Marilyn

It all started when David (of blessed memory) and Marilyn joined Temple Emanuel because they wanted their son, Douglas, to become ready for his Bar Mitzvah. There they met Rabbi Zeldin and were so impressed by him that when he left to start his own congregation, they followed. At that time, they met with the other families who were also interested in joining together and forming a new congregation under his leadership. Many meetings were held and then the miracle happened! They started having Shabbat services in many churches. Sometime after that, land was secured and Stephen S. Wise Temple was built. Rabbi Zeldin did research before choosing a location. He chose this particular spot because it was centrally located between the city and valley Jewish communities.

Marilyn and David’s son, Douglas had his Bar Mitzvah at Leo Beck Temple, and two years later, their son, Mark (of blessed memory), had his Bar Mitzvah on our very own temple grounds. This was the beginning of years of attending and enjoying their life as members. The Williams had no idea that what they started 60 years ago would become the center of Jewish life in Los Angeles. Rabbi Zeldin’s dreams and vision of offering Jewish day school, adult education etc. had come true.

As luck would have it, the Zeldin family would become the Williams’ next-door neighbors. This enabled them to have a close relationship outside of the temple. Their lives were busy with raising their children. David was a part of the first board of directors, and Marilyn was the Queen of Oneg Shabbat.

The Temple became an integral part of the Williams’ lives between carpooling their kids to Hebrew School, Shabbat Services, and Confirmation classes. Raising their children with strong Jewish values was their intention – and it worked, our daughter, Susan, was b’nai Mitzvah and Confirmed.at our temple as we are being honored with this lovely tribute on the 60^thanniversary of the temple we founded with just 35 families.

Felice

Stephen Wise Temple has been an integral part of Felice’s life since 1981 when Doug and she were married. It was as though Felice had found her Jewish home, where she felt comfortable and embraced. Back then, as well as now, she found the Temple innovative, forward-thinking, community-building, and diverse in its programming to its different populations of members. As newlyweds, she and Doug joined a Havurah of newly married couples at Wise and made some lifelong friendships, as young parents, they participated in the Temple’s Early Childhood Programs, and expanded their community, and then on to the Temple’s Pre-School, and Day School. As a parent, Felice enjoyed a two-year-long Jewish Studies and Practices course called the ‘Holiday Workshop’ and still refers to the book she received in that class for clarification on specific practices or rituals of various holidays for their home observance. Doug and Felice later co-chaired the Temple/Wise School’s Purim Dinner Auction several times and Felice became an adult b’nai mitzvah (along with her mother) at Wise, and enjoyed a variety of stimulating classes at the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning at Wise for many years. Each of their daughters has had their Bat Mitzvahs at Wise, and Wise Temple’s Clergy has officiated at most of the life cycle events in their family: their daughters’ weddings, mezuzah hangings, baby namings, and, alas, funerals as well, in the last few years. For the last seven years, Felice has been honored to serve on the Temple’s Board of Directors.

Needless to say, Felice loves Wise and is invested in passing on her passion for her Jewish heritage and values to the next generation of Jewish people, starting with her kids and grandkids…Stephen Wise Temple is an integral part of Felice’s Jewish identity and it has weaved itself through every age and stage of her adult life. 

She is honored to be a part of the Wise 60th Anniversary Gala celebration.

Felice and her husband, Doug, have been members of Stephen Wise Temple for over forty years, celebrating weddings, baby namings, B’nai Mitzvahs, Confirmations, and many more important life cycle events with the clergy and temple members. Felice currently serves as Co-Chair of the Ambassador Program on the Wise Temple Board, which aims to welcome new members and involve existing members more fully in the Wise Temple Community. She was an enthusiastic participant of the Melton Adult Education Program for many years and served on the Melton Advisory Board. Additionally, she is an avid supporter of many of the services, programs, and events that the temple offers, and especially enjoys many of the Center for Jewish Life and Wise Women offerings. Outside of the Wise Temple, Felice served as a Crisis Line Counselor for Jewish Family Services: Hope Program (formerly Family Violence Project) for many years. Felice and her husband, Doug, are active supporters of the Jewish National Fund (JNF), AIPAC, and the Builders of Jewish Education (BJE).

