Announcer: Major funding for Idaho Experience is provided by the estate of Darrell Arthur Kammer.

In support of independent media that connects communities and expands understanding.

Additional funding was provided by the James and Barbara Cimino Foundation, Anne Voillequé Louise Nelson Judy and Steve Meyer.

And from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

And contributions to the Friends of Idaho Public Television and viewers like you.

Thank you.

[Music] Narrator: Idaho, with its strong faith, rich history, and natural beauty, has many sites deserving of veneration.

Sacred places known for their spiritual connection.

Rabbi Dan Fink: When I walk into this space, it puts me in a different place.

There's just a kind of warmth to this building that is very beautiful to me.

Narrator: Places that celebrate the natural world as a sanctuary for our souls.

Sr.

Barbara Jean Glodowski: I always like to see nature as a carrier.

Every leaf, every blade of grass has a spark of divine.

Narrator: A place that provided refuge for pioneers and natives alike.

Ernie Stensgar: We're very proud of this place, of course.

With the very hand of our people, this place in the wilderness was built and become a beacon.

Narrator: In this episode of Idaho Experience, we explore three houses of worship, The historic Cataldo Mission, The Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of Saint Gertrude, and the Ahava Beth Israel Synagogue.

and the Ahavath Beth Israel Synagogue.

A few of Idaho's sacred places that deliver hope and promise for Idaho's faith communities.

[Music] Narrator: It's the oldest standing building in Idaho, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the centerpiece of an 18 acre Idaho state park.

It was built on faith, vision and cross-cultural respect.

It's a sanctuary worthy of its monikers.

Will Niska: The Mission of the Sacred Heart, Cataldo█s Mission.

Old Mission.

There's a bunch of names that this building goes by.

It was constructed in 1850 and completed in 1853 by the Jesuit missionaries and the Coeur d█ Alene Tribe.

Narrator: Decades before Circling Raven, a tribal leader and visionary, foresaw the arrival of the Black Robes, or Holy Men, who would introduce the Coeur d█ Alene to a new religion and a new way of life.

Ernie Stensgar: According to our stories, he had a vision of meeting these Black Robes with a cross.

So we foretold that, that one day they would come amongst us, and it happened.

And he told his people to be welcoming of these people when they came.

[Speaking Coeur d█ Alene] Narrator: Father Peter Byrne is a Jesuit Pastor at the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation.

Father Byrne: We glorify you.

How did he ever even have that sense or image of Black Robes?

They feel that French trappers and Iroquois trappers came down into Montana and spoke about Black Robes, because they were already way up in French Canada.

So they went searching for Black Robes.

And they went to Saint Louis and met Father Peter De Smet.

And he came into Stevensville, Montana and was welcomed by the Salish people of that area.

Narrator: Father De Smet was a renowned peacemaker and mediator.

He dispatched a small group of Jesuits to establish a Mission among the Coeur d'Alene, first along the Saint Joe River.

But persistent flooding prompted them to relocate it onto a hill overlooking the Coeur d'Alene River.

Years later, Father Antonio Rivalli designed a permanent church, and as many as 300 Coeur d'Alene built it alongside the Jesuit Brothers.

Their tools consisted of little more than a broad axe, auger and pen knife.

Will: There were no nails used in the original construction of this building.

It was all mortis and tenon jointed together.

They used a wattle and daub technique to create the walls.

It's an Adobe like method where they would take river grass and braid it and weave it.

And then they would take river mud and pack it back into the walls as well.

So the walls are approximately a foot thick each.

In the back sacristy, you can see some of the original fingerprints from the Coeur d█ Alene Tribe as they were packing the mud in the corners, and as they're spreading it out on the walls.

The Coeur d█ Alene Tribe and the Jesuit missionaries were very creative and very resourceful with their means.

In order to fashion their candle holders and their chandeliers they were taking their goods that they had and recycling them.

Father Ravalli carved all the candle holders out of tin cans.

Fr.

Byrne: The church at Cataldo mimics the front part of the main Jesuit church in Rome called the Jesu, which is Italian for Jesus.

