Working on the Intermountain Jewish News 100th Anniversary magazine has refueled our fascination with the Jewish history of the Rocky Mountain West, from the various areas in Denver to the smaller cities and towns where Jews settled.
Some of the outlying Jewish communities, such as those in Pueblo, Trinidad and Cheyenne once had thriving Jewish populations, each with their own set of synagogues, B’nai B’rith lodges and other organizations.
Economic hardships through the decades took their toll on those communities as Jews left for more promising opportunities in the big city of Denver. Some of those communities continued to operate, just on a smaller scale. Others, such as the Jewish community of Leadville, ceased to exist.
Many Denver families maintain close ties with their hometowns, or those of their parents or grandparents. Those smaller communities did a good job of instilling a feeling of Yiddishkeit and Jewish camardarie in its citizens, as many of them have gone on to lead active Jewish lives in their new, adopted hometowns.
From time to time, it’s sad to learn of a synagogue in these smaller locales shutting down due to attrition of membership or economic hardship.Although diminished in numbers, these communities today persevere and manage to keep Judaism alive.
An example is this Sunday’s Yiddish Food Festival at Mt. Sinai Synagogue in Cheyenne. The Jews of Cheyenne are proud of their heritage (and their food) and are happy to share it with their non-Jewish neighbors for a day of Jewish cuisine and music. It’s a project many Denver Jews might enjoy attending and supporting.
Another shining example of small city Jews doing big things is the annual Greeley Holocaust commemoration. This small community works with the city of Greeley to organize an annual week of Holocaust events, making sure that the citizens of Greeley join them in never forgetting the atrocities.
The synagogue in Trinidad is a historic landmark and treasured icon in that southern Colorado small town. Its once-sizable rolls have dwindled. A few dedicated members have maintained the beautiful Temple Aaron and, once a year, open its doors to the greater Trinidad community to “show off” their own Jewish heritage and create goodwill.
Our Jewish brothers and sisters who are keeping the flames of Judaism burning in these smaller communities without the amenities of a big city are to commended. We wish them well.
Copyright © 2013 by the Intermountain Jewish News
