Eyes on Wise 5.2.19

As we ended our Passover celebrations, our hearts were heavy with news of yet another act of violence in our global Jewish community and our local community of Southern California. Your Wise clergy invite you to be here on Friday night for Shabbat services at 6:15 p.m. We will mourn as a community, we will comfort each other as a community, and perhaps most importantly, we will strengthen our resolve as a community to worship together without hesitation and without fear.
Read Rabbi Yoshi’s message

The Call to Holiness
by Rabbi Sari Laufer

Every aspect of the shooting in Poway is tragic and horrifying, but since it happened, I cannot stop thinking about the distinct mix of emotions and experiences that the last day of Passover offers. It is a day of Yizkor, and a day of Hallel; a day of memory and a day of celebration. It is a complicated, liminal day—joy and pain deeply intertwined. In fact, these days and weeks ahead—they are the liminal time. We move from Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron, these days of deepest pain, into Yom Haatzmaut, celebrating a modern miracle. We move through these days of the Omer, these days between Passover and Shavuot. Theologically and spiritual meant to be anxious, the historical overlays of the holiday provoke additional memories of pain and fear on the way to the gift of Torah. And through them all, we carry this year’s pain—from Pittsburgh to Poway, in particular, from New Zealand to Sri Lanka on the periphery.
READ MORE

Mitzvah Day
Sunday, May 5 | 11 a.m.

Each year on Mitzvah Day we commit to an entire year of changing the world. This year, we’re doing things a little differently. Mitzvah Day has become Mitzvah MAY! Celebrate the culmination of all the ways in which our Wise community has participated in acts of loving kindness and sought to make a difference in our local and broader communities. Join us on Sunday, May 5 at Wise for a wide variety of projects to participate in–there is something for everyone!
RSVP HERE
LEARN MORE ABOUT MITZVAH MAY

1^st Annual 6^th Grade vs. Faculty Charitable Sports Tournament
Sunday, May 5 | 1 p.m.

Join us at the conclusion of Mitzvah Day for our 1^st Annual 6^th Grade vs. Faculty Charitable Sports Tournament! Watch as 6^th graders take on their teachers and our staff in a fierce game of basketball—all in the name of raising enough funds to be able to purchase a wheelchair (or two!) for the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled, this year’s 6^th Grade chesed organization. Entry to the game is $5 per child or $20 per family – with 100% of proceeds going straight to the ISCD. You can purchase tickets by clicking the link below.
PURCHASE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT TICKETS

This Week’s Torah Portion:
Ahare-mot

Next Week

Friday, May 10

6:15 p.m. | Family Soulful Service Celebrating Yom Haatzmaut | Sanctuary
Led by Rabbi David Woznica, Cantor Nathan Lam, Cantor Emma Lutz
7:15 p.m. | Dinner | REGISTER HERE

Saturday, May 11
9 a.m. | Lay-led Torah Study | Chapel Study
10 a.m. | Shabbat Morning Services | Sanctuary
Led by Rabbi David Woznica and Cantor Nathan Lam

Learning Opportunities with Clergy
Talmud Study with Rabbi Sari Laufer: Wednesday, May 8 | 12 p.m. | Udko Annex
Bible Study with Rabbi Ron Stern: Monday, May 13 | 9 a.m. | Temple Conference Room

Kol HaKavod to Wise member Michael Kassan who was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame earlier this week. In attendance at the gala honoring and inducting Michael were Cantor Nathan and Donna Lam as well as Wise members Irene and David Smith, all pictured below with Ronnie and Michael Kassan. The Hall of Fame ceremony is the biggest night of the year for the advertising industry, bringing together over 900 of the nation’s top leaders of American advertising, marketing, and media companies. Congratulations, Michael!
LEARN MORE HERE

Stop by during our weekday hours or at Shabbat services:
Mon-Thurs | 2-4 p.m.
Friday | before and after services
Cant make it during our regular hours? Contact Gila at 310.889.2210.

Mitzvah May Tot Shabbat
Friday, May 3 | 5:15 p.m.

Kick off Mitzvah May with a Tot Shabbat featuring special mitzvah-themed projects, a light family friendly dinner and, of course, a story-filled service led by our clergy and songleaders that introduces the youngest members of our community to the joy of Shabbat. Parents and grandparents will love it too! Recommended for kids up to age 5.
REGISTER HERE FOR TOT SHABBAT

Wise Clergy at the Movies
Saturday, May 4 | 8 p.m. | Rabbi Ron Stern
Sunday, May 5 | 2:30 p.m. | Rabbi David Woznica
Tuesday, May 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Cantor Emma Lutz
Wednesday, May 8 | 7:30 p.m.| Cantor Nathan Lam

Celebrate Jewish film with your Wise clergy! Save the dates for the following evenings a Wise group will attend the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival.
LEARN MORE
Call 213.368.1661 (x127) for group ticket rates! Mention Stephen Wise Temple when placing your order.