Even me if I have any denominational care.

Just the way it was built and all that.

I think that's a pretty amazing building.

And then there's history there.

There was an encounter.

And there still is an encounter.

And like any encounter, you know, there's tension in the encounter and there's forgiveness and then there's hurt and then there's love.

Drink from it.

The Jesuits had a sense of an invisible world, a sacramental world that everything is images, the unseen presence of the Creator.

And that resonated, I think with the Native people.

[Music] Ernie: With the bare hands of our people this place in the wilderness was built and become a beacon not only to Native people, but also to the pioneers and, and trappers, soldiers that came through the area.

[Drumming] Narrator: But as more miners, loggers and military poured into the area tensions between whites and Native Americans rose.

The Coeur d'Alene War of 1858 erupted between an alliance of Native American tribes, primarily the Coeur d'Alene, and the U.S.

Army, led by Colonel Edward Steptoe, and later Colonel George Wright.

Ernie: They fought all through the Spokane Plain, through the Palouse Country, and soldiers were pushing them back.

My t█upye█, my great-great grandmother was Halea, and she was there, she was a young girl at that, at that battle.

But they rode back to, here to Cataldo I guess, as a as a place of safety.

Actually, this place was where they signed the Treaty of Peace with the United States government.

Narrator: Today, the Old Mission is still used as a place of worship by the tribe as they gather at their annual pilgrimage for the Feast of the Assumption.

Fr.

Byrne: Holy God, our Creator, we pray .

.

.

One of the Jesuits has worked with Native people for 50 years, kind of gets this feeling from them, we're rising, we're finding our voice.

[Speaking Coeur d█ Alene] We're not just to be pitied.

No.

There's a future.

The body and the blood of Christ.

[Music] Ernie: I told my grandson, I brought him in here for the first time today.

His name is Tahkisa, and we walked in here, and I told him, I said, “Your great-great grandparents built this.” You know, and he said, “They did?” I said, “Yeah.” I said, “They did.

They did a good job.” He said, “Yeah, they did.” He said, he said, “This is awesome.” You know, he's going to remember this.

And he's going to keep coming.

And when he comes in, he's going to have a profound sense of who he is.

[Music] If you sit up here in the night you can hear the voices of our people, or you can hear the animals talking, or you can hear the whispers through the trees.

We fought hard to get the land back into the ownership of the Tribe.

Our ancestors are buried here.

If there was ever a site in the Coeur d█ Alene country, this is one of the places that would be a sacred site.

[Music] [Singing in Hebrew] Narrator: On a crisp fall morning in Boise, Idaho, one of the most important rites is going through one of the most important rites of passage in the Jewish faith, Rabbi Johanna Hershenson: The word “Bat Mitzvah” a Bat Mitzvah.

Rabbi Johanna Hershenson: The word “Bat Mitzvah” means “Daughter of the Commandments,” and suggests that at this point in a person's life, they're responsible for their own Jewish identity.

Rabbi Hershenson: And one of Tenzen Maye Rasmus: [Reading the Torah in Hebrew] Rabbi Hershenson: And one of those responsibilities is reading from the Torah, is leading a worship service.

[Tenzen reading the Torah] as she learned to read part of it's the culmination of a year of studying, [Tenzen reading the Torah] as she learned to read part of the Book of Genesis in Hebrew.

[Tenzen reading the Torah] Tenzen: I really wanted to come closer to the Jewish community, and I think it█s a really cool experience.

I don█t know, just feel more connected with my religion that way.

a sacred space as this.

Rabbi Hershenson: It is a privilege to enter into such a sacred space as this.

Israel, a historic synagogue Narrator: The important event is taking place at Ahavath Beth Israel, a historic synagogue that's been in use for nearly 130 years.

continually-operating synagogue It's believed to be the longest continually-operating synagogue west of the Mississippi.

it was built in 1895 Originally called Congregation Beth Israel, it was built in 1895 by a group of German American Jews who had settled in Boise in the mid-1800s.

in downtown Boise, a few blocks from The building sat prominently in downtown Boise, At the time, a few blocks from the state Capitol.

