Blog

In today's fast-paced world, the quest for optimal health and fitness has become more crucial than ever.

No matter how well you think you’ve planned out your summer, leave it kids to ask the eternal question—what are we doing today? while also stating how bored they are. Well, we have a solution. For the third summer in a row, we present: Summer Vacay at the J! Summer Vacay at the J is four hours of family fun at the pool every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. starting on June 24. Our all-star team entertains children inside and outside the pool and leads games, art ...

Jewish American Heritage Month is a celebrated national effort that is recognized each May by Presidential Proclamation, a tradition that began in May 2006. JAHM provides an opportunity for people to learn about and appreciate Jewish heritage and reflect on the specific history and experiences of the American Jewish community, serving as an antidote to antisemitism. Each May, JAHM is supported by nearly 200 cultural, civic, educational, and government entities around the country who set out ...

At camp our kids are challenged and encouraged to grow every day. Every day is a day of friends and memories. 

On the occasion of Jewish Women’s History Month 2023, The Merage JCC’s Great Jewish Americans 101 is pleased to present the exhibition Michele Mattei: Jewish Women of Age, Influence and Accomplishment, curated by Roni Feinstein, art scholar and historian. 

At 87 years young, the Balboa Fun Zone in Newport Beach is going strong. It began during the Depression, in 1936, when the owner of a failing boatyard leased his land on the peninsula to businessman Al Anderson, who quickly constructed a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round on the property, thus creating the destination we know today. One of many activities people enjoy is paddling around the bay in kayaks—a fun choice introduced in 1938 by OC Jewish pioneer Allan Fainbarg. According to Allan, ...

Mount Vernon is bringing its newly produced film, George Washington and the Pursuit of Religious Freedom to the Merage Jewish Community Center on March 22.

Harry (Hebrew name Tzvi) the oldest of Chaim and Yetta Stein’s five children, was born in Austria/Poland in 1897 and immigrated to New York with his family in the early 1900s. Living on the very Jewish Hester Street, Harry met his wife, Helen (née Pheffer) and the two moved to Cleveland, where Harry was a clerk in a pawn shop and their son, Alvin, was born. It appears that sadly Alvin passed young, because by the 1940 census the Steins are living in Fullerton with their 7 year old ...

As readers of this column know, most of the early Jewish pioneers of Orange County lived in Anaheim and Santa Ana. The Mendelsons were one of the few exceptions: they lived farther south in San Juan Capistrano and were the only Jewish family for miles around. Polish immigrants Max and his wife Clara settled in the tiny mission town in 1874 with their growing family; four of their seven children had been born in Mississippi and Missouri and the remaining three would be born in Capistrano. A year ...