland, in Texas and beyond.  This exhibition will highlight the stories of significant contributors to the story of Texas within industries such as philanthropy, merchants, banking, trade, medical, transportation, ranching and others.   Jewish pioneers of Texas forged a distinctive identity for their descendants and made enormous contributions to the Texas of today.

This exhibition has generously sponsored by the following individuals and organizations.

• Dr. Hani Jneid
• Brittany Sakowitz Kushner and Kevin Kushner
• Tissy & Rusty Hardin
• Harris Kempner III
• Phyllis Cohen and Lewis Linn
• Lewis and Joan Lowenstein Foundation
• Alicia & John B. Bryan
• Martha & Don Freedman
• Dorothy L. Levinson
• Margery & Robert Loeb
• Marsha & Lionel Schooler
• Joy & Benjamin Warren
• Marceal Donadio & Lawrence Dickerson
• Christine & Mike Glover
• Rose Blanchard & Michael Moreno
• Heidi & Matt Seinsheimer
• Margaret and Matt Callihan
• Marceal Donadio & Lawrence Dickerson
• Angela & Grant Dorfman
• Dan Flournoy
• Cheryl & Stephen Golub
• Lisa & Lee E. Herman
• Shelley Nussenblatt Kessler
• Gregory Lahmi
• Guylene & Jay Lendrum
• honda & Eric Lipper
• Trish & Mike McDaniel
• Joseph Fellman Seinsheimer IV
• Debbie & Jeff Warren
• Kelly & Luis Zuniga
• Ronnie & Alvin Harrison
• Adrienne Barker
• Lisette & Anthony Brown
• Lily & Charles C. Foster
• Marc Grossberg
• Meg Walker & Craig Janek
• Djneita & Hani Jneid
• Mary & Jeth Jones, II
• Joel Loshak
• Melanie & Chris Promecene
• Kim & Fred Raschke
• Marie & Christopher Robb
• Gary Weisserman