50 Jewish families in Boise, At the time, there were only about 50 Jewish families in Boise, The synagogue's founders, but they played important roles in the community.

Alexander, who owned a popular The synagogue's founders, for instance, included Moses Alexander, who owned a popular chain of men's clothing stores.

of Boise for two terms and was also Idaho's governor Alexander served as the mayor of Boise for two terms from 1915 to 1919. and was also Idaho's governor from 1915 to 1919. to be elected governor.

He was the first practicing Jew in the United States to be elected governor.

architectural styles that hearken back to areas Narrator: The synagogue was designed with a blend of architectural styles that hearken back to areas of Europe where Jews had lived.

very typical of Rabbi Dan Fink: The outside, the wood shingle, is very typical of parts of Eastern Europe.

it's really Moorish.

When you come in, by contrast, it's really Moorish.

is kind of a Moorish revival, The shape of the arches is kind of a Moorish revival, which was popular early 20th centuries.

in the late 19th, early 20th centuries.

the local newspaper heralded the construction Narrator: In 1895, the local newspaper heralded the construction of the synagogue, saying, “When completed, it'll be one of the finest church edifices in the state.” and the congregation will engage “A noted rabbi will be here to dedicate the synagogue, and the congregation will engage the services of a rabbi to locate here permanently.” It would take some time for that prediction to come true, though.

It wasn't until 1994 that the congregation finally decided it needed a professional leader.

harmonica-playing rabbi It chose Dan Fink, a 12th generation, harmonica-playing rabbi with a penchant for dry humor.

you know, but in Jewish time Rabbi Fink: It took 99 years, you know, but in Jewish time of thousands of years, I guess 99 years is soon-ish.

in the entire state of Idaho, Narrator: Fink would become the very first permanent rabbi in the entire state of Idaho, And from the beginning, a fact noted by national news media.

And from the beginning, the history and intimacy of the synagogue attracted him.

There's just a kind of warmth Rabbi Fink: I just thought it was like a kind of a little jewel.

There's just a kind of warmth to this building that is very beautiful to me.

Through my rabbinate I would sometimes just come in here and sit, you know, and it was always meditative for me.

Narrator: He sometimes needed that quiet .

.

.

[Harmonica Music] to figure out how to manage a growing congregation that was also the result of a merger in 1986 One was the original between two very different groups.

which operated in the Reform One was the original Beth Israel Congregation, The other was Ahavath Israel, which operated in the Reform tradition of Judaism.

a Conservative congregation The other was Ahavath Israel, a Conservative congregation immigrants and their families.

formed in 1946 by Polish Jewish immigrants and their families.

more space for its Hebrew school Narrator: After the merger, the larger congregation needed more space for its Hebrew school and events.

to move the synagogue So in 2003, the congregation decided to move the synagogue to a five-acre plot of land about two miles away, where a new school and social hall were being built.

took some chutzpah.

Moving a building that was more than a century old took some chutzpah.

in the middle of the night.

To move a building like that, they have to do it in the middle of the night.

Because they're constantly lowering traffic lights and power lines.

And there was a kind of whole choreography to it.

You know, they, the building would wheel, and then it would get to the next intersection, and the building would stop, they█d lower the lines.

[Cheering] Building crawls through, lines go back up, on to the next one.

carry the Torah scrolls.

And, It was a real celebration.

You know, we had people carry the Torah scrolls.

And, you know, many, many, you know, hundreds of people walked behind that synagogue, who were not Jewish.

you know, many, many, who were not Jewish.

of the Jewish experience.

It was amazing.

It was one of the memorable, really, one of the memorable of the Jewish experience.

[Singing in Hebrew] Narrator: More than 20 years later, the education building teems with activity.

Lena August: And ready for Shabbat!

Shabbat shalom.

Children: Hey!

Lena: Shabbat shalom.

Children: Hey!

Narrator: Children at summer camp are learning Jewish songs and other cultural traditions like how to braid challah bread, like how to braid challah bread, which is eaten every Friday night by observant Jews.

night by observant Jews.

