This Saturday, August 1st, Rabbi Elie Mischel, Director of Education for Israel365, will lead a Shabbat afternoon Bible study for Jews and Christians at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin, Texas. Tucked into that same campus sits a small synagogue that already lived an entire lifetime before most of its current congregants ever walked through its door. For Rabbi Mischel, its story runs even deeper than that.

The synagogue began its life as B’nai Abraham Synagogue in Brenham, Texas, built by twenty-two charter families in the 1880s. Ninety miles and over a century later, it was cut into three pieces, driven to Austin on flatbed trucks, and rebuilt board by board to become the home of Congregation Tiferet Israel. Anyone who has ever tried to move a piece of furniture without scratching the paint can appreciate what it took to move an entire sanctuary and put it back together exactly as it was.

The friend who put the Ark back together

When the Brenham synagogue’s Ark and Bimah were carefully taken apart before the move, one craftsman was entrusted with the job of dismantling them and, once the building had been reassembled in Austin, restoring them to their original condition. That craftsman was Tom Schiffour, of blessed memory, a longtime Central Texas resident who later made his home in Efrat, Israel.

Tom was more than a skilled builder. He was a famous musician who found his way to a life devoted to Torah, and he became one of Rabbi Mischel’s closest friends. Rabbi Mischel loved him so much that he dedicated his book, Shabbat Revolution, to Tom. Tom passed away about a year ago, and Rabbi Mischel still feels the loss.

The two of them spoke for years about traveling to Texas together. Tom wanted to bring his friend to Austin, to show him the synagogue he helped rebuild with his own hands, and to introduce him to his Texas friends, both Christians and Jews. That trip never happened. But this Shabbat, Rabbi Mischel finally gets to walk into the sanctuary Tom restored and see his friend’s handiwork for himself.

“I never got the chance to go with Tom to Texas,” Rabbi Mischel shared. “But now I have the opportunity to come for Shabbat, to see Tom’s handiwork, and it will be really, really meaningful.”

Why Austin, and why now

The visit itself came about because of Emily Yaffe, the NCSY director in Austin, who reached out to Israel365 about a year ago after watching support for Israel waver in certain corners of America. As a young mother juggling a full plate, she still felt she needed to be part of building the friendship between Jews and Christians, and it is largely because of her that Rabbi Mischel is coming to Tiferet Israel this Shabbat.

He will be welcomed by Rabbi Daniel Milner, Tiferet Israel’s rabbi, who has spent years cultivating his own friendships with Christians in the Austin area. The Shabbat afternoon gathering is co-sponsored by Gail Timberlake of the Simka Foundation, a longtime friend of the Jewish community. Also expected are Lori Hinze, who for years has worked alongside Ann Stacy and fellow Texans for a Safe Israel building a circle of committed Christian friends of Israel, and Bob O’Dell, author of the Echo Bible and a steadfast supporter of Israel365. Michal Ilai, a leader in Jewish-Christian relations and pro Israel activism has helped facilitate many of the on the ground connections. 

A house rebuilt, a legacy still standing

Tom Schiffour’s hands laid the Ark and Bimah back into place in that little sanctuary in Austin. He never had the chance to walk through it with the friend he had planned to bring. This weekend, Rabbi Mischel will walk through it for him, and the friendships Tom cared so much about, between Jews and Christians who love the Bible and love Israel, will be standing right there in the room with him.

Join us!

If you are in the Austin area, whether you are Jewish or a Christian friend of Israel, you are warmly invited to join Rabbi Mischel and the Tiferet Israel community for this special Shabbat afternoon gathering.

Let Us Go With You: A Shabbat Afternoon Bible Study for Jews and Christians Saturday, August 1, 6:00 PM Dell Campus, Austin, Texas

Register at israel365.com/austinshabbat. Seats are limited, so reserve your spot today.