Central to Los Angeles Jewish Health’s commitment to caring for seniors is ensuring residents feel heard, respected, socially engaged, and intellectually challenged. With his lively We the Seniors club, resident Jerry Davis accomplishes all this and more, providing his peers with weekly opportunities for social enrichment and dynamic topics for learning, conversation, and even healthy debate.We the Seniors began as a men’s club—a weekly gathering for male LAJH residents to share ideas and opinions about issues relevant to them and their lives. However, it quickly evolved into something larger and more inclusive.“We started with about two or three guys, but within the first two weeks, it wasn’t just a men’s club, it was for everybody!” Jerry says. “Today, we get more like 35 people, and there are twice as many women as men who participate, which I think is wonderful.”The club, which meets weekly on Saturdays in the main dining room of the Joyce Eisenberg-Keefer Medical Center, engages participants in discussions focused on a wide range of topics that interest or affect them personally.“The idea is to have a forum for seniors, led by seniors, that covers subjects they want to explore,” Jerry says. “So, for instance, we spent about four weeks talking about antisemitism and the way it’s impacting all of us in the world.”For Jerry, who turns 84 this month, the group has been a highlight of his time at LAJH, where he has spent the past two years. He and his wife of nearly six decades had been living in their home in Westlake Village when Jerry became ill and required a skilled level of daily care.“I moved into LAJH, and my wife stayed at our house, but she comes and visits just about every day,” Jerry says.The move was a positive one for Jerry, who credits the people at LAJH for making it such a hospitable environment.“Living here is great: The staff is incredibly supportive, and the other residents are very social,” he says. “I especially like the activities and the fact that, with clubs like We the Seniors, the staff is so open to helping residents turn their ideas into reality.”Jerry and his fellow club members have channeled their natural curiosity about the world into activism with impact beyond LAJH’s walls. Recently, We the Seniors invited Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield to come speak at a club meeting.“We’re excited to take action and feel like we are contributing to our community,” Jerry says. “It feels extremely rewarding to hear from people like Councilmember Blumenfield—for them to know we’re here, we have a voice, and that our opinions can help make a difference.”At the meeting, Councilmember Blumenfield answered questions on a range of national, state, and local issues and discussed a recent grant from the California Department of Health Care Services that will support the expansion of inpatient behavior health facilities at LAJH. He also presented Jerry with a certificate of recognition for his outstanding leadership in establishing We the Seniors and advocating for older adults in the community.In addition to special guest speakers, We the Seniors welcomes other visitors to its gatherings, including family members of LAJH residents.“We want everyone to know they can contribute to our discussions,” Jerry says. “We believe that, in our community, everyone should be heard.” 

This year, I stood on the bimah for the High Holy Days at Los Angeles Jewish Health’s Eisenberg Village campus for the very first time. In some ways it was new—new place, new faces, new customs to absorb. Yet the holidays didn’t feel like an introduction. Like the rest of my time at LAJH, they felt like being gathered in by a family.As Campus Rabbi, I move between three very different sacred communities that share one campus and one beating heart. I was assisted by our Chief Mission Officer, Rabbi Karen Bender, Joel Stern, and Ben Tzion Kogan.In the Newman Building, our assisted living community, we honored the familiar structure of the traditional prayers—the same Hebrew words, the same moments of whispered private prayer—while making space for each person’s unique needs and story.At Fountainview, where residents can live independently, we were able to gather for these holidays as a shared adventure. Together rabbis and residents experimented with new melodies, reflective intentions, and gentle pauses for back-and-forth conversation. Residents asked probing questions, shared memories, and helped shape services that felt both rooted and fresh.In Goldman Ziman Special Care Center, our memory care community, the High Holy Days felt the most profound. We centered on the core melodies that live on even when so much else feels uncertain: “Avinu Malkeinu,” “Unetaneh Tokef,” “Oseh Shalom.” I watched faces soften, eyes fill with tears, and lips move along to words that sometimes could no longer be spoken in everyday conversation—but were still there, held safely in the music.After Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur came the joy of Sukkot. We gathered staff in the Eisenberg Village sukkah for a