When
Samuel Heller visited
Long Beach in 1898 and decided to bring his Jewish family here, little
did he
know that over 100 years later the Jewish Community would be a thriving
part of
the philanthropic landscape.
B’nai B’rith Lodge 870, the
first permanent Jewish organization, was established after World War I.Temple
Israel a Reform congregation, was established in
1923.
The Conservative congregation, Temple Sinai
was founded in 1924.
Jewish Welfare Fund
campaigns, the predecessor to the Jewish Federation, began in 1929. The
Jewish
Federation of Greater Long Beach & West Orange County was
established in
1947 as the Jewish Community Council and formally incorporated in 1948
with Irv
Schneider as the 1st president.
In the same year the Jewish Community Center was established with Sam
Leddel as its first president, followed by the dedication of the
Center’s first
building in 1960.
Since 1960, the Long
Beach Jewish community has grown from approximately 6,000 to nearly
20,000 and
the Greater Long Beach area has become a thriving metropolis. In
recognition of
the growing needs of the community, a campaign to build a new Jewish
Community
campus was launched in the 1990’s. Today,
the Federation’s Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Community Campus is
home to
the 80,000 square foot Barbara and Ray Alpert Jewish Community Center,
Jewish
Federation of Greater Long Beach & West Orange County, Jewish
Family and
Children’s Service, Jewish Community Foundation and Long Beach Hillel.
Over
20,000 people participate in activities in the building on a yearly
basis and
numerous community groups utilize the facility and collaborate with our
campus
organizations including the Long Beach Police Department, the
California State
University Long Beach School of Social Work, the Long Beach End Abuse
Council,
the National Council Jewish Women, the Long Beach Unified School
District,
local Hadassah chapters, Westerly School, the Hebrew Academy and local
synagogues.
Today, the work of the
Jewish Federation continues the Jewish tradition of taking care of
people in
need- a tradition that goes back over four thousand years. We
provide central planning, coordinating,
and fundraising for local and international agencies that offer a broad
range
of humanitarian programs delivered through our partner
agencies.
To learn more about the
Jewish Federation today, please visit the About Us section.
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