Eyes on Wise 12.20.18

A Blessing Before You Go
by Rabbi Sari Laufer
Facebook has already started making its year end videos, making it seem like 2019 is even closer than it is. With Christmas lights twinkling, traffic lightening, and 80 degree weather approaching—it is clear that we are in the holiday season, preparing for vacations and relaxation and the end of the year.
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Wise Welcomes Student Delegations from Israel, Lithuania
Two remarkable “twinning” programs connect Jewish kids and teens from around the world.
Through a partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Wise School and Wise Center for Youth Engagement offer not one but two amazing international exchange programs with students from around the world. Unlike any other twinning programs, the Wise CYE branch includes three cities from three countries: Tel Aviv, Los Angeles, Vilnius (TALAVI). In addition, Wise School has its own twinning program: earlier in December, Wise School hosted students from El-Harizi School in Tel Aviv; that delegation was immediately followed by teens visiting from Tel Aviv and Vilnius as part of TALAVI. Our visitors had an incredible time exploring LA’s hot spots, learning from their American counterparts, participating in Shabbat and Shabbanukkah services, and making friendships that will last a lifetime. TALAVI coordinator Andrea Gardenhour said that the teens “were blown away by Shabbanukkah: the music, our Wise clergy, the communal participation. Camp up at Wise was an amazing experience for them. They loved every second of being on the mountaintop.” Later this year, our own Wise students will have the opportunity to visit their new friends in their home countries. It’s just another amazing way that Wise makes meaning and changes the world on a truly global scale.
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Wise School’s Patty Tanner Receives Her Milken Jewish Educator Award
Mazal Tov and KolHaKavod to Wise School’s beloved Patty Tanner, who received her prestigious Milken Jewish Educator Award at their annual awards ceremony last week. As we announced back in October, Ms. Tanner was recognized by Lowell Milken Family Foundation as one of the best of the best in Jewish education worldwide. 

Celebrating Our 2018 Chai-Lights
We are counting down Wise’s top 18 Chai-Lights from 2018. Watch our social media feeds as we close out the year and remember some of our favorite moments: from the excitement of the Wise Gala to the madcap raucousness of our Purim Carnival; from our deeply inspiring High Holy Days to our meaningful work to repair the world; and from your special milestone celebrations to your amazing outpouring of support for those in need around the world. What a year! We can’t wait to make new memories with you in 2019.
Stephen Wise Temple: Facebook | Instagram
Wise School: Facebook | Instagram
Wise Center for Youth Engagement: Facebook | Instagram

This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayechi

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21
6:15 p.m. | Shabbat Services | Plotkin Chapel
Led by Student Rabbi Bryan Zive and Cantor Nathan Lam 
Watch live on Friday night: Facebook | WiseLA.org
7:30 p.m. Shabbat Dinner Q&A with Senator Robert Hertzberg
REGISTER FOR DINNER

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22
9 a.m. | Lay-led Torah Study
10 a.m. | Shabbat Morning Services
Led by Student Rabbi Bryan Zive and Cantor Nathan Lam 

NEXT WEEK

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28
6:15 p.m. | Shabbat Services
Led by Rabbi Ron Stern and Cantor Emma Lutz
Please note: there will be no pre-service nosh this week.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 29
9 a.m. | Lay-led Torah Study
10 a.m. | Shabbat Morning Services 
Led by Rabbi Sari Laufer and Cantor Emma Lutz

Learning Opportunities with Clergy
Bible Study with Rabbi Ron Stern: Monday, December 31 at 9 a.m. | Temple Conference Room
Talmud Study with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback: Classes will resume in late January
Both classes will resume in late January 2019, dates TBA.

Lunch Bunch Volunteers Help LA Family Housing
Todah Rabbah to our wonderful Lunch Bunch volunteers for another terrific afternoon of packaging sandwiches for our partners at LA Family Housing. Our group meets every other month – stay tuned for details about our next Lunch Bunch event!
Thank you: Janis Berkman, Sheryl Craig & Sara Craig Cooper, Ilene & Harry Jacobs, Diane Kabat, Candace Konowitch, Liz Koppelman, Sally Levine, Shelly Levy, Freda Moscowitz, Sheila Rosenberg, Barbara Sampson, Shirley Sniderman, Joan Spiegel, Lana Sternberg, Gail Woskow.

