Montana Jewish Community Seeks to Buy Back Synagogue it Sold for $1 in 1935

By Times of Israel
Posted on 11/23/21 | News Source: Times of Israel

It’s been 86 years since the Jewish community of Helena, Montana, sold its first synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, to the city of Helena for just one dollar. Now, the small Jewish community that remains in the town is trying to buy it for nearly $1 million from the Helena Catholic Diocese, which purchased the building in 1981, JTA reports.

Rebecca Stanfel, a member of the community who is leading the effort to raise the funds needed to purchase the building, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that she had long hoped to restore the building to its original purpose as a gathering place for Helena’s Jewish community. “For years, I parked outside the former synagogue, looking at the cross affixed on top, and wondering what might be possible – someday. Now, we are one step closer to making this a reality,” she said.

The group has until February 2022 to raise 75% of the purchase price in order to seal a deal with the Diocese that was signed last week.