Traditions are important.

We say in Judaism, “L█dor v█dor,” “From generation to generation.” So it's important that we pass down not just the religious teachings, but the things that connect us with our ancestors.

Narrator: Adult education is in full swing as well.

And the classes are being taught by a brand-new rabbi hired after Rabbi Fink retired.

Johanna Hershenson is one of the more than 1200 female rabbis who've been ordained in the United States since 1972.

Rabbi Hershenson: I think what drew me to becoming a rabbi is the opportunity to teach.

And not only the opportunity to teach, but to teach Torah, to make ancient traditions relevant today, here and now.

Torah is technically the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

Pulling the Torah out of the ark, every time I do it is really a special moment, right?

I'm taking out these scrolls that the Jewish people have been engaged with for thousands of years.

I look and sound very different than a rabbi from 1300, and yet I'm engaged in the same conversation.

[Reading the Torah] [Music and Singing in Hebrew] Narrator: As Tenzen receives the Torah and marks her transition to adulthood, the Jewish community, her family and her friends are all there to hold space for her.

Rabbi Hershenson: I view it as such a privilege to hand the responsibility over to this young person.

Tenzen: It's really magical.

I feel like I'm on top of the world and I don't know, it's just so special to touch the sacred scroll.

Rabbi Hershenson: I feel the presence not only of the people who show up, but of Jews who came before us in this town.

And to me, that is just really, energizing.

It gives me a sense of rootedness, but also a sense of confidence as we find our way forward.

[Singing in Hebrew] [Church Bells Ringing] Sr.

Barbara Jean Glodowski: One One of my favorite verses is from Romans eight.

“The earth is standing on tiptoe a waiting for humankind to wake up.” The earth needs us to wake up.

And so we just we live with the land, we live with the earth, and we respect it.

because this is a very, very sacred ground.

Narrator: For more than a century, the Sisters of The Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of Saint Gertrude have lived a life that enriches a deeper faith.

Sr.

Teresa Jackson: There's a tremendous hunger for deeper spirituality, for God, for meaning that traditional institutions don't seem to be able to satisfy the way they once did.

That Benedictine life is something that is so needed in today's world.

Narrator: The Monastery of Saint Gertrude is Idaho's only women's monastery.

Built over 100 years ago, its Romanesque features have provided sanctuary for an order of Benedictine nuns since their early days of settling on the Camas Prairie.

Sr.

Teresa: We are founded from the San Andreas cloister in Switzerland.

And in 1882 there was all kinds of unrest in Switzerland.

Carla Wilkins: So they decided to send three sisters to America to establish a safe refuge.

chosen to lead them was Sister Johanna Zumstein.

She spoke four languages, but not English.

But they needed her brains and her facility for languages.

Sr.

Teresa: So they came by ship, they came by train.

Sr.

Teresa: And apparently a Catholic farmer offered the sisters land in Cottonwood, Idaho, if they would come and teach in local schools.

Carla: The real hook was that John and Gertrude Uhlenkott realized that the sisters provide the infrastructure of a place, the free labor, the free teaching.

So they said, you know, “If you come to Cottonwood, we'll give you 85 free acres.” Sr.

Teresa: So they did that.

They came over here in 1907.

And initially it was white, kind of, you know, frame wood house.

They meanwhile built the monastery that's here today, starting in 1919 and finishing it in 1924.

Sr.

Teresa: And it was actually quarried from blue porphyry rock from up on our hill.

Sr.

Barbara Jean: And it's pre-Jurassic in age.

We realized that we have this vein that came out of Africa that popped up on our hill.

And you're not going to find that anywhere else in the United States, which makes it even more unique here.

Narrator: The monastery is named for Saint Gertrude the Great, a 13th century German mystic.

She's known for her deep spiritual insights and theological revelations.

Like Saint Gertrude, the Sisters at the monastery are followers of the Order of Saint Benedict.

Sr.

Teresa: The sense that there must be a deeper relationship with God.

You know, that's exactly what Benedict was about when he started.

