L.A. Pride at Wise
Pride Shabbat On Friday, June 9, 2023, Stephen Wise Temple celebrated Pride Shabbat as we recognized our LGBTQ+ members and ally families. Wise has long been in the forefront of embracing our LGBTQ+ community by celebrating and supporting all the important life moments, and Pride Shabbat is an affirmation of our commitment. This year, our annual Pride Shabbat will be a musical celebration of our LGBTQ+ community, [...]
Rabbi Yoshi to be Awarded Doctor of Divinity Degree
This coming Monday, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback will be awarded his honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. Rabbi Yoshi will be receive his degree honoris causa from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles. The degree is conferred upon HUC-JIR alumni after 25 years as a member of the clergy. In becoming a Doctor of Divinity, Rabbi Yoshi joins colleagues Rabbi David Woznica and Rabbi Ron Stern. Stephen Wise Temple and [...]
Wise Member Leandro Tyberg’s Primestor Development Raises Millions for Urban Vision Fund
Stephen Wise Temple member Leandro Tyberg and the real estate firm he co-founded, Primestor Development, were recently featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal for raising $165 million for their Urban Vision Fund I, which will fund local mixed-use and transit-oriented projects that serve urban and minority communities in Los Angeles County. Tyberg serves as president and COO of the Culver City-based Primestor, which plans to nearly double that amount by the end [...]
Holocaust Survivor, Mother of Wise Member Honored by State of California
Last month, Stephen Wise Temple Board member Irene Boujo and her sister Genie Benson accepted a posthumous honor for their mother, Holocaust survivor Sidonia Lax, on the floor of the California State Senate. Lax, who passed away in December, was recognized as the 2023 Yom HaShoah Honoree for her tireless commitment to Holocaust education. Her motto: "I'm not a survivor; I'm a thriver!" She shared her survivor testimony with Wise on Feb. [...]
Search for Meaning With Ariela Cohen From “Your Soft Landing”
> In this edition of his Search for Meaning podcast, Stephen Wise Temple Senior Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback hosts Ariela Cohen, founder of aliyah resource Your Soft Landing, for a discussion about Israel, from military service to current events. Why should making aliyah be so difficult? That's the question Cohen asked herself after moving to Israel by herself at 17. Her answer was to create Your Soft Landing, a [...]
Wise Mitzvah Day 2023 Proves a Smashing Success
by Rabbi Ron Stern The return of Stephen Wise Temple and Schools' Mitzvah Day on Sunday was a smashing success. Thanks to an incredible volunteer team of school parents and non-school temple members, 200 people of all ages gathered on Nahmias Plaza to make our world just a little better. We stocked backpacks with summer supplies to be distributed at LA Family Housing. We filled baskets with necessities for Hope The Mission [...]