This program originally aired on Thursday, June 26th, 2025 at 12:30pm Eastern Time.
Julie Salamon (New York Times bestselling author) sits down with Melting Point author Rachel Cockerell to discuss her family’s connection to the little-known Galveston Movement and the history that inspired her latest book. Removing her voice in favor of the richness found in the primary resources of the time, Rachel weaves together newspaper accounts, memoirs, and other historical voices to create a narrative that reads like a novel. This method of storytelling aims to convey a historical moment without the benefit of hindsight, allowing the urgency, debate, and questioning of the past to unfold with a conclusion that only the reader can provide.
The Melting Point features Rachel’s great-grandfather, David Jochelmann, leader of what is now known as the Galveston Project. This movement brought approximately 10,000 Jews to Texas in the years leading up to World War I. The Galveston Project was a zionist rebellion after the Uganda plan fell through. Having been disciples of modern zionist thought leader Theodor Herzl, Jochelmann and author Israel Zangwill set out to form a new holy enclave in Texas.
Topics covered in this discussion: Theodor Herzl, modern Zionism, Industrial Removal Office, Jacob Schiff, Israel Zangwill, The Melting Pot play, alternative Promised Lands, Jewish refuge, the Uganda Plan, family immigration stories, Russian Jewish assimilation, the writing process, archival research.
