Stephen Wise Temple and Schools proudly support the State of Israel and the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. Zionism and ahavat Yisrael, love of the people, land, and State of Israel, have always been central to who we are and what we do as a community. This has been true for the almost 60 years of our history, and never more so than since October 7, 2023.
On this page, we have provided a wide range of resources for you to discover, learn from, engage with, and—where you so choose—take action. You will find writings, videos, and other congregational responses from the last months and beyond.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Tomer Tzadik, a survivor of the Nova Festival attack tells his harrowing story of of October 7, 2023.
Over the past months of worry, outrage, pain, and prayer, we prepared a new setting of the traditional liturgy with our Director of Music, Dr. Tali Tadmor, for the return of captives, a text that — tragically — but unsurprisingly, given what we know about Jewish history — goes back centuries.
We invite you to take a moment to watch this video produced and edited by Raz Husany, our Media and Production Manager, and offer your own prayer for the return of the captives. Share it with a friend, and then, together, let us transform our prayers into action by reaching out to our elected officials, from the president to members of Congress, to remind them every day to keep the return of the hostages at the top of their agenda. We must keep this issue in the public eye and do everything we can to ensure their safe return before, God forbid, it’s too late.
Our sisters, our brothers, wherever you are — we are with you.
L’shalom,
Cantor Emma and Rabbi Yoshi
Winter 2024-25: Take the Trip of a Lifetime With Our Intergenerational Wise Travel Keshet Journey to Israel
From Dec. 23, 2024 to Jan. 2, 2025, join Rabbi Yoshi and Cantor Emma and experience Israel as you never have before, just in time for Hanukkah. You will visit the city of Modiin, take a stroll through a neighborhood lit by countless hanukkiyot, and so much more!Here’s just a taste of what the trip will include:
- Experience Shabbat in Jerusalem with Wise clergy.
- Visit “Save A Child’s Heart”- a project of the Wolfson Hospital, in which Israeli pediatric surgeons provide pro-bono cardiac surgery for children from all over Africa and the Middle East.
- Discover natural wonders in the desert by repelling into the Mitzpe Ramon crater, picking vegetables, off-roading in a Jeep, and stargazing.
- Tour the newly opened ANU Museum of The Jewish People.
- Savor the flavors of Israel with a street food tasting tour and a cooking workshop followed by dinner.
- Ascend Masada, the desert fortress, to hear one of the most dramatic stories in Jewish history.
- Participate in an actual archaeological dig.
- Learn and remember at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum.
- Meet with a mosaic of Israelis for a broad view of Israeli society.
- Explore Jewish history and culture through parallel educational programing for adults and youth.
Videos and Music
Sharing the Burden
In his Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback highlights the idea that the responsibility of supporting Israel in its current conflict is one that should be shared by all.
Reflections on Solidarity Trip to Israel
Wise members Stacey Sherman, Felice Williams, and Ron Bahar reflect on their recent trip to Israel with Rabbi Yoshi.
Savor Each Bite
Rabbi Yoshi recounts a moment in his solidarity trip to Israel, when he experienced the resilience of the Israeli People.
Ands vs Buts in the Israel Conversation
Rabbi Ron Stern’s Shabbat sermon From Friday January 19, 2024.
Whose Earth? It’s the Only One We’ve Got.
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback’s Shabbat sermon From Friday, January 12, 2024.
Good Tidings We Bring: A Message for Israel from Candy Cane Lane
Rabbi Sari Laufer’s Shabbat sermon From Friday December 29, 2023.
Israel, Hamas, Palestinians and their supporters: Seven Vital Realizations
Rabbi David woznica’s Shabbat sermon From Friday December 22, 2023.
K’far Aza Survivors’ testimony
Wise Parents Association welcomed Segal and Maital Yacobi, a mother and daughter from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, who told their first-hand experience of the terrifying terrorist attack on October 7 and the aftermath that followed.
Our Responsibility: Like It or Not
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback’s Yom Kippur 5784 (2023) sermon on the State of Israel, delivered at Kol Nidrei services at Stephen Wise Temple on Sept. 24, 2023.
Los Angeles Jewish Community Gathering for Israel
Streamed live on Oct 8, 2023
“Es Brent,” It Burns: Grab a Bucket and Douse the Flames
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback’s message from the LA Jewish Community Vigil for Israel hosted by Stephen Wise Temple, October 8, 2023.
