Founder of Reform Judaism in Santa Cruz | Ross Eric Gibson, Local History
"The St. Charles Hotel sat against Mission Hill Bluff at the corner of Mission Street and River Street (now North Pacific Avenue)," writes Ross Eric Gibson. "Proprietor Joseph Bloch (pronounced 'Block') was waiting for his brother-in-law to arrive from Cincinnati, the most famous rabbi in America: the Rev. Dr. Isaac M. Wise, founder of Reform Judaism. It was early August 1877, the weather was perfect, Santa Cruz was beautiful, and Bloch was proprietor of this palatial hotel."
Source: santacruzsentinel.com