The Menil Collection The Menil Collection

Dr. Joshua Furman explores how Jewish Houstonians have experienced discrimination and exclusion, with a focus on neighborhoods, social spaces, and occupations. Using materials from the Joan and Stanford Alexander Jewish Archives at Rice University, Dr. Furman examines instances of antisemitism from the 20th century to the present. He concludes with a discussion of ways in which Houston’s Jewish community has been involved in interfaith efforts to combat all forms of prejudice and create a more open and welcoming city for all Houstonians.

This program is co-presented with the Boniuk Institue for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance at Rice University, and is presented on the occasion of the Menil’s exhibition, Si Lewen: The Parade. A light reception will immediately follow the lecture.

This program takes place in the Menil Drawing Institute, located at 1412 W. Main St. Additional information regarding accessibility and parking can be found here.

As always, Menil programs are free and open to all.

Dr. Joshua Furman, a native of San Antonio, is the founder and curator of the Houston Jewish History Archive at Rice University, where he also serves as Associate Director and lecturer in the Program in Jewish Studies. At Rice, Dr. Furman offers courses on immigration history, American Judaism, Black-Jewish relations, and Jewish food. His most recent publication is a chapter about Jewish Houston in the book Making Houston Modern: The Life and Architecture of Howard Barnstone, which was published in 2020 by the University of Texas Press. He also authored an essay on migration in American Jewish history for the volume Interpreting American Jewish History at Museums and Historic Sites, published in 2016 by Rowman and Littlefield. His article about Jewish immigration into Texas via the Galveston Movement will appear in the 2022 issue of the Southern Jewish History journal. Currently, he is working on a book project about the history of Houston’s Jewish community from the 1800s to the present. Dr. Furman received his Ph.D. in modern Jewish history from the University of Maryland in 2015.