Los Angeles Jewish Home CEO-President Elected as Next Chair of Leading Age California

Jun 20, 2018

(RESEDA, CA – June 20, 2018) Molly Forrest, Chief Executive Officer-President of the Los Angeles Jewish Home, has been selected as chair-elect of LeadingAge California, the state's top advocacy group for nonprofit senior living and care. Her two-year term begins July 1, 2018.

Forrest is the first leader of a Jewish home to hold this position, helming an association representing nearly 600 members statewide who together serve more than 100,000 California seniors. LeadingAge's critical work assists the state's older adults with the full continuum of care including issues related to affordable housing, continuing care retirement communities, assisted living, home- and community-based care, and skilled nursing.

"For more than half a century, LeadingAge has demonstrated an unflagging commitment to raising awareness about seniors' needs and putting them front and center on the state and national policy agenda," Forrest says. "I look forward to carrying that tradition forward as we seek to make a difference for California's rapidly expanding senior population."

That expansion – an expected 87 percent increase in California's senior population by 2030 – is resulting in unprecedented growth in the market for services. In the next two years alone (through 2020), LeadingAge projects an 80 percent increase in the demand for aging-related healthcare. "This is a challenge facing all Californians of every age," Forrest says. "Our system for providing senior care is inefficient and fragmented, and everyone pays for that. LeadingAge is playing an instrumental role in helping us think through how we as a society can finance the care our seniors deserve."

Vision and experience were vital factors in Forrest's recent elevation. "Molly's leadership on the LeadingAge board and at the Los Angeles Jewish Home propelled her to this position," says Jeannee Parker Martin, LeadingAge's President and CEO. "We are thrilled by her election."

Forrest has served on the LeadingAge board since 2009, most recently as vice chair. At the Jewish Home, she has spent over 22 years overseeing incredible growth and revitalization. The Home serves more than 4,000 seniors annually on campuses in the San Fernando Valley and on L.A.'s Westside, providing award-winning independent and assisted living, specialized memory care, short-term rehabilitative care, hospice care, and groundbreaking community-based services. To build the organization's capacity, Forrest has generated a remarkable groundswell of donor support: The Home – one of the leading senior healthcare systems in America – is on its way to completing an ambitious $265 million campaign to provide quality senior care for future generations.

A graduate of Oregon State University, Forrest is a nationally prominent advocate for equity and excellence in senior care. She frequently advises high-level figures across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors and is an in-demand guest speaker on geriatric issues for leading healthcare, eldercare, and nonprofit organizations in California and across the country. In addition, Forrest is active in a variety of community organizations, serving as past chair of the Association of Jewish Aging Services (AJAS), the California State University Northridge (CSUN) Professional Health Care Administration Committee, on the CAL-PACE Board of Directors, and on the LeadingAge CA Strategic Planning Committee. She is a recipient of the Jewish Communal Professionals of Southern California Allan J. Kassin Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement, San Fernando Valley Business Journal Health Care Leadership Award, Jewish Free Loan Association Ben & Anne Werber Communal Service Award, and an Honorary Doctorate from American Jewish University, among many others.

LeadingAge California has represented nonprofit senior living and service providers since 1961. Whether testifying at public hearings, building coalitions, visiting member communities, or engaging with elected officials, the organization actively works to create systemic change through advocacy that strengthens members' viability and supports innovations in the delivery of aging services.

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Oct 3

Furry Friends Bring Warmth and Love to Los Angeles Jewish Health

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Los Angeles Jewish Health Celebrates Largest Bar and Bat Mitzvah of Skilled Nursing Residents In Its History

Ceremony enables 10 elderly residents to explore their Jewish tradition.(RESEDA, CA – September 19, 2025) This September, 10 Los Angeles Jewish Health (LAJH) residents celebrated their bar and bat mitzvah, the largest cohort of skilled nursing residents in LAJH history to do so. The seniors, ranging in age from 76 to 98, participated in the centuries- old tradition, which is typically celebrated by 12- or 13-year-olds.Held at LAJH’s Grancell Village campus, the event drew a capacity crowd of several hundred people—friends, relatives, loved ones, and staff who came to support the seniors as they chanted in Hebrew and reflected on their Jewish roots. In addition to reading from the Torah, the residents spoke about their Jewish journeys and about the meaning of their lives over the decades.“I was born into a family that had very conservative Jewish ideas, and girls could not be batmitzvahed,” said Cherie Goodman, one of the participants. “I am proud of who I am and glad today I could enjoy that experience.” Phyllis Gottlieb, another participant, concurred. “My grandfather was a rabbi in Russia, and my father was quite religious, too,” she said. “Judaism has always been central to my upbringing and family identity. My children were bar and bat mitzvahed, and I thought, ‘Why shouldn’t I do it, too?’ They’re all proud of me, and being a bat mitzvah feels very special.”For Robert Orgen, having a bar mitzvah required overcoming significant obstacles. “Judaism means the world to me, but after my stroke, nobody had the time or patience to try to teach me Hebrew until I met with LAJH Chief Mission Officer Rabbi Bender,” he said. “I’ve wanted this more and more every day, and it has fulfilled my dream.”The residents studied with Rabbi Bender for a full year to prepare for the bar and bat mitzvah ceremony. Under her tutelage, they learned to read sacred text, lead prayers, and gain a deeper understanding regarding the significance of the day.“For most of these residents, this was their first time being called to the Torah,” Rabbi Bender said. “At LAJH, not only do we cultivate physical health, we also inspire residents to pursue their dreams and lives filled with purpose and meaning.”Once the residents had read from the Torah and completed their remarks, Ilana Springer, LAJH’s senior vice president of in-residence services, commended them on their extraordinary achievement. “Thank you for inspiring us, and for showing us that there are goals and dreams we all can reach for in our own lives,” she said. “Mazel tov, and we wish you luck in fulfilling your next dream!” Also on hand at the event was LAJH Board Chair Judy Friedman-Rudzki, who presented the new bar and bat mitzvahs with an engraved kiddush cup. The residents received photographs of themselves and a special certificate to commemorate the day, as well. Following the ceremony, residents and guests were treated to a festive reception. But before they broke bread, LAJH CEO and President Dale Surowitz expressed his admiration of the bar and bat mitzvahs’ resilience, strength, and positivity.“What you have accomplished is absolutely amazing and demonstrates to all of us that age is only a number,” he said. “You are an inspiration to all of us.”###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 our 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.