Doug

Doug joined Stephen Wise Temple when he was ten years old at its inception, in 1964, consequentially because his parents were founders with Rabbi Zeldin. His father, David (z”l) was on the first board of directors in 1964.  Doug was schooled to be a vocal active Jew.  He was then, and he is now.

Rabbi and Mrs. Zeldin lived next door to the Williams.  Their sons, Joel, Michael, and Rabbi Zeldin played 3-on-3 basketball vs. Doug, his father David, and his brother Mark (z”l) on their driveway backboard many times, for many years. Rabbi Zeldin was a good athlete.  It was the 1960s which seemed innocent times compared to now and Doug recalls riding on the back of Joel’s Vespa, and walking up the block to the school bus with Michael. They lost many baseballs in their front garden because the thorns on the plants made it difficult to recover the baseballs. They are probably still there!

Doug recalls Temple Emanuel Hebrew school, where he met ‘Gaveret’ Gold, known now as Metuka Benjamin. When Stephen Wise Temple started, Hebrew school was moved.  Shabbat services were at St. Albans Church on Hilgard, across from UCLA.  Our Oneg shabbats were in front of the Pieta statue.  Doug thought it was strange, but he got used to it.  Then the services moved to another church on Wilshire and Warner Avenue.

Doug remembers his parents and grandparents donating time and financial resources to the Temple. Williams Playground, which had real grass, was later renamed Faber Field.  Doug missed many classes while playing football on the grass field.  The temple busses were provided by the Williams family for many years, through one of the family vehicle leasing firms.

Doug’s bar mitzvah was officiated by Rabbi Zeldin in the summer of 1967, just months after the “6-Day War”.  It was a great time to be a Jew!   Doug still has his Union Prayer Book with the pause markings put there by Rabbi Zeldin in the prayer readings.  He still uses the slash markings technique to mark when to pause, and for how long – one, two, or three slashes to indicate the speech cadence.  Great lessons.  Doug’s confirmation ceremony was in 1970, in the brick building named Hershenson Hall, where Katz Pavilion is now located.

Doug remembers clearly that upon meeting Felice, Rabbi Zeldin liked her very much, and then he required the couple to go to UJ to enroll in a “Making Marriage Work” course prior to their wedding day. Felice and Doug were married in Zeldin Hershenson Hall in August 1981.

Since then, Felice and Doug have been engaged in Temple activities and courses.  Doug’s personal involvement included chairing temple BBQs, Purim Saturday Night Events, serving on the Board, etc.  Those activities were good training ground for his later involvements with Heschel Day School, Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, Jewish National Fund, and Builders of Jewish Education.  All of this is because of learning about being active in the Jewish community from his parents and from the Rabbis at Stephen Wise.

Their daughters’ Bat Mitzvah ceremonies were in the Chapel, and the receptions in ZH.  Their weddings were officiated by Wise’s Rabbis. The intersection of the temple community and the Williams family has remained strong for my lifetime.  Doug considers it a high honor to have his family recognized for their role as founding members of Stephen S. Wise Temple.

Lynn and Mark (z”l)

Lynn and Mark (z”l) Williams have been a part of the Stephen Wise community for over 55 years. Mark was both bar mitzvah’d and confirmed at Stephen Wise. He made many lifelong friends during that time who continue to be a part of his family’s life.

He lived next door to Rabbi Zeldin, allowing them to develop a special relationship. The Rabbi was an inspiration as well as a basketball partner! Their pickup games included Jewish philosophy and even some Hebrew tutoring. The Rabbi’s friendship and support helped shape Mark’s (z”l) future. In 1979, Mark (z”l) introduced Lynn to the Temple, and they were then married by Rabbi Zeldin.

