Temple Emanuel has a history over a century old. We invite the curious to read on:

Temple Emanuel:
An Early History
by Sy Block

People coming from the more populous centers of the United States are surprised to learn that there is a thriving Jewish Community in eastern Idaho, although there were never more than a relative handful of Jews in the area. This is the story of that group; a group that in time became a congregation . . .

The saga of Temple Emanuel follows the early history of eastern Idaho. The area grew with the development of the railroads resulting from the mining boom in Montana in the 1870s. At one point, Butte was the largest city west of Chicago.

In 1878 some Utah business interests, along with the LDS church, formed the Utah and Northern Railroad Company. Their purpose was to bring the riches of the Montana mines to Ogden, Utah. This meant crossing the wilds of eastern Idaho under the watchful eyes of the Shoshone-Bannock inhabitants who were not eager to see further encroachment upon their lands.

When the narrow gauge line had reached Blackfoot, it was safely through most of the territory still held by native Americans, so it was thought that repair shops would be built there. Instead, in 1879 they were constructed in Eagle Rock, 25 miles to the north.

About the same time, the mighty Union Pacific Railroad decided to build the Oregon Short Line connecting Wyoming and the east with Portland, Oregon. An equally urgent goal was getting tracks to the gold and silver that had been discovered in central Idaho. The new line was wide gauge. Union Pacific used crews of several thousand men and new track laying equipment.

In 1882 the Oregon Short Line entered Idaho territory at Montpelier. At McCammon it met the narrow gauge Utah and Northern line. From there the two sets of tracks continued side by side to Pocatello junction. At that point the Union Pacific turned west.

In 1887 the tribes agreed to sell enough land to enable the establishment of Pocatello township, and an amended treaty legalized the buildings that had already been erected on reservation property. Union Pacific decided to build their repair shops there, giving up on McCammon because of its harsher winters. Two years later, when the Eagle Rock shops were moved to Pocatello, the town site was enlarged by another 1,800 acres, and in 1902 politicians and local residents forced the opening of 416,000 acres of the Fort Hall reservation near Pocatello for settlement, despite the misgivings of the native inhabitants.

Meanwhile, the railroad division point had been established in Pocatello. So, in addition to the workers who repaired the engines and cars, it also became the location where train crews changed. Many of those crew members chose to live in Pocatello. At the peak of the railroad passenger travel era, about 800 porters and dining car attendants, along with their families, lived in the area.

Eagle Rock was growing, too. In 1891 the name was changed to Idaho Falls, the “falls” being a stretch of rapids in the Snake River. In 1903, however, an actual falls was created by a dam built to back up the river for a power plant. The same year, the first sugar factory was built near there. Idaho Falls had become the business center of the rich agricultural area of the upper Snake River valley.

The railroaders in Pocatello, and farmers coming to Idaho Falls to buy machinery, equipment and supplies, created a good market for work clothes, boots, watches, jewelry, wide-brimmed hats, pawn shops, and so on. Recognizing this demand, Jewish merchants from Salt Lake, Denver and elsewhere were attracted to southeastern Idaho. They came, bringing their traditions and culture, thereby laying the foundations for a Jewish congregation.

Actually, the first Jewish settler in southeastern Idaho did not come to Idaho Falls or Pocatello. Meyer Cohen, who came to American in 1865 from Germany, settled in Malad, on the Idaho side of the Utah border. He opened a general store and also went into cattle ranching. In 1885 the Cohen family moved to a ranch near what was later to become Arimo, Idaho, and over the years their land holdings became extensive. After Meyer’s death, his son, Max, continued to operate the ranch.

Flora and Sam Lewis settled in Montpelier in the 1890s, and opened a general store. Sam’s brother, Simon, had two sons who went to Pocatello; Ralph opened a ladies’ shop and Leo a clothing store. Sam had another brother, Ben, whose daughter, Sadie, married Nathan Levine. Sadie and Nathan went to Rexburg, Idaho, and opened a department store. Their son, Leo, later opened stores in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. At about the same time, Sam Lewis talked his brother-in-law, Harry Jacobs, into coming west from New York City. In 1890, Jacobs moved to Pocatello to open a store.

