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Make Welcome Happen
by Rabbi Sari Laufer

Bob Dylan’s most recognizable Biblical connection is probably the beginning of Highway 61, Revisited—where he reimagines the dialogue between Abraham and Isaac on their way up the mountain, dialogue that we read again this week in Parashat VaYera. But the words that have been going through my head, thinking of this portion and some of the work that we are doing here at Wise, is the refrain from another song: Come in, she said, I’ll give you shelter from the storm.
 

Welcoming Families of All Kinds for Shabbat

There is a well known Jewish folktale about a young child sitting in services. Too young to read the prayers, or even know all the words to the songs, the child sits there, reciting the alef-bet over and over. Frustrated with the noise and the distractions, other worshipers complain to the rabbi. The rabbi hears their frustrations and asks the child what they are trying to do. Are you trying to be disruptive, the rabbi asks. Do you want to be disrespectful? No, says the child—I want to pray, to sing, and participate like everyone else. But the alef-bet is all I know, so I hoped that if I said that, God would understand and turn it into prayers.

At Wise, we want children to feel at home in worship services; we want them to learn how to pray, to experience what it means to sit in a sacred space, what it means to create a sacred community, and what it means to be in conversation with the Divine through prayer and music. We cannot expect a new generation of shulmenschen (Yiddish for synagogue-goers) if we do not make space for them to learn how to be in synagogue.

Over the High Holy Days, you may have noticed some new language in our program guide; you will also see it in the pews on Shabbat. Geared at young children, their parents, and worshippers of all ages, these words were a first step in creating a worship experience for everyone, inclusive of children and their families, but also meaningful for those who are seeking a more solemn prayer experience. Over the next weeks, and moving forward, you might notice some other changes—not in the way we pray or the behavior we expect in our prayer spaces, but in the way we welcome children and their families. 

Intentionally or not, many communities send the message that children do not belong in the room when people are praying. We want to send the opposite message, and so beginning this Friday night, November 15, we will no longer have dedicated, separate childcare during Shabbat services. Instead, we hope that children will sit with their families, singing, listening, and learning. We will have age-appropriate quiet books and toys available during services as additional tools to help our youngest worshippers connect with the experience. And, we will continue to rely on parents to help their children by modeling appropriate behavior, including stepping outside of the room with them if they need a break.

Each of us can “make welcome happen.” We all have a role to play in creating an atmosphere in which families with children feel comfortable in our regular Kabbalat Shabbat services, while also maintaining a prayerful/spiritual experience for all shul-goers. Thank you for helping us make Wise a spiritual home for all seekers, regardless of age!
 
 

Jonathan Ornstein of JCC Krakow to Speak at Soulful Shabbat Service
Friday, November 15 | 8 p.m. 

Since its opening in April 2008 by HRH, The Prince of Wales, Jonathan Ornstein has served as the Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center of Krakow, an organization devoted to rebuilding Jewish life in Krakow. The JCC boasts over 750 Jewish members, welcomes 10,000 visitors a month and has become one of Poland’s most visible signs of Jewish revival. At Soulful Shabbat services, Wise will welcome Jonathan, who will address the rebirth of Jewish life in Poland and why it matters, focusing on JCC Krakow’s role in rebuilding Jewish life down the road from Auschwitz.

READ MORE ABOUT JONATHAN
 

Soulful Shabbat and Yo-neg Celebrating Rabbi Yoshi’s 50th Birthday
Friday, November 15  
6:30 p.m. | Dinner
8 p.m. | Shabbat Service

We will welcome special guest speaker Jonathan Ornstein, Executive Director of JCC Krakow. After services, join your community for a special Yo-neg dessert reception in celebration of Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback’s 50th birthday. Have a slice of cake with us!
 

Champions for Life Wheelchair Basketball Exhibition and Experience
Sunday, November 17 | 1:30 p.m. | Katz Family Pavilion

Meet incredible athletes from Israel and learn about the important work of ISCD, which provides hope for 2,500 children and adults with disabilities. This exhibition featuring athletes Asael Shabo and Ido Shkuri will showcase dynamic athleticism and teach all about the inspiring programs and mission of ISCD.
Learn more at AFISCD.org.
 

Wise School Students vs. Faculty Basketball Game
Sunday, November 17 | 3:30 p.m. | Katz Family Pavilion

Cheer on our Wise School students in the 2nd annual Students vs. Faculty Basketball Game benefiting Israel Sport Center for the Disabled! Our Wildcats will team up and try to do their best against the fierce faculty and staff of Wise School, all in an effort to raise money for our partners at ISCD to purchase new high-performance wheelchairs for their incredible athletes.

 
 

Z3 Conference for Next Generation Zionism—Registration Now Open!

