“Let this be home,” said Temple Israel Long Beach Rabbi Scott Fox, greeting attendees at a Shabbat service on a warm Friday summer evening at a local park.
Fox encouraged people to greet one another “Shabbat Shalom,” or “peaceful Shabbat,” to someone new, explaining that Shabbat — the weekly Jewish day of rest from sunset to sunset — is about building a community of faith. Temple Israel Long Beach leaders said the summer Shabbat services are organized with the hope that more people can strengthen relationships, and leave with their souls “feeling fulfilled.”
As Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the official start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays, themes of welcoming, reflection, peace and blessings ring clear.
But with reports of rising antisemitism across California and nationwide, many faith leaders are concerned that Jewish identity and expression is being threatened — and people don’t feel as safe or welcomed in their own diverse communities, synagogues or gatherings.
Several studies show that, in the U.S., fewer Jewish Americans are active in Jewish life or feel a real sense of belonging. Southern California congregation leaders and organizations are discussing how they can better serve disconnected Jews with more programming and services, helping to engage people in their faith, culture and community.
People just want to feel like they belong to each other, leaders say.
One new study from this year is the first in seven decades that looks closely at Long Beach’s diverse, growing Jewish community. The Long Beach-Area Jewish Community Study found that, of the over 24,000 Jewish adults who live in the area, only one in 10 feel a strong sense of belonging — and one-third of those surveyed are not satisfied with their level of participation.
The study conducted in partnership with Jewish Long Beach, the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, and the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University found that 20% of Long Beach Jews belong to a congregation, and fewer (13%) are part of one in their local area.
The study also found that 67% of people ages 49 and younger are most likely to indicate they feel comfortable when more participants from diverse backgrounds attend services.
A comparable study that zooms out to Greater L.A. found that nearly half of Jewish Angelenos feel a great deal of belonging to the Jewish faith, but only 20% indicate a feeling of belonging to any Jewish community in Los Angeles.
Among Jewish adults who feel the strongest sense of belonging to an L.A. Jewish community, 33% attend programs often, and 40% attend programs “sometimes,” the study found.
Three-fourths of those who don’t feel part of a local Jewish community “never” participate in any programs — while nearly half of L.A. Jewish adults feel more welcome when seeing themselves reflected in the congregation.
Growing concerns of antisemitism in the U.S. and across Southern California play a role in people’s overall sense of belonging — especially with more reports over the past few months. Huntington Beach residents finding antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ flyers on their lawns; a Costa Mesa apartment complex spray painted with swastikas; a Reseda man with white supremacist ties who posted threatening messages to Jewish people — these incidents have made many local faith communities feel uneasy.
The Anti-Defamation League’s annual audit report showed antisemitic incidents hit the highest level ever recorded nationally, an increase of 36% from 2021 to 2022.
And in California, according to the state Department of Justice’s latest report on hate crimes, anti-Jewish hate crimes statewide increased 24.3% — from 152 in 2021, to 189 in 2022.
Eighteen percent of Jewish adults in Los Angeles experienced antisemitism in 2021, with the biggest group (32%) being adults ages 22 to 30.
Fifteen percent of Jewish adults in Long Beach experienced antisemitism in the past year, according to the Jewish Long Beach 2021 to 2022 community study.
The Southern California Jewish Security Alliance was formed in August, aiming to connect law enforcement with community leaders and organizations in hopes of combatting antisemitism.
Richard Marcus, president of Jewish Long Beach, said the “dramatic rise” in hate has led the nonprofit to strengthen its programming. With the findings from its community study, organizers launched a strategic plan to help create more inclusive programming that addresses barriers — such as fear of engagement or lack of genuine connection.
And the ways in which people express and experience their “Jewish-ness,” researchers said, are as diverse as Jewish identity.
People often have a stronger sense of belonging to the Jewish people and faith than their local Jewish community, “because the latter is a feeling, whereas the former involves action such as attending activities and getting to know people,” said Brandeis University researcher Janet Aronson.
There are many ways to participate in Jewish life, from being part of a congregation to engaging with Jewish family and friends at home, Aronson said. One way of participating is not better than the other, so long as people feel connected with Judaism in some way.
“What we hope Jewish organizations will come away with is knowing that, for some, a feeling of belonging to the community might be really important—that might be their most meaningful aspect of Jewish life,” Aronson said. “But for somebody else, it could be Jewish values.”
Sara Brown, the vice president of finances for Jewish Long Beach, said that though she is part of an interfaith family, her children were welcomed into a local Jewish preschool with open arms. She stressed the importance of individuals feeling their community’s support in a time “when hate is real.”
