Join us at Shabbat Renewal in the Freedman Levit Sanctuary as we honor the history of Congregation Beth Yeshurun and the Jack Segal Academy and the generosity of those who ensure its future. We are excited to welcome Melissa Cohen-Nickels, Curator of the Joan and Stanford Alexander South Texas Jewish Archives at Rice University, as she reflects on the importance of sustaining this legacy and building on the foundation laid by those who came before us. Her sermon, A Legacy to Remember, A Future to Create, will inspire us all to consider how we can contribute to preserving and shaping the future of our community.

Shabbat Renewal is also streamed live to our home page, YouTube Channel, and Facebook Page.

More about Melissa Cohen-Nickels: Cohen-Nickels earned her B.A. in history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urban and her Master of Education from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Cohen-Nickels came to the Houston area to teach history in 2007. She taught for 10 years in Fort Bend ISD, serving as Social Studies Department chair for three years.  She went on to teach history at the Emery Weiner School in Houston for 6 years. She has a love for history and travel and was selected as a Fulbright-Hays scholar to Greece and Turkey in 2011. She also has worked closely with the Houston World Affairs Council as a member of its Core Teacher Council, creating programming and curriculum. As curator of STJA, Cohen-Nickels works with the people of South Texas to protect Jewish history and culture through the collection of documents, photographs, and oral histories. One of her main focuses as curator is to involve the community, especially children and young adults, in the archives through education outreach at local schools, synagogues, and the Jewish Federation.