Their involvement as a young couple quickly grew. Baby namings, Mommy and Me, holidays, and family events were all centered at the Temple, filling their lives with joy and purpose. Sitting at High Holiday services with parents, grandparents, siblings, and later their children, inspired deep feelings of belonging.

In 2017, Rabbi Woznica and Cantor Lam married the Williams’ daughter, Hilary, to Adam Dunlap. The Wise values and commitment to tzedakah continue to be at the center of their family today. Brian, Hilary, and Adam all are active in service of the Los Angeles Jewish community.

Lynn proudly serves on the board of the Saban Community Clinic and is an active advisor and committed supporter of Farmlink, the LA Food Bank, The Trevor Project, and IsraAID.

Mark (z”l) would have been so proud of this honor of his family’s legacy at Stephen Wise because of all that Wise has offered him and his family.

Susan

Susan has been a member of Stephen Wise for her entire life. For her, it feels like ‘home’. When she was a little girl, she went to Saturday School, Hebrew School during the week, and then was Confirmed at age 15. Although she briefly paused her Jewish education for a bit, she never stopped participating at the Temple. During college, Susan joined a B’nai Mitzvah class with some friends and learned from Cantor Lam. She worked in the Nursery School during summers and then right out of college, became a Teacher’s Assistant in hopes of getting her own classroom at Wise. Although it didn’t work out, now thirty-something years later, she is retired from teaching, and back at the Temple as a Teaching Consultant helping new teachers be the best they can be. Susan can’t think of a better way to bookend her career. It began at Wise and it will end at Wise. She loves being a part of Wise and is deeply touched by her family’s honor.

Celine & Jonathan

Celine and Jonathan Hakakha joined the Wise family seven years ago, but their connection to Wise dates back to the late 1970s when Jonathan’s parents Janine and Jahangir Hakakha became Temple members. Jonathan’s childhood and Jewish identity were shaped at Wise School as he attended the school from the Parenting Center through middle school. Celine and Jonathan enrolled their first child, James, in Wise’s early childhood program.

Celine grew up in Huntington Beach and earned a specialty degree in footwear design and pattern making at Ars Suroria in Milan, Italy. She then worked as a women’s shoe designer for 15 years where she saw her designs come to life. She designed for world-known brands such as Bebe, Betsey Johnson, Badgley Mischka, Harajuku Lovers, Charles Jordan, and many more.

Celine has regularly been involved in the WPA and volunteer work on campus. She is serving her second year on the WPA board as VP of Community Building, Social Media chair, a former Wise Eats chair, and a room parent. Celine is involved in multiple facets of Wise School and Temple, including the inclusivity cohort, the Hineni leadership program, and the Wise Ambassador program.

Jonathan was born and raised in Los Angeles and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science from UCSD. Jonathan is a licensed real estate broker in California and founder of Quantum Capital Partners, a boutique real estate capital advisory firm. Jonathan has facilitated the placement of more than 10 billion dollars in debt and equity financing across a variety of property types. Above all, Jonathan has a strong love for his family and his Jewish identity. He credits his deep-rooted connection to his Jewish values to his parents and the warm Jewish environment they fostered at home and by sending him to Wise during his formative years. In connection with his Jewish values, Jonathan has remained an active participant in Jewish philanthropic endeavors over the years. He has participated in the Milken Institute’s Young Leader Circle, AIPAC’s Leadership Training Initiative, and the Geller Leadership Program through the Jewish Federation.

Celine and Jonathan are the proud parents of Wise School students James and Colette, and Aaron Milken Center student, Justin. Celine and Jonathan are grateful that their children attend a Jewish school, where a love of Judaism and Israel is instilled in their hearts and minds.

Celine and Jonathan are grateful for this incredible honor bestowed upon them by their community.