Jewish religious services and life cycle events in Orange County were held mostly in private homes until December of 1943, when the community established its first permanent congregation, Temple Beth Sholom, otherwise known as TBS. It quickly outgrew its rented space, and when the Unitarian Church building in Santa Ana at the corner of 8th and Bush Street was put up for sale in the spring of 1944, TBS purchased the building for $7,500; $500 down and a $7,000 loan from Commercial National Bank that was personally guaranteed by eight members of the Temple Board. Members donated materials and every spare minute they had to perform the mitzvah of Terumah—building a place of worship, so that it would be ready for the upcoming high holidays in the fall. They made it a labor of love to prepare the new home of the Jewish community. Pews were repaired, carpets were cleaned, Stars of David were installed, an Ark was built and a Ner Tamid – Eternal Light – was added. Prayer books were purchased, a modern kosher kitchen was built and new lighting was put in. Jewish-themed stained glass windows were installed and the building was painted inside and out. When all was ready, invitations were sent to the surrounding military bases to ensure that Jewish military personnel had a place of worship. So it was that in September of 1944, the Orange County Jewish community was able to hold its first ever High Holiday services in its own building. Since that time, our community has grown by leaps and bounds and today has close to 36 places of worship, of varying denominations, for us to participate in.
Dalia Taft, Director of the Orange County Jewish Historical Society, highlights images from the archives every month. For more information, please visit https://www.jccoc.org/Pages/Oc-Jewish-Historical-Society. You can also contact Dalia at Daliat@jccoc.org or at (949) 435-3400, Ext. 360. The Orange County Jewish Historical Society is a program of the Merage Jewish Community Center and is funded by the Jewish Community Foundation Orange County.