Z3@SAN Event Recap: Zionism Remains Central to San Diego's Jewish Community

This past weekend, Finest Community Coalition members from the Lawrence Family JCC and Congregation Beth El hosted the first annual Z3@SAN Weekend, a two-day experience that was rooted in community consensus, dialogue, and learning. 

For years, the JCC's Tapestry event has served as a cornerstone of Jewish learning in San Diego, bringing Jewish San Diegans together to explore identity, culture, and big questions about Jewish life and connection to Israel. Z3@SAN carries that same spirit forward through the globally recognized Z3 model, a framework that makes conversations about Zionism approachable, relevant, and grounded in community consensus.  

Here in San Diego, surveys and polls have shown that about 95% of Jewish San Diegans support Israel’s right to exist and support the people of Israel, or in other words, are Zionist.

The Z3 event model creates space for people to come together across perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Rather than pushing uniformity, the program celebrates unity without uniformity, emphasizing that strong communal bonds don’t require everyone to think the same way. What matters is showing up, listening, and engaging with honesty and openness. 

Z3@SAN offered two meaningful opportunities to participate: 

December 6, 2025 | Young Zionists Panel 

A dynamic conversation that featured essayists from Young Zionist Voices and emerging leaders from the San Diego community. Moderated by Jacob Leibowitz of Hillel of San Diego, this panel provided a hopeful and approachable exploration of Zionism in the 21st century grounded in authentic voices and experiences. 

December 7, 2025 | A Day of Community Dialogue & Learning 

Sunday continued the spirit of curiosity and consensus-building. Participants engaged in breakout sessions and discussions led by local and global speakers, exploring Jewish peoplehood, identity, and the evolving Israel–Diaspora relationship. Sessions were designed to foster conversation, not conformity, and encouraged participants to bring their unique perspectives to the table. 

Judaism and Israel are Inseparable  

Zionism and Judaism are highly interconnected for the overwhelming majority of Jews in San Diego. So, at a time when conversations about Israel and Zionism can feel polarizing or inaccessible, Z3@SAN offered a refreshing alternative. The event expanded avenues to engagement and connected the participants to the diverse realities of Jewish life today, and integrally, the Z3 event was rooted in the San Diego community.