Congregation Beth Jacob. Photograph, circa 1945

This photograph—likely taken in the mid-1940s—depicts the bar mitzvah of Ted Ross at Congregation Beth Jacob, held at the congregation’s synagogue on the property of Julius Wides between Murphysboro and Carbondale, Illinois. This item illustrates the religious practices of Murphysboro-Carbondale’s Jewish community in the mid-twentieth century.

Congregation Beth Jacob was founded in the 1940s by the Wides family. The congregation—which initially consisted of about a dozen families—met in a building between Murphysboro and Carbondale on the property of Julius Wides. Wides was a prominent Jewish businessman who, among other ventures, owned Wides Oil and Wides Realty. The congregation met on Wides’ property until 1959, when it moved to a synagogue in Carbondale.

The Ross family attended Congregation Beth Jacob during the 1940s. Sam and Sol Ross owned two women’s clothing stores in the Murphysboro and Carbondale area. Sol Ross’ son, Ted Ross, became bar mitzvah around 1945. His bar mitzvah, pictured in this photograph, was attended by members of Ross, Goodman, and Seidel families.

This collection consists of one undated photograph, presumably taken around 1945. The photographer is unknown. Also included is one page of research notes which identifies persons in the photograph and provides information about the Wides family, created by Margaret “Peggy” Mosinger Freedman.

The material in this collection was donated by Margaret “Peggy” Mosinger Freedman in 2024. Freedman was given the photograph by Herb Seidel in 2024.