The congregation dates the California Gold Rush of 1849, when Jewish settlers gathered to observe the High Holy days.

The congregation purchased its first building at 7th and L streets on September 2, 1852, making it the first synagogue west of the Mississippi River.

Through the next few decades, the campus expanded to include the Harry M. Tonkin Memorial Chapel, the Sosnick Library, and the Buddy Kandel education wing.

[9] The arsonists subsequently murdered a gay couple, Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder, in Redding, California.

[6] The attack was the second time that the congregation had been the target of a hate crime: the synagogue was firebombed by a 17-year-old white supremacist in 1993.