Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Friday September 18th, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Monday through Friday we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today our focus is on Trinidad Colorado’s 131-year-old Temple Aaron.


But before we begin, let’s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:


Today, we take you back to September 18th, 1891 when the US Department of War abandoned their post at Fort Lewis in La Plata County. After conflict and disease had overwhelmed American Indians, and the US army’s presence in the west struck many as both excessive and expensive, so they not only left Fort Lewis, but many other posts as well during the end of the nineteenth century.


Now, our feature story.
 

That was Randy Rubin, and he and his family have kept Trinidad Colorado’s Temple Aaron open.


Four years ago, it seemed that the temple, which is the longest continuously operating Jewish house of worship in Colorado, was destined to die. After 127 years of service, all signs indicated that there wasn’t room in the book of life for the synagogue.


A “for sale” post was perched just beyond Temple Aaron’s and some of its beloved torah scrolls were sold. The family who served as its caretakers saw no future for the ornate building other than adaptive reuse. Trinidad’s once-booming Jewish population had dwindled to maybe one or two people.


But the fate of the now-131-year-old red-brick building and its Reform congregation dating back to the days of the Santa Fe Trail was never sealed. And on Friday night and Saturday morning, a few dozen Jews from across Colorado and the southwest will gather to pray in person at Temple Aaron, just as they have been doing for more than a century. Even more are expected to join in via Zoom.


This story of Temple Aaron and its revival is an unlikely one.


It’s not that Trinidad’s Jewish population rebounded in recent years, or that a wealthy benefactor stepped in to save the day. Instead, a group of strangers with no connection to the building simply felt compelled to help after it went up for sale and its story started to spread across the state, the country and the globe.


For years it was left to the Rubin family -- brothers Ron and Randy and their mother, Kathryn -- to keep Temple Aaron from crumbling. But by 2016, they had run out of money. The building needed tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and only a handful of loosely connected congregants remained.


But members of the Jewish community in Colorado were unwilling to watch the synagogue become something other than a sacred place. And so began their multi-year struggle to keep Temple Aaron’s doors open.


Now, there’s some money in the bank and a bonafide nonprofit board.


Sherry Knecht, who serves as treasurer, said that “Long term, we really need to set up an endowment, but, in the meantime, we’ll have our events. And even if a little plaster falls on somebody, or there’s a little leak here and there, we’ll make do.”

 

Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Paul has been tracking the story of Temple Aaron for years, here’s his insight into the revival:


So, why did strangers step in to save Temple Aaron?


The congregation dates to 1883, when Jews were a driving force in Trinidad, Colorado and the southwest. There were synagogues in nearby towns in northern New Mexico as well.

 

In fact, Temple Aaron and Trinidad are kind of one and the same. The town’s first mayor, Samuel Jaffa, helped create the congregation which once had 75 families and a full-time rabbi.


However, Trinidad slowly emptied of Jews and they never really returned. Temple Aaron remained, but had only a few congregants.


But even if Trinidad is no longer a Jewish center, visitors can sense the roots of the religion in Trinidad when they step inside Temple Aaron.


Rabbi Robert Lennick, the rabbi who will be leading Rosh Hashanah services this weekend, said that “When you go in that building, you can feel the presence of all the generations that were there before”


"What could be more inspiring," he asked, "than a congregation on the verge of disappearing, finding its way back?"


----


If you want to attend the Rosh Hashanah services virtually, we have direct links in our story about Temple Aaron on coloradosun.com.


Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:


Colorado schools have the option of resuming sports in the coming weeks if they are ready, or they can wait until the spring.

-

A Swedish researcher unearthed the remains of about 20 people and more than two dozen funerary objects from southwestern Colorado in 1891. They became part of a collection at the National Museum of Finland. Now, they’re returning home to Colorado’s Mesa Verde National Park.

-

A union representing workers at a Colorado meatpacking plant where six workers died of COVID-19 and many more were infected, staged a protest on Wednesday, claiming that federal officials should have fined the company more for its alleged failure to provide safe working conditions.

-

Clayton Early Learning’s entire school community — students, their families and teachers — can access high-quality testing on campus for free. It’s a unique approach to combating the virus that could serve as a national model.

-

The former Democratic governor, Hickenlooper, is viewed skeptically by environmentalists and the industry as his position on oil and gas issues evolves.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com.


Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.