The Heroism of Yitzchak Rabin
Rabbi Ron Stern
Friday, October 27, 2023
Mixed Up Beautifully
Rabbi Yoshi’s reflections from his recent trip to Israel
Friday, November 3, 2023
We are an indigenous people…To the Land of Israel
The founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement, Ben M. Freeman, highlights the many similarities we have as Jews, regardless of our various backgrounds.
Friday, November 10, 2023
Binary/non-Binary: The Legacy of Vivian Silver (z”l)
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Friday, November 17, 2023
We Are With You
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
Friday, November 24, 2023
Followed by a prayer for the hostages with Cantor Emma Lutz and Cantorial Intern Andrew Paskil.
Center for Jewish Life Presents Ambassador Martin Indyk
On the evening of April 3, 2023, Ambassador Martin Indyk, the former United States Ambassador to Israel, joined Rabbi David Woznica and the Stephen Wise Temple Center for Jewish Life for a webinar on Middle East diplomacy, Henry Kissinger, and the current situation in Israel.
Center for Jewish Life: Amb. Michael Oren in Dialogue with Rabbi David Wozncia
Our 2022-2023 slate of Center for Jewish Life events kicked off with a compelling dialogue between Rabbi David Woznica and Michael Oren, the former Israeli Ambassador to the United States on Oct. 31, 2022.
“At Moledet”
For Shabbat Evening Services between Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Cantor Emma Lutz sang “At Moledet,” a poem written by Leah Goldberg.
A famous Israeli poet, author, and playwright, Goldberg is one of the literary titans of Israel. Her works are considered Israeli classics. This poem, written in 1938, was set to music by Marc Lavry, and performed as an oratorio in Tel Aviv.
Stephen Wise Temple Sings “Hatikvah”
On Yom HaAtzmaut, 2023, Israel’s 75th birthday, Stephen Wise Temple celebrates the Jewish state with a special video. Soaring over our mountaintop, you will see how our Wise campus transforms into a sea of blue and white during the week of Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut, as Israeli flags adorn our driveway, fences, and plazas. You will see photos of our Wise School sixth grade delegation, which returns from a 10-day trip to Israel this Thursday. You will also see and hear Cantor Emma Lutz and our community gathering together to sing Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah,” during our Yom HaShoah Shabbat last Friday.
Our founder, Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin, was an ardent Zionist, and support of Israel and its founding ideals are central to our community’s mission. “Hatikvah,” literally translated as “The Hope,” which embodies what Israel represents for generations of Jews.
“We Remember”
(Zweiback/Chasen arr. Tadmor) featuring the SWT choir
A song of blessing and memory for the 1400 Israeli lives lost on October 7.
“Yerushalayim Shel Zahav”
(Shemer)
Wise School students expressing their love as Israel
“Acheinu”
A Prayer for Our Captives
“Eili, Eil”
(Senesh and Zahavi)
A song of memory
Advocate
NCJW has joined a growing list of over 6,500 global women leaders applying pressure to international governments, organizations, and civil society groups to do everything in their power to secure the release of 199+ kidnapped civilians held hostage by Hamas in unfathomable circumstances.
Reach out to your lawmaker in Congress today to urge swift action to support the hostages, providing them medical care and negotiating their release. Use the button below to send an email to your Senators and Representative. The letter will autopopulate for your elected officials after you submit your contact information.
As we are seeing daily, anger over the Israel-Hamas conflict is fueling the flames of hate on college and university campuses in the U.S. Jewish students are being assaulted, intimidated, and harassed because of their beliefs. The Department of Education must prioritize fulfilling its commitments in the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism to protect students from antisemitic and anti-Israel hostility.
Join ADL in urging the Department of Education to fulfill its commitments to make college campuses safe.
October 13th, American Jewish Committee released a statement calling on the state of California to keep antisemitic, pro-Hamas materials out of Ethnic Studies curricula.
This statement was released in response to antisemitic and inflammatory Instagram posts made by the Coalition of Liberated Ethnic Studies (CLES), one of which declared the October 7th terrorist attack a “victory”, just one day after information of Hamas’ slaughtering of innocent civilians was released.
Our voices are needed to sign the open letter to Superintendent Tony Thurmond and the California Department of Education to urge him to encourage school districts to refrain from utilizing the liberated curriculum or consulting with the Coalition of Liberated Ethnic Studies and their affiliated personnel, and to encourage districts across California to adopt the approved Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.
