- Jaspreet Johl
- (916) 335-8871
- Jaspreet.Johl@asm.ca.gov
(Sacramento, CA) – Today, Assembly Members Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and Stephen Sass, founder of the Breed Street Shul Project, hosted a press conference to announce the $14.9 million in funding to revitalize the historic Breed Street Shul (Shul) included in this year’s State Budget.
Assembly Members Santiago and Gabriel, along with Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles), Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) and other Jewish Caucus members, secured this allocation through a budget request for $14.9 million to revamp the century-old Shul.
“I am proud to have supported this budget request for the Breed Street Shul,” said Assembly Member Santiago. “The Shul began about a century ago as a place of worship and a community hub, and with this allocation, we can turn this historic building into a cultural and community center once again. This is an important investment for our Boyle Heights community.”
“The Breed Street Shul is a powerful symbol of the shared immigrant experience that connects so many communities across California,” said Assembly Member Jesse Gabriel, Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. “Transforming this historic landmark will provide us with a unique opportunity to celebrate our shared history, build bridges, and strengthen cooperation and dialogue between the Latino and Jewish communities in Los Angeles. The Jewish Caucus is proud to have partnered with our allies in the Latino Caucus to help secure funding for this important effort.”
"Today's contribution caps more than 20 years of effort to preserve and protect this American treasure,” said Senator Hertzberg. “We cannot forget all those that have been working so hard for so many years, including the critical efforts of then First Lady Hillary Clinton in 1998 and the broad coalition that I was involved in when I was Speaker of the Assembly and kept the dream alive."
“We will be forever grateful to Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, and Assemblymember Miguel Santiago, who represents the Shul’s Boyle Heights neighborhood, for their leadership and tireless efforts to allocate these critically-needed funds,” said Stephen J. Sass, Founding President of the Breed Street Shul Project. “The State’s allocation will be truly transformative in realizing our shared vision to preserve and renew these architecturally and culturally iconic historic resources to serve the Boyle Heights, Jewish, and wider communities, and build on the longstanding collaboration between Latinx and Jewish elected officials and volunteers to secure the Shul’s future.”
“I have the honor of serving as the Executive Director for the Boyle Heights YMCA,” said Brenda Hernandez. “It’s exciting to learn about the rebuilding of this historic space. It’s speaks to the beauty of the people of Los Angeles and the story of Boyle Heights history. I’m excited for this investment and for the onsite community center that will house much needed social services. I look forward to seeing this as a bridge between the communities it serves and creating more history for our children to see. It will take all of us to work together to continue to serve this wonderful community of Boyle Heights.”
For 40 years, from 1910-1950, Boyle Heights was home to one of the largest Jewish communities on the West Coast, many of whom worshipped at the Breed Street Shul. After World War II, as five freeways bisected the neighborhood, the Jewish community moved to other parts of Los Angeles. Beginning in the 1980s, the Shul suffered neglect, vandalism, earthquake damage and abandonment, rendering it unusable and in real danger of demolition. Intensive efforts, borne entirely by volunteers, have saved the Shul from the wrecking ball. This $14.9 million from the State of California will help to further revitalize the Shul and turn it into a community and cultural center for the Boyle Heights neighborhood.
Footage of the press conference can be viewed here.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance and Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Los Angeles County Homelessness. He also sits on the Assembly Committees on Public Safety, Health, Higher Education and Utilities and Energy. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.