Wise Guys presents
Torah Trek with Rabbi Ron Stern
Saturday, May 4 | 9 a.m. | Topanga State Park

Join us on May 4 for a “Torah Trek” in the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga State Park. We’ll do some hiking and stop at our usual place for a little wisdom from Jewish tradition. We’ll meet at 9 a.m in the parking lot at the main entrance to Topanga State Park at Tripet Ranch off Entrada Road. The hike will take about two hours. There’s a parking fee, payable by credit card.
REGISTER HERE

Rosh Hodesh Women’s Gathering
Wednesday, May 8 | 8:30 a.m. | Sanctuary

Join us to celebrate Rosh Hodesh, a beautiful experience for women by women filled with Torah, poetry, song, love, community, and friendship. Please feel free to bring a friend and include their name in your RSVP.
RSVP HERE

Wise Years
Thursday, May 9
10 a.m. | Registrations Begins | Plotkin Foyer
10:30 a.m. | Program Begins | Plotkin Chapel

Rabbi Ron Stern will discuss new ways to engage in dialogue about Israel as an American Jew. Music specialist Dr. Lorry Black and the UCLA Klezmer Music Ensemble will provide a lively and educational presentation to close out our year. Film: In the Fiddler’s House (1995), a documentary in which famed violinist Itzhak Perlman explores the remarkable burst of vitality in contemporary Klezmer music. We will celebrate Yom Haatzmaut with an Israeli lunch.
REGISTER HERE

Family Soulful Shabbat Services Celebrating Yom Haatzmaut
Friday, May 10
Services | 6:15 p.m. *SPECIAL TIME
Dinner | 7:15 p.m.

Soulful Shabbat is a one-of-a-kind musical service, one of Wise’s most popular traditions. Join our clergy and our Soulful Shabbat musicians and singers for a spiritual evening featuring the rhythms and melodies our members have come to love.
REGISTER FOR DINNER

The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles and Stephen Wise Temple present
Israel Story Live
Thursday, May 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Katz Family Pavilion

In honor of Yom Haatzmaut, join us for a thrilling musical and visual performance of the popular Israeli podcast Israel Story. This live tour has traveled all over the country performing The Wall: A Look at the Barriers That Separate Us and Those That Bring Us Together, a uniquely poetic dive into real stories that illustrate Israel’s diversity and interactions between its various communities.
REGISTER HERE

The Rise of Global Anti-Semitism: How We Can Respond
with Elan Carr, Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism, in Dialogue with Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Sunday, May 19 | 7 p.m.

Elan S. Carr serves as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. As Special Envoy, he advises the Secretary of State and is responsible for directing U.S. policies and projects aimed at countering anti-Semitism throughout the world. Special Envoy Carr served on the National Council of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), he was a voting member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and he was a board member of Operation Gratitude. In the course of his work in the Jewish community, he has been a recognized leader in the fight against anti-Semitism on U.S. college campuses and around the world. Please join us for a very important and special discussion between Special Envoy Carr and Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback.
RSVP HERE

Stephen Wise Temple, Israel Policy Forum, and ADL present
Across the Generational Divide: Examining the Past, Present and Future of Israel Engagement
Tuesday, May 21 | 7 p.m.

This program, part of the nationwide “Across the Divide” series, is designed to showcase a constructive dialogue about Israel across the generational, political, and denominational divides within the American Jewish community. The panel, moderated by Rob Eshman (former Editor in Chief, the Jewish Journal), will feature Batya Ungar-Sargon (Opinion editor, Forward), Yair Rosenberg (Senior Writer, Tablet Magazine), and Tabby Rafael (Co-Founder, 30 Years After). Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback will offer additional remarks.
REGISTER HERE

Housing the Homeless:
Dinner with Tommy Newman, Director of Public Affairs for the United Way
Friday, May 24 | 7:30 p.m.

Join Tommy Newman, Director of Public Affairs for the United Way’s “Everyone In” campaign for a Shabbat dinner to discuss the United Way’s role as the coordinator of L.A.’s comprehensive response to homelessness. These initiatives include prevention strategies, support for subsidized housing, construction of affordable housing, bridge and permanent supportive housing, and management of services for the homeless. This is the most important step that moves L.A. towards a coordinated and comprehensive approach to dealing with housing for the homeless in the community.
RSVP HERE

Wise Guys presents…Conversations
Man Up, Defining Jewish Masculinity for the 21st Century
Thursday, May 30 | 7:30 p.m.