Wise’s Z3 Conference is an opportunity for thinkers and doers, movers and shakers to gather together to gain a deeper understanding of how we can speak to each other across our ideological divides when it comes to Israel and its position in today’s world. Our panelists will come from far and wide to participate in lively discussions of Israel’s culture, technology, politics, and media. With many more to be announced, Wise will welcome Gidi Grinstein, founder of The Reut Group; Yehuda Kurtzer and Chaya Gilboa of Shalom Hartman Institute; and Jodi Rudoren of Forward. For a full current lineup visit our web site.
 
 

This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayeira

Friday, November 15
6:15 p.m. | Shabbat Services | Plotkin Chapel
Led by Rabbi Josh Knobel and Cantor Emma Lutz
8 p.m. |  Soulful Shabbat and Yo-neg Celebrating Rabbi Yoshi’s 50th Birthday  | Sanctuary
Led by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback, Cantor Nathan Lam, and Cantor Emma Lutz
Thank you to our caterers Cornucopia and Volare for donating refreshments at our Grand Yo-neg!
Watch live on Friday night: Facebook | WiseLA.org

Saturday, November 16
9 a.m. | Lay-led Torah Study | Chapel Study
10 a.m. | Shabbat Morning Services (B’nai Mitzvah Celebration) | Sanctuary
Led by Rabbi Josh Knobel and Cantor Nathan Lam

Monday, November 18
9 a.m. | Bible Study with Rabbi Ron Stern | Conference Room

Wednesday, November 20
12 p.m. | Talmud Study with Cantor Emma Lutz | Udko Annex

Friday, November 22
6:15 p.m. | Shabbat Services | Plotkin Chapel
Led by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback, Rabbi David Woznica, and Cantor Nathan Lam

Saturday, November 23
9 a.m. | Lay-led Torah Study | Chapel Study
10 a.m. | Shabbat Morning Services (B’nai Mitzvah Celebration) | Sanctuary
Led by Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Cantor Nathan Lam
 
 

Cantors Assembly Trip to Italy with Rabbi Yoshi and Cantor Lam
Rome | Florence | Venice: June  22 – July 2, 2020

Following his incredible concert at the Great Synagogue of Rome, Cantor Nathan Lam and the Cantors Assembly are proud to announce a musical journey through Italy in the spring of 2020. Join Rabbi Yoshi, Cantor Lam, and the many voices of the Cantors Assembly for a magical excursion to Rome, Florence, and Venice.
Last Summer, Cantor Lam prepared for this exciting journey by coordinating a special concert that celebrated 25 years of diplomatic relations between Vatican City and Israel, held at the Great Synagogue of Rome.

WATCH THE VIDEO
CONTACT OUR CLERGY OFFICE
 
 

Wise Women presents
Mahj & More
1-5 p.m.
Tuesday, November 19
Wednesday, December 4
Tuesday, December 17

Members and guests are invited to join other Wise Women every month for open play Mah Jongg, Canasta, Bridge, or any other game you’d like. Groups or single players and all levels (beginners to experts) welcome and encouraged! If you have a Mah Jongg set, please bring it along. Snacks and light refreshments will be served.

This is a free event for members and guests, RSVPs are kindly requested. Please note game lessons will not be provided.

 

Wise Years
PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE: Thursday, November 21
10 a.m. | Registration Begins | Plotkin Chapel
10:30 a.m. | Program Begins

Southern California-based journalist and writer, Nancie Clare, will discuss her book, The Battle for Beverly Hills: A City’s Independence and the Birth of Celebrity Politics, that tells a fascinating episode of local history. Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, co-founder of Chai Village LA, and co-author of Getting Good at Getting Older, will share her perspective on how might new Jewish rituals for a new age not only transform individuals but also our community and its views about growing older. Film: Monsieur Lazhar, Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominee, tells the poignant story of a Montreal middle school class shaken by the death of their well-liked teacher.

 

Center for Youth Engagement presents
WTY Battle Royal
Sunday, November 24 | 6 p,m,

Join WTY for a laser tag showdown on campus. Wise Temple Youth grades 8-12 are invited to join!

 

Wise Jams
Tuesday, November 26 | 7:30 p.m.

Please join us for a night of music at Wise Jams with Rabbi Yoshi, David Kates, and fellow musicians from the Wise community. Are you an ace on the bass? Get your kicks on the sticks? Bring your axe, your sax, your vox, and your chops. We’ll supply the mics, amps, sheet music, and a rockin’ good time!

 

Wise Women presents
Pre-Event Reception for Here All Along: Sarah Hurwitz
Monday, December 2 | 6:15 p.m.

Join Wise Women for a light wine and cheese reception before our Center for Jewish Life presents Sarah Hurwitz, author and former White House speechwriter. This event is free for women who are members of Stephen Wise Temple and $18 for guests.

 

Center for Jewish Life presents
Here All Along with Sara Hurwitz
Monday, December 2 | 7:30 p.m.

