Wise Gala 2023 Midor L’Dor Award: Sussan Shore and Alexsondra Fixmer
Alexsondra (Alex) Fixmer and her mother Sussan Shore truly embody the Wise value of passing Torah from generation to generation. Both have served on the temple Board and dedicated years of service to Stephen Wise Temple and Schools, and are thus fitting recipients of this year’s Midor L’Dor Award.
Sussan and her husband Michael have been members of Stephen Wise Temple for 50 years. Their three daughters all attended Wise Schools from nursery to middle school, and two of her five grandchildren now attend Wise School. As a child of Holocaust survivors, Sussan has been deeply committed to the temple and to the importance of Jewish education. Sussan has been involved in development projects for the temple for the past 40 years, including lecturing at several seminars hosted by Wise. She is currently co-chair of the Legacy Giving Committee, and served as a temple Board member for 15 years, stepping down with pride in 2018, knowing that her daughter Alex Fixmer would now make her own mark as an active Board member.
Sussan enjoys volunteering her time as a member of the Legal Advisory Committee for the Jewish Community Foundation and as a member of the Probate Volunteer Panel for the Los Angeles Superior Court, providing representation for those LA citizens who are unable to advocate for themselves.
Sussan is the managing director of the law firm Weinstock Manion. For over 46 years, she has helped clients fulfill their goals to care for their families, meet charitable giving objectives, and reduce estate taxes. Sussan is a certified specialist in Probate, Estate Planning, and Trust Law by the California Board of Legal Specialization. She taught Estate Planning at UCLA Extension for more than 30 years, earning the coveted “Distinguished Instructor” award in 2008. Sussan also frequently lectures at estate planning institutes and has authored technical publications on estate planning strategies. Super Lawyers® has named Sussan one of the “Top 50 Women Southern California Super Lawyers” since 2005 and as one of the “Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers” since 2009.
Alex has followed in her mother’s footsteps not only as an attorney, but also when it comes to a life of service to Wise and the wider community. She currently serves on the temple’s Board of Directors, where she is a member of the Executive, Governance (Vice Chair), Nominating, Revenue Modeling, Diversity and Inclusion, and Community Outreach committees, and chairs Wise School’s Educational Advisory committee.
Along with being a sharp legal mind, an enthusiastic temple leader, a wife to husband Andy, and mother to Wise School students Isabella and Jonathan, Alex also serves on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Children’s Rights, an organization aimed at protecting the rights of children in poverty and those overcoming abuse and neglect by delivering free legal services, supportive programs, and systemic solutions. Through this organization and Public Counsel Los Angeles, Alex provides pro bono legal representation and advocacy services to parents adopting children in the foster care system and helps families navigate the legal system to receive the specialized services and financial support to which they are entitled.
Alex is Assistant Chief Counsel for The Walt Disney Company, responsible for the legal function globally for the technology and business development teams behind Disney’s streaming products, all domestic and international television broadcasts, cable networks, and radio stations.