Rudd, Hynda

Although a number of Jews passed through Utah with the migrants to California and Oregon, the permanent Jewish community grew slowly as it consisted mostly of young, unmarried men engaged in merchandising ventures. They found acceptance in Utah where members of the predominant Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (L.D.S. Church) viewed the Jewish role as one clearly defined through scripture. So long as they did not show themselves to be virulently anti-Mormon, they were left to live and work peacefully, often with the express assistance and co-operation of the L.D.S. Church leaders.

The first permanent Jewish settlers, Julian Gerson Brooks and his wife Fanny, arrived in 1853. They established a successful millinery shop and, a year later, a bakery. That same year, 1854, marked the visit of the prominent Jewish artist-photographer, Solomon Nunes Carvalho to Utah. Carvalho did not remain long, as he wished to rejoin the remains of his party--the Fremont expedition--in California. He did, however, leave a valuable record of the people and settlements of Utah.

Conflict between the United States government and the L.D.S. Church caused some merchants to leave the unsettled situation; however, the arrival of Johnston's Army in 1857 insured a new spurt of economic prosperity. Even though Camp Floyd was abandoned in 1861 as the soldiers were recalled at the beginning of the Civil War, the number of Jewish merchants in Utah continued to increase. The establishment of Fort Douglas and the arrival of Colonel Edward Patrick Connor brought increased opportunities for trade. Colonel Connor encouraged mining activities in the state, mostly by "Gentile" (non-Mormon) miners. By 1864 Nicholas S. Ransohoff, Nicholas Sigfried, the Auerbach brothers, the Kuhn brothers, and a number of other Jewish merchants were supplying the army, the miners, and their Mormon neighbors.

A number of Jews came to supply the army, some came as soldiers and stayed in Utah when mustered out, others came encouraged by the economic prosperity. The first formal religious service was held in Utah in October of 1864. Previously there had not been enough men to constitute the quorum necessary for formal services. The Hebrew Benevolent Society was also organized in that year. As a sort of "travelers' aid" group, the members contributed funds to assist other Jews passing through Utah, or those of their own number needing temporary support.

A number of fraternal societies were organized in Salt Lake City between 1864 and 1866. In every case members of the Jewish community could be numbered among the charter group. The Young Men's Literary Institute, organized December 1, 1864 at Fort Douglas, built Independence Hall which became the center of non-Mormon activity in the territory. Jewish religious services, as well as those of other groups, were often held at the hall. On January 15, 1866 a chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows was established with a leader of the Jewish community, James M. Ellis, elected first president. Mt. Moriah Masonic Lodge was organized November 11, 1865. A second Masonic Lodge, Wasatch, was founded in 1866 and merged with Mt. Moriah Lodge under that name in 1867. It was officially decided that no Mormons would be allowed to become members because of their doubtful support for the Union.

The year 1866 marked a period of high anti-Mormon sentiment among the Gentile community in Utah. Two non-Mormons, one an extremely well-respected doctor, were murdered and the culprits never found. There was also a marked effort by L.D.S. Church leaders to encourage their members to patronize only their co-religionists' mercantile establishments. Business at Gentile stores, which included those of the Jews, fell off markedly. The gentile merchants sent a petition to L. D. S. Church president, Brigham Young, saying that if the Mormons would buy up their stock and pay off monies owed by church members then all the signers would leave the territory. The offer was refused. However, as a mark of favor, when Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution, the L.D.S. Church organ, bought up various enterprises the only Gentile establishments purchased were those of two Jewish merchants, Ransohoff and Company and L. Reggel. Z.C.M.I. opened in 1869, the same year the railroad arrived in Utah bringing increased interest in merchandising and mining.

Corinne, Utah's first non-Mormon settlement, was laid out by the Union Pacific Railroad Company in 1869. It was here the first non-Mormon churches were built. Many small merchants established themselves in the new town after leaving Salt Lake City; a number of others opened branches there. There were enough Jewish members in the community to hold formal religious services during its hey-day.

In February of 1870 the Liberal Party was organized in Corinne but had little success in electing candidates because the Mormons generally voted as a Democratic Party bloc. However, during the 1870s and 1880s there were a number of Jews in political office in the territory.

Economic prosperity and expansion during the 1870s encouraged many young Jewish men to marry, to send for sweethearts, or return to the old country to bring back suitable wives. Easier travel with the railroad also helped bring married couples to the territory. The Russian pogroms of the 1880s brought a massive increase in Jewish immigration to the United States. Many of these families of Russian immigrants found their way to Utah. From the 1870s forward the Utah Jewish community became a constantly growing established part of the state.

In 1874 the Ladies Hebrew Benevolent Society was established, and the men's group disbanded. The ladies gave a series of fund-raising balls attended by all segments of the community. In 1877 the group obtained the legal deed from Brigham Young for the cemetery land he donated to them in 1866. It was, perhaps, fortuitous timing as Brigham Young died that same year.

