[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 36 (Thursday, March 26, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E495-E496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE JEWISH HERALD-VOICE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 1998

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Jewish Herald-
Voice as it celebrates 90 years of uninterrupted weekly publication on 
April 1, 1998. Established in 1908,

[[Page E496]]

The Jewish Herald-Voice has a rich tradition of serving and reflecting 
the pride of the steadily growing Jewish communities in the Greater 
Houston and Gulf Coast areas.
  Published weekly, plus two annual holiday magazines for Passover and 
Rosh Hashanah, this award-winning publication is read by almost every 
Jewish household in the area. Besides covering national and 
international news and events from over 90 local Jewish organizations, 
the Herald publishes monthly specialty pages for the Greater Southwest 
Houston Chamber of Commerce, seniors, parents of young children, party 
planners, plus weekly pages devoted to business, medical issues, 
singles, food, arts, and entertainment.
  Three families have been responsible for this exceptional continuity; 
founder, Edgar Goldberg--1908-1937; David H. White--1937-1973; and Joe 
and Jeanne Samuels--1973-present. Not only is this the 90th anniversary 
of the paper, but also Joe and Jeanne Samuels' 25th Anniversary as 
owners and publishers of The Jewish Herald-Voice.
  Ninety years ago, Edgar Goldberg envisioned a newspaper that would 
reach everyone in Houston's diverse Jewish community, crossing 
denominations, transcending organizational boundaries and providing a 
platform for every Jewish citizen regardless of affiliation. Goldberg 
started with a circular, the Houston Jewish Bulletin in 1907; then in 
1908, the first edition of The Jewish Herald began publication.
  In 1914, appealing to Jewish communities statewide, Goldberg created 
an advertising slogan--``Texas News for Texas Jews''--and changed the 
paper's title to The Texas Jewish Herald. Throughout the prosperous 
years of the 1920s, The Texas Jewish Herald grew in circulation and 
content. The Great Depression struck the Herald hard and Goldberg was 
forced to scale the paper back to four pages from its usual eight. The 
paper was his livelihood and as long as the U.S. Postal service would 
cooperate, he was determined to carry on. In 1933 Goldberg grew weary 
at fighting the battle to keep the paper afloat. While deciding to put 
the paper up for sale, Goldberg was diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, he 
died in 1937, 29 years after his first edition of the Herald went to 
press. Goldberg's wife, Esther, maintained control of the paper for 
several years but she, too, grew weary from the effort from the effort 
and agreed to sell.
  The chain of weekly Jewish Heralds continued unbroken when David H. 
White, publisher of the recently established Jewish Voice in Houston, 
purchased The Texas Jewish Herald. Preserving the name of both 
publications, White continued Goldberg's legacy, renaming the paper The 
Jewish Herald-Voice. Throughout the 1940s the Herald-Voice continued to 
grow as White instituted additional columns and special holiday 
editions, creating a reflection of the times.
  In 1972 when David White died, his wife, Ida Schwartzberg White, who 
worked by his side throughout the years, stepped up to edit and publish 
the Jewish Herald-Voice during the remainder of the year. Shortly 
thereafter, she sold the highly successful D.H. White Company printing 
plant and began to search for a successor to continue publishing the 
Jewish Herald-Voice.
  A casual conversation with a neighbor prompted Joseph W. Samuels to 
telephone Murray White, David White's youngest brother and part owner 
of the Jewish Herald-Voice. In April of 1973, Joe and his wife Jeanne 
F. Samuels purchased the 65-year-old paper. It was a dream come true 
for Joe, whose father, Morris Samuels, a printer in Dallas, had planned 
to begin his own Jewish newspaper.
  What Joe Samuels and Jeanne purchased 25 years ago was the name and 
reputation of a 65-year-old weekly newspaper, a mailing list of less 
than 3,000 subscribers, its payables and receivables, together with 
archives, a typewriter, two desks, two chairs and two filing cabinets. 
Over the past 25 years, they have nurtured the paper, more than 
doubling the number of subscribers and increasing its size from 8-12 
pages to 36-80 pages.
  Since 1994, when the Jewish Herald-Voice entered its first newspaper 
competition, it has received various awards each year. The Herald-Voice 
has received award recognition from the Texas Press Association, Gulf 
Coast Press Association, and the American Jewish Press Association, as 
well as honors from local Jewish agencies and organizations. Most 
recently, in 1997, the Herald received two awards from the American 
Jewish Press Association: first place for Excellence in Special 
Sections covering ``Educational Alternatives: Where Do They Go From 
Here?'' and second place for Excellence in Overall Graphic Design.
  The Herald-Voice continues to grow and constantly endeavors to 
broaden its scope and appeal for readers and advertisers, alike. It is 
comforting to know, that the next generation, the Samuels' daughter, 
Vicki Samuels Levy, who has headed the advertising department for many 
years and knows the operation of the paper, is destined to take the 
reins one day as owner and publisher of the Jewish Herald-Voice.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Jewish Herald-Voice on 90 continuous 
years of excellence in journalism and the current owners and 
publishers, Joe and Jeanne Samuels, who have successfully continued the 
founder's dream. Ever since it was established in 1908 by Edgar 
Goldberg, the Herald has upheld the promise of remaining the voice of 
the Jewish community of Greater Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast.

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