Pioneers, Peddlers and Tsadikim: The Story of the Jews in Colorado

Boulder, CO: Ida Libert Uchill. Very Good. 1979. Second Edition. Trade Paperback. SIGNED and dated by AUTHOR . 327 pages. Signed by Author. The Story of the Jews in Colorado would be no different from the story of the Jews in any other place in America, nor would it differ greatly from that of their non-Jewish neighbors, were it not for the unexcelled climate of the region. A natural stage was provided in the arid country for the Jews upon which they were to enact their ancient drama of Tsdokoh (righteousness), the traditional concept of charity that couples love of fellow man with responsibility for fellow man. Eliminating, or alleviating, human misery in any form is a fundamental in tsdokoh. The most prevalent form of misery that faced the nineteenth century Jews in Colorado was tuberculosis, the mysterious and dread disease, which became so widespread after the Industrial Revolution that it became known as the "White Plague." In Colorado, even before the disease was understood or given its proper name, the Jews began their battle on behalf of suffering man as early as 1878. Aside from the victory over the disease, in which the Jews in Colorado played an important part, there is the abounding narrative of adventure in the wilderness, of the establishment of Judaism and the forms it took in the Rocky Mountain region, and the stories of colorful individuals who rose to leadership in their communities as Americans and as Jews. --- from book's opening paragraphs .