JEWS ARRIVED IN ORANGE COUNTY IN THE 19TH CENTURY to produce wine and continued to live and work in Orange County even after the wine industry failed. Although there were various attempts to organize Jewish cultural, educational, and religious institutions in the 20th century, it wasn’t until 1943 that the Temple Beth Sholom was established in Orange County. After World War II, many Jewish veterans moved to Orange County, bringing their families and friends with them.
Many of the German immigrants who came to the Anaheim area in the late 1850s to produce wine were Jewish. Benjamin Dreyfus, one of the first Jews to settle in Anaheim, California became a successful businessman and vintner, eventually becoming Anaheim’s first Jewish mayor from 1881–1882. While many of the original Jewish immigrants resettled in the Orange County area to produce wine, many Jews also became merchants, either living and working in cities like Santa Ana, or living in Los Angeles with their businesses located in the Orange County area.
Anaheim, California. Courtesy of the Anaheim Public Library.
The Benjamin Dreyfus & Co. Winery, c. 1884
The Benjamin Dreyfus & Co. Winery was built in the 1870s. Located on East Center Street (now Lincoln Avenue), the property included winery buildings, kegs, and wine vats. Twelve figures are standing in background; the two at the far left are Richard Krebs Sr. and Herman Krebs.
LACKING NEARBY SYNAGOGUES, some people made the trip to cities like Long Beach or Los Angeles to be involved in their religious community. Because most freeways connecting Orange County to Los Angeles County were not built until the 1960s, this meant travelling by surface streets. The successful establishment of Temple Beth Sholom in 1943 was the beginning of a major change in how Jewish people in Orange County could practice their religion.
“When I was growing up in the thirties there were no temples, no shuls, no synagogues in all of Orange County. The closest temple was on the west end of Long Beach… My mother said ‘I’m going to drive you every Sunday morning over to this temple in Long Beach.’ We did that for a short period of time... Then, nothing. No type of relationship with any Jewishness at all until Temple Beth Sholom was established in 1943.”
“The Blake Family of Orange County,” in Jewish Pioneers of Orange County: The Jewish Community of Orange County, California from the 1850s–1970s, edited by Dalia Taft. Western States Jewish History, 2012.
November 25, 1951. Courtesy of the Orange County Jewish Historical Society.
Dick and Estelle Blake at their Wedding, 1951
AS THE JEWISH POPULATION INCREASED in the Orange County area, the desire for an established synagogue for both religious observances and religious instruction also grew. In 1920 Rabbi Boucher (also spelled as Butcher) arrived as the first Rabbi of the planned for Jewish congregation, B’nai Brith, with the plan to organize a Jewish religious school. However, this attempt at establishing a congregation did not last.
Santa Ana Daily Register, January 8, 1920.
"Rabbi Boucher Heads Jewish People Here"
The first official Jewish religious service in Orange County was on “The Power of Vision.” This article includes a schedule for ongoing religious services.
The B’nai B’rith Messenger. December 19, 1919. Courtesy of National Library of Israel and Tel Aviv University.
"Santa Ana Jewish Community to Organize: Jacob H. Boucher Will Lead Congregation and Open Religious School.\"
Establishing a religious community included plans for a religious school for Jewish education.
THE GROWTH OF THE CONGREGATION in the 1940s reflects the growth of the county as a whole. The Santa Ana Army Air Base, as well as the El Toro Marine Base, established in World War II, played a role in the increase of Jewish population living and working in Orange County.
“[W]hile I was serving as chaplain to the Santa Ana Army Air Base, which served some 15,000 troops, we had at our services the Jewish personnel. Also the personnel from the El Toro Marine Base.”
Joseph Levine, “Jewry in Santa Ana,” B’nai B’rith Messenger, September 12, 1947. Courtesy of National Library of Israel and Tel Aviv University.
Orange County Register, September 7, 1945. Courtesy of Orange County Jewish Historical Society.
"Jewish New Year Tradition to be Observed Here"
“I moved to Orange County in 1946, right after the war. When I got out of the service, I came here to visit my older brother Morris, who was stationed at the Army Air Base (now the Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa) and I never went back.”
“An Interview with Bernard Glasser.” Jewish Pioneers of Orange County: The Jewish Community of Orange County, California from the 1850s–1970s, edited by Dalia Taft. Western States Jewish History, 2012.
Santa Ana, California. Courtesy of Orange County Jewish Historical Society.
Bluma And Bernie Glasser Wedding Photo, March 9, 1959
Santa Ana, California. Courtesy of Orange County Jewish Historical Society.
Temple Beth Sholom on 8th and Bush, 1945
In 1943, 25 Jewish families in Santa Ana met in their homes to hold Shabbat services. In 1945 they moved into a building located at the corner of 8th and Bush Streets in Santa Ana, which had been a church. This is the original site of the Temple Beth Sholom, the first Synagogue in Orange County.
Santa Ana, California. Courtesy of Orange County Jewish Historical Society.
Temple Beth Sholom Mortgage Burning, 1946
In 1946 the Temple Beth Sholom congregation paid off the mortgage for the building. In the 20th century, a mortgage burning ceremony was a custom, a ritual incineration of the promissory note (mortgage) upon completion of the payment schedule. The ritual was performed to celebrate the release of the debtor from further payment obligations, and sometimes included friends and family to join the celebration.
Pictured left to right: Harry Stein, Rabbi Joseph Levine, and President Louis Weinberg.
JEWISH PIONEERS IN ORANGE COUNTY WERE AN INTEGRAL PART of building Orange County’s economic and civic landscape. Many Jews came to Southern California to take advantage of the agricultural and economic opportunities. They also became active in politics and charitable organizations.
Courtesy of Photography Collection on Anaheim Local History, Anaheim Public Library.
Benjamin Dreyfus, c. 1880
Benjamin Dreyfus was born in Bavaria in 1824 and became a naturalized US citizen in 1851. In addition to being one of the original investors in the Los Angeles Vineyard Society, which produced the vineyards in Anaheim, Dreyfus was a multifaceted businessman. As a vintner, he is considered the first to have mass-produced kosher wine for Passover for shipping in the United States. Dreyfus also partnered with August Lagenberger to open a store (Langenberger & Co.) and run a hotel and bar. In addition to being a businessman, Dreyfus was active in civic life. In 1872 he was named Water Commissioner of Anaheim, from 1880 to 1882, was president of the Anaheim Water Company, was elected to the Anaheim City Council in 1880, and became mayor of Anaheim in 1881. Dreyfus died in 1886.
Santa Ana, California. Jewish Pioneers of Orange County: The Jewish Community of Orange County, California from the 1850s–1970s, edited by Dalia Taft. Western States Jewish History, 2012. Courtesy of Orange County Jewish Historical Society.
Sam and Edith Hurwitz, 1911
Sam Hurwitz arrived in Santa Ana in 1904 and began working in Morris Nasatir’s men’s clothing store. A few years later in 1915, he established his own store, Hurwitz Men’s Wear, on 4th Street in Santa Ana. The store stayed in business for 68 years until it closed in 1983. Sam and his wife, Edith, were instrumental in forming Temple Beth Sholom in 1943. Sam also established the United Jewish Welfare Fund of Orange County and served as its Secretary.
![Sam Hurwitz, A TBS [Temple Beth Sholom] Founder, 1943.](https://exhibits.lib.uci.edu/sites/exhibits/files/OC-Snapshots/images/067-large.jpg)
Courtesy of Orange County Jewish Historical Society.
Sam Hurwitz, Temple Beth Sholom Founder, 1943