Join Rabbi Josh Knobel for this pivotal entry in a series of conversations designed for modern Jews. “Man Up” will explore how Jewish men can turn the tide against a culture of sexual harassment and assault that has left far too many women in our world at risk of abuse and exploitation. Discover how to acknowledge and combat misogyny without compromising your manhood, how to be woke without mansplaining, and how to raise empowered, feminist, Jewish men for the 21^st century.
People of all genders are invited to enrich this meaningful conversation.
REGISTER HERE

Wise Women presents
Mahj and More
Wednesday, June 5, July 10, August 7 | 1 p.m. | Udko Annex

Wise members and guests are invited to join other Wise Women for our monthly open play day: Mah Jongg, Canasta, Bridge or any other game you’d like! 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 will be served. This is a free event, we kindly ask for your RSVP.
RSVP HERE

Wise Alumni Paint and Sip Night
Wednesday, June 12 | 7 p.m.

This event is 18+ but you must be 21+ for cocktails.
It’s time to have some fun and catch up with your old classmates! Enjoy drinks, appetizers, your buddies and besties, and a blank canvas as we paint together and reconnect. No artistic experience or talent required—in fact, we think that’s better and somewhat more hilarious. Wear clothes you don’t mind spilling watercolors on!
Cost: $36
REGISTER HERE

Wise Jams
Thursday, June 20 | 8 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!
RSVP HERE

Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Rabbi Ron Stern to Lead Adult March of the Living Trip

In April 2020, join Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback and Rabbi Ron Stern on the most iconic and unforgettable walk through the darkest time in Jewish history by participating in the Adult March of the Living. The group will visit some of the deeply significant locales in Poland including Krakow and Warsaw as well as the concentration camps in the vicinity. Encounter the amazing resurgence of Jewish life in Poland. Finally, the group will join thousands of high school students from across the globe who make an epic trek of freedom into Auschwitz concentration camp. Afterwards there, will be an optional add-on visit to Israel highlighting those experiences rarely open to basic tours: cultural experiences, regional tours, and complex political insights.
SIGNUP TO LEARN MORE

Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies presents
Israeli-American Exchanges: Israel in 3D Community Conference
Sunday, May 5 | 10 a.m. | UCLA Covel Commons

Israel is a nation that has been greatly impacted by America. But the country of 8 million people has also influenced the United States in many ways. At Israeli-American Exchanges, experts and practitioners will explore “cross-border” connections between the two countries in three major areas – Entertainment, Religion and Business & Technology – and how each society has influenced the other.
LEARN MORE

Faith at Work: A WorkingNation Town Hall
Wednesday, May 8 | 4:30 p.m. | Skirball Cultural Center

While the most recent unemployment numbers remain near record lows, the jobless crisis is far from over. And at the end of 2018, the Labor Department found that one in five of those out of work has been job seeking for more than six months. And the effective jobless rate doubles when adding in a large number of people who essentially have given up and left the workforce or who take on part-time jobs because they cannot find full-time jobs. What does each of our major religions teach us about the relationship between dignified work and a sense of purpose and meaning in one’s life? How do our various religions provide support for people as they try to navigate these uncertain times for the future of work?
REGISTER HERE

American Jewish University Whizin Center presents
Israeli Folk Dance Classes

Everyone is welcome to participate in AJU’s Israeli Folk Dance classes, from beginners to advanced dancers or people who are just looking to get up and move. AJU offers many Israeli folk dancing classes taught by a master teacher as well as tap and dancercise. They also offer Tai Chi, Yoga, and other classes to help reduce stress and improve flexibility.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER

Yahrzeits

We remember with love those who died in recent days and weeks:
Bea Dubman, Kenneth Gelber, Victoria Mehrian, Paula Sanders, Shokrollah Sakhai

We observe the yahrzeits of:
Pauline Adler*, Lillian Bank*, Albert Barbibay*, Steven Ira Baser*, Melvyn Irving Bemel, Julius Bovill*, David Burman*, Abraham Cohen*, Myron Barnett DuBow*, Lori Eisenberg Wolper, Howard Epstein, Lewis Felixson*, Sylvia Fine, Albert Fineberg*, Solomon Fuchs*, Abe L. Garfinkel*, Ernest A. Goldenfeld, Miriam Leah Goldstein*, Alfrieda Goldwyn*, Eugene “Gene” Goodwein*, Ethel Gross*, William Jacobs*, Nathan Jasper*, Rabbi Leon Kahane, Anthony Karo, Mickey Katz, Fred Kaufman*, Maxwell Kolodny, Albert Korngute*, Eva Kramer*, Gertrude Lane*, Ellen Lange*, Ida Lapidus*, Belle Latchman*, Marian Leveton*, Annie Livingstone, William Marenus, Stephanie Milkes*, Richard Rapoport*, Stella Reiss*, Abraham Rosenblum*, Sara Hoffman Ross*, Frances Sackler*, Sam Schneider*, Ben Siragusa, Rose L. Solovey*, Abraham Wallach*, Freda Walton*, Eva Williams*, Firouz Yasharal, Bertha Yavitz*

*Designated on our memorial walls

Mazal Tov

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:
Alex and Alison Neymark on their daughter Natalie becoming Bat Mitzvah.
Karl and DeeDee Sussman on the birth of their grandchild Isaac Pablo Sussman to parents Joshua and Sophie Sussman.
Ran and Shel Pink on their daughter Olivia becoming Bat Mitzvah.

