A century ago, amidst the greatest wave of immigration in Jewish history, seventeen refugees made their way from the Russian Empire to the wilds of Idaho. They were assisted in their westward journey by the Industrial Removal Office, a short-lived and long-forgotten aid organization — one whose history offers a…

The history of the Wood River Valley was forever altered when Averell Harriman founded the Sun Valley resort in 1936. The resort transformed the region from a group of isolated sheepherding towns into an international destination for outdoor recreation. …

For one month in 1927, Idaho was at the center of a world-famous libel trial involving automobile baron Henry Ford, local potato growers, and antisemitic allegations of a Jewish banking ring. …

In 1877, the first year for which numbers are available, Jews made up approximately 0.26% of Idaho’s population. In 2017, the most recent year for which numbers were available, Jews made up an even smaller share of the state’s population: 0.12%. But behind those small numbers lies an interesting story. …

Believe it or not, this September marked 136 years since the High Holidays were first celebrated in Central Idaho’s Wood River Valley. “All the business establishments of devout and believing Jews in Hailey were closed Sunday evening at 6 o’clock, and remained closed until about 7 o’clock last evening,” read…

When I arrived at Georgetown University as an undergraduate in August 2014, I felt the heavy weight of history on my shoulders. I knew that the Catholic Church had a long history of antisemitism and a contentious record during the Holocaust. I remembered my grandmother, who grew up in 1920s…

Every morning on my journey to work, I walk past two physical landmarks with deep historical and personal gravity. The first, approximately 15 minutes into my 20-minute commute, is the Statue of Liberty. …

An invented holiday helps my family honor the sacrifices made by our immigrant forebears. — Almost a century ago, my great-grandparents emigrated from eastern Europe to the United States in order to escape the antisemitism and chronic poverty of their homeland. Every December 9, my family honors their sacrifice by celebrating Goldsteins in America Day. The annual holiday was inspired by a trip to Ellis…