Pioneer Jews

About the Book

The definitive chronicle of the lives, experiences, and contributions of the Jewish men and women who helped shape the American frontier.

What reviewers have said about Pioneer Jews:

“From their storehouse of information ... the Rochlins have produced an ‘illustrated social history’ packed with information and anecdotes likely to surprise most readers.”
—New York Times Book Review

“American Jewish history in a fresh, Far Western light—unpreoccupied by traditional themes ... and closer in outlook to other expressions of ethnic frontier pride: the surprise is that it’s a legitimate approach .... Something of an accolade, yes—but also something more: a strong suggestion that these were ‘different Jews...with an exuberance that is still discernible.’ “
—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“Built on some twenty years research, the Rochlins’ book is riveting, at once a dramatic story and mind-broadening journey into the past.”
—Publishers Weekly

“A fascinating panorama of Jewish life in the Far West .... The Rochlins, themselves, are good examples of Jews who were born in the west, and committed themselves to enriching Jewish life in their communities. However, any understanding of Jewish life in a specific locale means recounting its history, and that is what this husband and wife have committed themselves to.”
—Jerusalem Post Magazine

“Pioneer Jews ... is a delightful work, the illustrations are particularly beautiful. Future historians of Jewry will rise up and call Harriet and Fred Rochlin blessed.”
—Dr. Jacob Marcus, Director, American Jewish Archives

About the Author

A native of Los Angeles, Harriet Shapiro graduated from UC Berkeley in Hispanic America. Soon after, she married architectural student Fred Rochlin of Nogales, Arizona. In 1984, the Rochlins, under contract to Houghton Mifflin Company, completed Pioneer Jews: A New Life in the Far West. Informative, entertaining, illustrated, and internationally reviewed, it’s been dubbed social history at its best.