Featured Group
Displaced Persons
German passport dated 1938 that belonged to Therese Isaacs, a former resident of the Jewish Home for the Aged, Los Angeles; courtesy SHADES OF L.A. ARCHIVES / Los Angeles Public Library
Finding Community in California
Most post-1948 Jewish immigrants initially settled in cities with large Jewish populations, such as New York, Chicago, and Cleveland. A substantial number, however, chose to live in California.
When Jews arrived in California they found two important centers of Jewish life — San Francisco and Los Angeles. The cities were different culturally.
Life in San Francisco
San Francisco was home to a very well-established population of many German Jews whose ancestors had emigrated in the 19th century. Among this group was Levi Strauss, who founded his famous clothing company in 1853. Moreover, San Francisco had already elected two Jewish mayors, and Jews were included in the city's political life through elections and appointments.