Amanda Kinsey, an Emmy-award-winning filmmaker, came up with the idea of a documentary on Jews who lived in the Wild West while digging through the Beck Archives in the basement of the University of Denver library.
“I was blown away by this archive,” said Kinsey. “I just thought these were beautiful stories that deserve to be told.”
By 1912, more than 100,000 Jewish immigrants had moved to the West, according to the documentary, which records that by 1900, most “notorious” Wild West towns had Jewish mayors.
“There is the story of Jewish migration to the Western United States, and then there is the narrative of the Wild West itself,” said Kinsey. “To me, what the strength of the film is, is the intersection of those two experiences.”
Kinsey, who is not Jewish, also hopes the documentary helps combat antisemitism. “I felt that this was really an opportunity to help amplify Jewish voices. And in doing so, my hope is that it helps stand up to that hate,” she said.
the photo above of the young ladies and one boy is from the Jewish community of Iowa Center Wyoming near Chugwater WY. A book about this community is found at the National Library of Israel, AND the Chugwater Museum, WY. In addition to more photos, it lists the names of the Jewish families who dry farmed there beginning around 1910. An article on my great uncle Jack Massion is in the website link below. He later served the the California House of Representatives.
Thanks.