78 | JULY 11 • 2024 
J
N

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at thejewishnews.com

Revisiting Temple Jacob
T

hree weeks ago, the JN ran a story about a 
24-year-old member of a neo-Nazi white 
supremacist gang who had been convicted 
of defacing the historic Temple Jacob in Hancock, 
Michigan, in January 2019. He is finally going to jail for 
his crime of anti-Jewish, racist vandalism that occurred 
five years ago.
I try not to wish ill on any person (well, maybe 
with some exceptions, like the leaders of 
Hamas). Although a young man is going 
to prison for 26 months, I’m afraid that I 
don’t have a lot of sympathy for anyone 
who wishes to espouse, let alone act on, 
extreme right-wing, neo-Nazi beliefs. No, 
he didn’t shoot anyone or burn a house 
down, but painting Nazi symbols on the 
walls of a synagogue cannot be tolerated. 
I decided to write about this act of extremism because 
there are two really good stories related to it in the 
William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit 
History. First, the history of Temple Jacob itself is very 
interesting and, second, the aftermath of its defacing in 
2019.
Temple Jacob is in Hancock (pop. 4,500) in Michigan’s 
Upper Peninsula, across the river from the larger city 
of Houghton (pop. 8,000). These cities were founded in 
the mid-19th century during the state’s copper mining 
boom, when Michigan produced more copper than any 
other place on Earth. The settlers came from around the 
world and were a diverse lot: Cornish, Finns, Italians, 
Norwegians, Slovaks and Swedes, to name a few. Various 
religions were also represented, including Jews.
Temple Jacob, officially the Congregation of Israel, 
was dedicated in 1912. It is the oldest continually 
operating synagogue in the Upper Peninsula, with one 
of the oldest congregations in the state, which was 
originally established in 1889. The synagogue itself is a 
fantastic, well-preserved sandstone structure, a must-
see in the U.P. For more history, see JN Reporter Danny 
Schwartz’s “Synagogue Spotlight” on Temple Jacob 
(Sept. 29, 2022). Or just search for Temple Jacob in the 
Archive.
But, the second part of this column is the best part. 
In our current era, it is not hard to find stories of 
crime and mayhem every day in the media, whether 
in print or online. Therefore, it is really heartening to 
read about the best of human nature. Case in point — 

what happened immediately after Temple Jacob was 
vandalized in 2019.
David Holden, then president of Temple Jacob, 
received a call from Hancock’s police chief. Someone 
had spray-painted two swastikas and two SS logos 
on the temple doors and walls. Holden stated that he 
wasn’t shocked, but that he “was disappointed that it 
finally happened here — this is not the 
character of the community.” He did not 
know how prophetic his thoughts were. 
Holden rushed to the temple and 
began to scrub the walls. Within 
minutes, people were coming to help. 
One “guy got mad and went home 
to grab his power washer.” Soon, 
Holden related: “I wasn’t scrubbing 
anymore. I was trying to find work 
for everybody who wanted to help 
out.” (Oct. 3, 2019, JN) 
This story is what I most 
remembered about the incident at 
Temple Jacob. It’s a reminder that 
there is good in our world. 
Just ask David Holden 
and the Congregation of 
Israel about the people of 
Hancock. 

Want to learn more? Go to the 
DJN archives, available for free 
at thejewishnews.com.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

finally happened here — this is not the 
character of the community.” He did not 
know how prophetic his thoughts were. 

minutes, people were coming to help. 

