Helena synagogue building set to return to Jewish community
By IRIS SAMUELS
Associated Press/Report for America
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Jewish community in Montana’s state capital has not had a place to gather in 80 years. But a group of Helena Jews is set to change that by buying back the old synagogue that was built more than a century ago and sold soon after for $1. They must raise $1.2 million by the next year to complete the purchase from the Helena Catholic Diocese and turn it into a community center. Completed in 1891, Temple Emanu-El was the first synagogue built between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portland, Oregon. It served hundreds of Jews who came to Helena during the gold rush. But gold and Jews quickly dwindled.