04 February 2026

Jews of Montana

The history of the Jewish people in Montana begins about in 1862, when the Jews began arriving. These first Jews were drawn by the discovery of gold in Bannock and Virginia City. They worked in the mines, ran hotels and saloons, were merchants and leaders in the community.
The oldest Jewish settlement in Montana was in Helena, home to newly arrived Jewish merchants. The first synagogue, Temple Emanu-El was built in 1891. There were also a synagogue in Butte, it's synagogue was built in 1904. The state has never had a large community, perhaps never more than 2,000 or so, but the Jewish influence has been felt. Even before statehood came in 1889, Jews held political offices in various cities, and many were leading citizens.
One early leader was Jacob Feldberg, an early member of the Virginia City town council. The marriage license and certificate (shown here) are for Belle Feldberg, the daughter of Jacob Feldberg and Emma Hyman. She was married, by Rabbi Jacob Millziner, to Alfred K. Wertheimer on 17 January 1902.

This record (FHL Film #00435167 item 4) is part of the Marriage License, Lewis and Clark County Collection at FamilySearch.org.

27 January 2026

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today, January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Established in 2005 by the United Nations to honor the memory of the over 6,000,000 souls murdered by the Nazis. This is also the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz - Birkenau camp, the largest of the Nazi death camps.

Recently, I was able to visit the New Orleans Holocaust Memorial (image at left) and my thoughts were quickly taken back to my visit to Auschwitz- Birkenau. It was very emotional for me to look around and to think of my own family members who were murdered there. I did not know any of them personally, but as I stood there and thought of their names, I made a promise to myself to never forget them and to make sure my own family did not forget them.

My GGreat Grandfather, Morris David Rosenbaum (above), left his home in Fordon, Poland in 1850. He arrived in the United States and built a life here. However, most of his six siters and their families staid in Fordon, and years later were murdered for being Jewish. On this day I remember all of them, the Rosenbaum family, the Auerbach family, the Oser family, and all those who were part of the fabric of life in Fordon.

May We Never Forget

12 January 2026

International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) 2026 conference

SAVE THE DATE

The date for the 2026 International Conference on Jewish Genealogy has been announced. It will be held on 18-20 October 2026. This year will be a virtual conference. Further information will be available soon.

Growth and Change

In the 12 years since the Knowles Collection was first published, the numbers have climbed from 7,500 to over 1,4000,000. So many of our ancestors left their native lands for new homes. Because of that movement the collection will now be in 6 different databases. All of them will be under the Knowles Collection umbrella. They are Jews of The British Isles; Jews of the North America; Jews of Europe; Jews of South America and the Caribbean; and Jews of Africa and the Orient and the newest one, Jews of the Southern Pacific.. This is a great indication of how universal our families are, and of how much still needs to be done.