Wise Melton School Launches Community Connections
Wise’s award-winning Melton School is kicking off a special three-part series for parents in our Parenting and Early Childhood Centers. Get to know six Wise rabbis for Torah learning, wine, and cheese through “Community Connections,” a program specially designed for parents of little ones, based on Melton’s Foundations of Jewish Family Living: Jewish Values for Parents to Share with their Children. “I’m excited to bring this series to our Early Childhood parents,” said Melton Director Rabbi Karen Strok, “we have witnessed first-hand how this curriculum creates deeper relationships between parents, kids, and their Jewish experience.”
REGISTER HERE
LEARN MORE: CONTACT RABBI KAREN STROK

Center for Jewish Life presents
The Other Woman by Daniel Silva: An Exploration
with Rabbi David Woznica
Tuesdays: January 8, 15, 29 | 6:30–8 p.m.
Gabrielle Allon, the protagonist and spy in Daniel Silva’s novels, heads Israel’s international intelligence and only he can unravel the mystery at the center of this thrilling tale. Those who have read Silva before know how he masterfully weaves his mysteries while taking readers around the world. First-time readers are in for a treat as Allon battles a traitor inside Russia, protects one of Israel’s most valuable human assets, and grapples with British intelligence. In this class, readers will share thoughts about the characters while working together to unravel the mystery and, along the way, discovering Jewish messages communicated by the author.
REGISTER HERE

Mahj and More
Wednesday, January 9 at 1 p.m.
Wise members and guests are invited to join other Wise Women for open play: Mah Jongg, Canasta, Bridge, or any other game you’d like on the first Wednesday of each month. Groups or single players and all levels (beginners to experts) are welcome and encouraged! If you have a Mah Jongg set, please bring it along. Snacks and light refreshments served. This is a free event. RSVP required.
For more information on Canasta Lessons please contact Rachel Goldberg ([email protected], 310.889.2227).
RSVP HERE

NEW Online Class from Wise Melton School:
The Star and the Crescent: The Long Relationship of Judaism and Islam
Begins Wednesday, January 9
Jews and Muslims have coexisted, peacefully and and contentiously, for more than a millennium. This course will examine the longstanding relationship between Judaism and Islam, between Jews and Muslims, broadening our understanding and challenging our assumptions.
This class will be held exclusively online. Registrants will receive login information and details.
LEARN MORE

Tot Shabbat and Baby Playdate
Saturday, January 12
9 a.m. | Baby Playdate (12 months and younger!)
10 a.m. | Tot Shabbat Service
Gather together with our community for a festive service! Our Clergy and song leaders lead our music- and story-filled service that introduces the youngest members of our community to the joy of Shabbat. Parents and grandparents will love it too! Special for parents with newborns, we’ll have a baby playdate for an hour leading up to Tot Shabbat.
REGISTER HERE FOR BABY PLAYDATE
REGISTER HERE FOR TOT SHABBAT

Wise Melton School presents
Community Connections: A Three-Part Series for Early Childhood Parents
Tuesdays: January 15, February 12, March 12 | 7 p.m.
Get to know six Wise rabbis in our three-session series from Wise’s award-winning Melton School. This curriculum is specially designed for parents of little ones, based on Melton’s Foundations of Jewish Family Living: Jewish Values for Parents to Share with their Children.
No homework. No grades. No tests. Just wine, cheese, friends, and Torah.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER
Questions? Contact Wise Melton School Director Rabbi Karen Strok.

Lam Music and Media Center presents
Nava Tehila in Concert
Saturday, January 19 at 8 p.m.
Nava Tehila is a Jerusalem-based community for Jewish renewal, dedicating to creating musical, engaging prayer spaces where people feel comfortable to come as they are. Nava Tehila’s musical spiritual leaders generate new prayer modalities, compose new music for prayer, and train Jewish leaders, including rabbis, cantors and students, in the art of musical and innovative prayer leading. Experience a taste of this incredible group of musicians and spiritual leaders at a special performance co-sponsored by our friends at Temple Beth Am.
Tickets: $18
BUY TICKETS 

