Photo A cemetery northeast of Garsky, called Sons of Jacob, has a marker listing the names of those buried there. The last burial was in 1935.

Mike Connor

Devils Lake

I enjoy reading the weekly edition of The Pierce County Tribune as have many friends in the Rugby area!

Especially enjoyed the article on the Holocaust exhibit visited by many at the Heart of America Library recently.

The writer talks about the hurdles faced by Jews trying to immigrate to America and other democracies, which was certainly true enough.

But, there was a hero right here in North Dakota who saved countless lives of European Jews in the ’30s and early ’40s. Herman Stern, well known founder of Strauss Clothing stores, personally made the financial pledge required to allow these refugees to enter the USA. There is an excellent book written by Terry Shoptaugh, Professor of History at MSU-Moorhead and published by the NDSU Institute for Regional Studies. The title of the book is ” ‘You Have Been Kind Enough to Assist Me’: Herman Stern and the Jewish Refugee Crisis.” Rugby library may even have a copy on its shelves to borrow!

Another story about Jews in North Dakota involves early Jewish homesteaders settling here. Over 100 Jewish homesteaders staked land claims for farms in the Garske, ND, area (about 15 miles north of Devils Lake). All that is left of the effort is a small Jewish cemetery located NE of Garske called Sons of Jacob. Most of those buried there are children of the homesteaders, with the last burial made in 1935. The cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

Thanks again for the great article written by Ben Pifher!