In Hebrew, “L’dor V’dor” means “from generation to generation” and since the 1850s, generations of Jewish migrants have made their way to San Luis Obispo County from all over the world. Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, families with names like Blochman, Cerf, Goldtree, Green, Sinsheimer and others arrived from as far away as Russia to make their homes on the Central Coast, creating the community we recognize today.
The History Center of San Luis Obispo County has opened its newest exhibit after years of preparation and collaboration with local representatives of the Jewish faith as well as several local historians and filmmakers. The exhibit highlights stories of how Jewish entrepreneurs constructed the People’s Wharf in Avila; how early High Holy Day services were celebrated in the Grand Mason’s building; and how Louis Sinsheimer, San Luis Obispo’s longest-serving mayor, worked with the local Catholic parish priest and local business owners to prevent the Ku Klux Klan from gaining a foothold here in the 1920s. The exhibit also includes a video excerpt from Sky Bergman’s film “Lives Well Lived,” telling how the late Marion Wolff and her husband Paul escaped the Holocaust in Europe in the 1930s.
The History Center is located at 696 Monterey Street next to Mission Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo. The museum is open each day, except Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The exhibit is wheelchair accessible.
Safety first— for now, five guests at a time, masks required, and maintain social distancing. For more information, call 805/543-0638 or email info@historycenterslo.org.
