National Register of Historic Places

B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery

Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, North Dakota
Listed
October 12, 2011
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
11000745

About this property

B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery in Grand Forks, North Dakota, in the United States, consists of a Reform Jewish congregation and its synagogue; and the congregation's related cemetery. Both the synagogue building and the cemetery were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. The B'nai Israel Synagogue (transliterated from Hebrew as "Sons / Children of Israel") is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 601 Cottonwood Street, in Grand Forks. The congregation was chartered on August 26, 1891; founded by Eastern European Jews, including Jews fleeing pogroms in Russia and Lithuanian Jews. The first building, a wooden synagogue called the Congregation of the Children of Israel, was built in 1891 at 2nd Avenue, South & 7th Street. The second and current synagogue was built in 1937, designed by Grand Forks architect, Joseph Bell DeRemer, in the Art Deco style of architecture, and built by local builders Skarsbro and Thorwaldson at a cost of $14,000. In the early 1990s, B'nai Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism). The synagogue has been without a permanent rabbi since 1987. Montefiore Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 1450 North Columbia Road, in Grand Forks. The cemetery dates from 1888. The Montefiore Cemetery in Grand Forks is one of many institutions named in honor of Sir Moses Montefiore. On October 13, 2011, the B'nai Israel Synagogue and the Montefiore Cemetery were jointly added to the National Register of Historic Places, as one listing. Finneman, Teri (August 26, 2011). "North Dakota Sites Recommended for NRHP". Area voices. North Dakota. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Porter Ph.D, Dr. Kimberly K. (Winter 2008). "Taking the University to the People: Experiential Education via Oral History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 27, 2021. Smith, Gladys. "Jewish Life in a Small North Dakota Town, circa 1940s". Museum of Family History. Grand Forks.

Location

601 Cottonwood St. & 1450 N. Columbia Rd.
Grand Forks, Grand Forks County, North Dakota
47.91669, -97.03158

Categories

OTHER-ETHNICRELIGIONSOCIAL HISTORYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

United Lutheran Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
DeRemer, Joseph Bell, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Beare, Harriet and Thomas, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Clifford, George B., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Dinnie Apartments
Industrial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery listed on the National Register?

B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 12, 2011.

What type of historic resource is B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery?

B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery?

The period of significance for B'nai Israel Synagogue and Montefiore Cemetery is recorded as the industrial era.

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