Jewish culture and identity were at the forefront of a recent presentation by the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society. The spotlight shone on Sophie Wirth Camp, the first-ever Jewish camp in the upper Midwest. Located at what is now present-day Stillwater Street and East County Line Road North, the camp operated from 1912 to 1944. It sat roughly 100 feet from the shores of White Bear Lake. Laura Weber, a self-employed historian and former editor for Minnesota History, led the presentation.
Nancy O’Brien Wagner, the society’s grant writer, said interest in the presentation began with a little research. “When I started working at the society,” said Wagner, “we identified this as one of the major stories we wanted to promote. As this is the first kosher camp in the Midwest, we want people to understand White Bear Lake’s significance from this perspective.”
The camp’s founders came from a wave of 250,000 Jewish refugees who fled from German-speaking regions in central Europe. These refugees fled their homes to escape religious persecution and narrowed economic opportunities. Many settled to form the first Jewish community in St. Paul in the 1850s. They initially made a living as vendors until they finally earned enough money to start their own businesses.
The camp initially went under the name the Lake Rest Vacation Home. It was formed by the St. Paul Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women. It was highlighted to be “for the benefit of overtired mothers and their children.” The home was part of a larger national movement of fresh-air camps. This was explicitly aimed at removing children from the harmful effects of urban life, including pollution, criminal activity and poverty, and encouraging more frequent outdoor activities.
In 1926, the camp changed its name to Sophie Wirth Camp in honor of its namesake. Wirth was vice president of the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society, later renamed the Jewish Relief Society. Wirth led several classes for Jewish women in the society. These included home and industrial arts and English studies.
A 1907 newspaper article described Wirth as “a tried and true social worker, whose labors in her field have been commented upon by every lecturer upon Jewish relief work in the West.”
The presentation also featured a special treat in the form of a few attendees. Marilynn Kaplan, Julie Podlich and Judith Brin Ingber were in attendance. All are direct descendants of the original camp counselors. Judith’s grandmother, Irma Firestone, served as chair of the council’s camp committee. Firestone was in charge of fundraising and camp management, as well as hiring new staff and establishing camp programs.
“What we want people to take from this presentation is one big thing,” said Wagner. “History is very much alive and well in White Bear Lake.”
Erik Suchy is a staff writer at Press Publications. To reach him, contact him at 651-407-1229, or email at whitebearnews@presspubs.com.
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