Israel currently has 10 consulates and two embassies across the United States and Canada that serve local Jewish and Israeli communities. Contact them directly to ensure your concerns about the judicial reforms are recorded. You can reach our local Los Angeles consulate at 323.852.5500.
Sixteen Jewish representatives signed the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist letter to Netanyahu and the Coalition Government encouraging compromise and consensual process. Eleven Jewish representatives did NOT sign the letter, including local representatives Brad Sherman and Adam Schiff. Contact them to encourage them to express their concern to the Coalition Government, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, or to others where they may have influence.
Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-30)
202.225.4176
Email Rep. Schiff
Rep. Brad Sherman (CA-32)
202.225.5911
Email Rep. Sherman
Members of the new government are threatening to override Israel’s core values. Due to the anti-Reform views of the new government and its ministers, the Israel Reform Movement stands to lose more than $1.5 million in government funding. By donating to the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism and the Israel Religious Action Center, you can help financially secure Reform values and institutions in Israel.
Utilize your connections and relationships in other local, regional, and national Jewish organizations to encourage them to speak out against the proposed judicial reforms. At What You Can Do Right Now to Support Israel and Support the Reform Movement you will find suggested organizations to reach out to and ideas for more actions you can take.
Support
In addition to supporting Stephen Wise Temple and our efforts, we encourage you to support these trusted partner organizations and their work in Israel.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE to the Jewish Federation’s Solidarity Campaign.
The Jewish Federations of North America are responding, working with partners to support victims of terror, help rebuild damaged infrastructure, and address the trauma caused by this horrific attack.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE to United Hatzalah of Israel’s Emergency Campaign.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE to IsraAID’s Emergency: Israel Campaign
Your donation makes it possible to continue the activities of ASCI in promoting spiritual care as a recognized profession in institutions and government bodies, ensuring proper training for students, and enhancing professional advancement for qualified spiritual caregivers.
Apart from one salaried part-time (20%) administrator employed by the ASCI, all of the work undertaken by the association is executed by volunteer members of the association.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE to the Association for Spiritual Care in Israel
Given the magnitude and severity of humanitarian need, we’ve launched the HIAS Emergency Response in Israel to address access to basic food and household supplies, cash assistance, housing support, psychosocial support, and community-building programs on a needs-based approach for Israelis of all backgrounds in addition to the diverse asylum seeker population we currently serve. We’re leaning into the expertise honed by crisis response in places as varied as Ukraine, Chad, and Venezuela, which includes working with established local partners to avoid repetition and filling the missing gaps.
Home to HIAS’ longest-running country office, Israel’s existence expedited the reality in which the vast majority of global Jewry achieved political freedom of movement by the end of the 20th century. We proudly helped build the state. This fact allowed HIAS to fully expand its mission to proudly serve forcibly displaced people of all backgrounds across five continents in the name of the Jewish community.
Donations to HIAS Israel can be made here. You can also review our detailed fact sheet, the column and email below from HIAS President & CEO Mark Hetfield, and our statement condemning the attack.
KAVOD is a non-profit tzedakah collective. We are a group of individuals who have chosen to pool our tzedakah resources together so that, as a community, we can have a greater impact in our efforts to repair the world. We strive to be a real community. There are usually no more than two degrees of separation between any individual contributor to KAVOD and a member of the board of directors.
Together we have given away far more tzedakah money and created far more programs as a collective than we could have as individual contributors. To find out more about how you can be part of this mitzvah, contact us today.
Visit Kavod.org to make your contribution to Israel Emergency Relief
Amid the economic challenges brought on by the ongoing war in Israel since October 7th, 2023, small businesses are facing unprecedented struggles.
Visit this page to learn more.
News and Information
As you have undoubtedly heard or read, on October 7, Hamas terrorists launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli citizens. On Simchat Torah, a joyous day on the Jewish calendar, terrorists murdered more than 1400 people; another 200+ have been taken hostage in Gaza, and over 2000 Israelis (including Israeli Arabs) are injured.
In this age of 24/7 news cycles, not to mention Instagram Live and TikTok, our feeds can be saturated, and it is hard to wade through bias, misinformation, and inaccurate coverage. While we do not claim all of these sources are entirely neutral, we do recommend them for their fair-handed, truthful coverage.