Of Calamity Jane. Mount Rushmore and 5 Other Things Facts About Jewish South Dakota
Neighbors: In the Mt. Moriah cemetery, Jews who arrived in the state for the gold rush are buried along with Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Image by Getty Images
1) 345 Jews live in South Dakota, the smallest Jewish population in any state of the union.
2) South Dakota is the only state without a Chabad presence.
3) Mt. Zion, founded in 1903 in Sioux Falls, is the state’s oldest congregation.
4) Blanche Colman was the first female lawyer to practice in the state.
5) Michael Steinberg, director of “The Waterdance” and “Bodies, Rest and Motion” was born in Rapid City.
6) In the Mt. Moriah cemetery, Jews who arrived in the state for the gold rush are buried along with Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok.
7) B’rith Sholom, South Dakota State University’s branch of Hillel, is the state’s only Jewish cultural club.