Harry Gesas, after having spent time in Kemmerer, Wyoming, and St. Anthony, Idaho, finally settled in the rough frontier town of Blackfoot, Idaho, where he ran a saloon. In 1903, Harry’s brother, Barney, came to Idaho Falls and opened what was to become one of the leading department stores in eastern Idaho. Barney, his brother Harry in Blackfoot, his sister Flora Gesas Lewis in Montpellier, and his sister Ida Gesas Jacobs in Pocatello, comprised a significant portion of the Jewish population in eastern Idaho at that time.

In 1914, two more Jewish merchants moved to Pocatello, Nate Morgan and Nate Block. Block opened a work clothes store and Morgan established a jewelry store. Eventually there were Morgan Jewelry stores in Utah, Idaho and Montana. The Block stores were enlarged, and grew to become a chain of full-line apparel stores with 16 locations in eastern Idaho and northern Utah.

In 1917 Julius Gottberg arrived in Pocatello. He also opened a jewelry store. His daughter, Fanny, married Myron Porges, who joined the family business. Along with Gottberg’s nephew, Siebert Rudman, they formed a partnership that became R&G Jewelers in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. The Rudmans had two daughters, Dorothy Ann (D.A.) and Janice. D.A. and her husband, Stan Berland, later took over the Idaho Falls R&G store, and Janice married Mel Morgan, son of Nate.

Abe Schienberg had a hide and scrap iron business in Idaho Falls from 1918 to 1930. He left Idaho briefly, then returned in 1933 to open the Pocatello Hide, Wool and Fur Company with a partner, Bill McCarty. Bill’s wife, Fanny, was Jewish, and both families became pillars of the Pocatello Jewish community.

Many others were major forces in the nurturing of the congregation. There were Julius Gottberg, Siebert Rudman, and Barney and Ceil Goldberg, to name a few. Myron and Fanny Porges had a son, also named Myron, who became an optometrist, known by most members as “Doc.” For about 40 years, he was secretary, treasurer, shamas, and took care of details no one else noticed until his absence was keenly felt after his death.

In the early days, the Jews who settled in the small towns of southeastern Idaho were often the only non-Mormons. Because the Latter Day Saints call all non-Mormons “gentiles,” it became a local joke that Idaho and Utah were the only places where a Jew could be a gentile! However, that the Jews were accepted and welcomed despite their outsider status was demonstrated by the important positions they held in their communities. In 1915, 25 years after Idaho became a state, Moses Alexander was elected governor, making him the first Jewish governor in all of the United States.

In 1922, Julius Gottberg, Nate Morgan, and Nate Block took the responsibility for finding the 35 men required for the formation of a B’nai B’rith lodge. This was accomplished, and the charter was awarded on May 13, 1923. People have asked how there came to be 35 Jewish men living in Pocatello in 1923. Well, for one thing, they were not all Jewish. For example, there were Fred Ball, Jack Stahl, and perhaps others, who had Jewish wives. Of the rest, some lived in Pocatello, some in Idaho Falls, and others lived in either Rexburg, Blackfoot, or Arimo. A few, such as Archie Lutzker, were more or less passing through. There are names that no one recognizes! It is generally agreed that several were traveling salesmen who happened to be in the area at the time. But B’nai B’rith got the 35 names they required.

Meanwhile, Jews from all over eastern Idaho began to hold High Holy Day services in Pocatello. The congregation rented the Elks Lodge hall, a handsome, white terra cotta building on Arthur near Center Street. It functioned well. The stage in the hall had heavy velvet curtains. This provided a place for the young children to play during the lengthy services. There were also facilities for the preparation of a Passover Seder. The building was destroyed by fire in the 1970s.