From 2009 to 2017 Sarah Hurwitz served as a White House speechwriter, first for President Barack Obama and then as the chief speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. Hurwitz worked with Mrs. Obama to craft a number of widely acclaimed addresses including her 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Convention speeches. Sarah was also chief speechwriter for Senator Hillary Clinton from early 2007 until her concession in 2008.

At the age of 36, Sarah took an introductory class on Judaism, attending on a whim. On the road, she found beauty in the rituals, guidance on living an ethical life, a deeper understanding of God—well beyond anything she had learned in Hebrew school. This initiated a multi-year journey meeting with rabbis, attending meditation retreats, sitting at Shabbat tables of Orthodox families, and the reading of many books on Judaism.

 

Forty Years After: The Los Angeles Persian Jewish Community
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Dr. Saba Soomekh
Identity  |  Wednesday, December 4, 2019  |  7:30 p.m.
Sexuality  |  Wednesday, January 8, 2020  |  7:30 p.m.
Culture |  Wednesday, February 19, 2020  |  7:30 p.m.

The impact of the revolution in Iran in 1979 goes well beyond the Middle East and few communities in the United States have felt that impact more than Los Angeles. The Jewish community has been forever changed by the immigration of tens of thousands of Persian Jews over the past four decades. The influence has been mutual—both communities have been transformed in exciting ways because of these larger forces.

This series explores the mutual impact of the Persian Jewish community, the broader Los Angeles Jewish community, and the City of Los Angeles.

 

Save the Date!
YAD Hanukkah Celebration
Thursday, December 5 | 7 p.m.

Festival food, festival fun! Join us for some holiday faves while schmoozing and getting ready to light those #WiseLights.

 

Two Extraordinary Stories:
Izzy Ezagui and Daniel Sahalo
in Dialogue with Rabbi David Woznica
Monday, December 9 | 7:30 p.m.

Izzy Ezagui is the only one-armed special forces sharpshooter in the world. Born in the United States, he emigrated to Israel at age 19 to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. In 2009, he sustained serious injuries in a mortar attack, losing his left arm above the elbow. He had been left-handed. After months of recovery and rehabilitation, Izzy weaned himself off heavy painkillers, got back into shape, and returned to active duty in the IDF. After military service he returned to the United States to pursue an acting career.

Daniel Sahalo was four years old when his family fled the famine and political instability of Ethiopia. For eight weeks they walked toward the border of Sudan. Barefoot and traveling only in the darkness of night, they faced gangs of thieves, starvation, bitter cold, and wild animals. Tragically, Daniel’s 23 year old sister and her toddler daughter did not survive. Ultimately the family was flown to Israel. Daniel enlisted in the prestigious IDF paratroopers 101 combat battalion.

 

Museums with Mario — The Hammer Museum
Lari Pittman Retrospective
Wednesday, December 11 | 11 a.m.

The first large-scale retrospective of this prolific Los Angeles painter and long-revered teacher is a feast for the eyes.


Parking: $7 for three hours with validation

 

URJ Biennial
Chicago | December 11-15, 2019

Join your Wise clergy, staff, and lay leaders as together we connect with thousands of Reform Jews from across North America and around the world to learn, pray, share ideas, dance, and sing. The list of inspiring speakers includes author and President Obama’s speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz (an upcoming Center for Jewish Life guest), URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Rabbi David Saperstein, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jodi Kantor, and many, many more!

 

Wise Years
Thursday, December 12 | Plotkin Chapel
10 a.m. | Registration Begins
10:30 a.m. | Program Begins

Dream a World Education’s Founder and Executive Director, Bunny Hull, and the first Social Action Director for Stephen Wise Temple who serves as the Foundation’s Board President​​, Diane Kabat, will discuss the work of Dream a World Education and showcase their Emmy nominated documentary short film, The Ripple Effect, which examines the struggle to keep arts alive for inner city children and reveals the power of arts education to educate the heart and impact schools and communities and the lives of those living in poverty.
Sandy Banks, Senior Fellow at the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy,​​​​​​ will share how she came to realize that her profession had shaped her in ways that could not be undone: a look at the blessings and burdens of the writing life.
Film: Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, tells the story of Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911), a penniless immigrant who arrived in the U.S. during the Civil War. 

 

Soulful Shabbat
Friday, December 13  
6:30 p.m. | Dinner
8 p.m. | Shabbat Service

Our unique musical service is one of Wise’s most popular traditions that creates a spiritual evening featuring the rhythms and melodies our members have come to love.

 

Taste of Hanukkah Play Date
Sunday, December 15 | 9:30 a.m. | Wise Woods

Join us for breakfast and a morning of family fun with special guest Bubblemania. We will have indoor art projects and activities. This is a great opportunity to get to know some of our Wise School Early Childhood educators and families. 
Recommended for children up to age 5.

