Portland Jewish Academy hosts Chautauqua program on Jewish settlers in eastern Oregon

State’s history full of surprises

By Jewish Review

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It is generally accepted that the old textbook image of white Christian pioneers streaming into Oregon in covered wagons is not quite the entire story.

Historians consulting primary documents, such as newspapers and public records, found myriad ethnicities among the immigrants who settled the state.

One group of lesser-known pioneers will be the subject of a program sponsored by the Portland Jewish Academy, on Oct. 24, from 7 to 8 p.m., when retired professor Jack Sanders, who studied the life of an immigrant in Pendleton, will discuss “Jewish Pioneers in Eastern Oregon: The Case of Samuel Rothchild.”

Taking place at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center, the program, an Oregon Chautauqua from the Oregon Council for the Humanities, is free and open to the public.  The MJCC is located at 6651 SW Capitol Highway.

Sanders, who holds a PhD degree in religious studies, has published six books and more than 30 articles on ancient Judaism and early Christianity. He spent most of his career at the University of Oregon before retiring and moving to Pendleton, where he became interested in the history of the town.

   
He soon discovered that one of the original town councilors, elected in 1880, was named Samuel Rothchild. Surprised to find such an obviously Jewish name in a place where there is no evidence of Jewish culture today, Sanders pursued Rothchild’s history and discovered a thriving community of Jewish farmers, lawyers and merchants in Eastern Oregon, and that these people played a major role in the civic and social life of the town.
   
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to share this fascinating story with the community,” said Michael Hulshof-Schmidt, Middle School Administrator for PJA. “Young and old alike will find the picture of Pendleton and its Jewish immigrants come to life as Jack explains how he found each piece of the mystery, following the clues history leaves us.”
   
Sanders learned that Rothchild, for example, was a storeowner who led the building committee responsible for the handsome Masonic Hall that still stands downtown, and was responsible for the city’s first fire engine. In his presentation, Sanders demonstrates how members of this Jewish merchant class were critical to the development of the American West.