Historical Note
Benjamin Rigberg was born in 1912 in the Jewish agricultural colony of
Woodbine, New Jersey. His family moved to Philadelphia when Benjamin was five,
and he grew up and attended school there. He received his BS from Temple
University, his MA from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and his Ph.D.
from the University of Pennsylvania in 1946. Rigberg's studies in Jewish
History and the Hebrew language included a year and a half at Gratz Hebrew
College from 1929 to 1931, and a year and a half at the Jewish Theological
Seminary from 1983 to 1985.
His wife, Katherine Rigberg, accepted a teaching position at Whitman
College in 1998-99, and he discovered the existence of a small Jewish
community. His interests in the history of the community led him to begin work
on the Oral History Project of Congregation Beth Israel.
The materials in this collection document the history of the Jewish
community in Walla Walla and the creation of the Congregation Beth Israel.
Content Description
The collection includes information about members of Congregation Beth
Israel, subject files on topics relating to Judaism in Walla Walla, and oral
histories used for Mr. Rigberg's research.