And I think that's exactly what he's about today.

Narrator: In the fifth century, Benedict had been a hermit who was born of a Roman nobleman.

He wrote “The Rule of Benedict” a book describing a way of life that practices common sense, moderation, prayer, work hospitality, and community life.

And it's through their commitment to community that the Sisters have made their greatest contribution to our state.

Sr.

Teresa: We staffed grade schools all over Idaho, Washington.

Carla: They try to teach about tolerance, how immigrants have really changed this landscape.

Sr.

Lillian Englert: I liked I loved seeing the lights come on!

When somebody got it.

Also, the relationship.

that's kind of the fun part of still being in Idaho.

And being accessible to former students, that they stop in and say, “Hi” And, you know, it's just fun to connect with ‘em.

Sr.

Barbara Jean: Education is very important here.

Most of us have master's degrees plus.

Because to be qualified to do what we're doing is extremely important.

Carla: There isn█t a hospital between Lewiston and Boise.

It's a 300 mile health care desert.

So they opened the hospital here at Cottonwood.

And, you know, we're such a small town, but we've always had great services thanks to the Sisters.

Narrator: The Center for Benedictine Life is also home to a historic museum and a gift shop where visitors can learn about local history and purchase sustainable goods made by the sisters.

Man: Oh yeah, that's the one.

Carla: Here in the gift shop, Sister Carlotta, she is an herbalist.

She makes soaps and salves, lip balms, teas.

It's just such a joint effort here.

Sr.

Carlotta Maria Fontes: I do enjoy doing it.

And when I'm doing it, I think about the people who are going to be using this soap and depending on which soap they say they love, when I'm making that particular soap, I think of those people.

It feels good to make it.

I had this, this feeling that I wanted to help people, but I wanted to do it natural.

This one Sister, I was talking with her, and she was talking me about the herbs, and who knew that a dandelion in your lawn is medicinal?

You know, most of the time we're trying to kill it, but it heals.

That's when I decided to join this community because they were a lot about the earth.

And I love the earth.

I love nature.

Sr.

Barbara Jean: I always like to see nature as a carrier.

Every, every leaf, every, every blade of grass has a spark of divine.

And if people could just get outside and be more in touch with nature and ourselves.

Because I think we forget the fact that we are made out of dust and to dust we shall return.

Sisters Singing: Peace is flowing like a river.

Flowing out to you and me.

Narrator: As Benedictines have done for centuries, the Sisters evoke their faith through prayer, a daily practice that enlightens their experience of the Christian mystery.

Sr.

Barbara Jean: Prayer is extremely important to us.

And we pray for nation.

We pray for the people.

We pray for the world.

And every single day you can hear our petitions along with our prayer.

Sr.

Teresa: We come together three times a day.

And it's a time to start over to say, “This is what we're here for.” Sr.

Lillian: Benedict calls this way of life, “The school of the Lord's service.” We never have it all together.

We're still learning.

So I think living with a bunch of people is a constant learning process.

Sr.

Teresa: And you know, you do what community needs.

And the daily monastic life is an ongoing opportunity to do that.

And that's, that's an incredible gift.

Sr.

Barbara Jean: My motto every day is, I, I wake up and I look for love.

And if I look for love, I'm going to find God.

And I can find God in every human being, every blade of grass, every leaf I can find God.

[Sisters Singing Ends] [Music] Narrator: In celebration of that which is sacred, The Center for Benedictine Life on occasion hosts concerts in the chapel of the monastery.

Laurie Karel: The Sisters, they nurture the whole human spirit.

They love to, you know, have things that build joy in your soul And as Mozart said, “Music is for the glory of God” [Music] Announcer: Major funding for Idaho Experience is provided by the estate of Darrell Arthur Kammer.

In support of independent media that connects communities and expands understanding.

Additional funding was provided by the James and Barbara Cimino Foundation, Anne Voillequé Louise Nelson Judy and Steve Meyer.

And from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

And contributions to the Friends of Idaho Public Television and viewers like you.

Thank you.

[Music]