Center for Jewish Life presents
Museums with Mario
LACMA
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 | 1:30–3 p.m.
Mario will select five pieces on exhibit and drill deep into the desire for “aesthetic arrest.”
Cost (does not include admission):
$15: Stephen Wise Temple Members
$20: General Public
Museum Admission: $18: payable upon entry to the museum
Parking $15 per car
REGISTER HERE

Center for Jewish Life presents
Caring for our Elders—And Ourselves: The Status of Senior Care in our Society
with Molly Forrest
Monday, January 28, 2019, at 7:30 p.m.
The gift of aging comes with a new set of challenges that most of us will face in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. Almost all are unprepared. As our parents and others age, some are in need of care beyond what we can provide. What are the options for our loved ones to continue to stay at home? If it is their preference, is it necessarily wise for them to stay in their homes? What about home caregiving? Should we invite our elderly or infirm parents to live with us? If they are to live outside their home, how do we go about choosing the best facility for them to live out their years? What are the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing long-term care insurance policies for ourselves and our loved ones? What role do Medicare and Medicaid play in our decision?
Molly Forrest is CEO-President of the L.A. Jewish Home, the largest non-profit elderly continuing care community in the Western United States. She oversees an annual budget of $140 million that provides care to 4000 seniors. With 46 years spent in senior services, Ms. Forrest has worked in governmental and for-profit agencies and, for the last 22 years, at the L.A. Jewish Home.
$15: Stephen Wise Temple Members
$20: General Public
REGISTER HERE

Center for Tikkun Olam presents
Housing the Homeless: A Five-Part Series
Thursday, January 24 at 7:30 p.m.
Monday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 21 at 7:30 p.m.
March: TBA
How is LA housing the homeless in your neighborhood? With over 50,000 homeless citizens on the streets of Los Angeles the voters of our city and county have made the decision to get a significant number of them safely housed in the next several years. Money has been allocated and plans are underway throughout the city to develop a variety of housing alternatives. Every city council district is committed to providing units. How will these decisions effect you? Wise will host a special series to answer questions that you might have about the housing options being considered.
LEARN MORE AND RSVP

Wise School Gala: TLV > WISE 
Saturday, February 2, 2019 at 7 p.m.
Earlybird tickets to the 2019 Wise School Gala are on sale now! Join us for an incredible evening under the Tel Aviv sky as we honor Beth and Bryan Behar, Sherly and Kami Daneshgar, and Orley and Bobby Melamed. You won’t want to miss this celebration of our school and honorees, along with cocktails, dinner, DJ, silent auction, and much more! 
Save $50 per ticket by purchasing before December 31! 
BUY TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIPS

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
SKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 | 12:30 p.m.
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the first-ever retrospective about the famed associate justice and American cultural icon. It offers a visually rich, entertaining, yet rigorous look at RBG’s life and work. Woven throughout the exhibition are excerpts of briefs and other writings by RBG, including some of her most famously searing dissents. In addition, the exhibition also brings to light how her childhood, teachers and professors led her to pursue the law and be so committed to the nation’s highest ideals.
Join Wise Women for lunch, followed by a private group tour at the Skirball Cultural Center.
Cost: $36 for Wise Members, includes lunch, admission and group tour. 
This event is for Wise Members only. Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds once registered. 
RSVP HERE 

We remember with love those who died in recent days and weeks:

Joseph Frederick III, Judge Louis Marvin Kohn, Darren Neishuler, Joyce Perlstein, Edwin Praver, Leah Rosenberg

We observe the yahrzeits of:

Jack Bergman*, Ruth Bodner*, Irma Salas Burlando, Laura Chap*, Armida Salas de Castro*, Mauricio F. de Castro*, Sandra E. de Castro*, Mildred Diener*, Jerry Esten, Joseph Foster*, Irene Furlong, Lillian Gingold*, Selwyn E. Grant*, Roselle Hammer*, Bertha Hershenson*, Edith Bell Hessel*, Simmy Jacobs, Maurice Kafka, David S. Kierman*, Norman Kosoff*, Max Kretschmer*, Sidney Lokitz*, Harry Mann*, Herman Markowitz*, Mary Miller*, Bernard Neuman*, James S. Packter*, Joseph Perlstein*, Mary Rappaport*, Frieda Resch, Jack Resnick*, Sidney Ross*, Max Shore*, Albert Shumsky*, Ernest M. Silver*, Max Silverman*, Bertha Smith*, Benjamin Sniderman, George Sossin*, Nathan Strommer*, Maurice A. Witzman*

