Michael C. Duke and the newspaper he writes for, the Jewish Herald-Voice, work for the survival of a Jewish community in Houston, Texas. A local Jewish newspaper can often help define the issues that are important. And Duke fights those who wish to delegitimize Israel and for the unity of the 42,000 Jews dispersed within a metropolitan area population of almost 6 million in Houston.
It is little known that Jews came to Texas with the Spanish conquistadores, more than 60 years before the presumably first Jews to North American arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York). When Houston was founded in 1836, Jews were among the first to make the city their home.
The Jewish Herald-Voice was established in 1908 and bills itself as the longest-running Jewish paper in the Southwest and one of the oldest in the United States. The Jewish Herald-Voice reveals more about Houston and Texas Jewish life, thought and culture than any other single source. It is a weekly community newspaper serving the Jewish community of Texas' Gulf Coast. The paper is owned by the Samuels family, also its publishers, and is edited by Michael Duke.
The Herald is subscribed to by approximately 7,000 households (Post Office audited), with a readership of more than 30,000, making it read by almost every Jewish household in the area. In addition, business owners, government officials and clergy of other faiths subscribe to the Herald to be informed on Jewish issues and to keep up with their Jewish customers and friends.
The Herald covers Jewish and Jewish-related events from around the world, events from more than 90 local Jewish organizations, and has specialty pages for seniors, parents of young children, party planners, business, medical, singles, food and arts and entertainment. In addition, supplements are published annually for education, Israel Independence Day, home improvement, election and holiday shopping.
The Jewish Herald-Voice empowers its readers to action through its reporting of important events, community happenings and life-cycle announcements; editorials and insightful columns and coverage of a wide variety of issues for people of all ages and stages. Representing the great and powerful diversity of this Jewish community, the Herald unites many thoughts in its weekly pages. As one of American’s original chat rooms, this Jewish community newspaper is an interactive forum that brings people together, rather than divides and separates.
Michael C. Duke (see picture above) follows in the tradition established by his grandparents, Joe and Jeanne Samuels. Joe died on Jan. 19, 2011 after publishing the newspaper for 38 years. Michael C. Duke was taken by his grandfather to Israel when he became a Bar Mitzvah. This is the reason he gives why he has such a strong love for the State and people of Israel today. Like his grandfather, he likes to brag that he is an unapologetic Zionist.
The grandfather Joseph W. Samuels (his Hebrew name was Josef ben Moshe) was born in Dallas on Dec. 10, 1915. His father owned and operated a printing business until he became seriously ill with nephritis (a common ailment among printers) and died at the young age of 38, before he could realize his dream of starting a Jewish newspaper.
Joe’s mother had no choice during the economic depression in the USA but to follow the advice of their San Antonio Rabbi Ephraim Frisch. She brought her three children – Joe, 13, Grace, 9, and Alvin “A. Pat,” 6 – to New Orleans, where the children were accepted in the Jewish Children’s Home.
A free-thinker, and the oldest child ever to be admitted to the Home, Joe immediately became “Peck’s Bad Boy.” Despite Joe’s impressive academic record, the Home superintendent counseled his mother to “Get rid of him. That boy’s going to end up in prison.”
At 18, Joe returned to Houston. As World War II loomed, Joe married Jeanne and was admitted into the U.S. Army Air Corps, which soon became the U.S. Air Force. Joe was shipped overseas to the European Theater of Operations. The new lieutenant’s communications specialty was instrument landing systems. During his tour of duty in French West Africa, in Dakar, Joe and his crew installed a navigational system that prevented crashes. He later established similar systems at other American bases in Europe, including Naples, Italy, and Bucharest, Romania.
After the war, Joe remained in the reserves at Ellington Air Force Base, earning more than 22 years of military service before his retirement as a lieutenant colonel. He helped found the B’nai B’rith Downtown Lodge and published its newsletter, “The Downtown Dude.” The family also were members of Temple Beth Israel, and moved to Temple Emanu El in the 1950s.