In the 1930s, Ned Grossman, who was the owner of two movie theaters in Pocatello, read the English portions of the services and also acted as cantor. Sam Engbar was always number one aid. He took care of the Torah and the arrangements for services. His wife, Ethel, managed food preparation, decorations, and so on. Nate Block was the only one who could read directly from the Torah, so that became his job. He was also president of the congregation for about 40 years.

At the same time, an official Jewish Community was organized and later incorporated. Myron Porges was the first president, and Julius Gottberg served as secretary. According to the American Jewish Year Book, 1927, the Jewish population in eastern Idaho had reached a peak of about 140. If that number is correct, it has not been surpassed since then.

When Ned Grossman left Pocatello, Leo Levine became the lay leader. In the years following the end of this short history, the lay leaders of Temple Emanuel were recognized by the state and legally empowered to perform marriages, along with the other life cycle ceremonies. After that, it was no longer necessary to bring a rabbi from Salt Lake City for weddings and funerals.

There were a number of “rabbi substitutes” over the years. Once, someone asked, “What will happen when our leader leaves?” The reply was, “God will supply a new one.” Somehow, this has always happened.

In 1946, a local church moved to larger quarters, and its old building was for sale. The Jewish congregation, with Nate Block as president, bought it and named it Temple Emanuel. The door to the building had a Gothic arch. A bronze plaque was created to fit within the arch to proclaim to all that the Jews of the area now had their own home.

By 1961, Temple Emanuel felt ready for a more suitable edifice. The congregation bought a piece of property next to the city limits at the eastern edge of Pocatello. By coincidence, the lots were among the land bought from the Shoshone-Bannock tribe in 1889. For many years there had been a dispute between the U.S. government, the tribe, and the city of Pocatello about who owned what. Of course, this property was part of the dispute, but the conflict was finally resolved in a friendly manner, and the Temple’s only expense was legal representation, which was mostly donated. The congregation sold the old property and began to plan for the new house of worship.

In 1960, Idaho State University had a department of architecture, although it no longer does today. At that time, the professor of architectural history was a member of the congregation, David Fisher. He contributed his many talents to creating the new synagogue. Once again, God had provided.

Designing the new building was a work of love for Fisher. He wanted it to be simple, serene and inviting, as well as within the limited means of the small congregation. Because of his skill and imagination, he succeeded, using a modular plan conceived to make the best use of materials. Every wall and corner in the building of the building was plotted out to coincide with a line or corner on graph paper. The roof of the chapel is also the ceiling. The outside brick walls became inside walls. Although such plans do not achieve the energy efficiency that is recognized to be necessary today, at the time they were cutting edge.

Shortly after designing the building, David left Pocatello to join his family’s land development business, and the congregation turned to Clarence Elle, a local contractor, to build the synagogue. He said he did not know how much construction would cost, but that he would build it complete at a price the congregation could afford. Clarence was one of many true friends of the Jewish community.

Meanwhile, the congregation was raising funds, and the building was soon paid for. The cornerstone was dated 1961, and the bronze arch from over the door of the old church building was installed in the entry vestibule. At the dedication, the author of this history, then president of the congregation, reflected that “With never more than a handful of actively participating members, Temple Emanuel has carried on the 3,000-year heritage of Judaism. Its members have not only observed and taught the traditions of their faith, but have done their share to act as good citizens in a largely non-Jewish area.”

Acknowledgements: Dr. Robert Goldbert, professor of history at the University of Utah, referred me to Walter Jones, Director of the Division of Western Americana at the University of Utah Library. He provided a wealth of material. Especially helpful was an article titled “The Jews of Southeastern Idaho” appearing in the July 1986 issue of Western States Jewish History. The author was Nancy Schoenburg, who lived in Jerusalem at the time. She had been raised in New York, and members of her family lived in Idaho at the turn of the century. “Pocatello Portrait,” by H. Leigh Gittens, was a source for much of the railroad history. Edith Lovell, another writer of the period, provided additional local color. My wife, Jackie, edited a messy manuscript to make it more readable. — Sy Block, 1997