Well at least we know what was served for second night Rosh Hashanah dinner in Anaheim in 1894/5655 – goose! According to the local Anaheim news, “a number of fat ganders have been spotted whose heads will fall into the basket on Monday morning,” referring to the preparation for the evening’s festive meal. Jewish-owned businesses in Anaheim at the time included P. Davis & Bro. General Store and Bank, Hippolyte Cahen General Merchandise, Rudolph Luedke Jeweler, and Samuel S. Federman Dry Goods. It’s interesting to note that this bit of news was printed in the society section of the LA Herald, demonstrating the standing of the Jewish community in Southern California in the late 1800s. Though this acceptance would wane in the twentieth century, California in general has long been a very good place to be Jewish.
Dalia Taft, archivist of the Orange County Jewish Historical Society, highlights images from the archives every month. For more information, please visit www.jewishoc.org/history. 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.
