Ligonier Jewish community papers... Check!

Even with a small crowd, this past Saturday we managed to sort all the Ligonier Jewish Community papers. We found all types of papers: personal correspondence, calling cards, bank statements, cemetery deeds, family photographs, business memos, meeting minutes, lawsuit papers, holiday cards, the list goes on and on! Some of the earliest materials dated to the 1880s. But we also found things, like these cancelled checks by the Ahavas Sholem Cemetery Association, as late as the 1960s.

All in all we sorted ten boxes of Jewish community materials (they are the boxes down in front in the photo below). Some of the papers were too large to put into the boxes. In these cases, we labelled them as "oversized materials" and will measure them for an appropriate box. 

Next up: March 22nd, our final set of 2D materials, Ligonier Schools! Please let me know if you'd like to volunteer to help us in this ongoing venture; if you love history like all of us, you'll fit right in! 

The Lost Shul in Burlington, VT

I just read this article in the Forward newspaper about a turn-of-the-century synagogue mural discovered in Burlington, VT. The community is calling the restoration of this mural and its relocation to a site nearby the "Lost Shul" project. The article describes the congregation who commissioned the mural as well as the accomplished artist who painted it. The story is truly one of inspiration and beauty.