July 10, 2026
The threads that weave our community together
From the July/August 2026 edition of the Jewish Long Beach Chronicle
Do not separate yourself from the community.
Pirke Avot 2:4
As we settle into the rhythm of summer, I am grateful for the simple moments that happen every day on our campus. Children racing between activities at camp. Friends catching up after a workout. Families gathering at the pool. Members and neighbors who stop me to talk about what matters to them or share the joke of the day. These moments are the threads that weave our community together.
This month also brings Tisha B'Av. Jewish tradition teaches that the destruction of the Second Temple was not only the result of forces from outside our community. The rabbis tell us it was also rooted in the ways we became divided from one another. Relationships broke down. Distrust replaced understanding. The connections that sustained us weakened.
In a world where many people experience loneliness and disconnection, our tradition reminds us that gathering matters. It reminds us that communities are built through relationships, shared experiences, and the daily choice to see one another. The Alpert JCC matters because it provides a place for everyone to gather together.
At Jewish Long Beach, our purpose is to bring Jewish culture to life by creating spaces where we share in one another’s stories and where everyone feels at home in community. We believe Jewish wisdom has something meaningful to offer not only to the Jewish community but to the broader Long Beach community as well. It teaches us how to gather, how to care for one another, and how to build lives grounded in responsibility and belonging.
Our community itself reflects the many ways people experience Jewish life today. We are lifelong Jews and newcomers. We are interfaith families, Jews by choice, and people from every background and denomination. We are neighbors and friends who come together with different stories but a shared desire to connect. That diversity does not diminish who we are. It enriches us.
The Alpert JCC is where many of those connections begin. It is where children discover confidence, where families build friendships, where older adults find companionship, and where people of every faith and background encounter Jewish culture. It is a place where relationships are formed that extend well beyond our walls.
I believe the future we hope to create depends on those relationships. When we build gathering places rooted in Jewish wisdom and that reflect our shared values, we strengthen both Jewish life and the civic life of our city. We create a community where every person can find connection, purpose, and belonging.
I hope to see you on campus this summer. If you do, stop me and share your story. I'd love to hear it.
Shababt Shalom,
Erik Ludwig, PhD
Chief Executive Officer