Winestine, Norman, 1895-1986

Norman Winestine was born February 15, 1895, in Wassaic, New York, and was raised in Waterbury, Connecticut. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and did post-graduate work in medieval history at Columbia University and at the newly established Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning in Philadelphia. At Dropsie, Winestine studied Semitic language and Judaism. On April 18, 1918, Winestine married Belle Fligelman, daughter of Herman Fligelman, president and one of the founders of Helena, Montana's New York Dry Goods Company. In 1920, while living in Paris, France, Winestine accepted the offer of the position of general manager of the New York Dry Goods Company, popularly known as the New York Store. The store had been founded in 1882, under the name of H. Loble & Co., by Herman Fligelman and Henry Loble, both Romanian immigrants, and Robert Heller, an Austrian. The store was formally incorporated as the New York Dry Goods Company in 1890. When Winestine arrived in Helena in 1920, only Herman Fligelman of the original owners remained, Henry Loble having died in 1913 and Robert Heller having retired in 1920. The New York Store was destroyed by fire in 1928, but under Winestine's direction was rebuilt and renamed Fligelman's. Four years later, in 1932, founder Herman Fligelman died. Fligelman's was sold in 1958 to the J.M. McDonald Company. After moving to Helena, Winestine joined Congregation Emanu-El, a Jewish reform congregation. It had been reformed in August 1889 and a temple building completed in 1890. In April 1890 the congregation hired its first rabbi, Dr. Samuel Shulman of New York. Starting in 1925, Norman Winestine conducted the services on High Holy Days. Due to a decline in membership, the congregation was no longer able to support the maintenance of a temple, and decided to sell the building to the Montana Relief Commission in 1935. Winestine continued to conduct services for the few remaining members of the congregation, until after World War II.

From the guide to the Norman Winestine Collection: Congregation Emanu-el And Fligelman's, 1883-1953, (Montana Historical Society Archives)

Norman Winestine was born February 15, 1895, in Wassaic, New York, and was raised in Waterbury, Connecticut. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and did post-graduate work in medieval history at Columbia University and at the newly established Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning in Philadelphia. At Dropsie, Winestine studied Semitic language and Judaism. On April 18, 1918, Winestine married Belle Fligelman whom he met in Washington, D.C., while working for the Hoover Food Administration. She was the daughter of Herman Fligelman, president and one of the founders of Helena, Montana's New York Dry Goods Store. In 1920 Winestine accepted the offer of the position of general manager of the New York Store and moved to Helena. He managed the store until his retirement in 1958. In Helena, Winestine was active in the Congregation Emanu-El, a Jewish reform congregation. Winestine was also involved with the Montana Institute of the Arts and the Montana Historical Society. He was appointed to the Board of the latter organization by Governor John Bonner in 1949, and served as its president. Norman Winestine died on April 4, 1986.

Belle Fligelman was born in Helena in 1891. She attended Helena schools, graduating from high school in 1909. She then attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and during her senior year was elected president of the Women's Self-Governing Student Body. In 1914 she returned to Helena to work as a reporter for the Independent. The following year she was hired to manage and edit the weekly Montana Progressive, published by the state's Progressive Party. It was during this time that she became involved in the successful congressional campaign of Jeannette Rankin. She accompanied Rankin to Washington, D.C., and was employed to write news releases. Throughout her life, Belle Winestine was active in polities supporting movements such as women's suffrage, the Equal Rights Amendment, world peace, etc. In 1932 she unsuccessfully ran for the Montana Senate with her main campaign issue being the creation of a state children's bureau. She was also a prolific writer of short stories, children's stories, plays, and poetry, some of which were published. Belle Winestine died in April 1985.

Norman and Belle Winestine had three children: Minna, Judith, and Henry.

From the guide to the Norman And Belle Fligelman Winestine Collection, 1882-1985, (Montana Historical Society Archives)