Jews of the Pacific Coast

The  Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County* (JGSCV) (*and surrounding areas) & Western States Jewish History Journal along with Temple Adat Elohim are co-sponsoring a meeting onSunday,April 3, 2011 1:30: p.m.-3:30 p.m  at  Temple  Adat  Elohim 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks.

 The Program:  “Jews of the Pacific Coast”

 From the California Gold Rush of 1849 to the explosion of population centers in  the Southwest in the 1980s, Jews have played a significant role in shaping the  Pacific West.  In the process, they have reshaped themselves as individuals and as communities. Through their mercantile networks and cultural innovations, their philanthropic institutions and political leadership, western Jews created a distinctive identity.

 Using historical photographs from her new co-authored book Jews of the Pacific Coast: Reinventing Community at America's Edge Ava F. Kahn will explore the nature of the Jewish experience in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland and the small towns of the West. She will explain the important differences among these cities, as well as highlighting the ways in which the western Jewish experience has echoed and deviated from the familiar story of American Jewish history.   

Speaker: Ava F. Kahn, Ph.D. is affiliated with the California Studies Center, University of California, Berkeley, Kahn has published numerous articles and books on Jews in the West including: Jewish Voices of the California Gold Rush, Jewish Life in the American West and California Jews.  Dr. Kahn will do a book signing following the meeting.  

 The Jewish Genealogical Society of the Conejo Valley and Ventura County is dedicated to sharing genealogical information, techniques and research tools with anyone interested in Jewish genealogy and family history.  (www.jgscv.org)

 Western States Jewish History Journal is a quarterly journal dedicated to discovering, chronicling, and making available to the general public information on the Jewish participation in the pioneering and development of the American West, Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific Rim. (http://www.wsjhistory.com/)

 There is no charge to attend the meeting. Anyone may join JGSCV. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $30 for a family.

For more information contact: publicity@jgscv.org or call   Jan Meisels Allen@  818-889-6616