Formally the Traveling Jewish Theatre, The Jewish Theatre San Francisco was founded in 1978 by performer/writer/directors Corey Fischer, Albert Greenberg and Naomi Newman who continue to share the company's artistic directorate with Helen Stoltzfus.

The impulse to found the company grew out of a shared desire to create works of theatre that, while grounded in the specifics of the Jewish experience, would be accessible to audiences of diverse backgrounds.