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Temple Sholom Celebrates 150 Years in Galesburg

October 17, 2017 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

On January 3, 1867, Abraham Jacobi, Solomon Spear and ten other men of the Jewish community gathered to form the “Hebrew Congregation of Galesburg” and to elect officers for the new organization. Soon afterwards, they determined to advertise nationally for a person who could serve the congregation as a teacher, a cantor, and a “shochet” to perform the kosher slaughter of animals, allowing the community to observe Jewish dietary laws.

That gathering 150 years ago marks the beginning of an organized Jewish religious community in Galesburg. To commemorate and celebrate the history of that community, Temple Sholom has organized a historical exhibition, “Building a Jewish Community in Galesburg: One Hundred and Fifty Years,” along with two public lectures.

The exhibition, featuring materials from the Temple Sholom archives held at Knox College, along with historical photographs, documents the history of the Jewish community in Galesburg from the 1860s to the present. It will be on display in Knox College’s Seymour Library (2nd floor) from October 11 through the end of December.

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Sholom, 665 W. North Street, Professor Lee Shai Weissbach will give a public lecture, “The Jewish History of Small-Town America: Galesburg in Context.” Drawing on the history of Galesburg and other communities, this lecture will explain how, why and when Jews came to the Midwest, far from the major centers of Jewish population on the East Coast, and explore their occupational choices, community involvements and forms of religious organization. This illustrated talk reveals how the story of smaller Jewish communities attests to the complexity of American Jewish history and reminds us of the rich heritage of diversity in Galesburg’s past.

Earlier in the day, Professor Weissbach will give a talk on the Knox College campus, entitled “A Jewish Odyssey on Three Continents: The Memoir of Menachem Mendel Frieden.” The talk will be in Ferris Lounge, Seymour Union at 12:00 noon. The remarkable memoir of Professor Weissbach’s grandfather, Menachem Mendel Frieden (1878-1963), illustrates the Jewish experience in three of the most significant centers of Jewish life in the 19th and 20th centuries: Eastern Europe, the United States, and Palestine. Frieden’s story provides a window into Jewish life in an era of profound economic, political and cultural change, including great streams of migration and the project of Jewish nation building in Palestine.

Professor Lee Shai Weissbach holds his Ph.D. from Harvard University and taught history at the University of Louisville from 1978 to 2015. He is the author of several books and articles on modern Jewish history, including Jewish Life in Small-Town America: A History (2005), which includes multiple references to Galesburg, and A Jewish Life on Three Continents: The Memoir of Menachem Mendel Frieden (2013). Among his many grants and honors are a Senior Scholar Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship at the University of Haifa, Israel.

Temple Sholom is the spiritual and cultural home of Galesburg’s Jewish community. Founded in 1953 from the union of two smaller Jewish congregations, Temple Sholom today numbers around 24 families from many walks of life, including doctors, lawyers, merchants, entrepreneurs, teachers, college faculty, and retirees. The Temple is located at 665 W. North Street. For more information about the congregation, including a schedule of services, see http://www.templesholom.co or call (309) 343-3323.

Details

Date:
October 17, 2017
Time:
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Event Category:

Venue

Knox College
2 East South Street
Galesburg, IL 61401 United States
+ Google Map
Phone:
309-341-7000
View Venue Website

Organizer

Temple Sholom
Phone:
(309) 343-3323
View Organizer Website
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