07/26/2026
Today, July 26, is the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
BILL SACKTER, IOWA'S ICON FOR ABILITIES AWARENESS,
CAME FROM JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD IN MINNEAPOLIS
Bill Sackter, for whom Wild Bill's and Uptown Bill's in Iowa City were named, started his life in a neighborhood of 19th century wood frame homes just north of downtown Minneapolis. These homes were located along dirt streets and were already old when Bill's family moved there.
In fact, these were some of the oldest buildings in the city at that time. Bill was born in St. Paul; his family moved to Minneapolis shortly after that.
Bill grew up above his parents' grocery store on Aldrich Avenue North near Plymouth Avenue. His parents had emigrated from Russia to the United States like many of the neighbors. And, like most of the neighbors, the Sackters were Jewish.
Bill's neighborhood was one of the earliest centers of Jewish culture in Minneapolis. It was here that the first synagogues in the city got their start. It was here, too, that kosher markets and Yiddish theater flourished.
And it was here that the tradition of Jewish social service began in Minneapolis. Families in the neighborhood developed their own social welfare system which was financed by a "tithe" of ten cents per week. This provided not only aid for the poorest families, but also supported a community center and programs for youth.
All of this is gone now. In fact, Bill's entire neighborhood is gone now -- obliterated by successive waves of urban renewal which began in the 1930s in Minneapolis.
But here and there, one can still find signs of the Jewish community where Bill grew up. Pastor Paul's Disciples Ministry now occupies one of the former synagogues in the old neighborhood. It is probably the only Christian church in the city with two Stars of David on its front facade.
The Lincoln Del, which began as a bakery just a few blocks from Bill's house, for years displayed many old pictures of this neighborhood in its St. Louis Park location. But it, too, is now gone. But you can find some of those photos in a history book called "And prairie dogs weren't kosher."
The history of Bill's neighborhood is also recalled in two stage plays. One, titled "King of the kosher grocers," tells the story of a Jewish grocer much like Bill's dad. It was written by the late Joe Minjares, an actor and restaurant owner in Minneapolis.
He contacted me at Wild Bill's to tell me he had known Bill back in the early 1960s. Joe's mom was a friend of Bill's landlady when Bill lived near Bloomington and 26th Avenue in south Minneapolis.
The other play, "Good Evening! It's a city celebration," includes scenes about Bill and his neighborhood. It was first presented in 1998 at the Capri Theatre in Minneapolis in cooperation with the American Variety Theatre Company.
Portions of that show were reprised in a 2003 show called "Good evening from Bill's coffeeshop." That show was presented in Bill's Coffeeshop itself. And later at Uptown Bill's.
~ Tom Gilsenan
For more about the life and spirit of Bill Sackter, visit this FB page: A Friend Indeed - The Bill Sackter Story.
Photos:
+ Pastor Paul's Disciples Ministry was once Mikro Kodesh synagogue. It was one of several synagogues in north Minneapolis. Today, it is one of the few remaining signs of the Jewish community which flourished in north Minneapolis during the first half of the 20th century.
+ Bill Sackter at Wild Bill's Coffeeshop.
