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Montana Jewish community races against clock to save oldest synagogue in the state – Daily Montanan

['Darrell Ehrlick', 'More From Author', '- May']

Date: 2022-05-18 00:00:00

With less than six weeks left before a purchase deadline, the Montana Jewish Project is putting out an urgent call for support as it raises money to buy back the state’s oldest synagogue and establish the first Jewish community center in the Rocky Mountain West.

The fund-raising campaign seeks to raise $925,000 to purchase the original synagogue building, built in 1891 and called Temple Emanu-El, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena and the adjoining property. The synagogue was sold around 90 years ago but had been home to one of the largest congregations in West, and had many prominent Montana figures among its founding members in the congregation.

The building was originally sold to the State of Montana in 1935 as the congregation dwindled, and later sold to the Diocese of Helena. In both cases, it was used for office space and storage, but features like the stained glass windows and the cornerstone remained reminders of the building’s historic past.

Rebecca Stanfel, president of the Montana Jewish Project Board of Directors, told the Daily Montanan that in just a few short months, the group has raised about half the funds, but will need large gifts to complete the purchase by the deadline at the end of June.

“We are facing two urgent needs,” Stanfel said. “One is to reacquire this majestic synagogue that is a key piece of Montana history, so that it’s not converted into private condos or offices. The opportunity to reclaim this synagogue will not come again. The other need is for statewide programming and community-building in coordination with Montana’s Rabbis. MJP will provide an anchor for Montana’s Jews as we work to build acceptance and to fight the steep rise in antisemitism across the state.”

MJP has only been fundraising since signing the contract in November. In just six months, nearly 2,000 individual donors from Helena, and across Montana, the United States, and the world, have rallied around the effort.

“We’re so close to crossing the finish line, after a year-long sprint,” said Julie Bir, member of the Montana Jewish Project Board of Directors. “But the truth is that without more financial support, we could lose this one chance. If that happens, the wider community will not have any access to this important building and an important piece of Jewish American history will be out of our reach.”

Once funding is secured, MJP will establish a statewide Jewish community center in the first synagogue built between Portland, Oregon, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. A programming director will oversee education, speakers, cultural events, and foster a sense of larger community for all of Montana’s Jews, Stanfel said. In addition, MJP will create curricula about the history of Jewish Montana and the realities of being Jewish in the Treasure State for schools across the state.

“Helena is one of only four state capitals in the nation without a synagogue or Jewish Center,” said Evan Jones, a member of the Montana Jewish Project Board of Directors. “With our partners, we want to change that and re-create a center for Jewish life, Tikkun olam (to repair the world), and broader civic engagement for Helena and for all of Montana.”

During the Great Depression, the congregation gave Temple Emanu-El to the state of Montana for $1, asking only that it be used for a “good and social purpose.” The Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena bought it to house administrative offices in 1981.

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