MEETINGS 2026

We hold live meetings with an option to view remotely via Zoom. Meetings start at 7 p.m. Congregation Sherith Israel is located at 2266 California Street, at Webster.

Parking: Check the signs. The surrounding streets contain several passenger white zones that are not active after 6 p.m. and can be used for parking in the evenings. 

There is 24-hour parking available a half-block further north on Webster at 2401 Clay, with entry on Clay Street. 

Muni: 1, 2, 22, 24.

Admission is free for members; there is a $10 admission for nonmembers. (More information can be found on the membership tab.)

TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 7 PM, live and on Zoom:

THERESE POLETTI ON "THE DOCTOR'S WIFE"

To the outside world, the Mansfeldt family of San Francisco seemed like a mid-1940s real-life version of thewholesome Barbours, the central characters of the popular NBC radio soap opera One Man’s Family. John H. Mansfeldt was a family doctor, with a thriving general medical practice in the 450 Sutter building near Union Square, while his wife Irene took care of their three teenagers, Irene, John, and Terry.
    But on October 4, 1945, Irene Mansfeldt threw it all away. After an unsettling encounter at the French Hospital, while looking for her husband late one night, Irene became convinced John was having an affair with a nurse. Unable to sleep or function for a week after her discovery, an obsessed Irene arranged a meeting with the nurse, Vada Martin, to talk things out. She shot and killed her in cold blood, in the front seat of her car. San Francisco became obsessed with the ensuing trial of Mrs. Mansfeldt. The ramifications of Mansfeldt’s actions would reverberate throughout her family, which was ultimately shattered by the tragedy.
   

OUR SPEAKER:                     Therese Poletti is an author, amateur historian and tour guide in San Francisco. Passionate about architecture of the Art Deco era, she wrote “Art Deco San Francisco, the Architecture of Timothy Pflueger.” She is also a volunteer with San Francisco City Guides and is preservation director of the Art Deco Society of California.

How to watch the presentation online

Zoom streaming is available only for SFHA members. The San Francisco History Association will send out the Zoom link and password to current members on the morning of the meeting day. Check the website membership tab to renew or obtain current membership.

Please add info@sanfranciscohistory.org to your email address book, and check your spam or bulk mail folder.