Center for Tikkun Olam
We make meaning and change the world.
This is the Stephen Wise Temple mission: a seven-word sentence that defines Wise and describes what being a part of the Wise community is all about. Reflecting the core values of Reform Judaism, drawing from centuries of Jewish tradition, the Wise community seeks to improve the lives of all who dwell on Earth. We reach deeply into our Los Angeles community by working to alleviate homelessness, increase literacy, reverse climate change, provide for all of our children, and end gun violence. We reach far across the seas to support projects in Israel, offer relief to refugees, and end genocide. Though the challenges are overwhelming, we embrace the teaching of the ancient scholar, Rabbi Tarphon: You are not required to finish the work, but you cannot refrain from getting started. From early childhood to adulthood, our Wise community is committed to living our value of tikkun olam and ensuring that through our collective efforts we will fashion a world that is more humane, more sustainable, and more abundant for all God’s creatures.
— Rabbi Ron Stern
Learn about all tikkun olam initiatives at Wise and receive updates from Center for Tikkun Olam
Take Action Now
Grow. Lead. Change the world.
Established in 2018 to celebrate Rabbi Ron Stern’s 20 years of service to the Wise community, the Wise Tikkun Olam Leadership Scholarship supports young adults (18-26 years old) who desire to roll up their sleeves and do hands-on tikkun olam work all over the world.
To make a contribution to support the fund, visit WiseLA.org/Giving and select the Designated Funds option.
The Volunteer Collective is a free resource to partner with YOU. It’s a home base for opportunities, activism and challenges. Join the collective and look to it for information on organizations and programs where all of us can pitch in and lend a hand to help our neighbors.
Since 1991, L.A. Works has mobilized and led volunteers to contribute over a million hours to Los Angeles through unique volunteer programming, which has included:
- Serving meals and preparing emergency food provisions for over 425,000 homeless and low-income individuals;
- Providing educational and enrichment activities for over 65,000 disadvantaged youth;
- Revitalizing schools, parks, and community centers for more than 200,000 volunteer hours;
- Offering companionship to seniors and friendship to abused and homeless women for more than 20,000 volunteer hours;
- Conserving, cleaning and restoring urban and natural environments in and around Los Angeles for more than 75,000 volunteer hours;
- Caring for animals in shelters and sanctuaries at over 1,200 volunteer projects; and
- Training more than 900 Angelenos in project and volunteer management.
Join the Religious Action Center of California’s Climate Tzedek project to ensure continuing action in our state to achieve climate justice and lesson the impacts of climate change.
Climate Tzedek is a campaign to build our state-wide power and work to achieve a sustainable world for ourselves and the generations to come with just, science-based solutions to the climate crisis. To do this, we will engage the members of Reform congregations throughout California to demand bold changes to our current policies and practices.
Ready to get involved or want to know more? Reach out to Rabbi Ron Stern or Susan Berk (chair of advocacy for CTO) for more information.
Wise provides need housing supplies to unhoused veterans when they are placed in VA supported housing. Your donations allow us to purchase the needed products like mini-fridges, microwaves, bedding, and bathroom and kitchen supplies. Make your donation here.
In the wake of the shootings in Uvalde, Tex., and Buffalo, N.Y., here are three organizations that are working to end the epidemic of gun violence in the United States:
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Gun Violence Prevention Project page has a litany of resources for those looking to make a difference, including ways to contact your government representatives and advocate for common-sense gun control policies.
Everytown for Gun Safety: In 2013, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America came together to tackle our shared goal of ending gun violence. Since then, Everytown for Gun Safety has combined the best minds in research, policy, litigation, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to grow into a movement of more than eight million supporters.
March for Our Lives: Born out of a tragic school shooting, March For Our Lives is a courageous youth-led movement dedicated to promoting civic engagement, education, and direct action by youth to eliminate the epidemic of gun violence.
CASA provides essential support to youth in the L.A. County foster care system. As a CASA volunteer, you will advocate for a young person to ensure that they receive the best care possible. More info here.
Should you wish to help but are unable to commit fully to being an advocate, consider helping through the Essential Histories Program. The EHP aims to help social workers, attorneys, and judges make trauma-informed decisions about the young people they serve by providing them with a summary of the young person’s experience and history in critical areas of life. Through this program, volunteers complete a detailed review of a child’s file and write a report outlining the child’s developmental, medical and mental health history to ensure critical details are not overlooked by the various stakeholders in the child’s case.
