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.

A special thanks to our Port of Promise Exhibition Steering Committee:

• Melissa Cohen-Nichols
• Honorable Grant Dorfman, Division 11B, Presiding Judge
• Lily and Charles Foster
• BJ and Buddy Herz
• Shelley Kessler
• Rabbi Peter Kessler
• Neil N. Nathan
• Joy and Benjamin Warren
   

Remembrance 

Brittany Sakowitz Kushner & Kevin Kushner 

Advocate 

Sheila Aron 

Friends of the THGAAC 

Tissy & Rusty Hardin 

Kimberly & Harris L. Kempner, III 

Phyllis Cohen & Lewis Linn 

Lewis and Joan Lowenstein Foundation 

Texas Jewish Historical Society  

The David & Sara Weston Fund 

Friend 

Andrea & John B. Bryan 

Martha & Don Freedman 

Drs. Hani & Djenita Jneid, & Mr. Daniel Jneid 

Dorothy L. Levinson 

Margery & Robert Loeb 

A.I. and Manet Schepps Foundation  

Marsha & Lionel M. Schooler 

Joy & Benjamin Warren 

Patron 

Marcela Donadio & Lawrence Dickerson 

Christine & Mike Glover 

Rose Blanchard & Michael Moreno 

Heidi & Matt Seinsheimer 

Francine & Bradley Beckman 

Margaret & Matt Callihan 

Angie & Grant Dorfman 

Opera Gallery (Gilles & Florence Dyan) 

Cheryl & Stephen Golub 

Lisa & Lee E. Herman 

Shelley Nussenblatt Kessler 

Guylene & Jay Lendrum 

Rhonda & Eric Lipper 

Trish & Mike McDaniel 

Grateful descendants of Lillian Seeligson Winterbotham, granddaughter of Michael Seeligson, first Jewish Mayor of Galveston 

Jeff Seinsheimer 

Debbie & Jeff Warren 

Kelly & Luis Zúñiga 

Steward 

Adrienne Barker 

Lisette & Anthony Brown 

Lily & Charles C. Foster 

Marc Grossberg 

Ronnie & Al Harrison 

Meg Walker & Craig Janek 

Mary & Jeth Jones, II 

Joel Loshak 

Melanie & Chris Promecene 

Kim & Fred Raschke 

Marie & Christopher Robb 

Gary Weisserman