JEWISH MIGRATION TO ST. LOUIS PARK

One of the major factors in Park's remarkable growth after the War was the migration of the Jewish community of Minneapolis to the suburbs. The same advantages that other city dwellers sought in moving to the suburbs drew this close community westward. Much of the northernmost area of town was undeveloped, creating an opportunity for a large scale relocation. The Jewish community made an important and lasting impact on the city and had contributed a great deal to the development and image of St. Louis Park.

Much of the information for this section came from "Jewish Settlement in Minneapolis, 1860's-1972: Historic Context for Minneapolis Preservation Plan" by Garneth O. Peterson, AICP, Landscape Research: August 1997. A book available from the Minnesota Historical Society Press is “Jews in Minnesota,” by Hyman Berman and Linda Mack Schloff. Also see www.jewishwomenexhibit.com

1850's
Jewish settlers first came to Minnesota. Abram Elfelt, know to be Minnesota’s first Jewish settler, died in 1888.

1856
The first synagogue in the state was established in 1856 in St. Paul.

1868-69
German Jews came to Minneapolis and established shops, particularly selling clothing and dry goods.

1878
The first congregation in Minneapolis, the Reform Shaarai Tov (later Temple Israel) was formed.

1880
Shaarai Tov's synagogue, the first in Minneapolis, a frame Byzantine edifice designed by LeRoy Buffington, was built on Fifth Street between Marquette and Second Avenues.

1882
Approximately 600 Jewish refugees from Eastern Europe arrived in Minnesota, with fewer resources and English skills as their German counterparts. The new immigrants established mostly orthodox synagogues centered around their country of origin at first.

1888
A Romanian Orthodox congregation called "Rumanian Schul," which became B'nai Abraham, was formed on the South Side of Minneapolis. About 300 Romanian immigrants met in a building on 15th Avenue South between Third and Fourth Streets.

1900
Approximately 5,000 Jews lived in Minneapolis.

1910
Approximately 4,500 mostly Russian, Lithuanian, and Polish Jews had settled in North Minneapolis, and approximately 3,500 mostly Romanian Jews had settled on the South Side.

1920’s
Minneapolis had 20 active Ku Klan chapters in the early ‘20’s. Jews were excluded from businesses and associations, such as the American Automobile Association.

1940
Evidence of anti-Semitism appeared in the form of a pamphlet issued by the “American Christian Movement,” PO Box 485, Minneapolis. The pamphlet was addressed to farmers in rural Minnesota, and began with a diatribe against the New Deal. The text reads “Are the Jews Really Being Persecuted?” and “No one seems eager to die for the Jews!” It then reproduced a few pages from the Talmud, with the intention of alienating and frightening the populace.

1946
By the mid 1940’s, essayist Carey McWilliams labeled Minneapolis “the capital of anti-Semitism in the United States. Jews were publicly and unapologetically excluded from membership in the Minneapolis Club, the American Automobile Club, the Rotary, and many other groups. The situation was exacerbated by Reverend William Bell Riley at the First Baptist Church in Minneapolis, whose sermons were anti-Semitic diatribes. The resultant migration from Minneapolis was almost complete, with fewer than ten families still attending the Romanian Congregation in South Minneapolis. Minneapolis Mayor Hubert Humphrey was so affected by the situation that he appointed the City’s first Commission on Human Rights.

1948
Mt. Sinai Hospital was built in Minneapolis for Jewish doctors who were denied practice in other Minneapolis hospitals. Race-specific real estate covenants were invalidated by the U.S. Supreme Court.

1952
A synagogue committee of the Park B'nai B'rith chapter convened a meeting of Jewish families at Lenox School. Discussions went on with Jewish congregations in Minneapolis until an "amalgamation with B'nai Abraham evolved."

1953
The St. Louis Park chapter of B'nai B'rith Women received its charter on December 13, 1953.  There were 93 charter members - membership in 1961 was 130.  A 1961 Dispatch article states that "This philanthropic organization supports hospitals throughout the country, the Hillel houses on a number of campuses, and the Anti-Defamation League and the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization."

1954
The Anti-Defamation League, a branch of B’nai B’rith, presented a booklet to the Superintendent of Schools that included a schedule of the Jewish holidays and suggestions for teachers.

1956
In May, B'nai Abraham moved to a three-bedroom house at 3115 S. Ottawa Avenue on land purchased by Lewis Schwartz. The original 27 members grew to 294 families by the fall.

1958
The B'nai Abraham Synagogue Center at Highway 7 and Ottawa Avenue (3115 Ottawa) was built - the first in the Park. Moses B. Sachs was the rabbi in 1959. By 1961, 400 families were members.

1964
Construction began on the Talmud Torah and Emanuel Cohen Center - later known as the Jewish Community Center. It represented a merger of the Emmanuel Cohen Center and Council Camp. Its aim, voiced by the Park Jewish Youth Services in July 1959, was “to provide a community-wide program to meet the social, cultural, and recreational needs of every segment of the community.”

1965
Gemelus Chesed, a North Side congregation, moved to the Park.

Phil Blazer presented the B'nai Shalom Hour on Sundays from 11 to noon on KUXL.  The show featured "Jewish Music Favorites, Israeli Folk Music, News of Jewish Community Interest, Yiddish Comedy, and Interviews."  An ad for the show was in the February 5, 1965 issue of the newspaper American Jewish World.

1968
Beth El, a North Side congregation with 900 families, moved to 5224 W. 26th St. in St. Louis Park. A youth center had been built at that location in 1960 to serve members of the congregation who had already relocated.

A memo dated August 30, 1968 from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota provided Superintendents of Minnesota school and the President of the U of M with a calendar of Jewish holidays from 1968 through 1973. “We are hopeful that having a schedule of these holidays so far in advance will avoid scheduling conventions, examinations, etc., on days when Jewish youngsters and adults observe their Holy Days.”

1971
Kenesseth Israel, organized in 1888, moved to a new building at 4330 W. 28th.

In December 1971, the School Board drew up guidelines on how to celebrate holidays - primarily Christmas - in the public schools.  See Race, Creed, and Color.

1972
B'nai Abraham, Mikro Kodesh, and Tifereth B'nai Jacob merged to form B'nai Emet. A new building at 3115 Ottawa Ave. was finished in April 1974.

1987
38 percent of the Jews residing in the Minneapolis area lived in the Park.

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.