Welcome to JLife SGPV – A brand new monthly magazine that highlights Jewish life in the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.
Home to nearly 45,000 Jewish people, our area’s Jewish community has a rich and dynamic history. We have so much to be proud of!
Since the mid-1800’s, Jews have been represented in these valleys. Jacob Weil, a German-Jewish immigrant, settled in El Monte in 1851 and is considered our first Jewish resident. The first decade of the 20th century saw the formation of a women’s aid group championed by Jewish women in Pasadena to help Jews in need. City of Hope was founded in 1913 by the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association. And, starting in the 1930s and 40s, Baldwin Park, Arcadia, and Monterey Park (among many others), were settled by Jewish chicken farmers; there was an era of egg and chicken farming!
Our Jewish community has been an integral part of the fabric of life in these valleys for well over a hundred years. And, today, our local synagogues, Jewish schools, and the Jewish Federation are actively building on our proud history.
Today, our valleys are the only community west of the Mississippi with a Jewish Youth Orchestra. We offer families (and grandparents!) free Jewish children’s books delivered to your home with PJ Library and PJ Our Way. Our local clergy and educators provide incredible opportunities for all ages, to engage with our shared history and consider the application of our rich heritage in contemporary life. And, through our Jewish Counseling and Referral Network, the Jewish Federation is positioned to connect you and your loved ones to support and resources if ever the need arises.
Our programs and community organizations provide a rich series of engagement opportunities for those looking to find a place within the Jewish community of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. At the Jewish Federation, our mission is to strengthen and enhance Jewish life. In helping to bring JLife to the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, we aim to bring our broad, geographically diverse community together and showcase all the programs and opportunities our community has to offer.
Be it an important initiative on a local ballot, an issue affecting your kids in school, an exciting new restaurant, or a meaningful volunteer opportunity, share it with us and your community here. Whether you attend Shabbat services, join us for a play or musical performance, enroll your child or grandchild in PJ Library or PJ Our Way, we encourage you to explore and engage in the myriad of different ways you can connect and experience Jewish life in our valleys. Together let us continue to build on our history and continue to enhance our vibrant local Jewish community.
Jason Moss is the Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. He can be reached at jmoss@jewishsgpv.org.