 

WTY Hanukkah Party
Sunday, December 15 | 6 p.m. | Katz Pavilion 

Join Wise Temple Youth for a night filled with latkes and laughter! All Wise Temple Youth grades 8-12 are invited. 

 

Wise Women presents
Rosh Hodesh Women’s Gathering
Thursday, December 17 | 9 a.m.

 

Tot Shabbat
Saturday, January 11
10 a.m. | Wise Woods

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!
 
 

American Jewish Committee Los Angeles presents
Ira E. Yellin Community Leadership Award Celebration
Sunday, November 24 | 1 p.m. | Stephen Wise Temple

Wise members Julie and Steve Bram will be presented with the Ira E. Yellin Community Leadership Award by AJC at a special brunch reception. This distinguished award salutes the accomplishments of Los Angeles outstanding leaders from all walks of life: civic, community, business and political, who have made Los Angeles a better place.
 
 

We remember with love those who died in recent days and weeks:
Joseph Mandell Goldsher, Margot Lipshitz, Esther Popik, Touran Talei, Beverly Zisner

We observe the yahrzeits of:
Eduard Bergher*, Rubin Bird, Trudy Bird, Benjamin Blatt*, Frances Brown, Seymour Brown, Isadore Federgreen*, Samuel Flatow*, Sanford Jay Fleisher*, Marcia Fox, Ester Friedmann*, Shirley H. (Sherry) Goldenfeld, Herman Gordon*, Robert Henry Greenwald*, Donald L. Gursey*, Ethel Horowitz, Jacob Horowitz, Rachel Joelson, Ruth Joseph, Sylvia Kantor*, Louis Klein*, Louis A. Klene*, Karen Ellen Korngute*, Betty Kramer*, Anna Kuznitsky*, Goldie Levin*, Claire Lipton*, Barnett Love, Lottie Lowitz*, Paul Magasinn*, Nachum Marmet, Enid Meltzner, Arthur Michael *, Sylvia Newmark*, Irwin Perll*, Edward I. Reiss*, Gerald Rubinger*, Ruth Schiller, Eleanor Schultz*, Rose Sessin*, Julia Shames*, Sara June Sherkow, Paul K. Singer, Rose Singer*, Sara Woolfe Snofsky*, Leonard Sokolow*, Harry I. Solomon*, Valiant Rudnick Stull*, Oscar Tabor*, Irwin Terris*, Phillip Weinstein*, Lisl Wise

*Designated on our memorial walls
 
 

David and Jessica Amron on their child Ariel Amron becoming Bat Mitzvah
Terrie and Richard Baumann on the birth of their twin grandchildren Emerson and Riley to proud parents Jesse Warshal and Alison Baumann
Dahlia Zahkor on her child Farrah Eshaghian becoming Bat Mitzvah

If you have a birth, wedding, or milestone birthday you would like to share with the Wise community, please email us at [email protected]. 
To schedule a Shabbat blessing or special reception in honor of a simcha, contact Arlene Spiegelman at 310.889.2272.
 
 

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 MEMORY
Enid Meltzner, by Laurie and Ron Resch and Family

 

RABBI DAVID WOZNICA DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN HONOR OF
Rabbi David Woznica, by Roy and Teri Lyons

 

CANTOR NATHAN LAM DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN MEMORY OF
Sylvia Kantor and Ruth Joseph, by Marla and Michael Kantor

 

JOSHUA A. LEVY SCHOLARSHIP FUND
IN HONOR OF
Donald Levy’s retirement, by Edward Stone

IN MEMORY OF
Ruth Schiller, by Shelly and Donald Levy

 

METUKA BENJAMIN SCHOLARSHIP FUND
IN MEMORY OF
Marcia Fox, by Marshall Glick, Marni Glick and Heather Glick-Atalla

 

SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND
IN MEMORY OF
Rubin Bird and Trudy Bird, by The Bird Family
Barnett Love, by Robin and Ira Pianko

 

WISE SCHOOL ANNUAL GIVING CAMPAIGN
IN MEMORY OF
Margot Lipshitz, by Maurice and Kim Lewitt

 

WISE SCHOOL GENERATIONS ENDOWMENT
IN MEMORY OF
Dr. Tim Curlewis, by Janine and Richard Kolodny
Margot Lipshitz, by Hilda and Dan Bergher

 

YAHRZEIT FUND
IN MEMORY OF
Sylvia Newmark, by Stuart and Sandra Newmark
Robert Henry Greenwald, by Philip Greenwald
Ethel Horowitz, Jacob Horowitz and Paul K. Singer by Sydell Singer
Lisl Wise, by Susi Levin
Rachel Joelson, by Alan, Yasmina, Rachel, and William Joelson
 
 

            

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Stephen Wise Temple | 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive | Los Angeles, CA 90077
Shabbat Shalom