News & Information from Emanu El Houston

Marlene Rubin Selected as Congregant of the Year

Emanu El Houston’s Congregant of the Year Award, named in loving memory of Ernest Krautkopf — a long time member and devoted volunteer — is given to each year to a congregant who exemplifies his legacy of community and synagogue involvement, leadership, and love of Judaism.

This year’s Congregant of the Year is Marlene Rubin. She will be honored at our annual Congregant of the Year Luncheon on April 26.

Safety and Security at Emanu El

Dear friends,

We reach out following the horrific security situation this afternoon at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. This incident is still unfolding, and more details will be available in the coming days. For now, our thoughts are with the entire Temple Israel family and with the wider West Bloomfield community.

The Voices of Emanu El, our podcast, is live! You can listen to our episodes using this player, or you can find us wherever you stream your favorite podcasts. Please subscribe and download our content!

Initially, content will focus on sermons and music. When Rabbi Hayon returns from sabbatical, we will expand to include engaging roundtable discussions with the clergy team, interviews with guest speakers and musicians, and more!

If you have a question or topic you’d like our clergy team to discuss when we expand to include clergy roundtables, please send those ideas to info@emanuelhouston.org.

Parking and Streaming Information for Rabbi Roy Walter’s Memorial Service

There is great comfort in community, particularly in times of great loss. If you are planning to attend tomorrow’s memorial service for Rabbi Roy Walter, please make note of the following updates regarding parking and streaming.

Rabbi Roy Walter zt”l

November 9, 2025

Dear friends:

A great light has gone out, and our world is now darker and colder.

I am heartbroken to have the responsibility to share the news that Rabbi Roy Walter, our beloved Emeritus Rabbi, died this morning with his cherished loved ones nearby.

Support for Emanu El Members During the Ongoing Government Shutdown

Dear friends,

In recent days, many members of our large and diverse congregational community have found themselves affected by the ongoing government shutdown. We are aware that a number of temple members employed by the federal government are working to make ends meet despite missed paychecks, while others are struggling due to disruptions in SNAP benefits and other government programs. If you or your family are worried or struggling during these uncertain times, we want to remind you that Emanu El is here to support you.

Dallas Morning News
October 23, 2025

Houston Rabbi: Amid joy and grief, difficult days ahead for Israel

Compromise and dignity rather than annihilation should guide Gaza politics.

Rabbi Oren J. Hayon

Last week, the Jewish community celebrated the end of a weeklong festival during which we constructed and spent time in sukkot — temporary outdoor booths meant to evoke the fragility and vulnerability of our ancestors’ sojourn in the wilderness. At the close of this holiday, we disassembled our sukkot and came back to the comfort and stability inside our homes. This year, the process of returning home carried an additional poignant and powerful resonance as we witnessed the last of the living Hamas-held hostages being returned to their families.

The Bulletin Archive