Shul on the Beach (The New Pacific Jewish Center - PJC) is a Modern Orthodox shul within a unique, new-wave community located in the Venice/Santa Monica area of Southern California. Sixty years ago, Shul on the Beach was part of a vibrant, Miami Beach-style Jewish coastal community. However, as suburbanization and the advent of air conditioning became more widespread, the community began to change.

The community had dwindled to one shul and was unable to gather a minyan.

In the late seventies, Rabbi Daniel Lapin and Michael Medved joined together to begin a revitalization campaign that had a tremendously positive effect not just on this Shul, but on literally hundreds of mostly young people seeking to raise the level of their Jewish identity.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin and Michael merged with a handful of elderly Jews who were struggling to get a morning minyan and keep the shul. Shortly after an arrangement was made between the established congregants and the new members, the morning minyan and Shabbos services were humming with young and old voices alike and what threatened to be the extinction of a historic Jewish landmark now had a new breath of life blown into it.

Over the past three-plus decades, Shul on the Beach has grown into a community with a local core of approximately 50 families and friends, plus hundreds who attend our weekly programming. Membership includes families with children of all ages, couples, singles, and many visitors. Shul on the Beach is warm and welcoming to all Jews and is known as well for its thirst for learning.

If you are visiting Southern California for any length of time, we encourage you visit us on Shabbos, or at one of our classes.