Glimpses of the Fillmore District’s Jewish Past

San Francisco’s Fillmore District is historically one of San Francisco’s most multicultural neighborhoods, and is noted chiefly for the largely Black and Japanese communities that have made the area their home.  

Following the 1906 earthquake, the blocks surrounding the intersection of Fillmore and McAllister Streets became home to many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Once known for its kosher bakeries, markets, and restaurants, the Jewish quarter is doubly gone: Most Jews departed by the 1950s, and the Redevelopment Agency’s subsequent demolition campaign left most of the Fillmore District unrecognizable. This presentation will incorporate vintage photographs and archival materials to portray some of the area’s Jewish history. 

Howard Freedman has served since 2009 as Director of the Jewish Community Library in San Francisco. A longtime educator, he has taught in a wide variety of settings. He has written the Off the Shelf column on books in J. The Jewish News of Northern California since 2012. 

Since the early 1950s, the Jewish Community Library has provided the Bay Area with free access to a large collection of materials illuminating the Jewish experience. The Library is open to all, regardless of background. The Library’s main branch at 1835 Ellis Street in San Francisco’s Western Addition hosts the Western United States’ largest publicly accessible collection of Jewish-related materials. The library strives to cover the entire range of Jewish topics and perspectives, reflecting the diversity of the Jewish people and the Bay Area’s Jewish community.