Joe and Jeanne purchased the Jewish Herald-Voice newspaper on April 1, 1973, becoming the third owners of the now 103-year-old newspaper. He wanted the paper to represent all of the Jewish community and its organizations. Joe transformed the Houston community over time as he brought disparate factions together, helped to mend fences, corrected injustices and brought help to those in need, both behind the scenes and through the printed word.
Through the newspaper, Joe and Jeanne sustained Jewish life in Houston and many times saved lives with their pleas for blood and organ donations, or funds to help the destitute, followed by an overwhelming response from the generous local community.
Passionate Zionists, through the paper the two have been friends to all synagogues and Jewish organizations, day schools and camps, and particularly supportive of the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, Jewish Family Service, Seven Acres and Holocaust Museum Houston, among the many others.
In the greater world, Joe and Jeanne traveled around the globe, reporting on Jews in need, subsequently garnering support from the community to save Jews in the Middle East, the Soviet Union and Ethiopia. Having gone to Israel more than a dozen times, their reporting has moved the Jewish community to contribute financial resources to those in need in Israel, especially during times of crisis.
Picture above: Ambassador of Israel Moshe Fox presented the “Defenders of Jerusalem Award” from Israel Bonds to Joe and Jeanne Samuels in June 2002.
Joe left an extraordinary legacy: his Jeanne, his beloved wife of 67 years, through his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, his brother, A. Pat Samuels, numerous nieces and nephews, extended family, his friends locally and around the world, through the family-led newspaper, that made Houston proud, and his employees, through the Houston Jewish community he nurtured, and in the State of Israel he supported.
Picture above is of Jeanne and Joe on top at Joe’s 90th birthday party with Lawrence S Levy, Matt Samuels, Marc Samuels, Vicki Samuels Levy, Kristy Samuels, Cameron Samuels, Maylee Samuels, Ben Samuels, Amy Duke, Jesse DeMartino, Wendy Waterman, Maurene Bencal, Michael Bencal, Naomi Duke, Caroline Samuels, Daniel Waterman, Michael Duke, Alyssa Campbell, Joseph Duke, David Duke, Lan Duke and Isabel Duke.
Rabbi Joseph Radinsky eulogized Joe Samuels at a memorial service on Sunday, Jan. 23, at Emanu El Memorial Park. He said:
Do you know how many lives Joe saved? Because every time there was somebody who needed a blood transfusion, who needed – you know Jeanne is in this too, but she said to only talk about Joe, don’t talk about me, but Jeanne is as much responsible as he is – so many, bone marrow transplants, how many times do they keep putting it in the paper that we need a bone marrow transplant donor. … and they didn’t only put it in the paper, they put it on the front page!
One example of the influence of Joe Samuels was his support in the paper for Rabbi Joseph Radinsky regarding the Sterne-Wolff Foundation. The money meant for Jewish widows and orphans had been going to the Methodist Hospital – very wonderful charity, but there weren’t too many Jewish orphans and widows there. Eventually, all the money is now basically going to Seven Acres, and I can assure you that there are only orphans there and there are many widows.
He also was very proud Jew. A very, very proud Jew. And Joe was such a Zionist. He really, that was his whole heart and being. In fact, he loved Israel very much. And you all remember about the Soviet Jewry episode, you remember how the Refuseniks, how the Communists wouldn’t let the Jews out. But, do you know who was there to help them? In the paper, every paper there was something published about them. Not only that, they went to Russia to see the Rufuseniks and they really raised – excuse the expression – holy hell – in this town. This town was very good. We sent so many people here. This town, the Federation and everybody else backed it.
Joe and Jeanne were great supporters of synagogues in the paper. You can find all the synagogues and about all the schools and they did a lot of things free for everybody and it was very, very wonderful. And they were very evenhanded. He has influenced this community in many, many positive ways. His paper was open to all. He championed every cause that he thought was just, and all of us basically thought was just.
