Long Beach Stands with Israel

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 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.

Your generosity at work: JFNA’s Emergency Campaign

JFNA has set a goal of $500 million to be raised for immediate emergency essentials and the evolving long-term needs. These agencies will benefit from JFNA’s campaign to support Israel’s Operation Swords of Iron and Israelis affected by War.

FIRST-RESPONDERS

Magen David Adom. Paramedics and first-responders, blood service. Emergency Volunteer Project (EVP). Recruits and trains American firefighters, medical professionals, and other personnel to be deployed in Israel during emergencies.

HOSPITALS

Soroka Medical Center. The only major medical center in southern Israel. Barzilai Medical Center. Located approximately 10km from Gaza, Barzilai has suffered multiple rocket attacks, including this week.

FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES & VICTIMS OF TERROR

The Jewish Agency for Israel. The Jewish Agency for Israel’s Fund for Victims of Terror is providing immediate, critical financial aid to victims and their families.

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Ethiopian National Project. The Ethiopian National Project (ENP) was established to ensure the full and successful integration of the Ethiopian Jewish community into Israeli society. During times of emergency ENP has a proven record of being the most effective provider of services to the Ethiopian Israeli community.

JDC. The American Joint Distribution Committee is caring for those who have no-one else to turn to – vulnerable seniors, people with disabilities, children and young adults at risk, families in financial distress, and the unemployed.

OTHER PARTNERS

We are grateful that the following organizations that have joined us and JFNA in a unified campaign effort, or who are mounting their own initiatives:

Chabad Israel Emergency Relief Fund: Supporting Bereaved Families; Hostages; the Injured; the IDF; the South Jewish Community Center Association (JCCA): Participating through the JFNA Operation Swords of Iron Israel Emergency Campaign

JNF-USA’s Israel Resilience Campaign: Firefighting resources, emergency equipment, and daily essentials.

Hadassah Crisis Fund: Support for urgently needed purchase of medical supplies, essential equipment, and other indispensable devices for healing and saving the lives of some of Israel’s most severely injured victims.

Friends of IDF (Israel Defense Forces)

Union of Reform Judaism (URJ): Participating through the JFNA Operation Swords of Iron Israel Emergency Campaign

Prizmah: Participating through the JFNA Operation Swords of Iron Israel Emergency Campaign

United Synagogues of Conservative Judaism (USCJ): Participating through the JFNA Operation Swords of Iron Israel Emergency Campaign

National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW): Participating through the JFNA Operation Swords of Iron Israel Emergency Campaign

Network of Jewish Human Services Agencies (JFCS): Participating through the JFNA Operation Swords of Iron Israel Emergency Campaign