'Louis Rose' Group to Raise Funds for Jewish Historic Preservation

A charitable fund for Jewish historic preservation in San Diego County will be launched March 24 during a celebration marking the 198th birthday of Louis Rose, an entrepreneur who in 1850 became San Diego's first Jewish settler.

A 5-7 p.m. reception in Louis Rose's honor will be held at Old Town San Diego''s Casa de Aguirre at the corner of San Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street.  Donald H. Harrison, author of Louis Rose: San Diego's First Jewish Settler and Entrepreneur, will tell of Rose's activities between the time he immigrated to San Diego and his death in 1888.

Old Town Trolley Tours of San Diego will have its "Louis Rose" trolley parked at the reception site, according to Lorin Stewart, director of San Diego operations for Historic Tours of America. The "ghost" of Louis Rose (portrayed by Harry Goldenberg) will be the honored guest for the cutting of a rose-decorated birthday cake.

Harrison and San Diego businessman Norman Greene have arranged for the creation of a charitable Louis Rose Jewish Historic Preservation Fund to be administered by the non-profit San Diego Jewish Community Foundation.

The fund will be used to raise money for a memorial to Louis Rose to be built at "Louis Rose Point," an area at San Diego's former Naval Training Center that recently was named by the City of San Diego after the Jewish pioneer. "Louis Rose Point" was set aside by San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy, City Councilman Michael Zucchet and the Park and Recreation Board as part of nationwide observances of the 350th  anniversary of Jewish settlement and  contributions in North America.

"The memorial is the first and biggest task," said Greene, "but beyond that we would like the Louis Rose Jewish Historic Preservation Fund to be used to identify and to mark other sites of Jewish historical importance throughout the San Diego County region.  We believe this is a way of teaching about Jewish community history and illustrating the contributions the Jewish community has made to San Diego County."

For a year's membership in the Louis Rose Jewish Historical Preservation Association, any individual, Jewish or non-Jewish, may send a check for $36 to the Jewish Community Foundation (4950 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92123) notating that the contribution is for the Louis Rose Fund.

Larger contributions to go toward creation of the monument at Louis Rose Point also may be sent to the Jewish Community Foundation, again noting that the contribution is for the Louis Rose  Fund.

Information about the fund and about Louis Rose may be obtained from Harrison via his email, sdheritage@cox.net, or by calling him at (619) 265 0808.