And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. So Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again on Monday. We also encourage you to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Friday September 18th, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Monday through Friday we&rsquo;re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. Today our focus is on Trinidad Colorado&rsquo;s 131-year-old Temple Aaron. But before we begin, let&rsquo;s go back in time with some Colorado history adapted from historian Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;: Today, we take you back to September 18th, 1891 when the US Department of War abandoned their post at Fort Lewis in La Plata County. After conflict and disease had overwhelmed American Indians, and the US army&rsquo;s presence in the west struck many as both excessive and expensive, so they not only left Fort Lewis, but many other posts as well during the end of the nineteenth century. Now, our feature story. &nbsp; That was Randy Rubin, and he and his family have kept Trinidad Colorado&rsquo;s Temple Aaron open. Four years ago, it seemed that the temple, which is the longest continuously operating Jewish house of worship in Colorado, was destined to die. After 127 years of service, all signs indicated that there wasn&rsquo;t room in the book of life for the synagogue. A &ldquo;for sale&rdquo; post was perched just beyond Temple Aaron&rsquo;s and some of its beloved torah scrolls were sold. The family who served as its caretakers saw no future for the ornate building other than adaptive reuse. Trinidad&rsquo;s once-booming Jewish population had dwindled to maybe one or two people. But the fate of the now-131-year-old red-brick building and its Reform congregation dating back to the days of the Santa Fe Trail was never sealed. And on Friday night and Saturday morning, a few dozen Jews from across Colorado and the southwest will gather to pray in person at Temple Aaron, just as they have been doing for more than a century. Even more are expected to join in via Zoom. This story of Temple Aaron and its revival is an unlikely one. It&rsquo;s not that Trinidad&rsquo;s Jewish population rebounded in recent years, or that a wealthy benefactor stepped in to save the day. Instead, a group of strangers with no connection to the building simply felt compelled to help after it went up for sale and its story started to spread across the state, the country and the globe. For years it was left to the Rubin family -- brothers Ron and Randy and their mother, Kathryn -- to keep Temple Aaron from crumbling. But by 2016, they had run out of money. The building needed tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and only a handful of loosely connected congregants remained. But members of the Jewish community in Colorado were unwilling to watch the synagogue become something other than a sacred place. And so began their multi-year struggle to keep Temple Aaron&rsquo;s doors open. Now, there&rsquo;s some money in the bank and a bonafide nonprofit board. Sherry Knecht, who serves as treasurer, said that &ldquo;Long term, we really need to set up an endowment, but, in the meantime, we&rsquo;ll have our events. And even if a little plaster falls on somebody, or there&rsquo;s a little leak here and there, we&rsquo;ll make do.&rdquo; &nbsp; Colorado Sun reporter Jesse Paul has been tracking the story of Temple Aaron for years, here&rsquo;s his insight into the revival: So, why did strangers step in to save Temple Aaron? The congregation dates to 1883, when Jews were a driving force in Trinidad, Colorado and the southwest. There were synagogues in nearby towns in northern New Mexico as well. &nbsp; In fact, Temple Aaron and Trinidad are kind of one and the same. The town&rsquo;s first mayor, Samuel Jaffa, helped create the congregation which once had 75 families and a full-time rabbi. However, Trinidad slowly emptied of Jews and they never really returned. Temple Aaron remained, but had only a few congregants. But even if Trinidad is no longer a Jewish center, visitors can sense the roots of the religion in Trinidad when they step inside Temple Aaron. Rabbi Robert Lennick, the rabbi who will be leading Rosh Hashanah services this weekend, said that &ldquo;When you go in that building, you can feel the presence of all the generations that were there before&rdquo; "What could be more inspiring," he asked, "than a congregation on the verge of disappearing, finding its way back?" ---- If you want to attend the Rosh Hashanah services virtually, we have direct links in our story about Temple Aaron on&nbsp;<a href="http://coloradosun.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://coloradosun.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600488808638000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEFninEQIqvOTN2g6JdfV0zIRZNEA">coloradosun.com</a>. Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today: Colorado schools have the option of resuming sports in the coming weeks if they are ready, or they can wait until the spring. - A Swedish researcher unearthed the remains of about 20 people and more than two dozen funerary objects from southwestern Colorado in 1891. They became part of a collection at the National Museum of Finland. Now, they&rsquo;re returning home to Colorado&rsquo;s Mesa Verde National Park. - A union representing workers at a Colorado meatpacking plant where six workers died of COVID-19 and many more were infected, staged a protest on Wednesday, claiming that federal officials should have fined the company more for its alleged failure to provide safe working conditions. - Clayton Early Learning&rsquo;s entire school community &mdash; students, their families and teachers &mdash; can access high-quality testing on campus for free. It&rsquo;s a unique approach to combating the virus that could serve as a national model. - The former Democratic governor, Hickenlooper, is viewed skeptically by environmentalists and the industry as his position on oil and gas issues evolves. For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.coloradosun.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1600488808639000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE0Qk-5AX-5LYyvQyZfiA0AVTd5ow">www.coloradosun.com</a>. Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow. And remember, The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. So Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again on Monday. We also encourage you to rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts!See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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