Robert Brennan
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Popcorn, Pickles and a Red Carpet Are Coming to the Alpert JCC for the Long Beach Jewish Film & Arts Festival |
Ray Alpert Jewish Community Center turns into Long Beach's coziest movie house |
This is no first-time pop-up. Presented by Jewish Long Beach, the festival takes place on a campus that has long served as a gathering space for people of all backgrounds
The festival isn't a religious holiday. It's a cultural open house that gives everyone a look into the Jewish experience, and it works as a bridge between the Jewish community and its neighbors of every faith across Long Beach and West Orange County.
The festival runs November 12 through 19, and every film screens in the Lipeles Auditorium unless otherwise noted. The full schedule, tickets and passes are on the festival page at jewishlongbeach.org.
The red carpet is being rolled out in Long Beach
The festival opens in style on Thursday, November 12. Premiere Night starts with a red-carpet reception, complete with gourmet popcorn and a candy bar, live music from Jazz Angels, drinks and desserts. Bring a sense of humor and maybe a tissue or two.
Cocktails first, then a grumpy old man and a family reunion on Saturday
Saturday, November 14, opens with a cocktail reception, light refreshments and music. First on screen is Beshert, a short film about an unlikely friendship between a grumpy old man in a Leeds care home and a reluctant bar mitzvah boy.
Right behind it comes the feature, Hola Chau, a comedy-drama in Spanish and Hebrew with English subtitles. A dysfunctional Argentine Jewish family reunites in Israel after ten years apart, and anyone who has survived a family reunion will feel seen.
A resistance fighter's past, bounce houses and klezmer rock fill Sunday, November 15
Sunday packs the most into one day, so plan to stay a while. It starts with Soda, a Hebrew-language drama about a seamstress whose past as a resistance fighter stirs up rising tensions in her community. After the film, a reception area with refreshments and drinks spills out into the Lipeles Courtyard.
Then the kids take over. Free Family Fun Day brings bounce houses, snacks and sensory activities to the Falk Playground, and the kids will sleep well that night.
The day wraps up with a family-friendly concert by Mostly Kosher, the acclaimed klezmer-rock band. Wear shoes you can dance in. The concert takes its own ticket, available through the festival page.
Jerusalem '67 turns textbook history into three human stories on Tuesday
On Tuesday, November 17, Jerusalem '67 follows three lives in Jerusalem changed by the Six-Day War. This English-language drama takes a chapter most of us know from textbooks and tells it through the people who lived it.
Make pickles, then take a trip to the Catskills on closing night
The festival closes Thursday, November 19, on a briny high note. The closing reception doubles as a hands-on pickle-making workshop, with light refreshments and drinks.
Then comes We Met at Grossinger's, a nostalgic documentary about Grossinger's Resort in the Catskills. The festival saved a tasty one for last.
Grab your seat with a Festival Pass or single tickets
Receptions come with your ticket, except for the Mostly Kosher concert. A Festival Pass covers every event, with drinks at every reception, preferred seating and skip-the-line VIP access. College students get in free with a valid ID.
Passes, single tickets and member pricing are on the ticket page. For questions, contact Dana Schneider-Chanzit below.
Want to be a star? Sponsor the festival
Here's your chance to see your name in lights, or at least on the festival's thank-you list. The sponsorship levels carry fittingly Hollywood names: Patron, Star, Producer and Title. Depending on the level, sponsors receive Festival Passes, gourmet popcorn and treats, unlimited drinks at receptions and a special gift.
Every sponsor also gets discounted preferred seating and a ride from the Alpert JCC to the Yiddish production of "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Ahmanson Theatre in February. The levels are listed in the Tickets & Sponsorship section of the festival page. For sponsorship questions, contact Kevin Giser below.
So bring a friend, bring the kids on Sunday, and bring an appetite on closing night. See you on the red carpet.
Festival contacts and details
Dates: November 12 through 19, 2026
Festival questions: Dana Schneider-Chanzit, Director of Jewish Life & Culture
Festival questions: Susan Paletz, Chief Program Officer
Sponsorships: Kevin Giser, Chief Operating Officer |
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