Embracing the Present, Shaping Our Future

Embracing the Present, Shaping Our Future

Deborah K.Goldfarb| Interim CEO

Richard R.Marcus, Ph.D.| Board President

איזהו חכם? הלומד מכל אדם

Eizehu Chacham? Halomed Mikol Adam

Who is wise? One who learns from every person.

As we embrace both our present and future at Jewish Long Beach, this timeless wisdom from Pirkei Avot guides us. We've been listening to you – our kehillah kedoshah (holy community) – and learning from each of your voices and experiences as we work toward our shared mission of tikkun olam (repairing the world).

Our mission stands unequivocally clear: "Guided by Jewish values and culture, we seek to inspire community by improving lives, building bridges of understanding and inclusion, and supporting the Jewish people here, in Israel, and around the world." The past sixteen months have acted as a clarifying fire, galvanizing and focusing the Jewish people. As a convening organization for Am Israel, we see both challenges and unprecedented opportunities.

We are proud of our enormous diversity and seek to embrace and amplify it. We acknowledge that antisemitism is a rising concern, heightened by the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7th, impacting not only our Jewish community but all of society. While the overwhelming majority of us hold a connection to Israel as central to what it means to be Jewish, we respect our different perspectives on how this manifests. A third of us have been targets of antisemitic hate, and many feel less safe. Yet simultaneously, we witness extraordinary growth in Jewish identification and community engagement, seeing growing joy, pride, and honor as we experience ourselves and each other.

In 2024, our Board of Directors undertook a thoughtful reflection of our strategic plan, examining our positioning to serve our Jewish community, meet our inclusive mission, and advance our vision of building and sustaining a vibrant Jewish community, while evaluating program and staffing adjustments. After careful consideration, we affirmed that our mission, vision, and strategic plan remain our guiding light, anchored by our four strategic pillars:

• Engagement Across Our Entire Community: Recognizing that our true strength lies in our beautiful diversity and unwavering inclusivity

• A Strong Central Address for Jewish Life: Serving as the heart of our community where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to learn, connect, and celebrate through energetic programming across every life stage

• Jewish Representation in the Broader Community: Fostering meaningful representation throughout Greater Long Beach through partnerships with community organizations, elected officials, and faith-based institutions

• Sustainability—Financial, Leadership, and Brand Strength: Ensuring our long-term capacity to achieve our ambitious goals

2024 brought significant achievements:

We're excited to share some wonderful developments at Jewish Long Beach.

• Opening the welcoming Linden-Baldwin Café – a vibrant new community gathering space where members can bring their laptops, connect with friends, and experience the warmth of Jewish Long Beach

• Reconfiguring our Early Childhood Education spaces to create environments even more conducive to learning and growth, fostering the next generation of Jewish leaders

• Implementing comprehensive community security enhancements, including new protocols, bulletproof front doors, and extensive work with synagogues and community organizations—a visible demonstration of our unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of our community, particularly our children

• Creating our first Jewish Community Relations Council Director position—a pivotal role that will amplify our voice in the broader community and strengthen our advocacy efforts

• Expanding meaningful conversations and partnerships with the city, local school districts, institutions of higher education, interfaith organizations, and diverse community groups

• Establishing a Senior Community Impact Director role focused on engagement and programming with community partners, paying particular attention to creating opportunities for unaffiliated members seeking connection

• Strengthening relationships with temples, synagogues, and agencies in the region to create a more vibrant and interconnected Jewish landscape

• Launching our first giving circle, the Jewish Connections Network, while diversifying our approach to fundraising through strengthened program and directed giving initiatives

Looking ahead to 2025, we're pursuing even bolder initiatives:

• Conducting an extensive search for a new CEO to lead our next chapter of growth and innovation, ensuring strong leadership for our future

• Anticipating the grand opening of our beautiful new Mary Alpert Pool & Hillinger Family Pool Deck for Memorial Day Weekend 2025—a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a community gathering place for celebrations and family activities

• Making critical program investments to create a vibrant, next-generation organization equipped to meet tomorrow's challenges and opportunities, including enhanced cultural programming and educational initiatives

• Strengthening our foundation by strategically investing in what truly matters: enriching lives, fostering understanding, and cultivating an inclusive Jewish space for all

• Growing our membership base and diversifying funding streams through innovative approaches to community engagement and philanthropic partnerships

• Expanding our reach as an inclusive, welcoming community for the 37,000 individuals living in Jewish households, while building meaningful connections with the 750,000 people residing in Greater Long Beach

• Deepening our dedication to supporting Israel and our global peoplehood by strengthening our enduring ties with Israel and providing unwavering support to Jewish communities worldwide, recognizing our shared destiny and interconnectedness

With the combined resources of the Jewish Community Foundation, programming of the Alpert Jewish Community Center, and leadership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Long Beach, we invite you to join this remarkable journey, envisioning impact across the next three to five decades.

L’Shalom

Deborah & Richard