Brown said it’s important to show that antisemitism can be “happening in the background, and yet we can continue to still live proud, Jewish lives.”
Building strong connections, diverse community
Long Beach resident Judith Lentzner said she’s always felt a strong connection to her Jewish identity. Lentzner, 79, knows firsthand the importance of activism as a way to fight hate and ignorance. She’s been active in the Long Beach Jewish community since the day she moved to Long Beach from Phoenix in 1967.
Her late brother-in-law, Gene Lentzner, was a legendary civil rights and Jewish leader who fought against inequality and hate. He was involved through volunteer work and youth advancement programs through the California Conference for Equality and Justice.
Though the evolution of the Jewish community is “bigger and stronger” than ever before, Judith Lentzner said that volunteer work looks different from her generation. Back then, her peers had more time to dedicate to volunteering and being active in their synagogues or organizations. Now, more people are busy with work.
Lentzner noted that Jewish organizations are richer in programming, and there are more opportunities for people to get involved in education, field trips, luncheons, and recreational outings. But feeling a sense of belonging to the Jewish community is a two-way street, she said, as people need to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to them.
“You have to do your part, and the programs and the activities are there for people to participate in,” she said. “People have to come and try things, and if you don’t like the first thing, maybe you’ll like the second or third or fourth.”
Despite escalating antisemitism, Lentzner says she has found strength and fulfillment in her Jewish faith, and hopes more people can find their place in the community, too.
“My work in the Jewish community has brought me tremendous joy,” Lentzner said. “I have loved my work and the people I’ve met – Jewish and non-Jewish – through the Jewish community.”
Along with local volunteer work, other campaigns aim to appeal to younger, broader audiences. One example is JewBelong, which puts up flashy billboards and humorous advertisements that, organizers say, “confront antisemitism” and “support joyous Judaism.”
“We exist for Jewish people, for people who aren’t Jewish but are part of a Jewish community, for anyone who has felt like a Jewish outsider, and especially for Disengaged Jews (DJs for short),” JewBelong’s website reads. “That’s literally why our name/tagline is JewBelong: for when you feel you don’t!”
Rabbi Heidi Cohen is the co-founder of the Orange County-based nonprofit HaNefesh, which is a “radically inclusive Jewish community where every soul matters,” according to its website.
HaNefesh is “not your everyday synagogue” — it’s a collective of Jewish and non-Jewish people who don’t meet in a building, Cohen said. Instead, people meet online and there’s some in-person programming. The group also serves people beyond Orange County, welcoming members from everywhere.
“There are a number of people who may not be able to get out and go to a synagogue; they might be homebound for numerous reasons or live in communities where the synagogues available are not meeting their needs,” Cohen said. “We hope to be able to provide that. We are progressive and have people who come from all walks of life.”
Cohen said that the organization is also more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.
Judaism is “really quite a beautiful community. And we take great pride in that,” she said.
Back at the Temple Israel Long Beach Shabbat park service, the faithful gathered to sing, pray, light candles, and bless the challah bread at the beginning of a communal meal. Being able to “safely worship in a space with one another” meant a lot to attendee Odette Armour.
Renee Florsheim said that “people really seem to appreciate the alternative kinds of services, rather than the typical things that existed back when I was a child.”
“Here we are in a pretty place where it’s calm and it’s quiet. We’re seeing nature around us and a lot of people that we care about,” Florsheim said. “That sort of changes the mood for the days to come.”
Seth Linden, who helped organize the service, remembers growing up surrounded by Jews “who looked like me and my family — white and Ashkenazi Jews, descended from central and Eastern Europe.” He shared memories of attending Temple Israel during the High Holidays, going to Los Alamitos High School in the ’90s, and experiences with hate.
One incident involving antisemitic flyers inspired Linden and friends to create a club called Griffins with a Mission, whose goal is to fight hate.
Linden agrees that Jewish diversity is the community’s strength, and that it’s important to interact with “Jews of all hues.” He said that organizations need to prioritize and encourage diversity, especially within institutional spaces. Through Jewish Long Beach, Linden now helps organize inclusive interfaith events aimed at welcoming all people from around the area, and even from other traditions.
“We are trying to underscore and make more intentional efforts to bring in Jews of color, LGBTQ+ Jews, or at least have programming that speaks to them,” Linden said. “I feel the most sense of belonging when I’m in community… there’s just a nice sense of togetherness.”
Staff writers Victoria Ivie and Allyson Vergara contributed to this report.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Judith and Gene Lentzner’s last name.
Reporter Emily Samuels was a summer intern for the Southern California News Group in 2023, through a new fellowship opportunity for UCLA student journalists from the Daily Bruin Alumni Network.