As early as 1866 the Jews in Utah had a Sepher Torah, books, and other religious articles. Finally in March 1881 they met to form Congregation B'nai Israel (Children of Israel) which was incorporated under the laws of the Territory of Utah. Even though they had problems raising money the first synagogue was dedicated on September 30, 1883. It was decided to follow the "reform" ritual, in which parts of the service were in English, and Rabbi Leon Strauss was hired to this end in 1884. Because of the controversy between the orthodox and reform factions, membership decreased to the point that Rabbi Strauss left two months before his appointment expired. By 1885 most of the ardent orthodox Jews had withdrawn from the congregation to meet informally once again.

The first synagogue was sold in 1889 for $20,000 and a new property purchased on which to build. During the interim period Rabbi Heiman J. Elkin held services in the rented Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Chapel. Philip Meyer, a nephew of the Auerbach brothers and government architect of the Kaiser of Germany, was brought over to draw up the plans for the new B'nai Israel synagogue. The result was a small replica of the famous Berlin Temple which was dedicated on July 12, 1891.

Disaffected, orthodox Jews met in 1889 and tentatively called themselves Congregation Montefiore, after a notable English Jewish philanthropist. By 1895 there were enough worshipers to obtain a charter as an official congregation, but it wasn't until the publication of the Articles of Agreement in 1899 that Montefiore became a legal reality. The congregation incorporated and laid the cornerstone for their synagogue in 1903.

Financial contributions were obtained from the L.D.S. Church partially because of assistance given by the Jews during the prosecutions for polygamy by the United States Government. These two congregations continued their separate ways having little interaction for many years.

A third congregation, Shaarey Tzedick, was established sometime around 1915. Congregation Montefiore followed the conservative rituals, and many ultra-orthodox Eastern European immigrants became dissatisfied. They broke off to form their own group and dedicated their small synagogue on March 28, 1920. This group was not extremely long-lived. As the orthodox ritual was conducted totally in Hebrew, many of the younger members felt it offered them little. The congregation died out and the remaining members were absorbed back into the other congregations sometime in the late 1930s. The building was sold to the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.

While Salt Lake City was the center for the Jewish community in Utah, there were Jews throughout the territory. In most small towns and rural areas there were never enough to hold any formal services, but they were allowed to worship as they saw fit. In Ogden, a base for many Jewish merchants, Congregation Ohab Sholem was organized in 1890. The name was changed to Brith Sholem in 1916 and incorporated as an orthodox congregation under that name in 1922. A synagogue was erected in 1921.

In 1911 The Central Jewish Colonization Society of Philadelphia, in co-operation with the state of Utah, purchased land along the Sevier River. The society sent a number of people along to farm the area, but few who were actually farmers. Problems with lack of water caused the whole project to fail. By 1915 the remaining settlers removed to California. Benjamin and Nathan Brown, who were the only members of the group electing to stay developed a successful chicken and egg production operation A similar experiment in Park Valley, northern Utah, lasted between 1914 and 1920, also a victim of lack of water.

During the early twentieth century, the Jews of Utah were very visible in the community. None more so than Simon Bamberger, fourth Governor of Utah, elected in 1916. Many other members of the Jewish community were involved in politics or some manner of public service. There also appeared, during the 1920s, a number of Jewish mutual assistance groups like the Mutual Progressive Association and "Hand-in-Hand" whose revolving loan funds helped member businesses and individuals.

By 1933 the Jews in Salt Lake City had formed their first "zionist" organization, a group dedicated to a restoration of the Jewish state. Their more immediate concern was to render assistance to Jews in Germany, in 1936 the United Jewish Council of Salt Lake City was formed. Its instrument, the Salt Lake City Jewish Welfare Fund was founded to help victims of the holocaust in Hitler's Germany.

The war years of the 1930s brought about a more cordial, co-operative spirit between the various congregations in support of a common cause. The Salt Lake Section of the National Council of Jewish Women, formed in 1941, as well as other members of the Jewish community worked on a number of civic projects. The Jews of Utah helped Jewish soldiers stationed nearby to remain conscious of their heritage and maintain their religious standards. They sponsored interfaith dances and worked frequently with the United Serivce Organizations (USO) during the war.

Throughout World War II the Jews of Utah retained their high interest in restoration of Israel as a Jewish state. In 1943 the Salt Lake Chapter of "Hadassah," a Jewish women's organization, was founded. Their major concern was for the safety and social health of Israel. The Salt Lake District of the Zionist Organization of America was formed in 1946. Finally, in 1948, Israel as a Jewish state became a reality. It was then the concern of these various groups to assist the new state in achieving and maintaining a viable existence.

As evidence of the cooperation between congregations the Jewish Community Center opened its doors in March of 1959. A further step toward unification between Congregation B'nai Israel and Montefiore came in 1969. In that year the independent Sabbath schools of both congregations were consolidated into the United Jewish Religious School. Following nearly two more years of meetings and discussions of the merits of such a move, the two congregations consolidated in July of 1972. The result was the Congregation Kol Ami (All of My People).

As time went on, neither existing structure was felt to answer the needs of the congregation. Both were sold and a new synagogue with a modern, functional design was built. Temple Kol Ami was dedicated December 12, 1976.

From the guide to the Jewish archives, 1831-1990, (J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah)