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HOLLACE AVA WEINER, a journalist turned historian, is a native of Washington, D.C., and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland. After college, she wrote for the Baltimore News American. While raising two children, she freelanced for the Washington Post until her family relocated to Texas. From 1986 to 1997, Hollace was a news and feature reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. |
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She took a leave of absence in 1997 to complete Jewish Stars in Texas, had a publishing contract within a month, and never went back to journalism. Jewish Stars in Texas, now in its 3rd printing and available in paperback, profiles trailblazing Lone Star rabbis.
Hollace went on to edit Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas, a coffee-table book from Brandeis University Press and the Texas Jewish Historical Society. Published in Feb. 2007, the anthology quickly went into a 2nd printing. It won the Deolece Parmelee Award from the Texas Historical Foundation. It was among the books featured at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, Nov. 4, 2007.
Hollace's next book, Jewish "Junior League": The Rise and Demise of the Fort Worth Council of Jewish Women, traced the growth and collapse of Fort Worth's most prestigious Jewish women's group. The book, published by TAMU Press in 2008, originated as Hollace's Master's thesis from the University of Texas at Arlington.
A popular anthology, Grace & Gumption: Stories of Fort Worth Women, from TCU Press, includes a chapter Hollace wrote about Amelia Rosenstein, the colorful teacher who ran Fort Worth's Americanization School. The book’s sequel, Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook, published in 2010, includes Hollace's essay, "Let My People Eat."
Hollace worked from 2008 through 2011 researching and writing the centennial history of Fort Worth's oldest country club. Although the book, titled River Crest Country Club, the First 100 Years, was completed in December 2011, the club postponed its distribution until the end of May 2012. It will be sold through the country club and be distributed to archives and reference libraries that specialize in Texas history and golf history.
Another of Hollace's historical essays, “Whistling ‘Dixie’ While Humming ‘Ha’Tikvah,’” was published in the winter 2007 issue of American Jewish History, the prestigious journal of the American Jewish Historical Society. More recently, the 2009 issue of Southern Jewish History published Hollace’s analysis of “Grassroots Reactions to the [1903] Kishinev Pogrom in Fort Worth and Atlanta.” The spring 2012 issue of Texas Heritage magazine features an article Hollace wrote about Frances Kallison, a horsewoman and historian.
Much of the work Hollace does is on a volunteer basis. For example, she heads the Fort Worth Jewish Archives and the Beth-El Congregation Archives. For her accomplishments as a Texas historian, the Fort Worth Business Press in 2011 proclaimed her a "Great Woman of Texas." Hollace is a past president of both the Southern Jewish Historical Society and the Association for Women Journalists. She has won research grants from the Jewish Women’s Archive in Brookline, Mass., the Southern Jewish Historical Society, the Texas Jewish Historical Society, and the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati.
She keeps her sanity and stays in shape by working out with Team Ridglea Master Swim Team and bicycling on the Trinity River Trails.
Hollace lives in Fort Worth with her husband, Bruce, a children's dentist and a graduate of Virginia Military Institute. They have two grown children, who live in New York and Virginia, and three grandchildren.
For interviews or to arrange for Hollace Weiner to speak to your group email hollacew@att.net
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
Birmingham, Ala., weekend of Nov. 1-3, 2013,
Southern Jewish Historical Society annual conference.
"The
Re-enactor's Rebel." Hollace is tentatively delivering a paper as part
of a panel titled "The Cosmopolitans." Time and location TBA, or check
website www.JewishSouth.org.
Previous Speaking Engagements
Charleston, S.C., May 20,
2012, “Fighting the Philistines: Southern Jews in High Office.”
Keynote address to the spring meeting of the Jewish Historical Society
of South Carolina. Info at www.jhssc.org.
Daughters of Abraham, April
25, 2012, 10am
Beth-El Congregation. Hollace will lead a discussion about the
history of Fort Worth Jews.
Fort Worth, April 24, 2012,
Texas Christian University
Hollace will be guest speaker at a class taught by Dr. Ariel Feldman,
director of TCU’s Jewish Studies Program.
