As a kid growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, March 17 meant remembering to wear something green to school—or risk getting pinched by a classmate.
Today, that date carries a very different and far more meaningful resonance for me: it marks the birth of our synagogue’s namesake, Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise.
Born in Budapest in 1874 into a long line of rabbis, Wise emigrated to America with his family at the age of two. His first pulpit was in Portland, Oregon, where he saw firsthand the devastating effects of child labor. He became a vocal advocate for children forced to work instead of attend school, a commitment that grew into a lifelong dedication to protecting the vulnerable. He went on to help found both the NAACP and the ACLU.
Yet his universal commitments were always held alongside a deep devotion to the Jewish people and their well-being. Wise was a lifelong Zionist. He attended the Second Zionist Congress in Basel and knew Theodor Herzl personally.
In 1933, he spoke out forcefully against the rise of Nazism at a massive rally in Madison Square Garden. Among those in attendance was a bar mitzvah student, brought by his father. This boy was so moved by Wise’s words and passion that he decided to become a rabbi, right then and there.
That boy was Isaiah Zeldin.
Fifteen years after Wise’s death, Rabbi Zeldin founded our temple and chose to name it in honor of his teacher and mentor.
Rabbi Zeldin carried forward three core beliefs he inherited from Wise: freedom of the pulpit—the rabbi’s right to speak openly and courageously; an unwavering commitment to the Zionist vision of a Jewish homeland; and the conviction that our obligations to our own people never diminish our responsibilities to others. We are for ourselves and for others as well.
Sixty-two years after our founding, seventy-seven years after Rabbi Wise’s death, and one hundred fifty-two years after his birth, these values continue to guide us.
At a time marked by war in Israel and Iran, and by persistent and unsettling antisemitism here in America, the balance Wise sought between particularism and universalism feels as urgent as ever.
May his memory be for a blessing, and may we continue to be guided by his example.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yoshi