Rabbi Roy A. Walter also eulogized Joe Samuels. He said:
The Jewish Herald-Voice was more than a business to Joe Samuels. It was a place where the Jewish community could express itself, and Joe always stood for what he thought was right. And what he always thought was in the best interest of the Jewish community, and that was always his and Jeanne’s guide no matter what they wrote about, no matter what position they took, whatever mistakes they may have made, there was never one moment that any of us who knew Jeanne and Joe doubted that they were doing it in behalf of the Jewish community and for our best interests.
Recent articles in the Jewish Herald-Voice give a sense of the extent the newspaper unites the community and gives them a sense of pride in being Jewish.
- Congregation Emanu El member Steven Karpas is the managing director of the Houston Marathon
- Houstons first Jewish city councilwoman (Ellen Cohen) looks forward to neighborly term
- University of Houston's first Jewish football coach (Tony Levine) debuts with historic bowl victory
- Three Houston-area athletes (Marty Appelbaum, David Katz, Stacy Aguirre) came home from Brazil with medals from the Pan American Maccabi games on Jan. 1.
- Jewish Policeman (Brad Sternberg) recognized with bravery award
- BBYO (formerly the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) stages message against bullying
- Basketball building bridges: Rice coach Braun, an Emanu El member, strengthens international relations on the court
- Israeli by choice: Jewish Agency programs help lone soldiers integrate into Israeli society
- Houston mayor sees Israelis as start-up model, business partner
- Christians, Jews united for Israel.
Michael C. Duke encouraged in the newspaper the activities of Ira Bleiweiss who founded Bridge Houston in April 2008. The organization was dedicated to countering the public acts of anti-Semitism with a vision of standing for Israel and the Jewish people by physically showing up wherever anti-Israel and anti-Semitic demonstrations were being conducted in the Houston area. As word got around, the Bridge Houston organization of concerned citizens grew.
A local newspaper can also mobilize the Jewish community to help those who need assistance as was shown with the coverage Michael Duke gave to the Berry family tragedy.
Five members of the Berry family were driving home from a vacation over the July 4 weekend on July 2, 2011 when their car collided head on with another vehicle. The parents, Josh and Robin Berry, 41 and 40, were killed instantly. Two of the children in the back seat, Peter, 9, and Aaron, 8, suffered severe spinal injuries and were paralyzed from the waist down. One child, Willa, 6, escaped with a broken arm and ankle and was cognizant when state troopers arrived at the accident scene. She provided crucial personal identification information and contact numbers for family members in Houston.
Robin and Josh Berry were active in the Houston Jewish community. They were members of Beth Yeshurun, a large, Conservative synagogue. Robin had worked as family life coordinator at Beth Yeshurun, and Josh had participated in men’s club programs. The Berry children attend Beth Yeshurun Day School.
In Houston, the Jewish community became active in making sure that the Berry children are well cared for. Friends established a trust fund for the kids, local businesses held fundraisers, TV stars sent their condolences, and professional athletes stopped by the children’s hospital beds.
Baseball all-star Hunter Pence of the Houston Astros showed up, and Wilson Chandler of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and Kyle Lowry of the Houston Rockets also came to boost the children's spirits at Children’s Memorial Hermann hospital with a gift and jokes. Three players from Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo visited, too.
The Houston Dynamo and the Israeli consulate in Houston partnered together to raise funds for the three children’s trust. Dynamo match, designated to celebrate Jewish Heritage night, gave a donation of $10 to the Berry trust for every ticket sold.
At least $46,000 was raised through dog washes, lemonade stands and ice cream sales organized by local children and their parents. That amount did not include donations to the trust fund or fundraisers by local businesses.
I.W. Marks Jewelers in Houston held an auction to benefit the children and help pay for their medical repair. Tasti D-lite also donated proceeds from business on a Friday night, and BoConcept furniture held a fundraising event in August.
“Team Berry” was created for participants at the Houston Marathon that took place on January 15, 2012. T-shirts were made up that are branded with the heart-shaped logo and all the money goes to the Berry kids. (Note: There are about 150 participants across all the races and a number of registrants as part of a cheer squad.)
Further Reading:
Ira Bleiweiss founded Bridge Houston to fight anti-Jewish and anti-Israel propaganda
Websites of hatred constructed by David Hobson of Minnetonka, MN