Fort Worth, 10 am, April 11, 2012
Beth-El Congregation, 4900 Briarhaven Road, Ft Worth.
Hollace will take members of the Alliance of the Fort Worth District
Dental Society on a tour of the synagogue and also talk about her books,
which will be for sale in the Judaica Shop
Fort Worth Museum of Science &
History, March 31, 2012, 11:15 am
Hollace is moderator of a panel titled “Still Forgotten?” about the
museum exhibit, “Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America through
Galveston.” The panel is open to the public. It is part of the annual
gathering of the Texas Jewish Historical Society, which is meeting in
Fort Worth all weekend. Info at
www.FWMuseum.org or www.TXJHS.org.
Fort Worth, March 14, 2012, 10 am to 5 pm, “Buried History,” tours of Emanuel Hebrew Rest Cemetery, 1414 S. Main Street. The city’s pioneer Jewish cemetery will be open all day so that students on Spring Break can visit the historic acre of land given to the “Hebrews” of the city in 1879. The tour is part of Historic Fort Worth’s “Buried History” project which includes 11 local cemeteries and a dozen volunteers from Beth-El Congregation.
Fort worth Central Library, February 18, 2012 2-4pm. Panel of five authors discuss recently published books. Local Authors Program
Gainesville, TX., 10:30 am, October 15, 2011. Morton Museum
"Gainesville's United Hebrew Congregation (1881-1922)
and its Relevance Today." Speech at fall meeting of the Texas Jewish
Historical Society describing the rise and dissolution of Gainesville's
cattle-era congregation.
Dallas, June 27, 2011. American Jewish Press Association, annual conference, Westin Galleria Hotel. Opening speaker: "Lone Stars of David: An Introduction to Texas Jewry."
March 8, 2010
Fort Worth Museum of Science & History
“Grace & Gumption: Stories of Fort Worth Women."
Hollace delivers a ten-minute impersonation of Amelia Rosenstein,
longtime dean of the Americanization
School. Also on the program are two or three other
characters-come-to-life from the popular book Grace & Gumption: Stories
of Fort Worth Women. Program is sponsored by the Auxiliary to the
Museum.
March 5, 2010
Texas State Historical Association annual conference
10:30 a.m. Marriott Quorum Hotel, Dallas
“The Babe, the Ladies,
and the Gentleman's Game of Golf,” is Hollace’s topic. It is part
of a panel titled, “Bending and Extending Boundaries from the Rodeo
Arena to the Greens.”
Tulsa, Okla, Jan. 16, 2009.
Quarterly meeting, Texas Jewish
Historical Society in conjunction with Tulsa Jewish Genealogical
Society. “Let My People Eat,” illustrated talk focusing on Fort Worth’s
community Passover Seder for the troops in 1942.
Location: Schusterman Jewish Community Center, 1900 block E. 71st
Street, Tulsa, Okla., 74136
New
Orleans, LA:
Nov. 1, 2009.
Southern Jewish Historical Society annual meeting;
Moderator and commentator for panel on “Different Jewish Responses to
the Challenge of Civil Rights.” Presented at Jones Hall, Tulane
University
Dallas, TX:
Sukkot Across Emanu-El, Oct. 17, 2008, 8 p.m.
Temple Emanu-El, 8500 Hillcrest Rd. Hollace speaks about Jewish
"JuniorLeague"
Austin, TX: Texas Book Festival, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008, 11:30 a.m.
State Capitol Building; Hollace will present an illustrated talk about Jewish "Junior League." Book sales and signing in the book tents on the west side of the Capitol building.
Info: www.texasbookfestival.org
Atlanta, Ga. Nov. 3, 2008
Meet the Authors panel to include Jewish "Junior League" at annual conference of the Southern Jewish Historical Society. Time, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Location, Emory University Conference Center Hotel. Further info at www.JewishSouth.org.
Beth-El Congregation, 4900 Briarhaven Road.
