Home Care In Boerne, TX

The King of Country said the intimate concert and dinner will be held on July 27 to benefit those impacted by the catastrophic July 4 floods in Kerr County.

BOERNE, Texas — George Strait is planning a fundraising event at the end of July to raise money for Kerr County flood victims.

The King of Country announced details on X on Friday, July 11, one week after the catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country left at least 120 dead and dozens missing on the 4th of July.

The "intimate donor dinner and concert" will be held in Boerne on July 27.

Strait's post said it will directly help those impacted by the Texas floods and recognize first responders who saved the lives of countless members of his community.

“The destruction and loss in our community from the recent floods is hard to wrap your head around. Our hearts and prayers are with you all," Strait posted. "The goal with this event is to raise meaningful, immediate support that can be put directly into the hands of flood victims without delay, while also honoring the first responders that work tirelessly to save lives."

He said William Beckmann, Ray Benson with Asleep at the Wheel, Wade Bowen, Dean Dillon, Riley Green, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Kyle Park and Hudson Westbrook will join his Ace in the Hole Band on stage.

George announces plans to directly help those impacted by the Texas floods and recognize first responders who saved the lives of countless members of his community with a fundraising event in Boerne, Texas at the end of this month. “The destruction and loss in our community… pic.twitter.com/0TODc6Obpz

— George Strait (@GeorgeStrait) July 11, 2025

Donations will be collected and distributed by Vaqueros del Mar Texas Flood Relief Fund directly benefiting those affected by the flood. For ticket inquiries, please email [email protected].

Country Music Hall of Fame member and Texas native George Strait is stepping up to help those in the Texas Hill Country impacted by the recent floods — and he’s welcoming plenty of his country music comrades to help.

On Sunday, July 27, Strait will hold the Strait to the Heart special benefit dinner and concert at Estancia at Thunder Valley indoor arena in Boerne, Texas. Also on the lineup are William Beckmann, Ray Benson, Wade Bowen, Dean Dillon, Riley Green, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Kyle Park and Hudson Westbrook.

Strait has teamed with businessman and Vaqueros del Mar partner of 15 years Tom Cusick to organize the event.

“The destruction and loss in our community from the recent flood is hard to wrap your head around,” Strait said in a statement. “Our hearts and prayers are with you all. The goal with this event is to raise meaningful, immediate support that can be put directly into the hands of flood victims without delay, while also honoring the first responders that work tirelessly to save lives.”

Cusick added, “The road ahead will be a long one, however, the immediate need is so great that we didn’t want to wait. Together, we can show our neighbors that when hardship strikes, Texas and our country stand strong, and we stand together.”

The event is limited to 1,000 guests, and tickets and tables are available for purchase with price points beginning at $1,000. First responders in the local area will be offered complimentary tickets to the event. Donations from the funds raised by the event will be made to 501c3 Vaqueros del Mar Texas Flood Relief Fund and distributed directly to affected families as well as established Hill Country funds.

Persons interested in purchasing a table or tickets to Vaqueros del Mar’s Strait to the Heart concert — or those would like to make a donation — can email [email protected].

The flooding in the Texas Hill country over the July 4 weekend has left more than 120 people dead, and over 160 people still missing, including 150 still missing in the hard-hit Kerr County in Texas.

See the poster for the event below:

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It’s truly a riddle wrapped in an enigma. A small-town Texas librarian finds a musty old Bible and soon realizes it's unlike any she’s ever seen. It’s hundreds of years old and written in a familiar, but dead, language.

Texas Public Radio looked into it and uncovered ... well, most of its mystery.

First off, the town is Boerne, about 20 miles northwest of San Antonio, founded by German immigrants in 1849. Secondly, the mystery language: Although this Bible predates the country of Germany, it was written in German … a variation of German.

Elisa McCune knows this Bible well. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on it.

“High German was spoken in the southern half [of what’s now Germany], and Low German was spoken in the northern half,” she said. “High German, essentially, was what turned into what modern day German is. Low German was considered to be—and I'm probably, simplifying this a little bit—but it was the less sophisticated version of German.”

This Bible was written in Low German. Easier to determine was this Bible’s age. Here, McCune reflects on when she first became aware of the Bible while working at the Boerne Public Library.

“It was a 1614 Low German Bible. It was rare, and we had only one of seven copies in the world,” McCune said.

Of those seven, one is in Boerne.

There’s also one at the Royal Danish Library.

McCune added that "the British Library has one. There are a couple in Germany, and then there's one in Chicago, at the Newberry library,” she said.

“Boerne is the only public library that has [one], it's pretty interesting that a town as small as Boerne has this for sure.”

Solving the mystery of when and where it was published was simple because its publishing info is printed in the Bible itself. Also, records show that plates from this Bible were used to publish a predecessor, something called the Wolderbible. Its publisher went out of business. His misfortune created opportunity for a man named Hans Stern.

