The United Jewish Appeal here has received a check for $2,674,79 marking the virtual death of a far Western Jewish community which flourished for nearly a century.
The check had been sent by Norman Winestine, of Helena, Montana, UJA state chairman for the State of Montana, With the check came a letter explaining that the money represented the liquidated funds of the Ladies Auxiliary of Helena’s Temple Emanuel, closed out by the women’s organization because the city no longer has a Jewish community or a temple.
“It is with considerable sadness that I remit the enclosed check, ” Mr. Winestine wrote, “We have had Jewish religious services in Helena since the first white man panned gold in Last Chance Gulch. In 1891 a handsome Temple was built, and was maintained for 30 or 35 years. At various times the Ladies Auxiliary of Temple Emanuel raised funds for the repair and decoration of the temple. But with the decline of the Jewish community in this city, the funds can no longer be used for this purpose. We are therefore enclosing the entire balance of the Temple Fund. We know it will be thoughtfully spent in the rescue and rehabilitation of our Jewish brethren wherever emergencies exist. “
Jewish population statistics show that there were 2,500 Jews in Montana in 1905, about 1,500 in 1907, and 700 last year, about half of these in Butte and Billings.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
