6 Surprising Facts About Jewish Utah
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
1. Brigham Young, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, donated land to create the first Jewish cemetery in Salt Lake City.
2. Simon Bamberger became Utah’s fourth governor after he was elected in 1916.
3. In 1934, students at the University of Utah created an anti-fascist group to “defend minority rights in Germany.” In that same year Elbert D. Thomas, senator of Utah and former professor from the University of Utah denounced Hitler.
4. The first Jewish woman to serve in Congress was born in Salt Lake City, to Polish Jewish immigrants. Florence Prag Kahn served from 1925 to 1937.
5. Jewish comedian and actress Roseanne Barr, grew up in Salt Lake City.
6. Mormons ran afoul of Jewish authorities by trying to posthumously baptize Anne Frank in 2012.
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
, editor-in-chiefSupport our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