“And so Hans Stern was able to purchase the plates, and he was able to get everything done more cheaply than the Wolderbible’s creator was able to, so he was able to turn a better profit,” McCune said. “And in fact, the Hans Stern publishing house is still in operation today, or was at the time that I wrote my dissertation in 2012!”

She’s right. The publishing business Stern started in the 1600s still prints Bibles in Lüneburg 411 years later, and the plates used to publish Boerne’s Bible are on display at Lüneburg’s public library. The significance of the 1614 Bible goes beyond its incredible age, though. Unlike most of its predecessors, it wasn’t printed in Latin.

“Martin Luther was excommunicated for his idea that people should be able to read the Bible and the language that they speak, and so this book would have been produced ... it was after Martin Luther did his whole theses and then nailing to the door and all that stuff,” she said. “This is a relatively new phenomenon that people did find after they started printing books, or printing Bibles in German rather than Latin.”

McCune is referring to Martin Luther nailing 95 theses (some historians suggest they were pasted) to various doors on October 31, 1517. The theses were a set of arguments against certain practices of the Catholic Church. He refused to recant his writings and was subsequently excommunicated by Pope Leo X in January 1521.

Since few other than priests from the Catholic Church spoke Latin, the church was the only avenue for religious study. And in a sense, printing this Bible in Low German was the first step that would eventually lead to reading for reasons other than religious ones.

“The whole idea of having books that people read for pleasure, eventually you get there, but it all kind of starts with people making Bibles in the vernacular versus in in Latin,” McCune said.

Catherine Schwarz first found the Bible at the old Boerne High School, located where Boerne Middle School North is located.

“I had just been hired as the librarian for the high school of Boerne. I gave it to the historical society, and they kept it a good while,” Schwarz said.

The Boerne Area Historical Preservation Society displayed it and kept it from harm. Eventually, they gave it to the city of Boerne. Given that it was over 400 years old, it was in rough shape.

It was sent to Mary Frederickson in Canyon, Texas to be restored.

Robin Stauber is with the Boerne Public Library.

“[Frederickson] was the one that painstakingly put it back together and helped with the spine cover,” Stauber said. After she finished with the restoration process, and the Bible came back to the library, a case was created for it, and so it was on display from then on, until recently, until two years ago, when we sent it off to the University of North Texas to get digitized.”

The University there painstakingly digitized every page. Stauber said the Bible is back, but because of a sunlit lobby, it isn't displayed there as it had been. Not to worry Stauber said; you can still see it.

“Still publicly accessible. If anybody wants to come see it, just give us a call. We have archive hours here Tuesday through Friday, so they could always just come in and take a look,” she said.

Students at the University of North Texas are going to make it accessible by early fall in ways it’s never been before.

“They are meta-tagging it so they are developing code words and searchable items to go be able to go through the Bible and look at it, and then once they put all that together, it will be online at The Portal to Texas History. So anybody can get in there and take a look at it,” Stauber said.

UPDATE: The University of North Texas has completed their work and the Bible is now available online here.

Another factor to consider: this isn’t a Bible for personal contemplation. It’s a hefty book! Elisa McCune.

“It would not be comfortable to sit with in your lap for a long time. It would probably have been displayed on like a lectern at a church, for example,” she said.

The 1614 Low German Bible of Boerne, Texas: an Examination of its Origins and Lasting Influence in the Live... by Texas Public Radio on Scribd

It’s nearly 12 and a half pounds, 16 inches long, 10-plus inches wide, and 4 inches thick. If you think back on the journey this massive tome took, it was probably on a sailing ship for between six and eight weeks, then a week on horseback to Boerne from Galveston. Whoever brought this Bible to Texas and then brought it to Boerne was probably quite religious.

“Who loved it? Who thought it was essential to take all the way over to Texas from Germany, who valued it and thought that it was important? And clearly, it was passed down through the people in the family that owned it,” McCune said.

And that brings us to the name scrawled inside the cover.

“This book does have, actually more than one name, fortunately, on the inside of the covers. On both the front and back cover, it has the name Johan Schwarting. It also has a date of 1660 so that's really great,” she said.

1660 is almost 200 years before any Germans lived in Boerne—so did the Schwartings move here?

“I have done some digging, and I have not found any evidence of a member of the Schwarting family in Boerne proper,” McCune said. “It's very likely that it was brought over from Germany by a member of this family, but it could have been a daughter, or somebody who ended up with a different last name.”

We may never know who brought the Boerne Bible there, but perhaps the digitized contents accessible worldwide will open a portal that didn’t exist in the misty past.

Three years ago, Rabbi Yossi and Malky Marrus founded Chabad of Boerne, Texas. Now, their small Chabad house transformed overnight into an aid distribution center, following the devastating flash floods that swept across the Texas Hill Country, killing at least 81 and leaving thousands injured or homeless.

With the aid of Avraham Berkowitz, Chabad of Boerne has coordinated with local elected officials and businesses to bring much-needed aid to victims, survivors and first responders.

Berkowitz, who lives in Brooklyn, is senior coordinator of Chabad Ukraine Refugee Relief, president of AZ Advisors and is a senior advisor at CDC Foundation.

