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.