Page 9 - Nov Dec 2022 MFMW.indd

of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Past Exalted Ruler of years as a member of the Helena Chamber of Commerce.
Elks, and the Woodmen of the World.
The Jews of Helena organized their own philanthropic
society, the Hebrew Benevolent Society. Sol Star
™ƒ• ƒŽ•‘ ‘‡ ‘ˆ –Š‡ Ƥ”•– ’”‡•‹†‡–• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ‡„”‡™
Benevolent Association at Helena. The association
provided opportunities for socializing with their Jewish
neighbors and expanding their charitable activities
„‡›‘† –Š‡‹” ‘™Ǥ  ‡ ‡„‡” ͛͘ǡ ͙͚͟͠ǡ –Š‡ ‡Ž‡ƒ
Fire Department was established, and several Jewish
men, including Sam Schwab and Sol Star, volunteered
their services. Star also served as a member of the Board
‘ˆ ”ƒ†‡Ǥ ”‡•‹†‡– ”ƒ– ƒ’’‘‹–‡† Š‹ –Š‡ ‡‰‹•–”ƒ”
‘ˆ –Š‡ Ǥ Ǥ ƒ† ƥ ‡ ƒ– ‡Ž‡ƒ ˆ”‘ ͙͚͟͠Ǧ͙͟͜͠Ǥ
Star received another political appointment in 1874 as
Territorial Auditor for the Commonwealth of Montana
and served two years. He also served as the personal
‡ ”‡–ƒ”› –‘ –Š‡ ‘˜‡”‘”Ǥ –ƒ” ƒ† „—•‹‡•• ƒ••‘ ‹ƒ–‡
Seth Bullock. Bullock was also a Mason and member of
‹‰ ‘Ž‘‘• ‘†‰‡ ‘Ǥ ͡ ƒ† –Š‡ Ƥ”•– Š‡”‹ơ ‘ˆ ‡™‹•
and Clark County, Montana. They owned a Mercantile
business in Helena. Star was also active in the banking
sector in Helena. While in Helena, he was known as one
of its most respected and dependable citizens.
Sol Star moved to Deadwood, South Dakota, with his
business associate Seth Bullock, they operated several
businesses. Star continued his public service serving as
Mayor of Deadwood for fourteen years and was one of
–Š‡ Ƥ”•– ‘— ‹Ž‡ ‡Ž‡ –‡† ‹ ͙͟͠͞ ™Š‡ –Š‡ –‘™ ™ƒ•
organized. He later served as a legislator after statehood.
‹–Š –Š‡ ‡•–ƒ„Ž‹•Š‡– ‘ˆ ƒ™”‡ ‡ ‘—–› ‹ ͙͟͟͠ǡ Š‡
was elected Clerk of Court for sixteen years. In 1879 he
served as Postmaster. Sol Star and Seth Bullock opened
a hardware store (Star & Bullock Hardware). They dealt
‹ ”‡ƒŽ ‡•–ƒ–‡ ƒ† Ž‹˜‡•–‘  ƒ† ‡•–ƒ„Ž‹•Š‡† ƒ ƪ‘—” ‹ŽŽ
ƒ† ‡ƒ†™‘‘†ǯ• Ƥ”•– Š‘–‡Žǡ –Š‡ —ŽŽ‘  ‘–‡ŽǤ
In 1896 the Hebrew Cemetery Association purchased
property on Deadwood’s Mt. Moriah. The section came
to be known as “Hebrew Hill.” Star died in Deadwood on
10 October 1917, and his funeral took place in Deadwood.
–ƒ”ǯ• ˆƒ‹Ž› ‹ ‹••‘—”‹ Š‘•‡ –‘ „—”› Š‹ ‹ – ‘—‹•ǡ
‹••‘—”‹ǡ ƒ– ‡™ ‘—– ‹ƒ‹ ‡‡–‡”›ǤΔǤ
Moses Morris was born in 1844 in Seiny, duchy of
Posen, a Polish Provence under Prussian control. Morris
‹‹‰”ƒ–‡† –‘ –Š‡ ‹–‡† –ƒ–‡• ‹ ͙͛͠͠Ǥ ‡ ”‡Ž‘ ƒ–‡† –‘
Saint Paul, Minnesota, for two years. In 1860, he followed
ƒ ™ƒ‰‘ –”ƒ‹ǡ ™ƒŽ‹‰ „‡Š‹† ‹–ǡ ˆ”‘ ‡ƒ˜‡™‘”–Šǡ
Kansas, to Denver, Colorado. In Denver, he opened a dry-
goods store, and two years later, he followed a group
‘ ‹–• ™ƒ› ™‡•–Ǥ  ͙͜͠͞ Š‡ ƒ””‹˜‡† ‹ ‹”‰‹‹ƒ ‹–› ƒ†
‘’‡‡† –Š‡ ‘””‹• „”‘–Š‡”•ǯ •–‘”‡Š‘—•‡ ‹ ‹”‰‹‹ƒ ‹–›Ǥ
In 1865 he and his brother opened a mercantile business
in Helena, Montana. Morris invested in real estate,
Ž‹˜‡•–‘ ǡ ƒ† „ƒ•Ǥ  ͙͟͠͞ǡ Š‡ „—‹Ž– –Š‡ Ƥ”•– ’Žƒ•–‡”
home in Helena. He also founded the electric light and
street railway companies in Helena. Morris spent nine
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He was treasurer of the Central Committee of the
Republican State Party and corresponding treasurer of
–Š‡ ‹‘ ‡ƒ‰—‡Ǥ ”‘ ’”‹Ž ͙͚ǡ ͙͟͠͞ǡ –‘ ‡’–‡„‡”
19, 1867, Moses Morris and his brother registered ten
‹‹‰ Žƒ‹• ‹ ‡™‹• ƒ† Žƒ” ‘—–›Ǥ ‡” Šƒ–• Ž‹‡
the Morris brothers preferred commerce over mining but
continued investing their capital in the mining industry.
