Over Jew Creek and Up Jew Mountain
Image by Kurt Hoffman
Gal Beckerman February 24, 2012
We’ve got a story in this week’s paper about a pond in New Hampshire with a pretty scummy name — thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week!
Seriously, the article about Jew Pond, exploring the small body of water that has caused a rift between local residents who want the name changed and those who think doing so would violate part of the region’s heritage, got us thinking. And not just about bad pond puns.
We wondered here at the Forward if there are any other “Jew places” in America. And after days of intensive research by our dedicated staff, it turns out there are quite a few of them. Each of these pinpoints on the map contains a little mystery. In Europe, of course, nearly every town that still has its medieval core has a rue des Juifs or a Judenstrasse, but the reason for this is obvious. It’s where the Jews lived. How do you explain Jew Mountain, Montana or Jew Road, West Virginia?
Take a look at the map after the jump (hat tip to our wonderful Kurt Hoffman), and let us know if you’ve got any clues.
