Bridge Houston Founders Recall Group’s Origins

Most of the original founding members of Bridge Houston gathered for a reunion on June 19 when member Shannon Nuszen was briefly in Houston from Israel.

Founding members of Bridge Houston included Ira Bleiweiss, Wendy Bleiweiss, Michael C. Duke, Rabbi Stuart Federow, Asaf Golan, Malka Levy, Shannon Nuszen and Vicki Samuels Levy.

The grassroots organization began 16 years ago, in 2008. It was the group’s vocal and physical response to local Palestinians and Green Party progressives who had been posting anti-Israel – Jew-hating – signs every week since the Mandell Street Bridge over the Southwest Freeway during rush hour. time.

Israel advocate Ira Bleiweiss brought together like-minded people to develop an action plan. They began painting and printing banners supporting Israel to display wherever anti-Israel protesters gathered. The core group quickly attracted others to join them on the Mandell Street Bridge, week after week, before the anti-Israel protesters were expected to arrive.

Rather than attacking Palestinians, the Bridge Houston signs drew attention to Israel’s commitments to peace and democracy and challenged anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda that claimed otherwise.

The number of Israel supporters who openly counter-protested against Israel and Jew haters continued to grow and included rabbis, notable community members of all ages, and politicians. The group showed up en masse to counter-protest against Jew haters in other locations, such as in the Galleria neighborhood, across from the Israeli Consulate General on the southwest side, and in front of the Holocaust Museum in Houston. The risk of encountering Bridge Houston forced the Jew haters to soften their message and act in a more civilized manner.

Over the years, Bridge Houston has attracted international attention for its pro-Israel billboards and interfaith work. Reports of these billboards were carried in Israel and some Arab countries, including in Bahrain’s Gulf News. The Times of India (the world’s largest-circulation English-language newspaper) wrote about the events of Bridge Houston’s Hindu-Jewish Solidarity Day.

Supporters of the bridge also participated in Houston’s Martin Luther King Day parade and sponsored speakers for discussions about the Jewish people’s right to their homeland.