*Designated on our memorial walls

Shehechianu Moment
Do you have a milestone birthday or anniversary approaching? We’d like to celebrate your special day on the bima during Friday evening Shabbat Services! Invite your family, join your Wise community, make it a “shehechianu moment” – a time to give thanks for life, health, and the blessings that enable you to reach this great moment in your life. Let us know by emailing Arlene Spiegelman or calling 310.889.2272 and she’ll make sure to schedule a date that works for you. We’d love to share your celebration!

Mazal Tov to:
Jennifer and Jonathan Rosen on the birth of their son Dominic Rosen. Mazal Tov also to proud grandparents Barbara and Arnold Barron.

We reach out as a community and offer our support and deepest sympathy to those among us who are mourning the loss of a loved one.

Janis Neishuler-Arslan and Russell Arslan on the loss of their son Darren Neishuler.
Hattie Frederick on the loss of her father Joseph Frederick III.

We honor our loved ones, our family simchas, and our communal losses through charitable giving. To give in honor or in memory of a cherished family member or dear friend, please visit WiseLA.org/Giving.

RABBI YOSHI ZWEIBACK DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN HONOR OF:
Harolyn Sacks – Get Well Soon, by Beverley Wiener

IN MEMORY OF:
Warren Ford Ackerman, by Laurie and Carly Ackerman
Frieda Resch, by Laurie and Ron Resch & Family
 

RABBI RON STERN DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN HONOR OF:
Rabbi Stern, with our thanks for bringing meaning and joy to the wedding of Jamie Markus and Jason Leavitt, by Margie Markus and Scott Friedman
Rabbi Stern, in appreciation for officiating at the wedding of Mari Klein and Moe Griefer, by Carol and Robert Klein
Rabbi Stern, in appreciation for officiating at our wedding, by Mari Klein and Moe Griefer
Rabbi Stern, in appreciation of your extraordinary social justice work, by Diane and Jules Kabat

IN MEMORY OF:
Irma Salas Burlando, by The Hugo De Castro Family
Sandra E. De Castro, by The Hugo De Castro Family
Armida S. De Castro, by The Hugo De Castro Family
Mauricio F. De Castro, by The Hugo De Castro Family
 

CANTOR NATHAN LAM DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Irene Furlong, by Michael and Marla Kantor

WISE TIKKUN OLAM LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
IN HONOR OF:
Danny Whalen and Melissa Edelson’s upcoming wedding, by Daniel and Elene Whalen
Rabbi Stern, in honor of his 20th anniversary, and in appreciation for his officiating at the baby naming of Lucy Rose Tennenbaum, by Gail and Jack Eskenazi

SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Regina Lieberman Schonfeld, by Gloria and Art Waldinger & Family

WISE SCHOOL GENERATIONS ENDOWMENT
IN HONOR OF:
Phil Sniderman’s 2nd Bar Mitzvah, by Leon and Dorothy Stabinsky

IN MEMORY OF:
Darren Neishuler, son of Janis Neishuler-Arslan, by Janine and Rick Kolodny

AFSANEH YOUSEFZADEH MEMORIAL FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Simmy Jacobs, by David and Linda Salzman

TEMPLE ENDOWED FUND SUPPORTING ISRAEL PROGRAMS
IN MEMORY OF:
Maurice Kafka, by Stanley and Gigi Kafka

SOL AND ESTHER SMITH LIBRARY FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Bertha Smith and Arthur Lewis, by Alex, Amanda, Marcia and Mark J. Smith

We appreciate our wonderful volunteers:

Center for Jewish Life Volunteers:
Susan Firestone
Freda Moscowitz
Barbara Sampson

Nosh Volunteer:
Susan Firestone

Gift Shop Volunteers:
Terrie Baumann
Rochelle Fox
Lori Rubin
Carol Sookman

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Would you like to get involved? Check out upcoming Temple and School events. 
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