Community News

LB Playhouse Presents

“Blues for an Alabama Sky” runs May 20 to June 17 at the Long Beach Playhouse. Playwright Pearl Cleage’s story is set in the 1930s, during the later years of the Harlem Renaissance. A time of which Cleage says, “The creative euphoria of the Harlem Renaissance has given way to the harsher realities of the Great Depression.”

The play centers on the lives of five individuals: Angel, Delia, Guy, Sam and Leland. Several well-known artists and activists from the period are invoked, including Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes and Marcus Garvey. The question is can they find what they are looking for in Harlem, or will they have to look beyond 125th Street to fulfill their dreams?

The five-member cast includes one returning actor, Alisha E. Anderson and four making their debuts, De’Sean Moore, Logan Battle, Danielle Davis and Leopold.

Tickets are available at www.lbplayhouse.org, or by calling (562) 494-1014, option 1.

‘Twelfth Night’

The merriment, love triangles, confusion, fun, mischief and a whole lot of laughter in “Twelfth Night,” one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies. In this romantic comedy, Viola and her twin brother are shipwrecked and lose each other. Viola then pretends to be a man who goes by the name of Cesario and gets a job from Duke Orsino. Orsino then tells Cesario to win Olivia for him, but Olivia falls in love with Cesario. When Sebastian comes into town, it takes the confusion to new heights.

The show runs May 26 to June 17 at the Helen Borgers Theatre, 4250 ½ Atlantic, in Bixby Knolls

Tickets only available at LBShakespeare.org.

Study Sheds Light on Jewish Issues

On Monday, May 22, Jewish Long Beach is hosting a panel discussion at the Alpert JCC to reveal the results of the first comprehensive study of the Long Beach-area Jewish community in nearly seven decades.

The study provides a dynamic understanding of who comprises the Long Beach and West Orange County area Jewish community, how they identify and where they are located. It also identifies the gaps in Jewish communal programming and services that currently exist and serve as barriers to affiliation and participation in Jewish institutions.

“This study has provided us with an encyclopedic wealth of data and information about the Long Beach-area Jewish population, which we now understand numbers nearly 40,000 in almost 20,000 households.” said Richard Marcus, Ph.D., president of Jewish Long Beach’s board of directors. “Among the surprises, for instance, was the fact that nearly 30% of Jewish people in our catchment area identify as non-white, with most Jews in traditionally marginalized constituencies reporting that existing Jewish communal infrastructure does not adequately meet their needs and interests. Our responsibility now is to use the data to help us determine how to serve the broadest possible cross-section of our Jewish community.”

In addition, one in seven of the respondents reported that they have experienced antisemitism since 2020.

The study was conducted by Brandeis University in partnership with National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Commissioned by Jewish Long Beach, it is made possible in coordination with The Jewish Federations of North America Research Benchmarking Project, with support from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and other funders.

The study will be made available to all area congregations, agencies and Jewishly-focused organizations. Jewish Long Beach hopes that this project raises the tide for every local Judaic institution in fostering identity and continuity for generations to come.

2nd & PCH

Nurture those busy minds and join in the fun at a Pop-up Kids Club Pajama Party where young explorers are encouraged to arrive dressed in their PJs for an interactive performance and meet and greets with a special guest, Wednesday, May 24, 10 a.m. to noon on the grand staircase stage. Additional activities, located on Seaport Way, include complimentary face painting, balloon twisting and crafts hosted by Able ARTS Work. Kids Club is best suited for ages 2 to 10 years, weather permitting.

Spirit Chorale of LA

The First Congregational Church of Long Beach, located at 241 Cedar Ave., presents the Spirit Chorale of Los Angeles on Sunday, June 4 at 3 p.m. in its historic sanctuary. The concert will feature music from African American composers, especially spirituals, performed by the choral ensemble directed by Byron J. Smith.

This special event is presented by First Church’s Board of Cultural Arts and all are welcome. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. and the concert will start at 3 p.m. A free-will donation will be received to support this program offered to the public. For more information, visit www.firstchurchlb.org.

Summer Concert Series

Rancho Los Alamitos presents a free 2023 Summer Concert Series on Sunday, June 4, and Sunday, August 6, 5-7 p.m. Grab low lawn chairs and a picnic and join in for a night with family and friends amid the lush historic grounds. The first performance group is Long Beach-based jazz fusion band Krooked Fingerz.

Parking for each concert is at CSULB Lot G13 and a shuttle service runs to the rancho. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

Gun Buy Back

The Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) is hosting a Gun Buy Back event on June 10 where community members can turn in their firearm(s) to receive a gift card. The event is sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s office, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at McArthur Park, 1321 E. Anaheim St.

Gift cards will be valued as follows: $50 for non-functioning firearms; $100 for handguns, rifles and shotguns; $200 for assault rifles. The value of homemade firearms, such as 3D-printed firearms, will be determined at the event.

In response to an increase in violent crime in the City of Long Beach, the LBPD has taken a multi-faceted approach to reduce gun violence in our community. This effort includes the creation of the Coordinated Response Team, ongoing efforts to seize firearms from prohibited possessors, and using a data-driven approach to strategically deploy resources in affected areas.

This Gun Buy Back event is another effort by the Police Department to reduce the number of guns in the community by giving residents an opportunity to surrender their guns anonymously. Through hosting this event and providing incentive for our community members to surrender their firearms, the department will eliminate the chance of these firearms being stolen, ending up in the hands of prohibited possessors and being used unlawfully.

Residents will drive to and enter the event with the unloaded firearm(s) in their vehicle’s trunk. Detectives will recover the firearm from the trunk of the vehicle while the resident remains in the car. Residents will then receive their gift card(s). All firearms will be placed under the possession of the Department’s Forensics Science Services Division.