Monroe County Bank

Orange County has had Jewish residents since 1858 when Benjamin Dreyfus became the silent partner in the August Langenberger store to supply the Anaheim Wine Colony. Benjamin Dreyfus became a noted vinyardist, community leader and philanthropist, donating materials and physical space for municipal offices and the public school. Other Jewish individuals arrived as members of the pioneers of Anaheim, however there were not enough to form a congregation.

First Steps to Organizing a Jewish Community in Orange County

In 1864 Benjamin Dreyfus bottled the first kosher wine produced in California. Most of his production was shipped to San Francisco and the East coast.

In 1874 the Jewish community organized High Holiday Services in the Anaheim home of butcher Bernard Cohen conducted by the tailor Morris Mendelson.