staff appreciation celebration, recognizing how much we all give to make these holidays meaningful for our residents. To rejoice there—surrounded by greenery, laughter, and so many caregivers who pour their hearts into the Home—felt like stepping into the heart of this community.At Fountainview, sitting in the sukkah with residents around the dinner table, I heard stories of Sukkot from long ago, of childhood backyards and synagogue courtyards in other cities. We passed platters, made blessings, and felt the fragile walls of the sukkah holding something very strong: our shared Jewish time.What has stayed with me most from this first High Holy Day season is how fully I was welcomed—by residents and by staff across every department. To lead the Days of Awe and Sukkot here is to be reminded that holiness is not confined to a sanctuary or a sermon. It is found in a whispered “amen,” a hand gently held, a melody that unlocks a lifetime of memory, and a simple meal shared under branches open to the sky. For that privilege, and for the embrace of this community, I am deeply grateful.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30, 2025 -- AltaMed Health Services, in a partnership with Los Angeles Jewish Health (LAJH) and the Annenberg School of Nursing, recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the creation of the AltaMed Health Services School of Nursing. The school is located at AltaMed's East Los Angeles Campus. The program is designed to help meet the ongoing staffing needs for Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).AltaMed Health Services, in a partnership with Los Angeles Jewish Health and the Annenberg School of Nursing, recently launched the AltaMed Health Services School of Nursing. The program is designed to help meet the ongoing staffing needs for Licensed Vocational Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants.A nursing class of the Annenberg School of Nursing on AltaMed's East LA Campus"From the very beginning, our vision has been to build a nursing workforce from within, one that reflects the communities we serve and carries forward the AltaMed mission," said AltaMed President and CEO Cástulo de la Rocha. "Over the years, we have worked towards this vision. We aim to address the shortage of bilingual, culturally responsive nurses, and today with our partners from Los Angeles Jewish Health and the Annenberg School of Nursing, that dream has become a reality."The school's new location opened last month with plans to graduate more than 24 nurses during its first year. Serving more than 700,000 people across 60 sites in Los Angeles and Orange counties, AltaMed continues to expand access to high quality health services in the Southern California region."We are delighted to be bringing our state-of-the art nursing school to the team at AltaMed and look forward to expanding the program offerings as their needs evolve," said Dale Surowitz, President and CEO of Los Angeles Jewish Health. "Perhaps most important, this program helps to create a culture where nurses in training learn to better understand the backgrounds, language, and lived experiences of their patients and the critical role that should play in the care experience."With more than 5,700 employees, AltaMed is one of the region's largest employers, providing services to approximately 8% of the Los Angeles population. AltaMed provides comprehensive primary care, pediatrics, dental services, HIV/AIDS care, senior care, behavioral health services, pharmacy services, health education, and more."For more than five decades, AltaMed has remained steadfast in its mission to provide access to high quality health services, regardless of the ability to pay," said de la Rocha. "Our new school of nursing underscores AltaMed's commitment to improve health outcomes in the communities we serve."About Los Angeles Jewish Health: Founded in 1912, non-profit Los Angeles Jewish Health (LAJHealth) is the largest single-source provider of comprehensive senior healthcare services in the Los Angeles area, serving nearly 4,000 people each year. Thousands of seniors benefit from community-based and in-residence care and services. Programs include: Independent Living; Assisted Living; Senior Behavioral Health; Short-Term Rehabilitation; Skilled Nursing; PACE; Hospice & Palliative Care; Geriatric Health; Memory Care. In addition, LAJHealth is home to the Annenberg School of Nursing.About AltaMed Health Services:AltaMed understands that when people receive care that considers their individual health needs and respects their cultural preferences; they grow healthy—and help their families do the same. Since 1969, we have delivered complete medical services to communities across Southern California. Our team of qualified multicultural and bilingual professionals—from these same communities— is focused on eliminating barriers to primary care services, senior care programs, and essential community services. With more than 60 accredited health centers and service facilities, we remain committed and ready to help you grow healthy at any age.