Summer board meeting Texas Jewish Historical Society, Fairfield Inn, 1459 Knickerbocker Rd. Weiner will discuss her current book with the TJHS board. Open to members of the TJHS.
Dallas. Aug. 17, 2008 11:15-Noon, Dallas Jewish Arts Festival, Morton Meyerson Symphony Center, downtown.
Hollace will speak on "The History of Jews, Deep in the Heart of Texas." Book sales and signings, with profits going to the arts festival. Hollace appears in conjunction with the Texas Jewish Historical Society and its traveling photo exhibit. The festival is all day, from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. She will be at the Texas Jewish Historical Society table the remainder of the day.
Longview, TX:
Saturday, Oct. 13, 2007, 10 a.m. to noon.
Temple Emanu-El, 1205 Eden Dr., Longview, Texas. The East Texas Jewish
community celebrates its 70th anniversary with a weekend reunion. The
book-and-author session Saturday morning features Hollace Weiner and Jan
Statman, a contributor to “Lone Stars of David”
Georgetown, TX:
Sunday, Oct. 14, 2007, 1 pm, at Sun City in
the atrium and meeting rooms of the Activity Center Bldg.
Hollace Weiner talks about "Lone Stars of
David." Jack Gerrick, past president of Texas Jewish Historical Society,
discusses a traveling photo exhibit about Jews in Texas.
Free
to public.
Austin, TX:
Texas Book Festival, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2007, 2 p.m., State Capitol
Building;Hollace Weiner and Rabbi Ken Roseman give an
illustrated talk about “Lone Stars of David: The Jews of Texas” followed
by Q&A.
Book sales and signings.
Info: www.texasbookfestival.org
Fort Worth, TX:
Wed., Nov. 14, 2007, 12 noon, Daytimers Luncheon Meeting at Beth-El
Congregation, 4900 Briarhaven Rd; box lunch at noon with program at
12:30. Hollace Weiner joins two fellow writers—Katie Sherrod and Carol
Roark—talking about "Grace & Gumption” a new anthology about Fort
Worth Women.
Click the image at right to purchase the book.
Fort Worth, TX: Thurs., Nov. 18, 2007, Tarrant County Historical Society dinner meeting at Beth-El Congregation, 4900 Briarhaven Rd., Fort Worth; 6 p.m. building tours; 7 p.m. dinner; 7:30 speaker. Hollace Weiner discusses Fort Worth’s Jewish History. The evening is co-sponsored by the Fort Worth Jewish Archives and the Beth-El Archives.
Fort Worth, TX: Sun., Feb. 17, 2007 7 PM, Mickey Goldman Spaghetti Supper, Beth-El Cong., 4900 Briarhaven Rd. Hollace is receiving an award from Men of Reform Judaism for her leadership at Beth-El, including writing the congregation's centennial history and saving artifacts from the congregation’s 1920s temple. She plans to give an illustrated talk about the stained-glass windows, the limestone frieze, the menorahs, the marble ark, and other historic artifacts moved from the old Beth-El to the new.
Info: Alicia Millard, SFSA Multicultural Center Secretary
Fort Worth, TX:
Sat., Mar. 15, 2008 1-3 PM, Women's History Month Celebration, auditorium,
downtown public library, 500 W. 3rd St. Grace & Gumption: Stories of
Fort Worth Women. Hollace and several other contributors to this
anthology dress up like the women they wrote about and perform
five-minute monologues. This dramatization, which includes a
chorus-line dancer, an artist, and a journalist, is not to be missed.
Plano, TX: Sun., April 13,10 AM, Congregation Nishmat
Am, 2113 W. Springcreek Pkwy. “Deep in the Heart of Texas Jewry," an
illustrated talk about the Jewish diaspora across Texas. Book sales and
signings. Free. Open to the public.
Info: 972-618-2200.
Fort Worth. April 27, 2008 home of Marcy Paul and David Narrett. Afternoon tea, book reading, and discussion of Jewish "Junior League."
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