Resources & Events
The Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society is dedicated to providing our community with the resources necessary to engage with the rich history of the Jewish community in the Rocky Mountain region, and bringing that history into classrooms.
The RMJHS offers access to digitized collections and online exhibits drawing from the treasures in the Beck Archives, as well as curriculum guides for classroom learning, family tree charts for genealogists, and publications, videos and stories about the origins and development of Colorado's vibrant Jewish community.
We also host events and make exhibits available through the DU Special Collections & Archives.
Resources for Educators and Scholars
-
Curriculum Guide
Our “Curriculum Guide for the Study of the Early History of Jews of Colorado,” created in 1998 by the Center for Judaic Studies, Penrose Library and the Central Agency for Jewish Education in Colorado, covers the following:
- the impact of Jewish pioneers on development and growth of specific Colorado communities;
- similarities and differences among early pioneers, regardless of country of origin;
- the creation and development of health institutions for the population of Colorado and the United States; and
- the creation and development of charity organizations, and development of charity organizations by members of the Jewish community for the benefit of the community at large.
Portions of the guide and the online exhibit are available online via PDF. When you buy the curriculum guide from the RMJHS for $25, you'll also receive the guide in video format.
-
Publications and Videos
To further facilitate the study and celebration of the Jewish experience in the Rocky Mountain region, you can find and buy videos and publications written and directed by the director of RMJHS, Jeanne E. Abrams, PhD, and produced by Starwest.
Videos in DVD or VHS format are available for $20 each and you can contact Abrams at 303-871-3016 for information and prices on her publications.
Videos:
- "A Legacy of Healing: Early Colorado Jews in Medicine 1865–1930"
- "And Justice You Shall Pursue : Colorado's Early Jewish Attorneys, 1885–1930"
- "Legacy of Caring: Early Colorado Jewish Women, 1860–1930"
- "A Legacy of Healing : Early Colorado Jews in Medicine, 1865–1930"
- "Blazing the Trail: An Early History of Denver's Jewish Community"
- "A Grocery Store on Every Corner: A Century of Jewish Grocers in Colorado, 1859–1959"
- "Citizens of the State: Colorado's Early Jewish Politicians, 1859–1940"
- "Civilizing the West: Early Colorado Jewish in the Arts, 1865–1950"
- "From Cotopaxi to Denver: Immigrant Jewish Farmers Become American Urban Leaders"
- "Growing Up in Early Colorado: The Lives of Jewish Children, 1860–1940"
Publications:
- "A Curriculum Guide: Early History of the Jews of Colorado"—This book includes photographs and video.
- "A Pioneering Legacy: An Early History of the Jews of Colorado"—This video is $25 plus shipping and handling.
- " Dr. Charles David Spivak: A Jewish Immigrant and the American Tuberculosis Movement" (University Press of Colorado, 2009)
- "Jewish Denver, 1859–1940" (Arcadia Press, 2007)
- "Jewish Women Pioneering the Frontier Trail: A History of the American West" (New York University Press, 2006)
-
Family Tree Charts
The Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society encourages the community to appreciate family and Colorado Jewish and American Jewish History by providing ways for people to engage in their own family history.
The RMJHS commissioned local noted artist Martin Mendelsberg to create a unique "Dor L'Dor"—"From Generation to Generation"—family tree chart. The Hebrew word "etz" (tree) forms the trunk of the tree, and the accompanying directions explain how to complete the chart by beginning with the name of the student and going back to include parents, grandparents and great-grandparents for five generations.
Mendelsberg is a talented graphic artist who received his MFA from DU. He teaches at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.
The family tree chart is sponsored by E. James Judd, in honor of Eleanore Judd, PhD. The RMJHS will gift the charts to young, local Jewish women and men who are celebrating the Bat and Bar Mitzvahs to encourage them to explore their own family histories.
To order a family tree chart for a friend or relative, please contact Jeanne Abrams, PhD, at 303-871-3016.
Exhibits
We currently have several collections and exhibits available through Special Collections in Anderson Academic Commons, including:
- Artwork from the Beck Memorial Archives (online)
- The Lowenstein Family: A Story of Survival (online)
- Chasing the Cure: Tuberculosis and the Jewish Community (online)
- and many more
Check out the Beck Archives webpage for more information on available collections or to make an appointment.
Upcoming Center for Judaic Studies Events

Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Cocktails in Cool Places: Ironworks
RMJHS is excited to partner with Historic Denver on the much-loved program series “Cocktails in Cool Places.” Join us at the Ironworks Building near lower Colfax and Larimer for a captivating evening inside the iconic Midwest Steel and Ironworks Building, built in 1903. Explore this true Denver landmark and dive into the rich heritage of the West Colfax neighborhood: RMJHS and the Beck Archives will offer an illuminating look at the early Jewish community that helped shape this vibrant area.
- 5:30 p.m. MT
- Midwest Steel and Ironworks Building | 25 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80204

Sunday, August 10, 2025
The RMJHS Book Club is reading "The Jew Who Would be King: A True Story of Shipwreck, Survival, and Scandal in Victorian Africa"
Join RMJHS and author and CJS Director Adam Rovner for a discussion of his latest book, The Jew Who Would be King. Rovner’s book tells the story of Nathaniel Isaacs—a nineteenth-century British Jew who helped establish the Zulu kingdom only to become a ruthless warlord and slaveholder. Purchase a copy of The Jew Who Would Be King HERE
RSVP to joshua.furman@du.edu or 303-871-3085
- 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. MT
- University of Denver Burwell Career Center, 2190 E Asbury Ave, Denver, CO

Sunday, September 14 & Monday, September 15, 2025
The 2025 RMJHS Annual Meeting presents RMJHS on the Road: Historic Jewish Trinidad, CO
Join the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society on the road as we explore Colorado Jewish history on location in Trinidad, CO! We’ll delve into the Jewish history of the town and learn about the restoration of Temple Aaron, which became a National Historic Landmark in 2024, and we’ll visit the Trinidad History Museum and other nearby sites.
This trip will include an overnight stay in Trinidad. Travel with RMJHS by bus from Denver or plan your own transportation and meet us there.
Details and registration coming soon! For more information, contact RMJHS Director Dr. Joshua Furman at Joshua.Furman@DU.edu.
- Trinidad, CO
