Living Stories: 2026 Events

Temple Emanu-El, home to future Living Stories exhibits

When we announced Living Stories of Jewish Montana four years ago, we knew there was a lot of hard work to do to bring it to the public. Gathering memories and stories, transcribing them, and fundraising have all been part of this journey. In 2026, MJP is excited to bring to the public the first oral history project documenting Jewish Montana. 

We are so grateful to receive state funding through the Montana 250 Commission’s grant program as well as through Humanities Montana. The Montana 250 Grant is a state program that uses  federal funds to celebrate the sesquicentennial of America this coming July. 

MJP’s Kaelie Giffel had a chance to speak with KTVH about our Montana 250 grant. Click on the image below to read the story and watch Kaelie’s interview:

Kaelie speaking to KTVH about our MT 250 grant

Here are some upcoming milestones and events to look for:

• April: a dedicated webpage to the oral histories, including audio links and brief biographies of the participants.

• July 6: we begin our state-wide tour. MJP will take a physical exhibition to one Montana town to celebrate America's sesquicentennial.

• October: the physical exhibition will have a permanent home in Temple Emanu-El's history room. 

This work would not have been possible without our project manager, Emmy-award winning journalist Clay Scott, and the preservation and transcription work of Anna Kohl-Wyatt. We are also so grateful to everyone who decided to share their story for Living Stories of Jewish Montana, and we are looking forward to talking to more people in the coming months. This project wouldn’t exist without our collective desire to preserve Jewish history for future generations.

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