A recent assignment for The Forward had a special, personal resonance since, as she stated in the piece, the history of Jews in Texas is a subject close to her heart for reasons of family and geography. She was writing about the process of securing the legacy of Temple Emanu-El in Longview, Texas, about a four-hour drive from Dina’s home in Austin.

This JCLP Legacy Congregation was dedicated in 1957 and stems from the arrival of Jews in Longview in response to the oil boom of the 1930s. The last eight members started working with JCLP last September after this stalwart remainder acknowledged they needed help to plan for the future of a diminished congregation.

Dina was invited to observe what she immediately realized was a daunting and overwhelming process. She perceived how much goes into securing the legacy of a community’s tangible and intangible assets—decades worth of things and thoughts. “The members of Temple Emanu-El let me into their lives,” she said.

“At first I was anxious,” said Howard “Rusty” Milstein. “Dina put everyone at ease and went out of her way to make sure she saw our history.”

It was evident to her that JCLP really cared about the Temple Emanu-El community, and had the expertise to guide the members as they considered how to plan for an eventual closure of the synagogue for lack of people, not funds.

“I saw Noah Levine demonstrate both his heart and his knowledge.” said Dina. 

She watched as he gently guided the group through every decision required to create a plan for the future of a place that was once a hub of Jewish life.

The Jewish Community Legacy Project exists to provide planning resources and solutions specific to the needs of small congregations, empowering each to secure its own future.

As one temple member told Dina Gachman, that means a desire to “let people know we were here.” JCLP is helping them decide exactly how that will happen.

“As soon as the article appeared, I receive emails from people who related to and were touched by the experience of the Temple Emanu-El members,” she related. “The story really resonated. I’m glad JCLP is there to help people in this situation.

May19, 2022