Photo of Fargo Hebrew Congregation’s synagogue from page 68 of Images of America Fargo North Dakota 1870-1940 by David B. Danbom and Claire Strom.
Rabbi David Lesk and his wife, Chaye Lesk, with their son Ben.
While there is little information on the Fargo Hebrew Congregation, it was the first Orthodox Jewish temple in Fargo. On July 6, 1886 William Giles, Abraham Rubel, and David Mezirow incorporated the temple, however it did not open its doors until 1906 and it took two years to complete the building. The synagogue was built across from Island Park on First Street. Until it opened, the congregation held services in their homes. The rabbi was David Lesk, who also provided services to smaller settlements in the area. One possible reason for the lack of information regarding this original temple is the fact that later in its history there was a split within the congregation between those that were Orthodox and Reformists, as well as the fact that the temple is no longer in use.[1][2]
Heather Brinkman, Digital History 2012
[1] Caron, John. “Fargo, N.D., History Exhibition, Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU.” Fargo, N.D., History Exhibition, Institute for Regional Studies, NDSU. North Dakota State University, 2004. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. <http://library.ndsu.edu/fargo-history/churches/fargo-hebrew-cong.htm>.
[2] Bizapedia.com. “FARGO HEBREW CONGREGATION OF THE CITY OF FARGO IN THE STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA.” Bizapedia.com. N.p., 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. <http://www.bizapedia.com/nd/FARGO-HEBREW-CONGREGATION-OF-THE-CITY-OF-FARGO-IN- THE-STATE-OF-NORTH-DAKOTA.html>.
