Source: Star Tribune
On April 22, 2003 the Star Tribune reported that "Jasper, a southwestern Minnesota town of a half-dozen churches and fewer than 600 people, may become home to a residential school for Orthodox Jewish boys... Lubavitch Yeshiva, with more than 30 high-school and rabbinical students, is seeking to acquire the old Jasper School... The worldwide Lubavitch movement is known for its strict religious observance, outreach to other Jews and conservative attire--dark suits, broad-brimmed hats and beards for men; long dresses for women... Jasper has no Jewish residents, at least 'not that I'm aware of,' Mayor David Smith said... How would a contingent of traditional Jews fit in where children of farmers, rock quarriers and merchants once played sports as the Quartzsiters, until they became part of the neighboring Pipestone district? 'I think we're open-minded enough as a community,' Smith said, pointing out that many southwestern Minnesota towns have become more diverse in recent years."