LETTER

Longfellow wasn't hospitable to Jews either

Posted

As a Jewish man living in Longfellow since 1994, I'm not a fan to this frequent woke attempt to rewrite history whenever someone finds out that a name of a street or neighborhood is named for someone who has a difficult history.
In the case of Edmund Boulevard, I see no reason to change the name. Most Jewish people back in early part of the 20th century would not have considered moving into the Longfellow neighborhood. Prior to WWII, most Jews were orthodox and followed the traditions and laws governing Sabbath rules. One did not operate machinery during Sabbath, so you had to be within walking distance from your synagogue. There were no synagogues in Longfellow. You probably followed a Kosher diet; there were no Kosher grocery or butchers in the area. Prior to WWII, Jews were almost self-segregating into areas where they could worship and get the food needed to follow Jewish teachings. With the rise of the Reformed movement, these rules were loosened and Jewish people moved out to the Suburbs, could drive on the Sabbath and many gave up keeping Kosher.
Much of Minneapolis' history involved naming neighborhoods and streets after people that were admired at the time. Are we going to rename of the U.S. Presidents' streets in the city who owned slaves?
I think we should not bother renaming Edmond Boulevard. It makes little sense to me.
Barry Margolis

Longfellow

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