By the late 1860s, Jews were participating in organizing
companies and corporations to extract gold on a larger
scale.
He was a distinguished part of Helena, serving several
›‡ƒ”• ƒ• ‹–› Ž†‡”ƒ ƒ† –™‡–›ǦƤ˜‡ ›‡ƒ”• ƒ• ƒ
member of the Board of Trustees of the Montana Masonic
Home. After his retirement, he continued to be active in
the community by visiting the sick and people in distress,
visiting hospitals daily, comforting the bereaved, and
ƒ––‡†‹‰ ˆ—‡”ƒŽ •‡”˜‹ ‡•Ǥ ‘””‹• •‡”˜‡† ƒ• –Š‡ Ƥ”•–
president of the United Hebrew Benevolent Association
and an active member of the Emanu-El Congregation.
His Masonic journey began when he was raised by
Cornelius Hedges to the sublime degree of a Master
ƒ•‘ ‘ —‰—•– ͚͙ǡ ͙͠͞͞ǡ ‹ ‡Ž‡ƒ ‘†‰‡ ‘Ǥ ͛Ǥ 
December 1866, he was appointed as Senior Deacon.
‡ †‹‹––‡† ˆ”‘ ‘Ǥ ͛ ‹ ͙͟͠͞ ƒ† „‡ ƒ‡ ƒ Šƒ”–‡”
‡„‡” ‘ˆ ‹‰ ‘Ž‘‘ǯ• ‘†‰‡ ‘Ǥ ͡Ǥ ‡ •‡”˜‡† ƒ•
Worshipful Master for fourteen years. He was able to give
any degree or lecture at a moment’s notice. He entered
–Š‡ ”ƒ† ‘†‰‡ ƥ ‡” Ž‹‡ ƒ• —‹‘” ”ƒ† ‡ƒ ‘
‹ ͙͘͟͠Ǥ ”ƒ† ™‘”† ‡ƒ”‡” ‹ ͙͙͟͠Ǣ ”ƒ† ‹•–‘”‹ƒ
‹ ͙͠͠͝ǡ ƒ’’‘‹–‡† —‹‘” ”ƒ† ƒ”†‡ ˆ‘” –Š‡ ”ƒ†
‘†‰‡ ‘ˆ ‘–ƒƒ ‹ ͙͠͠͡Ǣ ƒ† ‹ ͙͙͠͡ ‡Ž‡ –‡† ƒ• ‡’—–›
”ƒ† ƒ•–‡”Ǣ ‹ ͙͚͠͡ǡ Š‡ ™ƒ• ‡Ž‡ –‡† ƒ• ”ƒ† ƒ•–‡”
‘ˆ ƒ•‘• ‹ ‘–ƒƒǤ ‘•‡• ‘””‹• ƒ––‡†‡† Ƥˆ–›Ǧ‹‡
ƒ—ƒŽ ‘—‹ ƒ–‹‘• ‘ˆ –Š‡ ”ƒ† ‘†‰‡Ǥ  ƒ††‹–‹‘ǡ
he was a member of the Scottish Rite.
In an act representative of his concern for his fellow
man. In the early days, he responded to a call to visit a
•‹  ‡„‡” ‘ˆ Š‹• ‘†‰‡ ™Š‘ ™ƒ• ‹ ‡‡” ‘†‰‡Ǥ ‡
traveled three days by horse and sleigh in four feet of
snow, thirty below zero, making the return trip over
Mullen Pass with his deceased brother’s remains at the
risk of his own life. This kind of service and kindness
bound him to hundreds of Montana masons. Moses
‘””‹• ’ƒ••‡† ƒ™ƒ› ‘ ‘˜‡„‡” ͠ǡ ͙͛͟͡ǡ †—”‹‰ –Š‡
ninety-third year of his life. He was laid to rest at the
‘‡ ‘ˆ ‡ƒ ‡ ‡‡–‡”›ǡ ‡Ž‡ƒǡ ‘–ƒƒǤΕǤ
Herman Solomon Hepner. “H. Sol” Hepner was born
‘ ‡„”—ƒ”› ͚͝ǡ ͙͠͞͡ǡ ‹ œƒ”‹–œ‹ ȋ–‘†ƒ›ǡ ‘Ž‰‘‰”ƒ†Ȍǡ
Russia. He attended government school and had the
equivalent of a High School education at age thirteen. In
1882 Sol Hepner’s father brought the family to Helena,
Montana, where he operated a drygoods store. Sol did
not speak English at the time of his departure from
—••‹ƒǤ  ͙͠͠͝ǡ ‘Ž „‡ ƒ‡ –Š‡ Ƥ”•– ƒŽ‡ ‰”ƒ†—ƒ–‡ ‘ˆ
Helena High School. Hepner was employed by Colonel
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