Karon family papers

Samuel Karon immigrated from Lithuania in 1887 to escape being drafted into the Russian army. He settled in Duluth, where an uncle and brother had already preceded him. In 1890 he married Sarah Shapiro, also from Lithuania, and they had nine children. He was active in Duluth’s Jewish community, and was one of the organizers of Adas Israel Synagogue, where he served for 47 years as its congregational president. He also founded Northwestern Scrap Iron and Metal Company and its affiliate, Northwester Wiping Cloth Company. Four of his sons continued this family business.

Robert Joseph Karon was born in 1905 to Samuel and Sarah Karon. He would eventually marry Ruth Helen Edelstein, daughter of Roy Edelstein and Ida (Zalk) Edelstein. He attended Superior Normal School and the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating with a law degree in 1927. He worked in Duluth as a real estate attorney. The Karon family remained active in the Jewish community, with Robert serving as President of the Duluth Jewish Federation and Community Council and helping to establish the Baeumler-Kaplan Holocaust Memorial Lecture Series at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He was a member of both Temple Israel and Adas Israel synagogues. Robert also held leadership positions in the 11th Judicial Bar Association, Covenant Club, Scottish Rite, and Workmen's Circle. In the 1950s and 1960s he led the boards of the Duluth Chamber of Commerce, Miller Dwan Memorial Hospital, and the Duluth Round Table on Christians and Jews.