The Jewish Community Of Helena, Montana: 1866-1900

Abstract

After moving to Helena in January 1971 I attended high school at Sunhaven School, now Capital High School. A tree-filled cemetery surrounded by a black iron fence is located adjacent to the schoo'lgrounds. This is the Home of Peace, the Jewish cemetery of Helena, Montana. The presence of this cemetery intrigued me. Who were these Jewish men and women? What did they do? Why did they come to Helena? Where were their descendants? Now, six years after my discovery of the cemetery, my curiosity regarding these men and women is somewhat satisfied. There is still a great deal of work to be done on the Jews of Helena as there is on Jewish life in the American west. But, hopefully, this thesis will answer some of the basic questions relating to one nineteenth-century Jewish community in the American west.