Condolences

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.

Isaac and Foujan Sakhai on the loss of Isaac’s father Shokrollah Sakhai.

Tributes

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:
All the teachers who have touched our lives and our children’s in the past decade at Wise School, by Shaun and Sandy Gabbay
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback, with thanks for his support and friendship, by Shelly and Don Levy

IN MEMORY OF:
Bea Dubman, by Nancy and Alvin Klein and Family
Howard Epstein, by Norman Epstein

RABBI RON STERN DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Melvyn Irving Bemel, by Terrie and Richard Baumann

IN HONOR OF:
Rabbi Stern, for officiating Julian’s Bar Mitzvah, by Leslye and Ziv Pas

RABBI JOSH KNOBEL DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Ernest A. Goldenfeld, by Marcia G. Maiten

RABBI ELI HERSCHER DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Bea Dubman, by Nancy and Alvin Klein and Family

CANTOR NATHAN LAM DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Bea Dubman, by Nancy and Alvin Klein and Family
Lori Eisenberg Wolper, by her mother Audrey, and her brother Jerry
Stephanie Milkes, by Paul Milkes

IN HONOR OF:
Cantor Nate Lam, for making our wedding such a blessing, by Lori and Brad Sobel

CANTOR EMMA LUTZ DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN HONOR OF:
Cantor Lutz, for officiating Julian’s Bar Mitzvah, by Leslye and Ziv Pas

ANNUAL CAMPAIGN
IN MEMORY OF:
Afsaneh Yousefzadeh, by Nathan Moghavem
Rabbi Leon Kahane, by The Kahane Family

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
IN MEMORY OF:
Freda Walton, by Lynda Robbins

CENTER FOR JEWISH LIFE ENDOWMENT
IN MEMORY OF:
Firouz Yasharal, by Behnam, Sharona, Yasmin, Camille, and Nathan Shenassa
Fred Kaufman, by Jill and Aly Kaufman

SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Anthony Karo, by Carolyn Karo Schulman

SAM AND BEA DUBMAN SOVA FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Bea Dubman, by Jennifer Seigner
Bea Dubman, by Joe and Sue Dubman
Bea Dubman, by Lori and Rob Goodman and Family
Beatrice Dubman, by Michael and Arline Berkson
Bea Dubman, by Nancy and Alvin Klein and Family
Bea Dubman, with love from Hilda and Dan Bergher and Family
Bea Dubman, by Beverly Mayer
Pamela Taub, by Beverly Mayer

SOCIAL ACTION FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Bea Dubman, by Nancy and Alvin Klein and Family
Fran Beiser, by Lori and Rob Goodman

WISE HEARTS FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Annie Livingstone, by Sunny Caine

WISE SCHOOL GENERATIONS ENDOWMENT
IN MEMORY OF:
Bea Dubman, by Les and Lynn Bider
Shokrollah Sakhai, by Janine and Rick Kolodny

MAZAL TOV TO:
DeeDee and Karl Sussman on the birth of their grandson, Isaac Pablo Sussman, by Janine and Rick Kolodny
DeeDee and Karl Sussman on the birth of their grandson, Isaac Pablo Sussman, by Lori and Rob Goodman

YAHRZEIT FUND
IN MEMORY OF:
Ben Siragusa, by Renee and Robert Siragusa
Eugene Goodwein, by Eleanora Goodwein
Myron DuBow, by The DuBow Family
Nathan Jasper, by Ardythe Jasper
Stella Reiss, by Diana R. Gingell
Sylvia Fine, by Adena and William Frank
William Marenus, by Margie Marenus

We appreciate our wonderful volunteers:

Lunch Bunch Volunteers:
Tuesday, April 16

Janis Berkman
Norma Cooper
Judy Dancyger
Dianna Davidson
Harry and Ilene Jacobs
Diane Kabat
Sally and Marty Levine
Shelly Levy
Freda Moscowitz
David, Aaron, Eli Podemski
Sheila Rosenberg
Lana Sternberg
Gail Woskow

Nosh Volunteer:
Susan Firestone

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