ISRAEL
CONVERSATIONS
Long Beach Stands with Israel Jewish Long Beach & Alpert JCC
When war broke out in Israel in October, Jewish Long Beach mobilized swiftly and intentionally. Immediately, an emergency fundraiser was launched by Jewish Federations of North America, and at the time of this writing has raised over $111,000 from Long Beach and over $388 million has been pledged nationally across the Federation system. Please see page 7 for a more detailed list of agencies on the ground that will benefit from the funds raised in Israel’s hour of need. That same week, on Tuesday, Oct 10, over 500 community members came together at the Alpert JCC (and another 100+ on Facebook Live) for a vigil in a deeply moving display of solidarity for those murdered, missing, wounded, and bereaved. We are especially grateful to those elected
officials who attended, including Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, State Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, State Senator Lena Gonzalez, and Sunny Zia of the LBCC Board of Trustees. As we face this unspeakable tragedy, we are reminded of the strength of community solidarity. We encourage all community members to join us in support of Israel in any way you can. Advocate for Israel by urging elected officials at the local, state and federal level to publicly support Israel, and express support for those who have done so. Jewish Family Children’s Service of Long Beach & West Orange County has launched the Healing Beyond Borders support group for those affected emotionally by this crisis and are seeking support. Jewish Long Beach has taken
From L-R Dr. Richard Marcus, Sunny Zia, Josh Lowenthal, Deborah Goldbarb, Sen. Lena Gonzalez, Mayor Rex Richardson, Rabbi Abba Perelmuter
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NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2023
additional safety and security measures amid rising concerns of antisemitism related to the war. Community Security Director Meredith Burke has been working closely with local law enforcement, to whom we express our gratitude. We urge our community to stay alert and notify us immediately of any antisemitic instances you may witness. Jewish Long Beach will continue to keep our community informed as the situation develops. Please visit jewishlongbeach.org to subscribe to our emails for the most up to date information. Disclaimer: This information reflects the situation at the time of publication (Oct 2023). Jewish Long Beach will continue to update the community via email and in future Chronicle editions as the situation develops.
Beach Hillel Exec. Dir. ChayaLeah Sufrin addresses vigil Cantor Judy Sofer leading Oseh Shalom
