Many Jews were drawn to California during the gold rush of 1849. By 1850 there were two Jewish congregations in San Francisco. A striking characteristic of the Californian migration was the cosmopolitan nature of the Jews in it. All countries were represented among these pioneers. Jews came from as far as Australia.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.