Special training is required for both volunteer opportunities, and the Essential Histories project. Contact Rabbi Ron Stern for details.
Wise Tikkun Olam Leadership Scholarship
Grow. Lead. Change the world.
Established in 2018 to celebrate Rabbi Ron Stern’s 20 years of service to the Wise community, the Wise Tikkun Olam Leadership Scholarship supports young adults (18-26 years old) who desire to roll up their sleeves and do hands-on tikkun olam work all over the world.
To make a contribution to support the fund, visit WiseLA.org/Giving and select the Designated Funds option.
The organizations below are groups we are most closely involved with throughout the year. Click on a button to learn more about each organization and how you can get involved with our caring community to make a difference in Los Angeles and abroad!
Contact Rabbi Ron Stern to learn more about tikkun olam through Wise.
Advocacy
Help achieve climate justice with RAC of California
Join the Religious Action Center of California’s Climate Tzedek project to ensure continuing action in our state to achieve climate justice and lesson the impacts of climate change.
Climate Tzedek is a campaign to build our state-wide power and work to achieve a sustainable world for ourselves and the generations to come with just, science-based solutions to the climate crisis. To do this, we will engage the members of Reform congregations throughout California to demand bold changes to our current policies and practices.
Ready to get involved or want to know more? Reach out to Rabbi Ron Stern or Susan Berk (chair of advocacy for CTO) for more information.
Take action to prevent gun violence with these three leading organizations
In the wake of the shootings in Uvalde, Tex., and Buffalo, N.Y., here are three organizations that are working to end the epidemic of gun violence in the United States:
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Gun Violence Prevention Project page has a litany of resources for those looking to make a difference, including ways to contact your government representatives and advocate for common-sense gun control policies.
Everytown for Gun Safety: In 2013, Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America came together to tackle our shared goal of ending gun violence. Since then, Everytown for Gun Safety has combined the best minds in research, policy, litigation, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to grow into a movement of more than eight million supporters.
March for Our Lives: Born out of a tragic school shooting, March For Our Lives is a courageous youth-led movement dedicated to promoting civic engagement, education, and direct action by youth to eliminate the epidemic of gun violence.
Local Action and Volunteerism
L.A. Family Housing helps people transition out of homelessness and poverty through a continuum of housing enriched with supportive services. Stephen Wise Temple and Wise School support L.A. Family Housing throughout the year in many ways, including volunteer work at the North Hollywood shelter by prepping and serving meals. Every other month, the “Lunch Bunch” assembles bagged lunches that are delivered to the shelter by volunteers—each lunch includes vegetables grown in our Wise Pe’ah Garden. Wise School children prepare Mother’s Day baskets for the women of the shelter each year in May. During Sukkot in 2022, our Wise families helped assemble “good night” boxes for recently-housed children, and one of our member families helped organize a back-to-school event for underserved youth through L.A. Family Housing. This organization does so much to help the many needs of these families, and we hope you will join us throughout the year in doing your part too!
Veterans Speak Out
Over the past several years, the generosity of the Wise community has helped hundreds of veterans feel at home in new, permanent housing after living on the streets. Through our work with Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), we are able to assist vets with new furniture, appliances, and amenities that truly make them feel at home.
In the video above, veterans speak about their experiences with Homes for Heroes, VASH, and what we can all do to continue to help.
Help our formerly-homeless veterans settle in to new, permanent homes.
Stephen Wise Temple’s flagship literacy enrichment program provides vital summer support to the must vulnerable LAUSD students. Wise Readers to Leaders impacts hundreds of students in grades K-8 from low-income communities and at-risk environments across Los Angeles with free literacy activities that help prevent summer learning loss. Coupled with “camp style” enrichment activities, Readers to Leaders fosters self-confidence and nurtures positive attitudes towards learning through science, dance, music, sports, and more. Readers to Leaders extends its reach from the classroom into homes by offering free learning workshops for parents, including financial literacy, nutrition, and resume writing. This approach makes Readers to Leaders not just a literacy program, but a multi-faceted wrap-around life support and skills program built on the foundation of reading.
Become a CASA volunteer or an Essential Histories creator
CASA provides essential support to youth in the L.A. County foster care system. As a CASA volunteer, you will advocate for a young person to ensure that they receive the best care possible. More info here.
