SAN DIEGO _ For Jews, San Diego County can seem like a sunny suburb of the Promised Land.
In 1850, a German immigrant named Louis Rose became the area's first known Jewish settler. In an era of virulent anti-Semitism, Rose won a series of honorary appointments and political posts: grand jury member, Old Town postmaster, county supervisor, president of the board of trustees, the latter a 19th century precursor to the San Diego City Council.
"He was elected to all these public offices," said Don Harrison, co-publisher of San Diego Jewish World and Rose's biographer. "Clearly, there wasn't any organized opposition to him."
Nearly 170 years later, the region is still a welcoming haven.
"It's a good place to be Jewish," said Rabbi Devorah Marcus, senior rabbi at Temple Emanu-El in Del Cerro. "It's wonderful here."
Except, Marcus and others noted, when it's not. The region's history includes campaigns to exclude Jews and other minorities from exclusive neighborhoods; anti-Semitic white supremacist groups; and a growing number of hate crimes, including the recent attack on Chabad of Poway, which left one dead and three wounded.
Some local Jews now question their ability to live and worship in peace here.
"These are sacred places and that used to be understood," said Sarah Ardestani, a Chabad of Poway congregant. "Now, these are the main places targeted, where you are most vulnerable."
"I'd never felt vulnerable at Congregation Beth Israel until now," said Laurie Black, a former San Diego port commissioner who belongs to one of the county's largest temples. "When we do gather, we now know we have to figure out a way to get out of the synagogue, in case someone with a gun comes in."
These anxieties are not unique to Jews. Since March, there have been massacres at Muslim mosques in New Zealand and Catholic churches in Sri Lanka. In the U.S., a recent rash of arson fires destroyed Christian churches with black congregations. And then came that bloody Saturday at Chabad of Poway.
While that crime challenged San Diego's image as a safe and accepting region, some say the community's response has served as a strong rebuttal to hate.
The morning after the Poway attack, a potted plant was left at the door to Chabad of Downtown San Diego. Attached was a note: "We love you, stand by you and are sorry for your loss."
"From one terrible crime that happened," said Rabbi Zalman Carlebach, leader of that Chabad center, "thousands of good deeds and acts of love have come out of it."
