CTJ is Celebrating 100 Years!
Our Centennial is on October 17, 2025.
Centennial Event Schedule
Fun, educational, commemorative, & meaningful events throughout the 2024-25 year, leading up to our official Centennial anniversary date: October 17, 2025.
December 8:
Spoken Word event on Time, Religion, & Community with author Claire Berger, comedian Wendy Hammers, and actress/entertainer Rena Strober! Three dynamic women will entertain and delight us with readings and songs about Judaism, Community, and Time.
Rena Strober has been seen on Broadway in Les Mis, Fiddler, and more! She’s also known for multiple TV roles and animated voices. She will delight us with songs.
Claire Berger has been a comedian, improv performer and writer. She performed in the Second City Improv, was the first female standup host and worked on over 65 sitcoms, including Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, Friends, and Mad About You. She will be doing some readings from her newest book, How Much is Enough? Getting More by Living with Less. Her book will be on sale (at a discount) and she will be happy to personalize and autograph it for you.
Wendy Hammers has appeared on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Oprah, Mad About You, and in the National tour of Old Jews Telling Jokes. She will be doing a piece she wrote and moderating the event.
We’d love to see you on December 8th at CTJ at 2pm! Free for CTJ members, $5 per person for non-members.
December 27:
Help us light 100 lights! Our Centennial Hanukkah Candle Lighting will be at 5pm before Shabbat Services on December 27. Kosher Chinese food dinner & latkes! Bring your Menorah!
January 24 & 26, 2025:
The OEC will present its Time Capsule project during Shabbat services and religious school, along with celebrating Rabbi Kalev’s birthday!
February 1-15, 2025:
Help us fundraise to plant 2025 trees in Israel for our 100th year! We will have a plaque dedicated to our “CTJ Woods.” On Feb 15, instead of our normal indoor service, hike with us for Tu B’Shvat!
March 23, 2025:
We will tour all of CTJ’s previous homes & historical locations with Rabbi Mark plus expert historian & activist storyteller, Shmuel Gonzales, AKA The Barrio Boychik!
March - May, 2025:
Rabbi Kalev, Rabbi Mark, Cantor Beth, & Rachel Hershman bring their vast knowledge to our 100 Things All Jews Should Know class. Stay tuned for more info!
April, 2025:
Purchase an engraved Tile to customize and help our decorate our building with your messages!
May 30, 2025:
During Shabbat, we will honor those in service to our community, including IDF soldiers, those in the military, local politicians, and the police & fire departments.
June, 2025:
Launch of our Centennial Cookbook, “Schmaltz to Gluten Free Cookbook - 100 Recipes Spanning 100 Years!”
January 17, 2026
CTJ’s Centennial Gala! Celebrate 100 years of timeless traditions!
Look for updates on opportunities to participate in the restoration of our Czech Torah scroll and to learn from our Sofer STAM!
As we begin our centennial year…
…we take a look back at the past century full of rich CTJ history and community. CTJ received its charter from the State of California In October 1925 - which marks the genesis of 99 years of growth, challenges, resilience, and tradition that has led us to joy and honor of celebrating our centennial year throughout 2025.
Our charter signed by the Secretary of State of California, dated October 17, 1925.
Congregation Tiferes Jacob - Talmud Torah began operating in the 1880’s in Los Angeles as a Conservative synagogue which rented ballrooms for the High Holy Days (some things never change!). The congregation formally established themselves in the southern part of Los Angeles where in 1925 about 50 families purchased a building at the corner of 59th Street and Brentwood in what was already becoming a middle-class Jewish neighborhood.
The original building was replaced in 1927 with a beautiful and much larger facility that ultimately served hundreds of Jewish families.The building included two towers, each adorned with a beautiful Magen David, a Star of David, one of which remains in place to this very day.
As many members began relocating to the Westside and San Fernando Valley, the leadership decided in 1952 to sell their building to an African-American church, the Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church which exists to this day and serves the local community - with a Magen David on one tower, and a Christian Cross on the other.
By the early 1970’s CTJ continued to struggle to maintain its membership base, as many members relocated westward. This proud synagogue was forced to close its doors and cease operations in mid-1973. The trustees packed up hundreds of prayer books and Torah volumes, along with many precious Torah scrolls. It seemed that this might be the sad end of CTJ.
However, in 1976, the Manhattan Beach Jewish Havurah jumped on the little ‘wanted’ notice in the newspaper: “Have Torah - Will Travel.” The tiny classified article appeared about a waning and ostensibly closed Conservative synagogue that had lost most of its membership due to Jewish westward migration and an aging population. The trustees of the original shul were searching for a new home, and new members in the L.A. area. This cohesive South Bay group of 13 committed families lept at the opportunity to grow their Havurah group into an authentic synagogue and Jewish presence in Manhattan Beach.
The Havurah, having begun about two years earlier, charged two of its members to make a deal and to move ahead to revive the reality and blessings of Congregation Tifereth Jacob.
Our first building in Los Angeles.
The trustees put their confidence and trust in the hands of this Havurah group with the understanding that CTJ would be reestablished in Manhattan Beach, and would serve the South Bay Jewish Community as a Conservative synagogue. The prayer books (Siddurim) and Torah volumes (Chumashim), along with the Torah Scrolls were all unpacked and dusted off - and even the former CTJ’s Building Fund was transferred in trust to the new CTJ for the specific and only purpose of purchasing a new facility for this new “Beach Shul.” CTJ rented the Manhattan Heights Elementary School at 6th Street and Rowell.
Our current building… when it was a women’s health club!
In 2007, BTC, B’nai Tikvah Congregation, which was 5 miles away from CTJ, successfully merged and blended with CTJ. Due to changing demographics in Westchester and an aging building that required significant capital improvements, the synagogue sold its building and began to look for a new home. When B’nai Tikvah merged with Congregation Tifferet Jacob, the name was merged to Congregation Tikvat Jacob.
In 2012, we were blessed with yet another merger with Temple Beth Torah. A synagogue in Torrance who was looking to merge with another community. Beth Torah brought the resources and funds from the Ohren Foundation to establish the Ann and Harvey Ohren Education Center. With this merger, we officially became known as Congregation Tikvat Jacob Beth Torah!
Our growth, our strength, and our community lies within each of you. You have secured our past and now are the only guarantee we have for our future. What do you want CTJ to be in the next 100 years? Please remember each and every one of you are extremely important to us and make us who and what we are today.
As we begin our centennial year, we want to look back at our past, but also to our future. We will be spotlighting memorable moments and people who have helped shape us to be what we are today and where we hope to be in the future. We will do articles on founders, mergers, remodels and special CTJ moments and searches.
Please help us update our information as well as spotlight you in the future so please let us know who you are and how you helped shape CTJ so that you are not inadvertently missed. YOU are important to us!
We hope that you will show up and support us in many of the fun and creative events planned all year long.
Let’s make our centennial year the best year yet!