Should you wish to help but are unable to commit fully to being an advocate, consider helping through the Essential Histories Program. The EHP aims to help social workers, attorneys, and judges make trauma-informed decisions about the young people they serve by providing them with a summary of the young person’s experience and history in critical areas of life. Through this program, volunteers complete a detailed review of a child’s file and write a report outlining the child’s developmental, medical and mental health history to ensure critical details are not overlooked by the various stakeholders in the child’s case. Special training is required for both volunteer opportunities, and the Essential Histories project. Contact Rabbi Ron Stern for details.
Thrift Donation Centers
Looking to donate clothing, furniture, or other goods? There are two excellent drop-off centers conveniently located in the Valley and West LA.
- Find your closest Goodwill drop off location here: Donation Center Locator – Goodwill Southern California
- Hope of the Valley also accepts donations. Find out more here: Thrift Stores – Hope The Mission
Israel and the World
Wise proudly supports Israel ParaSport Center through direct donations, exhibition games, and one-to-one visits in Israel. This incredible organization is one of the world’s pioneers in the field of sport rehabilitation. Founded in 1960 as the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled, the Israel ParaSport Center is a home away from home to around 2,500 Israelis of all ages, where the unique merits of sports are utilized to strengthen body, spirit, and mind. Sports activities contribute more to the confidence, morale, and self-image of those with disabilities than any other form of rehabilitation. Today, these athletes participate in 18 different sports activities without discrimination on the basis of gender, religion, race, nationality, or ethnicity.
Beit Issie Shapiro is Israel’s leading developer and provider of innovative therapies and state-of-the-art services for children and adults across the entire range of disabilities that impact over half a million people annually. Wise School’s Early Childhood Education program has been one of the biggest supporters of Beit Issie Shapiro for many years, raising over $100,000 to date. Our littlest students spend their years of preschool learning all about how their weekly tzedakah can help friends over in Israel.
Currently, over 40 million refugees are displaced within their own countries or on foreign shores—the scope of this humanitarian crisis looms large. We have been given an incredible opportunity to provide direct aid to Syrian refugees. Our partnership with Save the Syrian Children, an organization founded by Wise members Tamar and Philip Koosed, has given us the opportunity to provide much needed medical supplies and other health and welfare related materials directly into the hands of doctors and displaced children. Every year around Sukkot, Wise runs “The Big Fill,” a project to fill shipping containers with life saving medical supplies, as well as gently-used clothing and toys for children and adults to receive on the ground in Syria. Following a massive earthquake that rocked the Syrian-Turkish border, Save the Syrian Children began a relief effort to help those in need.
United Hatzalah of Israel is the largest independent, non-profit, fully volunteer Emergency Medical Service organization that provides the fastest and free emergency medical first response throughout Israel. United Hatzalah’s service is available to all people regardless of race, religion, or national origin. United Hatzalah has more than 6,200 volunteers around the country, available around the clock – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. With the help of our unique GPS technology and our iconic ambu-cycles, our average response time is less than 3 minutes across the country and 90 seconds in metropolitan areas. Our mission is to arrive at the scene as soon as possible and provide the patient with professional and appropriate medical aid until an ambulance arrives, resulting in many more lives saved. In 2022, Wise partnered with Congregation B’nai Jeshurun of New Jersey to help save over 230 refugees from the Russian invasion of Ukraine through United Hatzalah’s Operation Orange Wings.
Wise proudly champions the incredible life-saving work of IsraAid by dedicating one of our sukkot each year to increasing awareness about the work of this incredible organization. Since its inception, IsraAID has worked in emergency and long-term development settings in over 50 countries. Drawing on an extensive roster of leading Israeli and international experts, the organization is in a unique position to design and implement high-quality, cost-effective, and innovative programming that fully reflects the immediate and long-term needs of populations affected by disasters worldwide.
Wise is a founding congregational member of Jewish World Watch, through which we express our commitment to Judaism in action by bringing help and healing to survivors of mass atrocities around the globe and by seeking to inspire people of all faiths and cultures to join the ongoing fight against genocide. In addition to participating in the yearly Walk to End Genocide, Wise continues to support Jewish World Watch advocacy efforts throughout the world and has recently joined the Teen Ambassador Program, encouraging B’nai Mitzvah students and older teens to engage more deeply in anti-genocide efforts across the globe.