Jews in Northern Minnesota collection

Collection

Identifier: umja0106

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of various materials, including: newspaper clippings, bulletins, research materials, meeting minutes, correspondence, account books, ledgers, reports, prayer books, and various ephemera.

Dates

Creation: 1893-2003

Conditions Governing Access

Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.

Copyright

This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.

Biographical / Historical

Jews arrived in Northern Minnesota by the 1870s, settling in the twin ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, as well as in the Iron Range towns of Eveleth, Chisholm, Virginia, and Hibbing. By 1920, the Jewish population in the Iron Range peaked at over 1,000, most of whom worked as shopkeepers. Synagogues were founded -- Agudath Achim in Eveleth, Agudas Achim in Hibbing, B'nai Abraham in Virginia, and B'nai Zion in Chisholm.

Duluth held a higher concentration of Jews, many of whom were immigrants from Lithuania who practiced Orthodox Judaism. The first congregation however, founded in 1891, was Temple Emanuel, a Reform Congregation. Orthodox congregations included Tifereth Israel, Adas Israel, and the Hebrew Brotherhood Synagogue. By 1940 the Jewish population of Duluth neared 4,000, and there were more than thirty Jewish organizations in Duluth, including the National Council of Jewish Women, Hadassah, United Jewish Social Agency, and Jewish Welfare Federation.

Extent

3.45 Cubic Feet (3 Paige boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection consists of materials donated by various individuals to the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest that deal with the lives of Jews in Northern Minnesota.

Arrangement

This collection is divided into series:

Series 1: Duluth

Series 2: Iron Range

Series 3: Miscellaneous

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection is comprised of materials donated to the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest by various people over various years. If the donor is known, it is listed in a note in each record.

Processing Information

This collection was brought together as a subject collection by the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest and is comprised of various donations from various sources, but all relate to the Jewish communities of Northern Minnesota.