Then and Now: Gunslinger and philanthropist

August Helbing in 1850, in his mid-20s photo/courtesy of jewish family and children’s services

August Helbing was only 26 when the Bavarian immigrant and already prosperous merchant founded the Eureka Benevolent Society, the forerunner of today’s Jewish Family and Children’s Services. His story is one of many told in “JFCS: Centuries of Pioneering,” a 2011 book celebrating the agency’s 160 years of service. Half-tzaddik, half-gunslinger, Helbing was driven to provide respect and material support for all Jews who needed it. When a gambler was shot to death, and was about to be denied burial in the Jewish cemetery on Vallejo and Gough streets, Helbing grabbed a brace of pistols and rushed to the cemetery to make his case. Needless to say, the man was buried with full Jewish honors.

This column is provided to j. by the Contemporary Jewish Museum (http://www.thecjm.org), where “California Dreaming: Jewish Life in the Bay Area from the Gold Rush to the Present” is on view.