For the Jewish community in central Texas, deadly flooding hits close to home
One Jewish family sent three generations to Camp Mystic
A search and rescue volunteer holds a T-shirt and backpack with the words Camp Mystic on them in Comfort, Texas on July 6. The volunteer found the belongings along the Guadalupe River near Ingram, Texas. Photo by Danielle Villasana for The Washington Post via Getty Images
By Hannah Feuer July 7, 2025
Hattie Lee Gleichenhaus, a 90-year-old Jewish resident of San Antonio, has fond memories of attending Camp Mystic in central Texas as a pre-teen. There, she spent her summers canoeing, practicing archery, and playing tennis.
At the time, she said there were no Jewish summer camps in the area, and Camp Mystic had a stellar reputation. Although it was a Christian camp that included Sunday church services, Gleichenhaus recalled that religion was never pushed on her.
She enjoyed her camp experience so much that she encouraged future generations to attend, too. Decades later, her two granddaughters and daughter-in-law would also attend Camp Mystic.
So when Gleichenhaus heard news of flash floods this weekend that killed 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors, it felt personal. An additional 10 campers and one counselor are still unaccounted for, the local sheriff said at a press conference Monday morning.
“One of the worst things I’ve ever heard,” Gleichenhaus said. “It’s made me sick.”
For the Jewish community in central Texas, the deadly floods over the July Fourth weekend have hit close to home. The community is grieving and bracing for more rain following flash floods that have killed nearly 90 people, with authorities warning the death toll is sure to rise as rescue efforts continue.
At least one Jewish family lost everything in the Texas floods. Crissy Eliashar was home in Jonestown, Texas, about 30 minutes from Austin, with her three children and a friend who was sleeping over when the flood waters began surging into their home. They fled after a neighbor alerted them to the danger.
Now, other families at the Eliashars’ Jewish day school, Austin Jewish Academy, have been sharing an online fundraiser meant to help the family rebuild.
“Last night we narrowly escaped the floods with our lives. My brave babies held on to each other and their beloved dogs while we waded out of our sliding house and into a raging river formed under and behind us,” Eliashar wrote on Facebook. “We need everything.”
Rabbi Daniel Septimus, CEO of Shalom Austin, has heard from Jewish community members who have lost best friends in the floods and whose homes have been destroyed. When news of the disaster reached him on Shabbat, he sprang into action, launching a fundraiser for rescue and recovery efforts that brought in $70,000 within the first 24 hours, he said. The organization is also collecting non-perishable foods and offering counseling to people affected by the flooding.
Meanwhile, Chabad of Boerne has transformed into an aid distribution center and set up a webpage to accept donations and coordinate volunteers. And Jewish summer camps across the country are sending messages of support to Camp Mystic.
“Our hearts are broken, and we’re grieving with them,” said Jamie Simon, acting CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, which is working with Shalom Austin to raise money for flood victims. “Across the country, Jewish camps, Jewish leaders and Jewish families are holding them in our thoughts and prayers.”
The two Jewish summer camps in the area, URJ Greene Family Camp and Camp Young Judaea Texas, are located on higher ground and have been safe from flooding, according to Simon.
JTA contributed to this report.
