Six Surprising Facts About Montana Jews
Flying High: Montana-born NBA coach Phil Jackson was mentored by three Jews Image by Wikimedia Commons
1. Henry Jacobs, the first mayor of Butte, Montana, was Jewish.
2. When Helena’s Temple Emanuel was built in 1891, it was the only synagogue between Portland, Ore. and Chicago.
3. Until 2013, Helena’s police force had a dog name Miky (pronounced “Mickey”) who was trained by the Israel Defense Forces and would only respond to commands in Hebrew. His officer, Sgt. John Fosket, had to learn about a dozen Hebrew words to communicate with him.
4. Phil Jackson, the legendary NBA coach who was born and raised in Montana, was mentored by Red Holzman, Jerry Krause and Jerry Reinsdorf.
5. Political journalist and activist Barbara Ehrenreich was born and raised in Butte.
6. “Always,” Steven Spielberg’s 1989 romantic drama starring Richard Dreyfuss, was filmed in Libby, Montana.
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