San Francisco Jewish Pioneers

The Levy Brothers: Pioneer Chiropodists/Podiatrists of San Francisco & Aurora

Alexander, Jacob & Samuel Levy Values Codes I – E – L   Alexander, Jacob, and Samuel Levy were three of ten children of Leopold and Nanette Levy, who were both born in Alsace-Lorraine, but met and married in San Francisco in 1862. Tempted by the Gold Rush, Leopold and

Read more

David Livingston: Jewish Pioneer Dry Goods Merchant of San Francisco & San Bernardino

  David Livingston Values Codes I – E – L – P   David Livingston was born in Fritzlar, Germany in 1856.   San Francisco & San Bernardino David Livingston came to America in 1872 and arrived in San Francisco in 1873. In 1875, he partnered with

Read more

Jacob H. Rosewald: Jewish Conductor and Music Teacher of San Francisco

Jacob Rosewald Values Codes  I – H – E – L – P   Jacob Rosewald was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1841, to Bavarian Jewish immigrants, Judah and Bertha Rosewald. From childhood, Jacob displayed a passion for music. Despite his father’s staunch orthodoxy, Jacob was allowed to

Read more

The Gumps: From Picture Frames to San Francisco’s Most Exclusive Store

The Gumps Family Values Codes  I – H – E – L -P   Solomon Gump Solomon Gump was born in 1833 in Heidelberg, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. His father was a textile manufacturer. Although the family was from Germany, research points to them being of Sephardic origin. In 1850,

Read more

Flora Jacobi Arnstein: Educator, Poet, and Musician of San Francisco

Flora Jacobi Arnstein Values Codes I – E – L   Flora Jacobi was born in San Francisco in 1885 to a distinguished pioneer family. Her uncle, Max J. Brandenstein, established the MJB Coffee Company with his brothers Mannie, Charlie, and Eddie. (The company’s acronym was chosen to minimize

Read more

Oscar Weil: Jewish Music Teacher, Composer, and Critic of San Francisco

Oscar Weil Values Codes  H – E – L – P   Oscar Weil was born to German-Jewish immigrant parents in Columbia County, New York, in 1839. At age eighteen, Weil left New York to pursue musical training at the Conservatory of Leipzig. Violin was his primary

Read more