Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Jeffery Beck and Kenneth “Kenny” Goldberg to the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission for terms set to expire on February 1, 2023. Additionally, the Governor appointed Lucy Taus Katz Providence Umugwaneza for a term set to expire on February 1, 2025 and appointed Rabbi Ilan Emanuel for a term set to expire on February 1, 2027. The advisory commission shall conduct a study on anti-Semitism in the state, provide assistance to schools, and meet with appropriate representatives of public and private organizations to provide information in addition to various education duties around the state.
Jeffrey Beck of Dallas is Chairman of the Board of United Texas Bank, Quantum Holdings, and Beck Ventures. He is national board member for the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, and sits on various boards for the country of Israel as well as a University of Miami board. Beck previously served as the National Board chair for the American Senior Housing Association. Beck received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami.
Kenneth “Kenny” Goldberg of Dallas is retired from Gold Metal Recyclers, which he founded in 1976 and eventually merged with European Metals Recycling Company in 2011. Goldberg is past president of the Jewish Community Center and has served many non-profit organizations. Goldberg received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
Lucy Taus Katz of Austin is the Vice President of Customer Service and Sales for Katz Builders, Inc. She is a Hidden Child Holocaust Survivor and was hidden by a Catholic Family in Poland during the Holocaust in order to save her from Nazi capture. She has been active in creating awareness worldwide about the Holocaust and Genocide since she was 17 years old. She is a member of the Steering Committee of Decedents of Holocaust Survivors in Central Texas, Lifetime Director for the Texas Association of Homebuilders and the National Association of Homebuilders, and former president of both the National Association of Remodelers Industry and the National Kitchen and Bath Association, both in Austin. Katz attended Temple University. She and her husband Joel are members of Temple Beth Shalom, Austin.
Providence Umugwaneza of San Antonio is the Founder of the Kabeho Neza Initiative. She is a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda where she lost her parents, five siblings, and numerous extended family members. She volunteers with fellow Rwandan Genocide survivors to advocate for women and girls who were assaulted and infected with HIV/AIDS during the Genocide. She currently leads educational programs in the U.S. to educate and raise awareness. Umugwaneza received a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Science from the University of Kigali in Rwanda.
Ilan Emanuel of Corpus Christi is Rabbi of the Congregation Beth Israel. He is a former board member of the South West Association of Reform Rabbis and a former board member of the Lincoln Jewish Community School Board and the Lincoln Jewish Federation. He is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Corpus Christi Clergy Alliance and has been recently appointed to the Corpus Christi School Health Advisory Committee. Rabbi Emanuel received a degree in law from the University of Manchester and the University of Westminster and his Rabbinic Ordination form the Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio.
