Hebrew Hill (Mt. Zion)

Hebrew Hill (Mt. Zion). . Deadwood is recognized as the site of the first organized Jewish community in South Dakota. On August 28, 1892, the Hebrew Cemetery Association became the first organization to purchase a section of land in Mount Moriah Cemetery. The section is located higher up on Jerusalem Ave. to the right. Hebrew Hill, or Mt. Zion as it was known in the Jewish community, holds the graves of some of Deadwood's many respected pioneering Jewish citizens; among those are members of the Franklin, Colman, Schwarzwald, Wertheimer, Blumenthal, and Jacobs families. Together with their non-Jewish brethren, they contributed significantly to the civic, commercial, and social life of early Deadwood and helped stabilize and develop the community. , Harris Franklin, a Black Hills Pioneer, was born Harris Finkelstein in Prussia. His Deadwood interests included mining, banking and cattle ranching. His son Nathan served two terms as Deadwood's second Jewish mayor. Harris Franklin died in 1923; his eulogy noted, "He was never known to foreclose a mortgage." , In 1911, Blanche Colman, who was born in Deadwood, became the first woman from the Black Hills to be admitted to the South Dakota bar. Her father, Judge Nathan Colman, was Deadwood's life-long elected Justice of the Peace and lay Rabbi for the Jewish community for many years. The Black Hills Daily Times, on endorsing the reelection of Judge Colman wrote, "If you want an honest (man) elect Judge Colman. He is no slouch... He is a Western man." , Captions: , An early 1900s funeral at Mt. Moriah Cemetery. , Harris Franklin , Judge Nathan Colman and his daughters Blanche and Theresa circa 1905.