“Our hearts are broken as we witness the devastation caused by the floods in Central Texas,” said Houston’s Rabbi Shimon Lazaroff of Chabad Lubavitch of Texas.

“Homes have been swept away, families uprooted and, most tragically, lives have been lost – including precious children. The pain is deep and the grief unbearable.”

“On behalf of the 140 rabbis and rebbetzins serving at the 43 Chabad centers across Texas, we extend our heartfelt prayers and deepest condolences to all those impacted. To the grieving parents and families: May the A-mighty comfort you among all who mourn, and may you find strength in the love and support surrounding you.

“As Jews, our response to tragedy is always twofold: heartfelt tefillah and tangible action,” said Rabbi Lazaroff. “We encourage everyone who is able to join in supporting those impacted by this disaster. As the Rebbe taught, even a small light can dispel great darkness.

“May G?d protect those still in harm’s way, bring healing to the injured and bless all those offering aid with strength and success.”

To contribute to the relief efforts, go to Jewishboerne.org/relief.

Boerne, Texas, Chabad providing supplies to first responders, local Jews; Austin Jewish community launches fundraising campaign

After a weekend of deadly flash floods in central Texas, Rabbi Yossi Marrus of Chabad of Boerne, Texas, spent Monday driving between fire stations. The closest Chabad to the flood zone, he’s been checking on Jewish families in the area, and providing supplies for local first responders after the flood damaged numerous trucks and fire houses — be it refrigerators or new gear.

“Yesterday it was socks,” he told eJewishPhilanthropy on Monday afternoon.

Chabad of Boerne is among several Jewish organizations responding after the Guadalupe River swelled over 26 feet in under an hour early Friday morning, killing at least 90 people and devastating areas of Kerrville and neighboring Texas counties.

“It’s kind of like a war zone,” said Marrus. “The devastation is very, very real. It’s really terrible.”

Shalom Austin — a hub of Jewish life in Austin, Texas, consisting of a Jewish federation, JCC, Jewish family service and Jewish community foundation — launched an emergency fundraising campaign in the wake of the crisis. Within less than 24 hours the campaign raised over $70,500, according to the umbrella organization.

“The funds will provide urgent relief and recovery for those affected by the recent Central Texas flooding,” the statement said.

At least one Jewish family, the Eliashars, were rescued by a neighbor in the predawn hours of Saturday as the flood waters reached their house in Jonestown, on the shores of Lake Travis. The mother, Crissy, was home with their three children and one of their friends who was sleeping over — all under the age of 12 — while their father was working an overnight shift in Austin. “The family was rescued in the dark by a brave neighbor who woke them up, just before the house, their car, and everything they owned were washed away,” according to a fundraising campaign that was launched over the weekend and has so far raised nearly $94,000.

With support from local Jewish organizations and Chabad Lubavitch headquarters, Marrus has been checking on the roughly 120 Jewish families Chabad is aware of in Texas Hill Country. As the situation continues to develop, case managers from Shalom Austin’s Jewish Family Service are also working to identify the community’s needs, according to a statement.

In the immediate aftermath of the flood, Marrus’ Chabad has been purchasing supplies and providing emotional support to first responders. But with rescue efforts still ongoing, it will take time before there is full clarity on what support is needed, he added.

“We’re still in the stage where there’s just a lot of chaos,” he told eJP. “In the coming days and weeks, we’re going to be able to do a lot more… Right now, wherever we are, we see crews with chainsaws, cutting down trees, trying to clear the area. So again, we’re just trying to be attentive to what it is that they may need from us.”

Dozens remain unaccounted for as search and rescue teams continue to scour the area. At least 11 of those still missing are campers and staff members from Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp in Kerr County where at least 27 have already been confirmed dead from the flood.

The tragedy has ricocheted throughout the camping world, with many Jewish camps issuing statements of support and assessing their own weather protocols in the aftermath. Two nearby Jewish camps — the Union for Reform Judaism’s Greene Family Camp and Camp Young Judaea Texas — were not hit by the flood as they are located on higher ground.

“As a camp community that knows how deeply these places shape our lives, we grieve with those who are suffering and stand in solidarity during this unimaginable time,” Ruben Arquevich, vice president of camps at URJ, said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with local authorities who guide us on weather and safety to help protect our camps and communities.”

The Foundation for Jewish Camp also issued a statement of solidarity. “The tragedy at Camp Mystic and the heartbreaking deaths of beloved camp leaders Jane Ragsdale of Heart O’ the Hills and Dick Eastland of Camp Mystic have reverberated through the camping world,” the organization said. “To the communities impacted, we want you to know: You are not alone. Across the country, Jewish camps, leaders, alumni and families are holding you in our thoughts and prayers.”

Israeli leaders have also voiced their sympathies for the flood. “On behalf of the people of Israel, I extend my deepest condolences to all the people of Texas, to Governor Greg Abbott, a true friend of Israel who stood with us in our darkest hour, and to all the families mourning unimaginable loss, especially of young children at summer camp,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said in a statement.