Good Start / This Month in Minnesota History / By Jessica Kohen
Our state’s Jewish history →→Congregations began forming — and serving others — in the 1850s
On Feb. 26, 1857, more than a year before Minnesota statehood, Gov. Willis Gorman signed a bill recognizing Mount Zion as the first Jewish congregation
▲▲The Mount Zion Temple on Summit Avenue was designed by Bauhaus architect Erich Mendelsohn. It was first dedicated in 1954. Photos courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society
in the territory. Just a year earlier, eight German-Jewish families organized the Mount Zion Hebrew Association in St. Paul. At the time, Minnesota was experiencing rapid population growth with many
gave back through service to others. In 1900, the women of Mount Zion opened the Neighborhood House on
settlers arriving from New England as well as immigrants from Germany, Norway,
the city’s west side, a settlement house
Sweden and Ireland.
that welcomed the large waves of
With cheap farmland and a growing industrial base, diverse groups continued to migrate to Minnesota through the end of the century. Each group brought churches and temples, organizations and synods. Across the river in Minneapolis, Jews came together to form Shaarai Tov congregation in 1878, today known as Temple Israel.
Early beginnings
Eastern European Jews then moving to Minnesota. In 1903, Neighborhood House reorganized, evolving from a purely Jewish social effort into a nonsectarian one. Over the years, it’s
In the early days, the Mount Zion congregation met in rented rooms on
served both immigrants and refu-
Robert Street in downtown St. Paul. Services were conducted in German and
gees who’ve sought new homes
followed Orthodox practices. Kalmon Lion was hired to lead worship services
in Minnesota.
and songful prayer, including blowing the shofar, a ceremonial ram’s horn (pictured, at right) used during the High Holidays. That very shofar is now in the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society. In 1870, the founders built their first temple at 10th and Minnesota streets. By 1871, the congregants hired their first rabbi, Rabbi Leopold Wintner, a Hungarian immigrant. As the congregation grew, it began to abandon some of the more traditional customs in favor of an American-style Judaism focused on ethics and social justice. In 1878, Mount Zion joined the Reform Movement.
Creating community From the very beginning, the members of Mount Zion immersed themselves in creating a strong community. They built businesses and
12 / February 2016 / Minnesota Good Age